As the final part of the affected changes to the Mailing Standards of the USPS earlier this year, the United States Postal Service will implement Dimensional Weight (DIM) weight pricing as of June 23, 2019.

This change in calculating shipping for larger packages makes it crucial for sellers to optimize packaging if they ship medium to large packages that contain potentially lighter items. If you can reasonably fit items into a smaller package, you’ll absolutely want to explore your options.

Which Services are Affected?

All zones for Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express and Parcel Select.

What does this mean for you?

Dimensional Weight pricing applies to light weight, large packages. The general idea behind it is that there is a cost to the space these packages take up on a truck, rather than the physical weight of the package. If the calculated Dimensional Weight of your package is higher than the physical weight of a package, you are required to pay the higher of the two.

How is DIM weight calculated?

The new divisor for USPS is 166 which means if the total of the below equation equals a higher weight than the actual weight of the package you are shipping, you must pay the Dimensional Weight instead. Learn more

(L” x W” x H”)/166 = Dimensional weight

How do I manage cost?

Pack efficiently and smarter. Shipping a single small item in a large box is inefficient and will cost more than packing it in a container closer to the size of the item.

Use eBay Labels when possible for discounts on postage and renegotiate carrier contracts.

As always, thank you for selling on eBay.