Amazon product weight for postage: how to choose the right eBay postage service

Can you use Amazon product weight for postage on eBay?

You can use Amazon product weight for postage as a first estimate, but not as the final number. Amazon pages often show weight and size figures that describe the product, the retail box or the shipping package, and those are not always the same thing. Treat them as a way to shortlist eBay postage services, then confirm with your own scales and tape measure.

This guide is for the case where the item reaches you before it goes to the buyer, so you choose the packaging and the postage service. If you list items and have another retailer send them straight to your customer, read the section on eBay's policy further down first.

The steps work on eBay.co.uk and eBay.com. The main differences are the units (metric or imperial), the carriers on offer and the delivery promises you have to meet.

What weight and size figures does an Amazon listing show?

An Amazon product page can carry several measurements. Which ones appear depends on the product and the seller who filled in the listing data.

• Item weight: the weight of the product itself, as the seller or manufacturer describes it.
• Item dimensions: the size of the product, often length by width by height.
• Package dimensions and package weight: the size and weight of the product in its retail or shipping packaging, where shown.
• Unit count or pack size: how many items are in the pack, which changes the weight a lot.

These fields are filled in by whoever created or edited the listing, so they can be missing, rounded, in different units or wrong. Two near-identical products can show figures that do not match. Amazon.co.uk usually shows metric units. Amazon.com often shows pounds, ounces and inches, so convert carefully before you compare anything.

Why is the Amazon weight not the weight you will post?

The parcel you send is the product, plus your own packaging, plus any inserts. None of that is in Amazon's figure unless the package weight happens to match your setup.

Four things commonly cause the gap:

1. Your packaging is different. A padded bag, a box and bubble wrap all weigh different amounts.
2. The figure describes a different pack. Multipacks, bundles and variations can show the weight of one unit or of the whole pack. See how to match pack size and quantity correctly before you trust a weight.
3. The listing data is wrong. Sellers on Amazon make typing mistakes, and unit conversions go wrong.
4. Variations differ. Each size or colour can have its own weight and dimensions, so check the one you are selling. The article on Amazon child ASIN variations explains how those map to eBay.

Carriers can also charge on size as well as on weight. Many price a parcel on whichever is larger, the actual weight or a weight worked out from its dimensions (often called volumetric or dimensional weight). A light but bulky item can therefore cost more to send than its scale weight suggests. Each carrier sets its own formula, so check the carrier's current rules rather than assuming one.

How do you choose an eBay postage service from the weight and dimensions?

Work through these steps for each product. It takes a few minutes per item and saves repeated postage losses later.

Step 1: Record the Amazon figures

Note the item weight, item dimensions and package figures from the product page. Write down the unit next to each number. If a figure is missing, mark it as unknown rather than guessing.

Step 2: Weigh and measure the real parcel

Pack one unit exactly as you would send it. Weigh it on kitchen or postal scales and measure the longest side, then the other two. Do this once per product type, not once per order.

Step 3: Compare with the carrier limits

Each carrier publishes weight bands and maximum sizes for its services, and eBay shows the available services when you create a listing or buy a label. Limits and prices change, so read the current figures on the carrier's page or in eBay's postage options rather than relying on memory. Eliminate every service the packed parcel does not fit.

Step 4: Match the service to the item

Among the services that fit, think about three things beyond price:

• Tracking: a tracked service makes it easier to show delivery if a buyer says the item never arrived.
• Speed: the delivery time must fit the estimate you promise in the listing.
• Value and fragility: a higher-value or fragile item deserves a service you can follow and a box that protects it.

Step 5: Put the postage cost into your price

Add the real postage cost to the item cost and your packaging cost before you set the selling price. Then add eBay fees, which vary by category and seller type: see eBay's fee pages for UK selling fees. If you price from a formula, make sure postage sits inside it.

What should you compare before picking a service?

This table shows the data points worth checking and where each one comes from.

Example: how a small weight error changes your postage cost

Example: this uses hypothetical numbers and hypothetical postage prices, not real carrier rates. Suppose a product page lists a package weight of 480 g. Suppose "Service A" charges £2.80 for parcels up to 500 g and £3.90 for parcels up to 1 kg.

You pack the item in a padded bag that weighs 90 g. The parcel weighs 570 g, not 480 g. It falls into the 1 kg band, so you pay £3.90, not £2.80. That is £1.10 more per parcel than you planned.

If you had priced the listing using £2.80, you would lose £1.10 on each sale. Over 100 sales that is £110. Switching to lighter packaging that keeps the parcel at or under 500 g would bring the cost back to £2.80, but only a real weigh-in tells you whether that is possible.

The point is the method: use the Amazon figure to shortlist, then trust the scales.

What does eBay's drop shipping policy mean for postage?

eBay's policy says that dropshipping, where you fulfil orders directly from a wholesale supplier, is allowed on eBay. It also says that listing an item on eBay and then buying it from another retailer or marketplace that ships directly to your customer is not allowed. Amazon is a retailer and marketplace, so sourcing from Amazon and having it sent straight to your buyer falls on the wrong side of that line. Read the policy yourself for your site: eBay UK drop shipping policy and eBay US drop shipping policy.

However you source, you stay responsible for the safe delivery of the item within the time frame stated in the listing, and for the buyer's overall satisfaction. eBay may remove the listing, issue a warning, restrict activity or suspend the account if the policy is broken. Every Amazon purchase is also made under Amazon's own Conditions of Use and Sale, so read those as well.

For postage, the practical effect is simple. When you are the one packing and posting, you control the service, the packaging and the tracking, and the figures in this guide apply directly. You also own any mistake in them.

How do postage choices affect delivery dates and buyer protection?

Your postage service sets the delivery date you can honestly promise. The article on reading an Amazon delivery estimate helps when your stock comes from Amazon, and the same logic applies to your own dispatch and carrier times: add them up and show a date you can meet.

On eBay, the stakes are the following:

• UK Money Back Guarantee: buyers can report an item not received within 30 calendar days of the estimated delivery date, and sellers must respond within 3 business days or the buyer can ask eBay to step in. See eBay Money Back Guarantee.
• UK seller performance: with tracking, an item counts as late if the delivery scan comes after the latest estimated delivery date and there was no carrier scan within the dispatch time. Late deliveries can affect Top Rated status, so a slow, untracked cheap service can cost more than it saves.
• UK consumer law: goods must be delivered within 30 days unless you agree otherwise with the customer. See the gov.uk guide to online and distance selling.
• US FTC rule: if you state a shipping time, you must be able to meet it. If you state none, you need a reasonable basis to expect to ship within 30 days of a properly completed order. See the FTC Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule guide.

None of these rules cares what weight Amazon printed. They care whether the parcel arrives when you said it would. A cheaper service that misses your date is a false saving.

What differs between eBay.co.uk and eBay.com?

The method is the same, but the details differ.

• Units: UK sellers mostly deal in grams, kilograms and centimetres. US sellers deal in ounces, pounds and inches. Convert Amazon's figures to the units your carrier uses before comparing.
• Carriers and services: each country has its own set, with its own weight bands, size limits and tracking. Check the options shown when you create the listing or buy a label.
• Pricing style: eBay lets sellers charge fixed postage, calculated postage or offer free postage, depending on the site and category. Where you charge by weight, a wrong weight feeds straight into what the buyer sees.
• Delivery rules: UK sellers work to the UK performance standards and consumer rules above. US sellers work to eBay's US standards and the FTC rule.

If you sell across both, keep a separate postage note for each product, because the same parcel can fall into different bands in different countries.

What mistakes should you avoid?

• Trusting one figure. Amazon data is a clue, not a measurement. Weigh the packed item.
• Ignoring the pack size. A listing for a pack of six can show a weight for one unit. Check the title and the unit count.
• Forgetting packaging. The box, bag and filler can move you up a band.
• Choosing on price alone. A cheap untracked service can cost you a dispute, a refund or a lower seller rating.
• Copying postage across variations. A larger size or heavier colour option may need a different service.
• Leaving postage out of the price. Postage is a cost like any other, and it belongs in your margin.

If you import Amazon listings into eBay drafts with a tool, check the postage and weight fields yourself before publishing. Dropizon, for example, creates eBay drafts from an Amazon product page or a pasted list of ASINs, but the postage choice and the packed weight stay your decision. You can read how Dropizon works for the details.

A quick checklist before you publish a listing

1. Write down the Amazon item weight, package weight and dimensions, with units.
2. Check the pack size and the variation you are selling.
3. Pack one unit the way you will send it, then weigh and measure it.
4. Convert to the carrier's units and compare with its current weight bands and size limits.
5. Rule out services the parcel does not fit.
6. Choose a service with tracking that fits the item's value and your delivery promise.
7. Add postage and packaging to your cost before setting the price.
8. Recheck the figures if your supplier, packaging or pack size changes.

Keep the measurements in a spreadsheet next to each product code. After a few weeks of real parcels, you will have your own data, which is far more reliable than any product page.