Annoying extra charges when Shipping your Products

Businesses shipping goods may from time to time receive additional charges after delivery because the carrier has confirmed the declared deadweight or dimensions provided were under-declared.? This can be extremely frustrating as in most cases you have already charged your customer a shipping cost for the shipment.

When transport carriers and Australia Post calculate shipping costs, they use the ‘charge weight’ of your shipped products. ?Charge weight is the greater of the deadweight or cubic weight of the item. Deadweight is self explanatory, the actual weight of the item when placed on weighing scales. Cubic weight is a calculation derived from the cubic volume of the shipped item (length x width x height).

When goods are collected and travel through the carriers network, the goods travel down a conveyor belt in a transport depot and through a Dimensioner machine (see image below).

All carriers now use this specialised machinery to automatically check the deadweight and cubic volume of items sent. Gone are the days of pickup drivers or operations staff manually using a tape measure. ?As the items go through the Dimensioner machine, they are weighed and lasers measure the 3 dimensions of each item. This all happens in real time and very quickly with thousands of items being checked per hour. Any discrepancies for under-declared deadweight/dimensions are then notified to you on your next invoice with further charges to be paid.

The technology is extremely accurate, however false scans of the dimensions can occur occasionally with the lasers if:

·????? packaging tape is loose on the package or

·????? the edge of a carton has come loose or

·????? the package is squashed out of shape,

·????? etc

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It pays to ensure the packages leave your premises neatly taped up and in a robust package, carton, etc to ensure none of these potential issues can occur. Usually you can dispute the carrier’s findings however if you provide evidence of the item sent.

Each carrier has a freight profile, if you under-declare the weight/dimensions trying to save a few dollars on shipping, all you will get is potential delays & additional costs.? Many carriers are also beginning to penalise customers under-declaring their shipments with penalties ranging from $5 to $50 per item depending on the situation.

The transport company needs to know the correct deadweight and dimensions, so they send the right sized vehicle & staff aren’t injured loading a heavy item that was declared as a lighter item.? Also carriers work on very fine margins so need to ensure they are receiving the correct revenue for items sent through their network.

Some other tips to stop ‘false scans’ by the lasers used by the Dimensioner machine, it is important to ensure:

·????? Your barcoded shipping labels are flat on the carton & not crinkled

·????? There is no packaging tape sitting up from the package & the tape is nice & flat on the package

·????? If you add strapping around cartons/boxes/flat packs, the strapping is nice and tight (i.e. not sitting up from the package or loose).

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It will be up to you to prove the Dimensioner is wrong. Its time consuming and can be costly. In some cases the carrier may hold your goods in transit until the matter is resolved (this is rare but can happen).

To protect yourself, use standard sized cartons for shipping (small, medium or large depending on your product range) if possible. If you are then brought into question, you can quickly and easily provide evidence that on this occasion, the carrier has got it wrong.

By law, the carriers are required to have their Dimensioner machines calibrated regularly to ensure the information is collected correctly and accurately. Data from the machinery can be used in court cases if required to defend their position.

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If you’re encountering these issues on a regular basis, we’re happy to review your despatching methods & suggest some changes.? You can contact Smart Send here.