Dimensional weight for packages wrapped in polymailers

[Fabien_Nicolas]

Hello Shopify community,

We are shipping our shoeboxes in a polymailer bag, the point is that the dimensions are quite unprecise as the polymailer is a little slack and loose, especially at the angles, even we have a bag that fit very well the shoebox.

What dimensions do you consider for the carrier? Carrier use automatic laser systems to measure dimensions so I am afraid it is considering the slack part of the bag as well, and so alters the shipping cost quite a lot. Do you have experience being charged afterward for extra weight?

Thank you

PS: our shoebox are made ultra-resistant for that purpose

[Anindita]

Hi @Fabien_Nicolas,

Dimensional weight reflects a package’s density, which is the amount of space a package occupies in relation to its actual weight. For each shipment, your charge is based on the dimensional weight or actual weight of the package, whichever is greater.  To calculate the dimensional weight, almost all the carriers, multiply the length, width, and height of a package, using the longest point on each side.

[Fabien_Nicolas]

Hi @Anindita 

Thank you for your reply! Sure, so my question, if carriers consider the extra length at the corner, it changes a lot the DIM, while this extra is just slack plastic and that does not really take volume as it will be compressed by other packages once stacked up.