Shipping cost basics: volumetric weight and slabs

Most sellers lose money on shipping without knowing. The entire game is one formula:

The formula

Chargeable weight = max(actual weight, volumetric weight), where volumetric = L × W × H ÷ 5000 (cm, kg). A big light box bills like a heavy small one.

Example: 30×25×20 cm parcel weighing 400g → volumetric = 30×25×20÷5000 = 3 kg. You pay the 3 kg slab, not 400g.

What to do

• Measure packed size, not product size. A smaller box can drop you a full slab.
• Compare slabs before listing with the price calculator — fees + shipping + margin in one view.
• Meesho sellers: the slab derives from your product image + package size. ListiLabel's Live Test tries your image variants against Meesho's own shipping readout and locks the cheapest one.

One slab down on 500 orders/month is real money. Measure twice, list once.