How do USB scales work?
Basically, the scale sends the weight data to your computer and into the computer software. We highly recommend that before you purchase a scale that you make sure the software you utilize is compatible with the scale(s) you are considering. For shipping purposes, you need to make sure whatever scale(s) you are considering, are compatible with UPS Worldship, FedEx shipping manager, or whatever other software you are using. This is true for small business, family business, or large enterprises or corporations.
What is USB shipping?
Many years ago, scales connected to the computer using the com port or serial port and communicated through RS-232. Well, times have changed and it’s pretty rare to even find a computer any longer that has a serial port. Most computers now have multiple USB ports or an ethernet port.
When it comes to shipping scales, you can use a simple scale that displays the weight and that is all it can do. Or, you can buy a postal scale that actually has a USB port which will allow you to connect the USB cable from the shipping scale to your computer. This type of capability usually works well with certain shipping software and basically allows you to skip the manual typing of the box weight into the shipping software when you are weighing a package.
What is the benefit of using a USB shipping scale?
The biggest benefit of utilizing a shipping scale with USB port is the time savings from having to manually enter box weights into your computer software each time a box is processed for shipping.
Do you need a scale for Popular Computer Software like UPS Worldship or ShipStation?
Shipping software typically has a handful of recommended shipping scales. Most will say they are compatible with USB scales that are HID-Compliant and the scale needs to be directly connected to your computer.
What shipping scale do you recommend?
Based on our experiences, for we recommend the Mettler Toledo BC-60U and the Rice Lake BenchPRO. And, for postal applications, the Mettler Toledo BC-6L. Many of these scales are available with a standard flat top platter or if you need something to speed up processing in the warehouse, you can usually get Balltop platter or Rollertop platter scales as well.
What shipping software do you recommend?
Based on our experiences, we recommend UPS Worldship. If you’re looking to ship with multiple carriers using one software, or connect your CRM to your shipping, then we recommend ShipStation.
Final thoughts
For many years, we have used the Mettler Toledo PS-60 shipping scale. It’s popular and reliable. If you ship a lot of boxes, you may also want to consider other shipping ideas like dimensional weight. If you have any questions regarding shipping scales with usb port, please contact our customer service department and they will work to get you answers.