How much package weight can you realistically carry

Your carrying capacity is finite and defined by several factors. Getting this calculation wrong leads to overweight fees, disputes with senders, or both.

Step 1: Know your airline baggage allowance. Log into your booking and check your checked luggage allowance in kilograms. Budget airlines vary wildly: Ryanair allows 20 kg, Emirates economy allows 30 kg, some business fares allow 40 kg or more.

Step 2: Weigh your personal luggage before packing sender items. Clothing, shoes, toiletries, and personal items should all be packed and weighed first. The difference between your allowance and your personal luggage weight is your sender capacity.

Step 3: Add a 1 kg buffer. Scales are not perfectly accurate. Give yourself a kilogram of margin to avoid overweight charges.

Step 4: Consider carry-on capacity. Lithium battery devices must go in carry-on. If you are accepting electronics packages, these will come out of your hand luggage allowance (typically 7-10 kg and one bag on most airlines).

Step 5: Physical carrying capacity. A 23 kg suitcase plus a 10 kg backpack is physically challenging to manage through airports, on trains, and at handoff points. Be realistic about what you can handle comfortably.

Example. Emirates economy: 30 kg allowance. Personal luggage: 18 kg. Buffer: 1 kg. Available for senders: 11 kg. At EUR 20 per kg, that is EUR 220 per trip.

List your available capacity accurately on Sendways. Listing more than you can carry leads to overweight charges that come out of your earnings.