alt Hacker News> I rarely need to use a scale for postage. If I have a standard envelope (~5g) and 3 sheets of paper (15g), I know I'm at 20g total. It turns physical shipping logistics into simple integer arithmetic.
...was using a scale for postage a concern? If you're shipping things on the order of three sheets of paper, you're way below any conceivable threshold. USPS charges a flat rate on letters under 370 grams!
If you're sending 1,700 pieces of looseleaf paper in a box... just weigh the box.
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Given that we are talking about A4 papers and grams, I'd bet this wasn't in the US.
In Europe, the typical flat rate is up to 100g for standard letters. And that's 20 sheets, which is not a particularly unusual letter to send.
>USPS charges a flat rate on letters under 370 grams!
In the UK the limit for a letter is 100 grams:
In Sweden, the lowest postage (one stamp, 22 SEK or around $2) is for max 50 grams.
A first class forever stamp only covers 1oz (28g).
German postage for letters is under 20g, under 50g and under 500g so I had this issue a few times so far when sending a few letters a day over a few weeks. You can see it here for international letters for example: https://www.deutschepost.de/en/b/briefe-ins-ausland.html
Thankfully I just had a scale, but I can see this being helpful when you don't.