POS scales and scanner scales in NZ: the rules and what actually connects

If you sell anything by weight in New Zealand, buy a trade approved scale and have it stamped with a mark of verification before you use it. That's the law, and it matters more than which POS you run. The second thing to know: none of the seven POS systems we cover lists a scale that talks to the till, so plan on typing the weight in or using a label-printing scale.

This page is for delis, butchers, bulk-food stores, fruit shops, cafés selling beans or cake by weight, and market stalls. If you only sell by the item, you don't need any of it.

The NZ rule: trade approved and stamped

Trading Standards (part of MBIE) is clear. In its words: "your weighing or measuring equipment must be of an approved type and stamped with a mark of verification."

What that means in practice:

• "Use for trade" is broad. A scale counts if it's used "to determine a quantity" and "to establish a basis for a financial transaction". That includes shops, stalls, "itinerant vendors and internet-based traders".
• Approved type first. The model must hold a type approval from Trading Standards. Only trade approved equipment can carry a mark of verification. If you use a scale that isn't an approved type for trade, Trading Standards can seize it and you may face legal action.
• Then a mark of verification. The scale must be tested and "stamped with a Mark of Verification by an Accredited Person before it can be used for trade". An Accredited Person is a company or person Trading Standards has approved to check the accuracy of scales. If the mark falls off, is damaged or is removed, you must get the scale re-tested and stamped "immediately".
• The annual certificate is optional. An Accredited Person can issue a certificate of accuracy, valid for 12 months. Trading Standards says keeping one current "is voluntary", though it may give you a defence if your scale is ever found to be inaccurate. (You'll see sites saying scales must be re-stamped every year. That's not what the official guidance says.)
• Tare off packaging. For pre-packed goods, or loose goods you bag in front of the customer, "you must deduct the weight of all packaging material". Use the tare button.
• Keep it level. Scales can read wrong if they aren't level, so check the level indicator whenever the scale is moved.
• Second-hand warning. Rejected equipment is marked with a 6-pointed star. Trading Standards advises not buying a used scale with that mark.

Using an unapproved scale for trade can mean it's seized and you face legal action.

Can your POS read a scale?

Short answer: no. We checked the hardware pages of all seven systems on 5 October 2026, and none lists a connected scale.

If a connected scale is a must, ask the vendor directly before you sign up, and get the answer in writing.

Read our Loyverse review · Read our Lightspeed review · Read our Shopify POS review

Three setups that work

Type the weight

The simplest option, and the one Lightspeed documents. Weigh the goods on your trade approved scale, then enter the weight as the quantity on the sale. It costs nothing extra and works with any POS that lets you sell fractional quantities. The downside is speed and typos at a busy counter.

Label-printing scale plus weight barcodes

A price-computing scale with a built-in label printer weighs the item and prints a barcode sticker. Your POS scans the sticker like any other barcode.

Loyverse documents how this works. It accepts EAN-13 and UPC-A weight barcodes in the pattern YYCCCCCWWWWWX:

• YY is the prefix: "20" or "02" for EAN-13, "2" for UPC-A
• CCCCC is the item's five-digit SKU
• WWWWW is the weight in grams, so "01750" means 1.750kg
• X is the check digit

Set the label scale to print in the format your POS reads, and turn the feature on in the POS. A bonus: the label goes on the pack, so the customer sees the weight and price too.

Integrated scanner scale (supermarket style)

A scanner scale combines a barcode scanner and a weighing platter in one unit, set into the checkout counter. Zebra describes its MP7000 as a multi-plane scanner, sold as scanner-only or as a scanner/scale, for "cashier-manned and self-checkout lanes", designed to fit into an existing checkout counter. Datalogic's Magellan range is the other well-known name: its data sheet describes the Magellan 9800i as a scanner/scale with a weighing platter, built to stay in the counter for most service calls. This site had reviewed an older Magellan model, the 2300HS, by 2010.

They're built for high-volume supermarket lanes and need a POS that talks to the scale. None of the systems we cover lists one, so for a small NZ shop they're rarely the right buy.

Looking for barcode scanner types?

The old version of this page, the "scanner scale buying guide", was really about barcode scanners: 1D vs 2D, CCD, laser and omnidirectional scanners, corded vs cordless, and in-counter models at the end of a checkout belt. That's all covered, updated for 2026, on our barcode scanners guide, including which scanners each NZ POS system supports.

What scales cost in NZ

Prices from Meltrons, an NZ scale seller, read on 5 October 2026 (the page lists NZD prices but doesn't say whether GST is included):

A PLU is a short product code you program into the scale so it knows each item's price per kilo. Ask any seller whether the price includes verification by an Accredited Person, and who'll do it.