Has anyone been charged for overweight luggage? What do you do? What if you only have one bag and you are charged, because technically you could just redistribute the weight and use another bag. Would you ever use something like a cardboard box that could be constructed at the airport so that you will not be charged for your overweight luggage?
overweight luggage
Aren't the rules x kg per person? Therefore the two bags thing wouldn't work.. You would still have the same weight.
I just pay the overweight fee...
If you stay below the max amount of weight then i don't expect that you have a problem. But keep below the 32kg because that is the max what a suite case may way.
It all depends on the airline you use and the flight you make. Travelling to a different continent allows you to have more weight. If your big bag has a little overweight maby you can put some things in you hand bag.
If you check in and they want to charge you for the overweight and you have a backpack you can inform them you are going to backpacking and allthought youo have as less as possible you still need some things for 3 months (even if you actually go for 1 week just say you go for a long time) or if you are flying back you can say "i have bought all the fantastic touristics thing in your country"
I wasn't charged for overweight luggage at Schiphol, and again at Seoul, which was surprising because my luggage was a good 10kg overweight at Schiphol. But the counter staff were very nice about it and didn't say a word, just smiled and wished me a safe flight, even though I looked immensely apologetic and was all prepared to pay the extra charge. So I guess it sometimes helps if you catch the staff on a good day. 
I wasn't charged in Dublin for my overweight baggage. I brought a backpack and a huge back of Goalie Gear (Field Hockey). I think it came to over 40Kg. I was charged on the way home tho in Schipol. Grr :P
Never been charged myself, but you could try...
1) Wearing all your heavy clothes before you check in, then take them off and put them into a duty free plastic bag when you get to departures
2)Fill your pockets with all your heavy stuff
Technically it is not luggage then....
3)Flutter those eye lashes, smile and hope for the best
Why should I be charged £xx for 10KGs over on my luggage when someone else who weighs 20Kg more than me doesn't pay a surcharge??
This is just another trick you can try: If you know you're way over your limit in weight, find someone with a small bag, or with no luggage at all (look for those suit-'n-ties with only a laptopbag on their shoulder). Oh, be sure to find that person BEFORE check-in 
. Ask if that person would mind checking in together (try to look trustworthy, lose the BinLaden-beard, and explain your goal), because the total luggage-allowance for two persons then will apply (no matter the number of bags). If he/she agrees, check-in together, like you're travelling together but make sure that the luggage is put on your name!
This worked for me! Saved me from paying a 50 euro fee!
Oh, and I agree you sometimes just have to be lucky, and encounter friendly staff that doesn't say anything... I flew to St Petersburg (Russia) from Schiphol (the Netherlands) and back with at least 8 kg's over-weight, but at neither airport they let me pay... It might help to check-in early as well, because then they're still far from their max. weight 
Good luck!
Demian
Quoting road_trip
Why should I be charged £xx for 10KGs over on my luggage when someone else who weighs 20Kg more than me doesn't pay a surcharge??
If I was ever in a situtation where my luggage was overweight, I would bring this point up and say if 'me and my luggage weigh less than so-and-so over there and his/her luggage, I'll pay'! 
It may or may not work, I haven't had the need to try it yet!
It's got nothing to do with weight regarding how much the aircraft can carry, and more to do with how much freight handlers can carry. Extra weight means more time and attention.