diff --git a/httpie/uploads.py b/httpie/uploads.py
index 4a993b3a25..cbf7a6ed25 100644
--- a/httpie/uploads.py
+++ b/httpie/uploads.py
@@ -258,6 +258,9 @@ def compress_request(
         body_bytes = request.body.encode()
     elif hasattr(request.body, 'read'):
         body_bytes = request.body.read()
+        # The body is consumed now, so if we don't end up compressing we should
+        # use the bytes we just read
+        request.body = body_bytes
     else:
         body_bytes = request.body
     deflated_data = deflater.compress(body_bytes)
diff --git a/tests/fixtures/__init__.py b/tests/fixtures/__init__.py
index 6e6e73676e..d01bead6c4 100644
--- a/tests/fixtures/__init__.py
+++ b/tests/fixtures/__init__.py
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ def patharg(path):
 JSON_FILE_PATH = FIXTURES_ROOT / 'test.json'
 JSON_WITH_DUPE_KEYS_FILE_PATH = FIXTURES_ROOT / 'test_with_dupe_keys.json'
 BIN_FILE_PATH = FIXTURES_ROOT / 'test.bin'
+TINY_FILE_PATH = FIXTURES_ROOT / 'test_tiny.txt'
 
 XML_FILES_PATH = FIXTURES_ROOT / 'xmldata'
 XML_FILES_VALID = list((XML_FILES_PATH / 'valid').glob('*_raw.xml'))
@@ -39,6 +40,7 @@ def patharg(path):
 FILE_PATH_ARG = patharg(FILE_PATH)
 BIN_FILE_PATH_ARG = patharg(BIN_FILE_PATH)
 JSON_FILE_PATH_ARG = patharg(JSON_FILE_PATH)
+TINY_FILE_PATH_ARG = patharg(TINY_FILE_PATH)
 
 # Strip because we don't want new lines in the data so that we can
 # easily count occurrences also when embedded in JSON (where the new
diff --git a/tests/fixtures/test_tiny.txt b/tests/fixtures/test_tiny.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9daeafb986
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/fixtures/test_tiny.txt
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+test
diff --git a/tests/test_compress.py b/tests/test_compress.py
index de5d8a7c48..e763257984 100644
--- a/tests/test_compress.py
+++ b/tests/test_compress.py
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 import base64
 import zlib
 
-from .fixtures import FILE_PATH, FILE_CONTENT
+from .fixtures import FILE_PATH, FILE_CONTENT, TINY_FILE_PATH_ARG
 from httpie.status import ExitStatus
 from .utils import StdinBytesIO, http, HTTP_OK, MockEnvironment
 
@@ -138,3 +138,16 @@ def test_compress_file(httpbin_both):
         'multipart/form-data; boundary=')
     assert r.json['files'] == {}
     assert FILE_CONTENT not in r
+
+
+def test_compress_skip_negative_ratio_file_upload(httpbin):
+    """Reading the upload body but not compressing it doesn't cause a hang."""
+    r = http(
+        '--compress',
+        'PUT',
+        httpbin + '/put',
+        f'@{TINY_FILE_PATH_ARG}',
+    )
+    assert HTTP_OK in r
+    assert 'Content-Encoding' not in r.json['headers']
+    assert r.json['data'].strip() == 'test'