LetterAgent
Mail physical letters by just asking your AI assistant.
Home > Guides > Shipping a laptop safely
Ship the laptop in a double box: a snug inner box cushioned inside a larger outer box, with at least two inches of padding on every side. Keep the battery installed in the machine, shut it down fully (not sleep), back up your data before you seal the box, and ship it tracked with a signature required.
A quick note on scope: LetterAgent's shipping labels are Canada-only Xpresspost, up to 5 kg, and a boxed laptop can approach that weight once packed. The steps below apply no matter which carrier you use; the label is just the last step.
Most laptop damage in transit comes from corner and edge impacts, not from the box being dropped flat. An inner box that fits the laptop closely stops it shifting; the outer box plus two inches of cushioning absorbs the hit. A single padded mailer, even a thick one, passes the full shock straight to the hinge and screen. Bubble wrap around the laptop inside one box is better than nothing, but it is still not a double box.
| Step | What to do | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Back up your data | Full backup to an external drive or cloud storage | A drive can die from shock even if the shell survives |
| Power off fully | Shut down, not sleep or hibernate | A sleeping laptop can wake in transit, run hot, and drain or overheat |
| Remove loose extras | Take out USB dongles, SD cards, and cable tips from ports | Protruding items snap off or crack ports under pressure |
| Wrap and inner-box | Anti-static wrap or a foam sleeve, then a snug box | Stops shifting and static discharge against the chassis |
| Cushion and outer-box | Two inches of padding on all sides inside a sturdy corrugated box | Corner protection is the main failure point |
| Photograph everything | Photos of the packed box before taping | Damage claims move faster with packaging proof |
Keep the battery installed in the laptop. Carriers treat a battery installed in a device far more leniently than a loose lithium battery, which falls under stricter dangerous-goods rules. Shipping the battery separately in the same shipment means it gets judged as a standalone lithium shipment, which invites packaging rules you do not want to learn the hard way. If the battery is swollen or damaged, do not ship it at all: take it to a battery recycling drop-off instead.
You can, but know what it does. "Fragile" stickers are not a service level; sortation equipment cannot read them, and no carrier promises gentler handling for marked boxes. The packaging does the protecting, not the label. Put the shipping label on a flat face of the outer box, add the recipient's address on the inner box as a backup, and keep the receipt and tracking number somewhere other than inside the box.
Choose tracked shipping with a signature requirement on delivery. A laptop left on a porch or in a parcel locker room is the most common loss scenario, and it is the one you control least. Signature keeps it out of the hands of whoever happens to walk past. Insurance up to the laptop's value is worth it here, since declared-value coverage is what pays out on a real loss, but read the carrier's terms: some exclude used electronics or require specific packaging to pay a claim, which is another reason to photograph your packing job.
Ready to ship it? Get a shipping label with LetterAgent: describe it to your AI assistant, approve the exact quoted price, and get your label. Note that LetterAgent labels are Canada-only Xpresspost up to 5 kg.
LetterAgent is a working name. Prices include print, postage, and our service fee. US prices in USD, Canadian prices in CAD (Canadian prices exclude applicable sales tax, added at checkout). Currently in private testing.
Need help? Ask your assistant: it can check a job's status any time. If it ever can't handle something: hello@getletteragent.com