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Ship a tablet in its original box or a sturdy box-in-box setup, with the screen covered, the battery partly charged, and the device powered off. Lithium battery rules shape how carriers accept tablets, so check the carrier's battery rules before you drop it off. A label from LetterAgent covers Canada-only Xpresspost parcels up to five kilograms.
A tablet combines three risks in one thin slab: a glass screen that cracks under a point load, a lithium battery that carriers treat as a regulated item, and a body that bends if the box flexes. A padded envelope gives almost no protection against any of the three. A rigid box with real cushioning on all six sides handles all of them at once. The goal is simple: nothing hard touches the screen, nothing presses on the middle of the device, and the tablet cannot slide around inside the box.
Nearly every modern tablet runs on a lithium-ion battery, and most tablets ship with the battery installed in the device. That detail matters, because carriers treat a battery installed in equipment differently from a loose battery sent on its own. A tablet with its battery inside is usually accepted for ground and air service, while a loose lithium battery faces stricter limits and, on some services, a flat refusal. Power the tablet fully off, not just asleep, so it cannot wake up, heat up, or run its battery down in transit. Keep the charge at a middle level rather than full or empty: a partly charged battery is calmer in storage and still leaves the recipient able to test the device on arrival.
| Situation | What usually applies |
|---|---|
| Battery installed in the tablet | Accepted by most carriers; declare it if the carrier asks |
| Loose spare battery, no device | Stricter limits; some services refuse it outright |
| Damaged, swollen, or recalled battery | Do not ship by ordinary parcel service; contact the carrier first |
| Tablet plus a power bank in the same box | Each battery item counts; check the carrier's combined rules |
Start with the screen. If the tablet has a case, leave it on; if not, cover the screen with a microfibre cloth or a sheet of soft foam, then tape that cover lightly at the edges so it cannot slip. Never tape directly to the screen. Put the tablet in a snug plastic bag to guard against rain and warehouse dust, and press the air out before sealing it. Wrap the bagged tablet in at least two inches of bubble wrap or foam on every side, and tape the wrap closed. If you still have the original retail box with its fitted insert, use it: that insert was shaped for exactly this device. Slide the wrapped tablet into the retail box, fill any leftover space, and close it.
Box-in-box means the retail box (or a snug inner box) goes inside a larger outer shipping box, with cushioning between the two boxes. The outer box takes the drops, corner hits, and stacking weight; the inner box keeps the tablet still. Put two to three inches of crumpled paper, foam peanuts, or bubble wrap around the inner box on all sides, then close the outer box with wide packing tape in an H pattern across the top and bottom seams. Shake the sealed box gently: if you feel or hear movement, open it and add fill. A tablet that shifts in transit is a tablet that arrives with a cracked corner.
Chargers, cables, and styluses travel best in their own small bag, taped or tucked so they cannot rub against the screen. A loose charging brick is a hard object, and a hard object bouncing around next to glass is how screens crack. If the buyer or recipient expects the original accessories, list them in your note or listing so a missing cable does not turn into a dispute. Remove any memory card or SIM you want to keep, and sign out of your accounts or factory-reset the device before shipping a tablet you are selling or giving away. A wiped tablet also protects you if the parcel goes astray.
Weigh the sealed box on a bathroom or kitchen scale if you have one, and measure its longest side, so the label you buy matches the parcel you hand over. Check the carrier's battery and damage rules one last time, especially for air service or cross-border routes, where rules tighten. In Canada, a LetterAgent label covers Xpresspost parcels up to five kilograms within Canada; heavier or international tablet shipments need a different carrier or service. Take a photo of the packed box and the label before drop-off, and keep the receipt or tracking number until the recipient confirms arrival.
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.
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