Nowadays life is handicapped without laptops. Even though smartphones are advance enough, yet insufficient to replace the utility of laptops. Hence, in any case, you need to own one!
If you are a frequent traveler, or you want to want to ship a laptop for some of your loved ones as a gift, or you want to send it by courier service in your home country, there is much more on the plate in terms of considerations.
Foremost, you need to be assured that your laptop will reach its destination without any damages, and the second important consideration would be related to the time and cost of the delivery.
Whether you want to ship your laptop by yourself or you are confused to select the best shipping service for shipment, we have all covered here in this article. Let’s read more!
Contents
Shipping a Laptop at Your Own:
If you have planned not to hire any packaging services or avail of any given by the carrier service, you need to be sure of the following:
- Protect the screen via a good-quality plastic glass screen protector.
- Use the bubble wrap to create the cushion.
- Insert soft padded cloth pieces all around the laptop in the box and fill all the spaces. If you leave some spaces then there is a high probability of its damage.
- Always place the laptop in the middle of the packaging box.
Choosing the Right Shipping Service:
The selection of the Shipping service that you are going to hire, is completely dependent upon your budget and time availability. Yet, for the shipment of delicate electronic objects top-rated safe courier services to prefer are USPS, FedEx, and UPS. Let’s compare the three for a better understanding.
USPS (United National Portal Service)
In the USA, the very first thought that comes up in someone’s mind while deciding to ship something is USPS. Because of their timely delivery and flat rates on packages, USPS has been a priority choice for everyone.
To ship an item via USPS, you need to consider the size of your package, because there is a flat rate on items according to their sizes and dimensions as large, small, and medium. To elaborate, consider a laptop package of 15 inches screen, it will fall in the medium category so the shipment cost will be $ 14.35 without any add-ons.
But, if you want to ship a relatively big object, I recommend you to pack that fragile item in your box, and you will be charged according to the weight of your box. Let’s say, if your box weighs around 3lbs, then the shipment cost will fall between 16$-19$ depending, on if you want instant delivery or the delivery is ground delivery or not?
For the add-ons, USPS offers add-ons like Insurance Covering the damage of up to $ 1000, Delicate packaging of fragile objects, Handling fragile objects, to name a few. If you add any of these add on then roughly your shipping cost will increase by $ 20 or more depending upon the option you have opted to choose.
UPS:
This shipping service determines the shipment cost based on the weight of the package. Let’s say, if you have a laptop of 16 inches weighing 3lbs or more and you don’t want express delivery, then the shipment cost will be around $ 47.74 without any ad-on.
Unlike USPS, UPS does not have much to offer you in terms of ad-on. YES! They do have damage insurance, but that is just up to $100. Furthermore, they do offer packaging boxes, but I recommend packing the fragile items with all the precautionary measures, on your own.
To highlight, UPS’s different offices will charge differently for the same package. So, I recommend calling their nearest office and getting the quotes first, before paying any visit.
UPS has a separate category for fragile items named “Custom Electronics Shipping”. Thus, in case of your laptop shipment, if you choose this offer, you can just sit and relax on your couch. Your package will arrive safely at the destination.
FedEx
Likewise UPS, every item shipped at FEDEX is insured up to 100 $ unless you purchase more premium insurance by paying high charges. Well, for FedEx, the cheapest offer available for the shipment of the box is $15.95, exclusive of everything even the box of your pack will also be from your side.
There are many other options available too. FedEx has the most durable packaging rectangular boxes. The regular-sized box can easily fit up to 17.5 inches laptops. And, the box will cost you around $5.
So, if you want to ship a laptop in 5 business days with no express delivery, then along with this box the shipment will cost you’re around $46. If you want your package to arrive early then the shipment cost will be $50.25.
In addition to all these, FedEx also offers a premium quality packaging service at the cost of around $ 23.
So, by this, you roughly estimate the cost of packages arriving in 5 days, 2 days, via ground service or express delivery. Rest, it is better to call your nearby FedEx office and the details of the prices according to your package description and decide the best available option.
How Much Does It Cost To Ship A Laptop?
To select the Cheapest Way to Ship a Laptop, here is a detailed comparison of all the three options explained in detail above.
Standard Shipping
| UPS | FedEx | USPS | |
| Own Box | $17.05 | $15.95 | $16.17 |
| Their Box | $47.74 | $46.17 | $14.35 |
| Specialty Box | Custom Electronics Shipping | $22.99 | No |
| Insurance Claim | Available up to $100 | Available up to $100 | NA |
Shipment in 2 days
| USPS | UPS | FedEx | |
| Own Box | $19.05 | $17.05 | $50.25 |
| Their Box | $14.35 | $47.74 | $50.25 |
| Specialty Box | No | Custom Electronics Shipping | $22.99 |
| Insurance Claim | NA | Available up to $100 | Available up to $100 |
A word of Caution: For the latest updates and details on shipment costs and package pricing, visit the official websites of said shipping services or call their nearest facility available.
Conclusion:
Hence, shipping a laptop is much more difficult, if you pack the package with caution and research more to dig up the best insurance facility offered by courier services available in your vicinity.
About how much does it cost to ship a laptop, it all depends upon the shipping service you have selected and the ad –that you are going to utilize. For the discussion above, UPS seems to be the Cheapest Way to Ship a Laptop, the rest of the choice is your own according to your preferences.