shipping computers through mail

[thadon]

hey,

how expensive, and how safe is it to ship a mini-tower computer case+all components in case?

if its able to be done, what kind of box do i use to send it in, and what type of packaging?

also. this is going about 1000 miles away

thx

 

[tomstevens26]

What I've done in the past is:

* made sure everything inside the case was securely mounted (which it should be anyway)
* put the computer in the box the case came in. Hopefully you have this box along with the styrofoam inserts that came with it.
* wrapped that box in a couple of layers of bubble wrap.
* placed that box inside a bigger box and tightly surrounded it with those foam peanuts.
* taped the outer box securely with packing tape

I've shipped several through UPS this way without a problem. Good luck!

Tom

 

[tomstevens26]

Oh, and regarding price... the last time I shipped a PC this way was about 6 months ago. I'm sure it went ground, and with insurance and everything I believe it was between $20-$30. That was only going several hundred miles away but I don't think distance would make that big of deal.

 

[RanDum72]

Mail? As in USPS? If you are sending it within the continental U.S., FEDEX or UPS ground will be cheaper. Of the two, I would go with FEDEX since they seem to take care of packages better.

 

[CubicZirconia]

You should be able to call any place that ships packages via FedEx or UPS to get a price quote. You'll need the zip code, weight, and whether its being shipped to a commercial or residential area.

 

[Sid59]

i recieved a computer from a person i know in NY (i live in California). He secured all the componets and filled it in with peanuts. The computer is running fine.

do what tomstevens26 says.

 

[gc511]

I shipped my computer mid-tower from illinois to nj (~900 miles). It was around $25 or so without insurance from USPS. However, this was a year ago, so I'm not sure how much it is now. I just put the tower in the box it came in, and padded the sides with some soft material, and send it on its way. It came fine without any damage.

 

[osage]

I shipped 2 to Alaska this year USPS with ins. 1 in March and 1 in Sept. they were $47. and $52.
both arrived OK and are going strong in the frozen north.

 

[bendixG15]

I shipped a mid tower computer about 250 miles and USPS was lot cheaper than FEDEX or UPS.

 

[everman]

Well if a company such as Dell can do their business almost all through shipping their product, I think that says it's very safe if done right 😉 I'd secure the cards, heatsink ect. (I'm not sure about putting a big cooler on the cpu though, if it's an athlon anyway. might want a cpu shim).