Sending a Laptop for Repair by Courier: How to Pack It and What to Include
If you’re not near our London workshop, a courier is often the quickest way to get a laptop repaired. A few minutes of preparation makes the difference between a straightforward repair and a laptop that arrives with a new crack in the screen. Here is what to do before the driver arrives.
Before you pack: three things to check
- Get a quote and a job number first. Describe the make, model and fault so we can tell you whether the repair is likely to be worthwhile before you send anything. Booking online gives you a job number by email straight away – write it on the note that goes in the box.
- Back up what you can. Most repairs don’t touch your files, but a courier journey is a good moment to copy anything irreplaceable to an external drive or cloud storage if the laptop still works.
- Is the battery swollen? If the case is bulging, the trackpad is being pushed up or the laptop no longer sits flat, tell us before booking. Damaged or swollen lithium batteries are a fire risk and can’t simply go into a normal parcel network; we’ll advise on the safe way to handle it. See laptop battery replacement.
Prepare the laptop itself
- Shut it down properly. Choose Shut down rather than closing the lid. A laptop that is only asleep can wake in the box, run warm and drain its battery.
- Remove anything that isn’t part of the repair: USB sticks, SD cards, discs, stickers with passwords written on them, and any cases or sleeves you want back exactly as they are.
- Don’t send the charger unless the fault is to do with charging or power. It is one more thing to pack and one more thing to go missing.
- Photograph it. Take a couple of quick photos of the lid, base and screen. If anything is ever questioned, a dated photo settles it in seconds.
- Liquid spill? Don’t try to switch it on to test it, and send it as soon as you can. Corrosion keeps working while the laptop sits in a drawer. Our liquid damage repair page explains what happens next.
How to pack a laptop so it arrives in one piece
Laptops are usually damaged in transit in one of two ways: the box is crushed, or the laptop moves around inside and hits the side. Good packing prevents both.
- Use a strong box. The laptop’s original packaging is ideal. Otherwise use a sturdy double-walled cardboard box, noticeably larger than the laptop on every side.
- Wrap the laptop. Put it in a plastic bag or anti-static bag to keep out dust and moisture, then wrap it in several layers of bubble wrap.
- Leave about 5cm of padding all round. Fill the space between the wrapped laptop and every side of the box – including top and bottom – with bubble wrap, foam or crumpled paper.
- Do the shake test. Close the box and shake it gently. If you can feel anything move, add more padding.
- Protect the screen. Never close the lid on a pen, cable or earbuds left on the keyboard – the pressure in a squashed box is enough to crack an LCD. Pack the laptop flat, not on its edge.
- Tape every seam with proper parcel tape, and remove or cover old delivery labels so the box can’t be misrouted.
What to put in the box
Add a short note inside, on top of the laptop, with:
- your name, phone number and email address
- your job number
- a description of the fault: what happens, when it started, and anything that happened just before (a drop, a spill, an update)
- the return address, if it is different from the collection address
If the repair needs us to start Windows or macOS to test it, we’ll ask you for login details by phone or email rather than on paper in the box.
Collection, insurance and the return trip
When you use the courier service we arrange, your laptop is insured in transit, and we can arrange collection from homes and offices anywhere in the UK. We contact you with a diagnosis and price before any work starts, and once it is repaired the laptop comes back the same way. Keep the box and padding if you can – it makes the return journey just as safe.
For details of how the service works, see our UK courier service and how it works pages, or call 020 7237 6805 to arrange a collection.
Get a price from a technician
Tell us the make, the model and what has gone wrong. A technician replies with a price and the quickest way to sort it – normally the same working day.
020 7237 6805 Creative IT workshopUnit 1, 80 Willow Walk, London SE1 5SY
Monday to Saturday, 9am–6pm
Ready to send it in? Book online and get your job number by email straight away.