For many people, their laptop is their connection to the outside world. Indeed, it’s what they use to work, game, talk to friends, shop, and more. Given how important they’ve become, the idea of shipping yours can feel pretty scary.
Thankfully, the folks at FedEx are laptop shipping experts and will make sure your fragile computer will arrive at its destination unharmed. In this article, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about laptop shipping through FedEx!
Can You Ship a Laptop With FedEx In [currentyear]?
FedEx allows customers to ship laptops through its network in [currentyear]. To ensure safe shipping, laptops should either be placed in their original boxes, then inside of another box, or should be shipped using FedEx’s specialty laptop shipping boxes. Shipping prices depend on the type of box, the shipping method, and the distance a box needs to travel in [currentyear].
To learn more about keeping your laptop safe in transit, make sure to read all the way to the end of this guide!
Can I Ship a Laptop Via FedEx?
Fortunately, FedEx allows customers to ship laptops!
The company recommends using the specially designed FedEx Laptop Box or another sturdy container to protect your computer as much as possible.
How Do You Ship a Laptop Through FedEx?
Before packing and shipping your laptop, you’ll want to gather some supplies. Here’s what we recommend:
- Original manufacturer’s packaging (if available and in good condition)
- A sturdy shipping box
- Packing supplies (e.g. bubble wrap, packing peanuts, air pillows)
- Packing tape at least 2 inches wide
Once you’ve assembled the supplies, follow these steps.
- Repack the laptop in its original packaging
- Inspect packaging to make sure the cushioning material and box are intact
- Make any repairs to the packaging with packing tape
- Choose an exterior box that’s at least 6 inches larger in length, width, and height than the laptop box
- Pack the outer box by filling the bottom with 3 inches of packing material (e.g. peanuts, foam)
- Place the laptop box inside of the external box on top of the packing material. Fill in empty spaces with more packing material
- Use the H taping method and apply at least 3 strips of packing tape to the top, bottom, seams, and flap to close and seal.
- Place the shipping label on top of the box. Mark the box with “This End Up.” It may be ignored, but it’s worth writing, just in case.
Alternatively, you can use one of FedEx’s specially-made laptop boxes. These boxes include cushioning, so you don’t need to purchase any extra packaging materials.
How Much Does It Cost to Ship a Laptop With FedEx?
What you’ll pay to ship a laptop through FedEx will depend on a few different factors:
- The type of box
- The shipping service
- The distance the box needs to travel
Let’s take a look at these factors in more detail:
Type of Box
When it comes to the type of box you want to use for shipping your laptop, you have a couple of different options.
Naturally, using your own box and packaging materials is the cheapest option.
If you don’t have any on hand, then you can use a small, standard rectangular FedEx box.
It fits laptops up to 17.3 inches and costs $3.25 for the box alone. If you want to add packaging materials for fragile items, it will cost $18.49.
Lastly, you can choose FedEx’s specialty laptop box. It costs $18.00 for the box alone or $23.49 for the box and the fragile packing materials.
Shipping Service
FedEx offers a wide variety of shipping services depending on how fast you need your laptop to arrive.
Overnight options are the most expensive, followed by 2Day. Ground and Home Delivery are the cheapest.
There are three overnight options (First Overnight, Priority Overnight, Standard Overnight).
Depending on the overnight service you select, your laptop will arrive between 8:00 AM and 4:30 PM the next day.
If you’re in less of a hurry, then FedEx’s 2Day services may be a good bet for you. Here, you can choose 2Day AM or regular 2Day.
Morning services deliver your laptop in 2 business days by 10:30 AM. Regular 2Day will deliver by noon.
FedEx’s slowest options are Ground or Home Delivery. Use Ground if shipping your laptop to a business or company. Use Home Delivery if shipping to a residence.
Both of these services promise delivery in 1 to 5 business days.
Distance to Travel
Unsurprisingly, the farther a package needs to travel, the more expensive it is.
As an example, shipping a 5-pound package from New York City to Boston using FedEx’s cheapest service costs $34.05.
Using the same box weight and service, shipping from New York City to Los Angeles would cost $68.51.
This example makes it clear just how much distance traveled impacts your shipping cost.
While we tried to give some ballpark figures for laptop shipping prices, there are so many variables at play. This makes it difficult to give an accurate estimate.
To get a better idea of how much it will cost to ship your laptop, use FedEx’s price calculator tool.
Is It Safe to Ship a Laptop Through FedEx?
For something as expensive and important as a laptop, it’s normal to wonder if you can trust FedEx with your precious cargo.
While no shipping service is perfect, you can feel good sending your laptop through FedEx’s network.
Not only do they have a lot of experience dealing with fragile packages.
However, the company provides laptop-specific packaging to ensure that your computer doesn’t get jostled around during shipping.
To learn more, you can also read our posts on FedEx TV shipping, FedEx art shipping, and how long does FedEx hold packages.
Conclusion
FedEx offers safe and affordable laptop shipping for all types of customers. Whether you want to DIY and package your computer yourself or go with FedEx’s specialty laptop box, you can feel confident sending your laptop, as long as it’s well-packed.
