How to Ship Electronic Goods Safely ?

Our modern lifestyle has made us dependent on certain electronic gadgets without which we cannot visualize our day. This craving towards electronic gadgets has furthermore made people to look for a feasible source to obtain it, like importing it from abroad. Certain electronic gadgets such as Laptops, mobile phone, wrist watches, camera are considered as "Dangerous Goods" as they may cause a spark or short circuit while shipping. Hence if you are a seller or shipping electronic goods for personal use, make sure you pack it properly so that the product gets delivered safely. Certain documents also have to be submitted if you are shipping it abroad, such as

1.    Product Invoice

2.    KYC documents- ID proof and Address Proof

3.    Product Declaration

4.    Additional documents may be required depending on the value and contents

Tips: Before Shipping Electronic Goods

1. See to that the actual dimension and weight after packaging does not deviate from the value given while booking order.

2. It is mandatory to provide Lithium-ion Battery Declaration by the shipper in certain countries.

3. Product Value should not be misdeclared as it attracts customs duty.

4. If you are sending package domestically then make sure you are ready with the E Waybill as it is one of the mandatory documents for parcels more than 50,000 INR.

5. If the package you are sending is more than 30 Kg then special handling charge will also be imposed by the courier company.

Here are some of the steps to pack different electronic gadgets which will ensure hassle-free shipping.

1. Shipping Laptop:

If you are willing to ship a laptop then make sure that you have taken the backup of important data from the laptop so as to avoid loss of data in case of any unexpected damage during the transit.

Step 1: First, drain out the battery from the laptop.

Step 2: Manually dismantle the battery from the laptop and bubble wrap both separately along with the charger and paste the tape at the opening.

Step 3: Check if you have the original box in which the laptop came in. If not, use slightly bigger size carton box than the laptop and place it inside. Similarly, place battery and charger in separate carton boxes. [If it's a brand new laptop then you can keep the same in a bigger box, cover all the sides with packaging material and seal the opening].  

Step 4: Consolidate all the three boxes into a single box.

Step 5: Make sure there are no larger gaps inside the box, fill the spaces between the boxes with packing peanuts or air pillows or foam padding to give a cushioning effect so that it doesn't touch the wall of the box.

Step 6: Once inner packing is done, seal the opening of the box with thick and strong tape in a cross pattern.

Step 7: If you are more concerned about the way it will be handled, you can paste a fragile sticker on it so that handlers move it with care.

Step 8: Take the print out of the shipping label generated when you booked the courier service and affix it on top of the carton box.

2. Shipping Mobile (Smartphone and iPhone):

Step 1: First, dismantle the battery from the mobile phone, recent smartphones, and iPhone come with inbuilt battery hence you cannot remove the battery from the handset, in such cases, you can drain out the power to zero percentage before shipping.

Step 2: Wrap the mobile, battery and charger with a good amount of bubble wrap.

Step 3: If you are shipping used mobile, it is always recommended to pack it in the original box, else you can use a strong carton box and place all the three items inside it.

Step 4: Fill the extra space with packing peanuts or any other packaging material and shake it slightly and check if the items don't slide inside the box.

Step 5: Wrap the mouth of the box with ample of thick packaging tape.

Step 6: Stick fragile symbol so that it is handled carefully.

Step 7: Print off the shipping label generated and paste it on top of the carton box.

3. Shipping Camera:

Step 1: Discharge the battery of the camera.

Step 2: Disassemble the camera peripherals such as the lens, memory card, flashes etc.,

Step 3: Wrap each part of the camera with 2 inches of bubble wrap and seal it with a tough tape.

Step 4: Reuse the original box to pack or take a carton box of exact size to that of the camera and place the bubble wrapped camera inside it.

Step 5: Take another carton box and place all the bubble wrapped peripherals parts in it.

Step 6: Fill the space with packing peanuts and make sure that there is no space left amid them so that there won't be any collision between them.

Step 7: Place the two boxes inside a stronger & bigger sized carton box to avoid greater damage during loading or unloading of the shipment.

Step 8: Be generous in using packaging material like air pillow or packaging peanuts or bubble wrap or foam padding on all the sides of the box.

Step 9: A Fragile sticker can be appended to the box and also mention which side should remain "Up".

Step 10: Affix the shipping label onto the box which was generated while booking courier.

4. Shipping Flat TV or Computer screen:

Step 1: Dismantle the wires from TV

Step 2: Using bubble wrap enclose relevant cables together. Also wrap remote control separately.

Step 3: Place foam wrap in front and back side of the TV and enclose TV entirely with bubble wrap. You can wrap two layers of it and secure it with tape, if not you can use a soft blanket to wrap around the TV and secure it with tape.

Step 4: Use the original TV box, if not available take a little bigger size box, cushion the walls with foam wrap and carefully insert the TV.

Step 5: Place cable and remote along with it and fill the gap with packing peanuts or any other cushioning material and seal the box opening with plenty of packaging tape.

Step 6: Make sure that the TV is immobile even if the box is shaken.

Step 7: Add fragile sticker over the box and mention which side of the box should remain "Up".

Packaging plays a vital role while shipping electronic goods. You will have to take extra care when you are shipping fragile or dangerous goods so that it doesn't get damaged.These packaging steps will definitely help you in delivering goods safely.