Sending electronics and gadgets: box, protection and the loose components
- , by Verpakkingdeals.nl
- 5 min reading time
Electronics break differently in transit than glass: due to pressure, vibrations, and loose accessories. This is how you choose the box, filling, and seal, and this is what you check before you send the package.
Headphones arrive with a cracked headband. One speaker still works, but the casing around it is dented and the customer wants a new one. A mouse arrives intact, but the cable doesn't — it was loose in the box and wrapped itself around the housing. Electronics break in three ways during transit, and none of them are the same as with a vase.
With glass, it's about shocks. With electronics, it's about pressure, vibration, and loose parts traveling with the device. Below, you'll go through the choices that make that difference: the box, the filling, the accessories, the battery, and the final check before you send it off.
First, the box: snug around the device, not the packaging
Many electronics come in their own thin cardboard retail box with a plastic inlay. This inlay keeps the device perfectly in place, but the cardboard around it is not designed to have a shipping label stuck on it and be sorted three times. Always ship with a second box around it, with two to three centimeters of space all around.
If you're torn between flat and cube-shaped boxes: determine it by the thickest dimension of your item, not the longest.
| Product | What fits | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Cable, adapter, mouse without its own box | Letterbox size up to 28 mm thick | Letterbox box A5+ |
| Power bank, earbuds, small accessory in a box | Flat box of approximately 4 cm | Shipping box 15x10x4 cm |
| Speaker, hub, lamp with adapter | Cube box with filling space all around | Shipping box 15x15x15 cm |
For letterbox size, a bundle of recycled letterbox boxes A5+ of 255 x 160 x 28 mm (€ 24.00 for 100 pieces) works well. For medium size, a black shipping box of 15x10x4 cm (€ 1.99) is a logical step, and for anything with volume, the cardboard shipping box of 15x15x15 cm (€ 1.99). If you're sending something that should also look like a gift, the holographic shipping box of 20x13x3 cm (€ 3.99) can serve as an inner box.
Filling: distribute pressure, not just fill space
The classic mistake is a box that's full at the top and empty at the bottom. Your package is rarely upright during transit. Therefore, fill all around, including under the product.
For devices with a hard casing, bubble wrap in two layers works: one layer tightly around the device, with the bubbles facing inwards so they don't press into the casing on screens or high-gloss surfaces, and a second layer loosely as a buffer. A bubble wrap roll of 500 mm x 500 m (€ 12.95) is intended for those who ship regularly; if you ship a few times a month, a roll of bubble wrap of 50 x 500 cm (€ 5.00) is sufficient.
For small, flat items, you can combine protection and packaging. A bubble envelope of 22x17 cm (€ 0.90) is fine for a cable or earbuds; for a tablet case or a larger accessory, use the bubble envelope of 33 x 23 cm (€ 0.80). Please note: a bubble envelope protects against chafing and light bumps, not against pressure. Anything with a screen or a thin frame goes in a box.
The loose parts are the real risk
With electronics, there are almost always extra items traveling with them: an adapter, a cable, a cap, a mounting plate, a manual. If these are loose in the box, they become projectiles against the very device you wanted to protect.
- Roll up cables and secure them — not tightly around the device, but separately.
- Wrap a heavy adapter separately in bubble wrap. An adapter weighing a few hundred grams hitting a casing does more damage than the fall itself.
- Put screws, caps, and small parts in a bag and tape it to the inside of the box, so it doesn't disappear among the filling material and accidentally get thrown away.
- Protect the bend at the plug. A set of cable protectors (€ 1.95) is intended for daily use, but also serves perfectly for transport.
Batteries and accumulators: check this before packing
If the device contains or comes with a lithium battery, separate rules apply for transport. These differ per carrier and destination, and they change. Therefore, never rely on what was allowed last year: check the current conditions of your carrier before shipping, especially for international shipments and for loose batteries without a device.
Practically, regardless of the rules: turn off devices completely before shipping, not just put them in sleep mode. A device that turns on during transit will drain, get warm, and sometimes arrive with an empty or damaged battery. If in doubt, tape down an on/off button with a piece of tape.
Sealing, securing, and the final check
Tape the box using the H-method: the center seam plus both cross seams, top and bottom. Use tape wide enough to cover the seam with overlap; a roll of KINZO packing tape of 50 meters x 48 mm (€ 3.00) is the standard size. If you're taping more than a few packages a day, a tape dispenser with 2 rolls (€ 9.95) will quickly pay for itself in time and straight seams.
If you sell more expensive electronics, consider a seal. VOID security seals (€ 9.95 for 60 pieces) leave visible traces if someone has opened the box. This helps in the discussion of whether an accessory was in the box or not.