How to pack your device for shipping
In short
Send only the device (the drive, the USB stick or the card), without cables, power adapters or accessories. Wrap it in bubble wrap, with several layers, put it in a rigid cardboard box, fill the empty spaces so that it does not move and seal it well with tape. Never use envelopes.
A faulty device is fragile. A knock during transport can turn a simple fault into a serious one and reduce the chances of recovering your data. Packing it well takes five minutes and makes all the difference.
How to pack the device in 4 steps
- 1
Bubble wrap
Wrap only the device in bubble wrap, with at least three layers, and secure it with tape.
- 2
Rigid box
Use a rigid cardboard box, with room for the wrapped device. Never an envelope, not even a padded one.
- 3
Fill and seal
Fill the spaces with paper or more bubble wrap: the device must not move. Seal every opening with tape.
- 4
Label and collection
Print the label from your request page, stick it clearly visible on the box and wait for the free collection.
Send only the device
Leave everything else at home:
- Cables (USB, power, adapters)
- Power adapters, chargers and power supplies
- Covers, pouches and cases
- Envelopes, even padded ones
We do not need any of this to recover the data, and every extra item is an item that can knock against the device inside the box. Depending on the device:
- Computer or laptop: send only the drive. Remove it, or ask a computer technician to remove it. We are not responsible for damage to a computer sent whole.
- External drive: send it as it is, inside its plastic casing, without the cable and without the power adapter. 2.5-inch external drives only have a cable; 3.5-inch ones also have a power adapter. Neither is needed.
- NAS or server: remove the drives from the bays and send only the drives, without the NAS enclosure.
- USB stick or memory card: wrap them in bubble wrap and send them in a box, never in an envelope. USB sticks and memory cards do not have free collection: send them with your own courier or drop them off at the laboratory.
Do and don’t
Do
- Switch the device off and do not switch it on again before sending it.
- Use bubble wrap, with several layers.
- Use a rigid cardboard box.
- Fill the empty spaces.
- Seal it well with tape.
Don’t
- Do not send cables, power adapters or accessories.
- Do not use envelopes.
- Do not open the device.
- Do not try to power on a drive that is making noise.
- Do not leave the device loose inside the box.
How the free collection works
Collection is free in mainland Portugal for hard drives (HDD), SSDs, RAID and NAS. USB sticks and memory cards do not have free collection.
- 1. Make the online requestTell us what happened to the device and where we should collect it, in the online request.
- 2. Go to your request pageAfter the request you get a page of your own, where you follow your case, confirm the collection address and print the label.
- 3. Pack, stick on the label and confirmFollow the 4 steps above, stick the label clearly visible on the box and confirm on your request page that the device is packed.
- 4. We collect itThe courier collects the box from the address given, at no cost in mainland Portugal. The return has a cost: the device comes back with our courier and the return shipping costs are paid by you.
Frequently asked questions
I do not have bubble wrap. What can I use?
Crumpled newspaper or a thick cloth, packed tightly around the device, so that it does not move inside the box.
Do I send the whole computer or only the drive?
Only the drive. Remove it, or ask a computer technician to remove it. We are not responsible for damage to a computer sent whole.
Do I send the external drive in its casing?
Yes. Send the external drive as it is, inside its plastic casing, without the cable and without the power adapter.
I have a NAS. Do I send the whole NAS?
No. Remove the drives from the NAS bays and send only the drives, each one wrapped in bubble wrap.
Do the collection and the return have a cost?
The collection does not: it is free in mainland Portugal for hard drives (HDD), SSDs, RAID and NAS (not for USB sticks and memory cards). After making the online request, you get your request page, where you confirm the address, print the label and confirm that the device is packed. For those who used the collection, the return has a cost: the device comes back with our courier and the return shipping costs are paid by you.
Can I drop off the device in person?
Yes, at the laboratory, at Estrada da Rebelva, n.º 1258, in Carcavelos. Before coming, make the online request; if you cannot, you can do it at the laboratory, where we have computers for that.
Questions about how to pack your device? Talk to us, we are here to help.
