Can You Mail a Phone?
Are you upgrading your cell phone to the latest and greatest model? Sending one to a friend as a gift? Participating in a trade-in program? Selling an old phone online? Whatever the reason, you might be wondering if you can ship cell phones in the mail.
The short answer is yes, you can mail a phone. That said, you’ll need to be aware of some vital rules and regulations about shipping lithium-ion batteries. By learning all the relevant details of shipping cell phones - from using the proper packing materials to choosing the right priority mail service - you can mail cell phones from your local post office with confidence.
The Legalities of Mailing Cell Phones
While it’s legal to mail phones - both within the U.S. and internationally - you’ll need to follow all relevant regulations for mailing lithium batteries. Most shipping services consider these batteries to be hazardous materials, so you’ll need to follow the proper legal steps when mailing them.
Every major shipping carrier in the U.S. requires that you install the phone’s battery in the device before mailing it. It’s unacceptable to mail loose lithium-ion batteries. You also need to use the appropriate shipping labels to indicate that the package contains potentially dangerous goods. This holds true no matter which service you use, from USPS Ground Advantage to FedEx Ground and UPS Ground.
Additional Requirements for International Shipping Carriers
If you want to mail a phone across international borders, you’ll need to follow the destination country’s customs regulations. In some countries, the import of certain electronic devices may be limited. Always make sure your destination country accepts lithium-ion batteries in the mail before shipping them.
How to Mail a Cell Phone: Guidelines for Various Shipping Services
No matter which service you use to ship your phone, you should always make sure it’s securely packed, using packing materials like a sturdy box or padded envelope with the device wrapped in bubble wrap. And, make sure to include your return address in case something goes awry along the way.
Mailing a Phone at the Post Office
First off, we’d like to point out a crucial distinction in the USPS shipment rules for cell phones. While domestic packages with the USPS are no big deal, the service has extremely strict rules for international shipments. Simply put, you are not allowed to mail any used consumer electronics that contain rechargeable lithium batteries internationally. If you have a brand-new device, you should be good to go. But there are no options for international shipments of used devices via USPS.
There are several different USPS services you can use when mailing cell phones, including the popular Priority Mail Boxes. The USPS has some specific rules regarding mailing cell phones, mostly revolving around their lithium batteries.
In general, you can ship phones with the USPS if the battery is installed in the phone and you clearly label the outer packaging to indicate that there are lithium-ion batteries inside. You should use a strong shipping box that can withstand rough handling, and use packing peanuts to fill in the gaps inside the box. You might also want to purchase insurance for peace of mind - this is a good rule of thumb anytime you mail something valuable.
But here comes the most important part. If you fly regularly, you probably already know that you can’t have any electronic devices containing lithium batteries in your checked bags. This same guideline holds true for mailing phones with the United States Postal Service. The USPS offers to ship cell phones and other similar devices only via surface transportation. It doesn’t matter if you pay an additional fee or a premium shipping rate - lithium-ion batteries are prohibited items in air transportation.
Shipping a Phone With a Transportation Company (i.e., FedEx, UPS, DHL)
You can also ship a phone with FedEx, UPS, or DHL. Unlike the USPS, these companies offer both domestic and international shipping for new and used smartphones. That said, much like the USPS, you’ll have to follow some strict guidelines for a successful delivery.
The most important of these guidelines is the inclusion of a declaration of dangerous goods for international shipments. International regulations for shipping rechargeable batteries can be both strict and nuanced, so speak with a representative of your chosen transportation company before shipping your cell phone. You might also want to pay extra for signature confirmation, given the sensitive nature of shipping lithium-ion batteries internationally.
How to Prepare Your Phone Before Mailing It
The process of preparing a phone for shipping is quite similar to our standard guidelines for preparing a phone for resale, with a couple of extra steps added on. Before you mail your phone, take the following steps to protect your privacy and security, back up your important personal data, and more.
- Back Up Your Personal Data: You can use iCloud or Google Drive, or connect your phone to a computer to transfer your important photos, messages, app data, and more.
- Remove the SIM Card and Sign Out of Your Accounts: If you fail to log out of your Apple or Google accounts, the phone might remain activation-locked, which means that its next owner would be unable to open or use the phone without your help.
- Perform a Factory Reset: This step deletes all of your personal information from the phone. It also restores the device to its original factory settings, helping it function like new for its next owner.
- Package the Device for Shipping: If you still have the phone’s original box, you should repackage it in this original packaging. After all, the box and other packing materials were made specifically to fit and protect your phone. If you don’t have the original packaging, you should use a padded envelope inside of a sturdy box to provide additional cushioning. Here are a few additional packing tips:
- Wrap the phone in bubble wrap or use packing peanuts to fill empty space and cushion the device inside the box.
- Make sure the phone isn’t loose inside the package. Loose items could shift during the transportation process, potentially damaging the phone.
- Wrap any accessories separately. This could include chargers, cords, earbuds, etc.
- Check the package’s weight using a kitchen scale before you drop it off for shipment. This will help you determine the total cost of mailing the device (more on this in a moment!).
- Finally, make sure the box is properly sealed with packing tape.
The Cost of Mailing Smartphones With Lithium Batteries
As you might expect, there are quite a few variables involved when determining the cost of mailing your phone. In general, you can expect the following factors to influence your total cost.
- Distance and Shipping Routes: For the most part, the farther you’re sending your phone, the more it’s going to cost. That said, shipping routes also come into play. For instance, there’s a much higher demand for package transit to certain parts of the world compared to others. The more popular your destination for package deliveries, the lower your shipping prices will likely be.
- Package Weight and Size: This is why we mentioned in the previous section that it’s always a good idea to weigh your package before sending it. Heavier packages cost more, as do larger boxes.
- Shipping Speed: When do you want your package to arrive? It’s probably no big surprise to hear that expedited shipping services can cost much more than standard shipping, often exponentially so.
- Additional Services: Do you need insurance for your shipment? If so, the cost of insurance will vary based on the value of your phone. Added security features like shipment tracking and signature confirmation also cost extra, but the peace of mind is often worth the extra money.
Now that we have the variables out of the way, let’s nail down some loose pricing estimates for mailing phones. Of course, we’re ignoring most of the important variables we just outlined, but we can still come up with a general breakdown of estimated costs.
Domestic Shipping
With the USPS, you can mail a phone within the United States for as little as $5. That said, if you opt for USPS Priority Mail service, you can expect a price point somewhere between $10 and $15.
How about with private transport companies like FedEx and UPS? In general, these services charge roughly $10 to $20 to ship cell phones within the U.S.
International Shipping
International shipping is where things can get really crazy. With the strict restrictions on shipping rechargeable batteries via air transport, your basic options are either to spend a truckload of money on shipping or wait an eternity for your package to reach its destination.
Remember that you can only ship brand-new phones internationally with the USPS, although if this is your situation, it usually offers the lowest prices available. If you’re willing to wait up to a month for the shipping process, you can ship a phone with the USPS for as little as $25 to $35. Priority and Express shipping options can get much higher, as you can spend $50-85 for these services.
We mentioned that private delivery companies offer the best and fastest shipping options for international cell phone shipments, but they unfortunately also have some pretty high pricing. FedEx will typically cost between $80 and $160 for international phone shipments, while UPS and DHL sit in the $75-150 range.
That said, these companies can deliver your phone to its destination within just a couple of business days in many situations, while the USPS typically takes a matter of weeks. In many cases, DHL is the quickest of all of these options, as it can often beat competitors’ delivery estimates by several days, especially for destinations in Asia and Europe.
Alternatives to Mailing a Phone: No Shipping Labels or Padded Envelopes Required!
Now that you’ve skimmed the estimated price points for shipping a cell phone, maybe you’ve decided to look into alternate resale options. Thankfully, there are plenty of great ways to sell a phone without ever worrying about shipping it.
Many wireless carriers, manufacturers, and retailers have official trade-in programs that swap store credit for your used phones. While these programs can be highly convenient, they almost never offer actual cash payments, so you’re stuck using that same company for your next purchase.
You can also look into online marketplaces. While options like eBay require shipping, Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, and Craigslist all have extensive local resale platforms. You can sometimes get a solid price for your phone using these services, although you’ll have to create and maintain product listings, negotiate with buyers, and meet up with them in person to exchange goods and payment. Obviously, there are some risks involved with this process.
Pawn shops are always an option as well, but only if you’re okay with a low payment and an often-annoying sales process. Pawn shops aren’t exactly known for paying top dollar for used devices, and you’ll usually have to haggle back and forth to get your transaction over the finish line.
Sell Your Phone to ecoATM for Instant Cash
If you don’t want to wait for days or even weeks for your phone to arrive at its destination, there’s another option. With ecoATM, you can visit one of our 6,000+ kiosks today and walk away with cash in your pocket. How does it work?
It starts by visiting your nearest ecoATM kiosk or using the “Price Your Device” tool on our website to get a quick quote for your used phone. Then, prepare your device by backing up your data, signing out of your accounts, and performing a factory reset. Finally, bring your phone to a kiosk and accept our instant cash offer - it really is just that easy!
Not only will you save a ton of time and money compared to shipping your phone across the country (or across the world, for that matter), but you’ll also participate in a far more eco-friendly process. Shipping your used phone can have a significant carbon footprint, but dropping off your old phone at an ecoATM kiosk is a much more eco-friendly process.
Even if we can’t resell your old phone, we’ll still offer to recycle it on your behalf, free of charge. Here at ecoATM, we believe in protecting our environment by participating in the circular economy. We’ve already helped recycle 50+ million smartphones and tablets - help us reach our next goal of 100 million devices recycled by bringing your used phone to an ecoATM kiosk today.
