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Shipping guide: pack and post your Mac

The quick answer

We email a prepaid, fully insured label after you accept your quote. Pack your Mac in any sturdy box with padding, stick the label on, and drop it at a Post Office. Desktops are collected free by courier. We carry the transit risk, not you.

Deeper walkthroughs: packaging a MacBook, desktop courier packing, and wiping before sale.

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1. Use any sturdy box

The original Apple box is nice but never required. A snug cardboard box with room for padding on every side is enough. Desktops (iMac, Studio, Mac Pro) get a free courier collection instead of Post Office drop-off.

2. Pad every side

Wrap the Mac in bubble wrap or foam. Fill gaps so nothing rattles. Include the charger only if you want it in the quote. Remove SIM trays and accessories you are keeping.

3. Stick our prepaid label

After you accept your quote we email a prepaid, fully insured shipping label. Print it, tape it flat on the box, and drop it at any UK Post Office. We carry the transit risk for the quoted value.

4. Turn off Find My first

Sign out of iCloud and turn off Find My Mac before you post. Activation Lock stops a sale. Wipe the drive if you can; we still erase every purchased Mac to NIST 800-88 after inspection.

What to take out before you seal the box

Send the Mac and, if it is part of your quote, its charger. Everything else stays with you: external drives, hubs and dongles, USB sticks, SD cards, sleeves and cases, and any second charger. Loose accessories rattle around, damage the lid in transit and are easy to lose at the inspection bench, so keep what you are not selling.

Then do the software side in order: back up to Time Machine or iCloud, sign out of iCloud and switch off Find My, sign out of Messages and the App Store, and run Erase All Content and Settings from System Settings. If the machine will not boot, send it as it is - we erase every drive we buy to NIST 800-88 standards after inspection either way. The one thing we cannot work around is Activation Lock, which stops any sale by anyone.

What Royal Mail will not carry

Royal Mail carries laptops with the battery installed, but prohibits damaged batteries of any type - and a swollen cell counts as damaged. If the trackpad has lifted, the bottom case is bowing or the machine no longer sits flat, do not use the standard label. Say so in the quote form and we will confirm the right way to get it to us before you pack anything.

Never try to remove a swollen cell yourself: a punctured lithium battery is a fire risk, and the fault is already priced in without it. The same applies to a Mac still wet from a spill - let it dry for at least 48 hours before it goes anywhere near a box. Faulty machines are still worth real money; our page on how to sell a broken MacBook explains the value bands, and the grading page shows how a fault changes the quote.

Desktops: free insured courier collection

An iMac, Mac Studio or Mac Pro never goes to a Post Office counter. We book a free, fully insured courier collection from your address instead, on a day that suits you, and the driver takes it from the door. Nothing is payable to the driver and the cover is ours, not yours.

Pack an all-in-one in its original box if you still have it. If not, use a box big enough for at least five centimetres of padding on every side, protect the screen with a sheet of card or foam before wrapping, brace the corners, and tape the seams so nothing shifts when the box is tilted. Keyboards, mice and stands only travel if they are part of your quote.

Faulty machine? See what a fault is actually worth on our broken MacBook page and how each condition is priced on the grading page.

Good to know

Packing and postage - your questions, answered

Everything sellers ask us before posting their Mac - answered straight.

What box should I use if I no longer have the Apple packaging?

Any sturdy cardboard box that leaves room for padding on all sides. A reused delivery box is fine. Wrap the Mac in bubble wrap or a padded sleeve, fill the gaps so nothing moves when you tilt the box, and tape every seam flat before you stick the label on.

Do I need a printer for the shipping label?

It helps, but it is not essential. Many Post Office counters will print a label from the QR code or email we send, and any high-street print shop can run one off for a few pence. Stick it flat on the largest face of the box, clear of the seams and folds.

Should I include the charger and other accessories?

Only if the charger was part of your quote - it is worth including, because a genuine Apple charger adds to the price. Leave out cases, hubs, dongles, external drives and second cables. Anything you send that was not quoted cannot be valued, and returning it costs time on both sides.

Can I post a MacBook with a swollen battery?

Not on the standard label. Royal Mail prohibits damaged batteries, and a swollen cell counts as damaged. Stop charging it, keep it somewhere cool, and tell us in the quote form - we will confirm the right way to get it to us. It is still quoted as a partial fault.

How do I track the parcel, and when am I paid?

Tracking starts at the counter scan and runs until the Mac reaches our bench, usually the next working day from most of the UK. Keep the proof-of-postage receipt. Once the machine passes inspection, payment leaves by bank transfer within 24 hours - most sellers are paid the day it lands.

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See an indicative price before you give us any contact details. Apple Silicon only (M1 and newer). Your fixed quote is emailed within 2 working hours and locked for 14 days.

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We buy Apple Silicon Macs only - M1-generation and newer (2020 onward), working or broken. We do not buy Intel Macs.