To ship a monitor, remove the stand, cover the screen with a soft cloth and a sheet of cardboard or foam, add corner protectors, and pack it upright in a double-wall box with 2 to 3 inches of cushioning on every side. Most desktop monitors have no battery, so they can go by any USPS or UPS service that fits the box’s size and weight.
The challenge with a monitor is the panel, not the paperwork. Screens crack from pressure on the face or a twist of the frame, and large monitor boxes are often billed by size rather than weight. This guide covers both.
Table of Contents
- Which carrier is best for shipping a monitor?
- How do you pack a monitor for shipping?
- How do you ship a monitor without the original box?
- What affects the cost of shipping a monitor?
- Do you need insurance when shipping a monitor?
- How do you ship a monitor internationally?
- How should you ship a monitor you sold online?
- Frequently asked questions
- Sources
Which Carrier Is Best for Shipping a Monitor?
The best carrier for shipping a monitor depends mainly on the size of the packed box. USPS caps Ground Advantage at 70 lb and 130 inches in combined length and girth, and Priority Mail at 70 lb and 108 inches. UPS takes packages up to 150 lb, 108 inches long and 165 inches in combined length and girth, which suits large and ultrawide monitors.
| Monitor size | Typical packed box | Length + girth | Services that fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22–24 in | About 26 x 17 x 7 in | About 74 in | Ground Advantage, Priority Mail, UPS Ground |
| 27 in | About 30 x 20 x 8 in | About 86 in | Ground Advantage, Priority Mail, UPS Ground |
| 32 in | About 35 x 23 x 9 in | About 99 in | Ground Advantage, Priority Mail, UPS Ground |
| 34–49 in ultrawide | About 40–50 x 20 x 12 in | About 104–114 in | Ground Advantage, UPS Ground; Priority Mail only if under 108 in |
Length is the longest side and girth is twice the width plus twice the height. Measure your own packed box, since padding adds inches. Shipping to a PO Box limits you to USPS, because UPS doesn’t deliver to them; our guide on how to ship to a PO Box covers the workarounds.
A portable USB monitor with a built-in battery is the exception to the no-battery rule. Treat it like a tablet: USPS requires a used device with a lithium battery to go by Ground Advantage, marked “Restricted Electronic Device” and “Surface Transportation Only.”
How Do You Pack a Monitor for Shipping?
You pack a monitor by protecting the panel from pressure, the frame from twisting, and the corners from impact. Gather these materials first.
- Double-wall corrugated box, 3 to 4 inches larger than the monitor on each side
- Foam corner protectors or folded cardboard corners
- Screen guard: a microfiber cloth plus a sheet of foam board or cardboard cut to the screen size
- Large-bubble wrap or foam sheets
- Void fill and strong packing tape
- Remove the stand and cables. Unscrew or release the stand, bag the screws, and coil the power and video cables.
- Guard the screen. Lay the cloth on the panel, then tape the cardboard or foam sheet over it, touching only the bezel with tape.
- Add corner protectors to all four corners.
- Wrap the whole monitor in two layers of bubble wrap, bubbles facing in.
- Pad the box bottom with 2 to 3 inches of foam or crumpled paper, and stand the monitor upright on its long edge.
- Fill the sides, keeping padding firm against the back of the monitor. Don’t wedge anything against the screen side.
- Pack the stand separately. Wrap it and place it behind the monitor’s back panel, never against the screen.
- Seal and mark. Tape all seams and add “Fragile” and “This Side Up” labels. Carriers don’t guarantee to follow handling labels, so the packing has to do the protecting.
How Do You Ship a Monitor Without the Original Box?
You can ship a monitor without the original box by building the structure the factory foam would have provided. The original box is best because its molded end caps hold the panel rigidly, but a carefully built replacement works.
- Make a face plate. Cut foam board or double-wall cardboard slightly larger than the screen and tape it over the cloth. It spreads any impact across the frame instead of the glass.
- Build end caps. Fold cardboard into U-shaped channels for the left and right edges so the monitor sits suspended inside the box.
- Brace curved monitors from behind. Fill the hollow behind a curved panel so it can’t flex, and never press the curve flat.
- Double-box high-end or OLED panels. Pack the monitor in one box, then put that box in another with 2 inches of padding between them.
Thin OLED and high-refresh gaming panels are the most fragile, so give them the double-box treatment. The same face-plate method protects TVs, which are covered in our guide on how to ship a TV.
What Affects the Cost of Shipping a Monitor?
A monitor’s shipping cost is driven more by box size than by weight. A 27-inch monitor may weigh under 20 pounds packed, but its large, light box is often billed by dimensional weight, which carriers calculate from the box’s measurements. Our guide to shipping large boxes and dimensional weight shows how that works.
- Box size: Every extra inch of padding raises the dimensional weight, so use the smallest box that still gives 2 to 3 inches of cushioning.
- Service speed: Ground Advantage and UPS Ground cost less than air services, and a monitor rarely needs to arrive overnight.
- Distance: Prices rise with the shipping zone between the origin and destination ZIP codes.
- Size thresholds: Very large boxes can trigger oversize charges with either carrier.
To see what your box costs, enter its weight and dimensions in the ParcelPath rate calculator and compare USPS and UPS side by side. ParcelPath has no subscription or label fees, and its discounts reach up to 89% off USPS and up to 85% off UPS. Our shipping calculator guide explains how the inputs affect the quote.
Shipping several monitors at once, such as an office move? Stacking boxed monitors on a pallet and sending them as LTL freight through PalletPath can be simpler than many parcels. Our guide to LTL freight and logistics covers how it works.
Do You Need Insurance When Shipping a Monitor?
Yes, insure any monitor worth more than the $100 of coverage that USPS Ground Advantage, Priority Mail and UPS include. USPS sells additional insurance up to $5,000, and UPS lets you declare a higher value when you create the label.
Screen damage claims are often disputed over packaging, so keep evidence. Photograph the monitor powered on before packing, the packed box with its padding visible, and the sealed box. If it arrives damaged, keep the box and all the packing materials, photograph everything, and file the claim with the carrier promptly. If the buyer refuses a damaged delivery, you can follow it back with our guide to tracking a return-to-sender package.
How Do You Ship a Monitor Internationally?
You ship a monitor internationally the same way you pack it domestically, plus a customs declaration. Describe it specifically, such as “27-inch LCD computer monitor,” and list its real value, model and country of manufacture. Any import duties or taxes are set by the destination country and are usually paid by the recipient.
Check the box against the international service’s size limits before you buy a label, because large monitor boxes can exceed what some international services accept for certain countries. Monitors with no battery avoid the lithium battery restrictions, but a portable monitor with a built-in battery can only go abroad with USPS if it’s new in its original packaging or manufacturer-certified refurbished.
How Should You Ship a Monitor You Sold Online?
When you sell a monitor online, list the model, size, panel type and any dead pixels, and photograph it powered on so there’s no dispute about its condition. Measure and weigh the packed box before you set the shipping charge in your listing, since box size drives the cost.
Use a service with tracking, add signature confirmation for expensive panels, and hand the box to the carrier rather than leaving it for pickup when you can. If you sell gaming gear, the same packing care applies to graphics cards, covered in our guide on how to ship a graphics card, and laptops in how to ship a laptop.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you ship a monitor with USPS?
Yes, you can ship a monitor with USPS as long as the packed box is within 70 lb and 130 inches in combined length and girth for Ground Advantage, or 108 inches for Priority Mail. Most monitors up to 32 inches fit both services; large ultrawide boxes may only fit Ground Advantage or UPS Ground.
Is it safe to ship a monitor without the original box?
Yes, it’s safe to ship a monitor without the original box if you build a foam or cardboard face plate, add corner protectors and U-shaped end caps, and use a double-wall box with 2 to 3 inches of cushioning. Double-box OLED and curved panels for extra protection.
Should a monitor be shipped upright or flat?
Ship a monitor upright on its long edge, the way manufacturers box them. Standing upright keeps weight and stacked packages off the face of the panel. Pad the bottom with 2 to 3 inches of foam and mark the box “This Side Up,” though carriers don’t guarantee to follow it.
How do you prevent screen damage when shipping a monitor?
To prevent screen damage when shipping a monitor, cover the panel with a microfiber cloth and a rigid foam or cardboard face plate, keep accessories and the stand behind the monitor instead of against the screen, and fill every gap so the monitor can’t shift inside the box.
Sources
- USPS: Ground Advantage (weight, size, insurance)
- USPS: Priority Mail
- USPS Publication 52, 349: Lithium batteries (for portable monitors)
- UPS: Shipping Dimensions and Weight
Part of our How to Ship Electronics guide. Related: How to Ship a Printer, How to Ship Speakers, How to Ship a Graphics Card.
