How to ship a TV in Canada

Which carriers take a TV

• Canada Post counts TVs as electronic goods, and pays for damage only in the original packaging or packaging that meets its guidelines. Its 118 in length plus girth limit rules out most large screens.
• UPS lists televisions among the goods it carries only with its written pre-approval, at the shipper’s risk. Book a TV on another carrier.
• Purolator carries electronic screens at the shipper’s risk, with no claims paid, and the same goes for anything not in the maker’s original packaging.
• FedEx publishes its own packing steps for screens and monitors. FedEx Ground takes boxes up to 165 in length plus girth.
• UniUni doesn’t publish size limits, and says it’s optimized for packages of 10 lb or less.

With ProtonShip, a claim is paid up to the carrier’s liability and any extra coverage you bought, so a carrier that carries screens at your risk pays nothing for a cracked one. How coverage and claims work

Packing a TV

1. Remove the stand, wall mount and anything else that sticks out, as FedEx’s guide advises, so the screen sits flat in the box.
2. Use the original box and its foam inserts if you have them. Canada Post’s damage cover depends on it.
3. Without the original box, fill the bottom of a new one with cushioning, centre the TV, and fill every gap on all sides.
4. Tape the top and bottom with the H method: one strip along the seam and one across each end.
5. Pack the remote, cables and stand in a separate small box if they won’t fit around the screen.

Size and billable weight

A retailer lists one 55-inch Samsung model’s box at 136.9 × 81.9 × 12.7 cm and 15.8 kg. Rounded up, that’s 54 × 33 × 5 in and 35 lb:

Carrier	Billed as	Fits
Canada PostRegular Parcel	53.7 lbSize sets it (÷ 166)	Length + girth over 118 in
Canada PostOther services	64.1 lbSize sets it (÷ 139)	Length + girth over 118 in
UniUni	Limits and divisor not published. A quote asks UniUni directly.
PurolatorGround	64.1 lbSize sets it (÷ 139)	Fits
PurolatorExpress	77.5 lbSize sets it (÷ 115)	Fits
UPSStandard	64.1 lbSize sets it (÷ 139)	Fits
UPSExpress	77.5 lbSize sets it (÷ 115)	Fits
FedExGround	64.1 lbSize sets it (÷ 139)	Fits
FedExExpress	64.1 lbSize sets it (÷ 139)	Fits

Canada Post turns it down on size. The other carriers take it, and size sets the bill: about 64 lb at most ground services and 78 lb at UPS air services or Purolator Express. Its length plus girth is exactly 130 in. One inch more on any side and UPS, FedEx and Purolator bill it as a large package at 90 lb or more, and FedEx 2Day and Standard Overnight stop taking it.

Smaller screens open up more options. A box under 118 in length plus girth and 78 in long fits Canada Post too. A smaller box can also stay under the lines where UPS and FedEx add extra handling: 48 in long, 30 in on the second side and 105 in length plus girth. Measure the box you have, not the screen.

If it arrives damaged

Photograph the box and the screen before anything is moved, and keep all the packing until the claim is settled. Report it quickly: some carriers’ deadlines for damage are only a few weeks. Claim deadlines for every carrier