Most of the drives we recover never pass through our front door in person. They arrive by Canada Post from Victoria, Kelowna, Prince George, Calgary, and everywhere east. Shipping a failed drive is safe and routine. In all the years we have been receiving drives by mail, not one has arrived damaged in transit, and the process is simpler than most people expect. This guide covers how the free waybill works, what to send, how to pack it in five minutes, and what happens once it reaches the lab.
Who this is for
If you are within reach of our lab in Langley or a drop-off in Vancouver or Burnaby, handing the drive over in person is still the fastest route. For everyone else in Canada, including Vancouver Island, the Interior, and the other provinces, shipping is the normal way to reach us, and the evaluation, the quote, the recovery, and the guarantee are exactly the same.
How the free waybill works
- Request a waybill with your name, address, and a sentence about what happened to the drive.
- Within one business day we email you a prepaid Canada Post label and a case number.
- Pack the drive as described below, tape the label to the box, and drop it at any Canada Post outlet. Keep the receipt with the tracking number.
- We log the arrival, photograph the drive, and start the free evaluation. You hear from us within 48 hours of the drive reaching the lab.
The prepaid label is for Canada Post ground service and it is tracked. If you need a courier to collect from your home or office, tell us and we will book one, but that pickup is charged to you. Shipping from outside Canada is possible but not covered by the free waybill; contact us first so we can advise on customs paperwork.
What to send
| Situation | Send this |
|---|---|
| Desktop computer | The drive alone. It is held by four screws or a caddy and unplugs from two cables. Note which cable was data and which was power; it does not matter, but people worry. |
| Laptop with a removable drive | The drive alone if you can reach it by removing the bottom cover. If the laptop has to be dismantled further, send the whole laptop. |
| Laptop with storage soldered to the board, or any Mac from the last several years | The whole machine. The storage cannot be removed, and we need the logic board to read it. |
| External drive | The whole enclosure, cable included. Do not remove the drive from the case; the case may hold an encryption chip or a bridge the data depends on. |
| USB stick, SD card, SSD | The device itself, in a small padded envelope or wrapped in bubble wrap inside a box, so it is easy to find and cannot slip out. |
| NAS, server, or RAID | Every drive, each labelled with its bay number before removal, plus a note with the enclosure or controller model. Send the enclosure too if it is small. Never rebuild or reinitialize first. |
| Water or fire damaged drive | The drive as it is. Do not dry it, do not clean it, and do not power it on. Wrap it in a clean cloth, then bag it. Our guide to water damaged drives explains why. |
How to pack a hard drive in five minutes
Hard drives are sturdier than their reputation. A drive that is powered off has its heads parked and locked, and the sealed metal housing protects the platters, which is why drives arrive at the lab in good condition even after crossing the country. Packing is simple: keep the drive from rattling around and keep it dry.
- Put the drive in an anti-static bag if you have one. A clean zip-top freezer bag is an acceptable substitute.
- Wrap it in a layer or two of bubble wrap, or nest it in crumpled paper, so it sits snugly in the middle of the box.
- Use a small box rather than a bare envelope. A shoebox or a small Canada Post box is ideal and costs nothing extra with the prepaid label.
- Fill any empty space with paper so nothing shifts. A snug box is a quiet box.
- Do not put tape, labels, or notes on the drive itself. Write the case number on a paper slip inside the box.
- For multiple drives, wrap each one on its own so they stay separated and labelled.
How long it takes
Canada Post ground transit times are the usual ones for a parcel. The figures below are typical rather than guaranteed, and they apply in each direction.
| From | Typical transit to Langley |
|---|---|
| Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland | 1 to 2 business days |
| Interior and northern BC | 2 to 3 business days |
| Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba | 2 to 4 business days |
| Ontario and Quebec | 3 to 5 business days |
| Atlantic provinces and the territories | 4 to 7 business days |
On arrival, the free evaluation takes up to 48 hours. You receive an email with the cause of the failure, the chances of recovery, the turnaround, and a fixed quote. Once you approve, most recoveries finish in 10 to 12 business days, with faster options for an added fee. Recovered files come back to you on a new drive by tracked shipping, and we keep a backup copy of the recovery for one month in case anything happens on the way.
What happens to your data
The drive is handled only by our own technicians in the Langley lab. It is logged and photographed on arrival, it never leaves the building until it is returned to you, and every case is covered by a confidentiality agreement. This matters more for shipped drives than for walk-ins: a number of companies advertising Canadian data recovery forward drives to labs in the United States or overseas. Ours do not leave Canada, which is also why we can meet chain-of-custody requirements for legal and insurance matters.
What to write in the note
A short note inside the box saves a day of back and forth. Include your name and phone number, the case number from the waybill email, what the drive was used for (a Windows PC, a Mac, a camera, a server), what happened and when, what you already tried, and which files matter most. If the drive is encrypted, include the password or recovery key, because without it a perfect clone is still unreadable.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to ship a failed hard drive?
Yes. A hard drive is a sealed metal unit built to be handled, and Canada Post moves millions of parcels with electronics inside every week. Drives arrive at our lab by mail every day, and we have not had one arrive damaged in transit. Basic padding in a box is all it takes.
Is shipping really free?
Yes, one way. Request a waybill and we email you a prepaid Canada Post label. You print it, pack the drive, and drop the box at any post office. If you prefer a courier to collect from your door, we can arrange that, but the pickup is paid.
Do I ship the whole computer or just the drive?
The drive alone, if you or a local shop can remove it in a couple of minutes. Laptops with the drive soldered to the board, all-in-one machines, and anything you are not comfortable opening can come whole. When in doubt, send the whole device; we would rather take it apart properly than receive a drive with bent pins.
How long does the whole process take from outside BC?
Canada Post ground takes two to six business days depending on where you are, we evaluate within 48 hours of arrival, and most recoveries finish within 10 to 12 business days after you approve the quote. Faster recovery options are available for an added fee. Return shipping adds the same transit time back.
Is my data safe in transit and in your lab?
The drive travels tracked and insured, is logged and photographed on arrival, and is handled only by our own technicians in Langley. Every case is covered by a confidentiality agreement, and your data never leaves Canada at any point.
What if the drive cannot be recovered?
You pay nothing for the attempt. We tell you what failed and why, and we return the drive or securely dispose of it, whichever you prefer.
Can I ship a NAS, a server, or several drives?
Yes. Label every drive with its bay number before you remove it, pack each one separately, and include a note with the make and model of the enclosure or controller. Do not rebuild, reinitialize, or reorder the array before it ships.
Ready to send it?
Request the free Canada Post waybill and the label is in your inbox within one business day. Drives arrive safely every day, and the free evaluation starts within 48 hours of arrival. No data, no fee.
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