Is Mail-In Console Repair Safe? Straight Answers
Putting your console in a box and handing it to the post office feels like a leap of faith. Fair enough. Here's exactly how the risk is covered — the insurance, the tracking, the quote-before-any-work — and how to pack it so it travels like a brick, not a rattle.
Four things that take the gamble out of it
You're not trusting luck. You're trusting insurance, tracking, and a quote you approve before anything happens.
Insured both ways
Your console travels on a prepaid, insured AusPost label on the way in, and goes home tracked and insured on the way out. A flat $100 covers shipping both ways, fully insured — added to your invoice only if you approve the repair.
Tracked door-to-door
You can watch the parcel the whole way — to our bench in Charlestown and back to your door. No black hole between the post office and the repair.
Nothing happens without your OK
Free diagnosis, then a fixed quote within 24 hours of arrival. No repair without your approval, and you pay only if you say yes. The quote is the price — no surprises when it's already apart.
Covered after it's home
Every repair carries our lifetime workmanship warranty — if our work fails, ever, we re-do it. The risk doesn't transfer back to you when the box arrives.
How to pack a console so it travels well
Almost every transit problem is a packing problem. Ten minutes with a decent box beats any amount of hoping.
Eject everything first
Disc out of the PS5, game card out of the Switch. A disc left in the drive can rattle loose in transit and scratch — or jam the drive it rode in on.
Right box, snug wrap
Sturdy box a few centimetres bigger than the console on every side. Wrap the console snugly — bubble wrap, foam, even a clean towel works. Original retail box inside a shipping box is the gold standard if you kept it.
Pad until nothing moves
Fill every gap firmly, then do the shake test: if you can hear or feel the console shift, add more padding. A parcel that can't move inside its box is a parcel that arrives the way it left.
Keep the extras at home
For most repairs we only need the console — controllers, cables, stands and games stay with you. Tape the box well, stick the prepaid label flat on top, drop it at any post office. Done.
What the safety costs — and when
Nothing upfront. The shipping only ever appears on an invoice you've approved.
Standard turnaround is 3-8 days door-to-door · Express Post (+$49): 3-5 days · Express Workshop (+$129): same-calendar-day repair. Full turnaround guide · the full 6-step process.
And if it can't be fixed?
Most consoles that reach the bench get repaired. For the ones that don't, you're not stranded — you choose the ending. We'll offer you a trade-in on the spot, or we pack it back up and ship it home unrepaired — our standard $88 service fee plus return postage applies.
Either way, the decision is yours and it's made after you've seen the diagnosis — not before. That's the whole point of fixed-quote-first: the only surprises in this process are good ones.
Posting your console, answered
Is it safe to post my PS5, Xbox or Switch for repair?
Yes — when the shipping is insured and tracked in both directions, which ours is. We email you a prepaid, insured AusPost label, the parcel is tracked to our bench and tracked back to your door, and the console is covered the whole way. Over 10,500 devices have been through the process.
What happens if my console is lost or damaged in the post?
That's what the insurance is for. Your console travels on a prepaid, insured AusPost label on the way in, and goes home tracked and insured on the way out — a flat $100 covers shipping both ways, fully insured, and it's only added to your invoice if you approve the repair.
Should I send the controller, cables and games too?
Only what the fault involves. For most console repairs we just need the console itself — keep your controllers, cables, discs and game cards at home. Fewer things in the box means fewer things to worry about. If the fault is the controller, obviously send that; if you're not sure, mention it on the booking form and we'll tell you exactly what to include.
How do I pack a console for postage?
Sturdy box a few centimetres bigger than the console on every side, the console wrapped snugly, and the gaps padded firmly so nothing moves when you shake the box. Take the disc or game card out first. Original retail box inside a shipping box is ideal if you still have it. Tape well, label flat on top, drop at any post office.
What if it can't be fixed — do I lose my console?
No. You choose: we'll offer you a trade-in, or we ship it back unrepaired — our standard $88 service fee plus return postage applies. Either way it's your call, made after you've seen the diagnosis.
How long is my console away?
Standard turnaround is 3-8 days door-to-door. Express Post (+$49): 3-5 days. Express Workshop (+$129): same-calendar-day repair. You can follow the tracking the whole time. Full turnaround guide here.
Boxed, insured, tracked — and back before you know it.
Prepaid, insured label in your inbox, free diagnosis, fixed quote within 24 hours of arrival. A flat $100 shipping (both ways, fully insured) is added to your final invoice only if you approve the repair — nothing to pay upfront.