TL;DR
I sold my old laptop and MacGyvered my own cardboard packaging for shipping.

Long version
I sold my old gaming laptop online and had to ship it, but the original packaging was long gone. So, I improvised with waste cardboard from other electronics, scissors, and tape. It worked! I’ve always admired how companies like Dell and HP ship their electronics. Some of their boxes have really elaborate custom cardboard inserts to protect the contents. It’s amazing what they achieve with just cuts and folds. Inspired by that, I wanted to try something similar. My goal was simple: ensure the laptop survived the journey in one piece. Unfortunately, I don’t have a degree in cardboard engineering, so I used what I had and improvised the rest.

Step 1: Prevent Vertical Movement
First, I needed to stop the laptop from shifting up or down. I made four corner pieces—essentially cardboard pillars with cutouts to cradle the laptop’s corners.

None of this was measured. It was all eyeball once, cut 5 times, and repeat until it fits. It took a few iterations though.

Step 2: Protect the Edges
Next, I needed to keep the laptop’s edges from touching the box walls. I improvised some edge supports:

Here’s how they look installed:

I also used tape in a few spots to keep everything secure.

Step 3: Final Assembly
Here’s the laptop, reasonably well-supported in the box:

I added extra padding here and there. It’s just rolled-up cardboard and tape, nothing fancy.
Note: The box itself was originally for a display, so I had to adjust the length significantly. The charger isn’t visible in the photo because I tucked it under the laptop.

The Verdict
The buyer sent me a photo of the laptop upon arrival. My arts and crafts project worked as intended! 😀