Shred by Mail

Chain of custody

From the moment you hand the box to the carrier there is a tracking number. When it arrives, we photograph the unopened package, log each item (with serial numbers if you have the log), destroy it, and issue the certificate. Nothing is stored, tested, or resold. Ever. We could make more money wiping your laptop and selling it whole; we take it apart instead, because your data security outranks our resale value.

M.2 cards, tablets, boards, and anything you mark for 2 mm are reduced to 2 mm particles on the disintegrator, the same NSA/CSS standard we use on the truck. Hard drives, 2.5-inch SSDs at the standard rate, tapes, and discs go through the industrial shredder. Either way, nothing leaves in one piece.

Questions

• What can I send?

  Everything on the price list above: hard drives, SSDs, flash media, tapes and discs, phones, tablets, network cards, motherboards, whole laptops, and electronics for recycling. We do not take paper; if you need paper destroyed we can point you to a partner we trust. If the media held protected health information, we sign a Business Associate Agreement before you ship. Not sure where something fits? Ask.

• Why is there a minimum?

  Every order is photographed on arrival, logged, destroyed, certified, and recycled, whether it holds one drive or fifty. The $59 minimum covers that work, and it includes your prepaid UPS label when the box is under 10 lb. Above it, you pay the per-item rate and nothing else.

• Do I pay for a laptop or for the drive inside it?

  A whole laptop is one price that covers pulling the storage, destroying it to 2 mm, and recycling the chassis. If you have already pulled the drive, send just the drive and pay the drive rate. Desktops and servers do not ship well, so pull their drives and send those; a desktop chassis with no drive in it has no data and can go to any local electronics recycler.

• Why are 2.5-inch SSDs and M.2 cards priced differently?

  Two machines. A 2.5-inch SATA SSD is the size of a deck of cards and big enough for our industrial shredder to cut every chip, so it gets the standard rate, or the 2 mm rate if your standard requires it. An M.2, NVMe, or mSATA card is a bare stick the size of a piece of gum, thin enough to slip between larger cutters, so it always goes through the 2 mm disintegrator, which is also what NSA/CSS 9-12 asks for on solid-state media. If you are unsure which you have, the 2.5-inch drive has a case and a SATA connector on one end; the M.2 card is a bare circuit board with gold edge contacts and a screw notch.

• How do box weight and size affect shipping?

  Carriers charge by weight and by size, and both catch people out. Weight: each prepaid label covers one box up to the weight on the label. If UPS weighs it heavier, they bill the difference and we pass it through at cost. Carriers add a surcharge to anything over 50 lb, so that is our limit for one box; split heavier loads into two boxes and two orders. Size: a box larger than about one cubic foot is billed on dimensional weight (length × width × height ÷ 139), so a half-empty 18-inch box costs as much as a 25 lb one. Use the smallest sturdy box your items fit in and fill the gaps with crumpled paper. The weight estimate above covers most orders; when in doubt, weigh the packed box on a bathroom scale before you buy the label.

• Where does my box go?

  To our receiving warehouse in Ohio. We do not publish the address; it arrives with your receipt along with your order reference, and both go on the outside of the box with "Attn: Mansfield Tech" on the first line.

• How much is shipping?

  Boxes under 10 lb ship on us: the prepaid UPS Ground label is included. Heavier boxes are $28 under 25 lb and $45 under 50 lb, or use any carrier with tracking and pay them directly. The weight estimate on this page tells you which label you need.

• Is the certificate the same as the on-site one?

  Yes. It is the same two-part Certificate of Destruction: a signed letter and a media log naming the Destroy method under NIST 800-88, the equipment used, the date, and each item processed. The serial-number log is included at 20 items or more, and $15 below that.

• Can I ship a device with a battery in it?

  Yes, if the battery is healthy and installed. Carriers allow lithium batteries contained in equipment by ground. Swollen, damaged, or loose batteries cannot ship; see the rules above.

• Can I ship Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI)?

  Yes. CUI is unclassified, and the federal CUI rule allows it to move by USPS or a tracked commercial carrier. NIST SP 800-171 requires you to sanitize or destroy media holding CUI before disposal, which is exactly what our certificate documents. Add the tamper-evident bags and the serial-number log so your CMMC assessor sees an unbroken chain of custody from your desk to our shredder.

• Can I ship government-furnished equipment (GFE)?

  Unclassified GFE can ship. But the equipment belongs to the government, not to you, so get written permission to destroy it from your contracting officer or government property administrator before it goes in the box, and keep that authorization with your certificate. On DoD contracts, disposition usually runs through your property administrator and the plant-clearance process. If you are not sure, ask your government client first. We can wait.

• What about classified media?

  Classified media never ships. That is an on-site job at your facility, supervised by your cleared personnel. Call us.

• I have more than 50 items.

  Mail-in is meant to stay small. Ask for a quote; above a few hundred drives the truck comes to you, and our on-site per-item rates drop with volume.

• Do you accept purchase orders?

  Yes. Choose "Pay by invoice" at checkout and we will send a quote and W-9.