Shipping graphics card

[tcfraz]

Im selling my old graphics card on ebay and i have all the orgional packaging except for the plastic anti static bag. It has pink bubble foam on the back of it that it came with, then its inside a clear plastic shell, inside a box inside another box. Will it be ok or do i need to find an anti static bag?

Thanks

 

[inzone]

If you can get an anti-static bag that would be best but if not put it in a plastic bag or even shrink wrap since plastic doesn't conduct electricity it should be ok.

 

[bobusboy]

Don't use shrink wrap/saran wrap or what ever it's called where you live. The product is designed to stick and generates alot of static electricity.

IMO go to a used PC parts shop and ask for one they'll probably give it to you. Failing that wrap it in that brown paper you'd use to wrap packages and then packing foam/bubble wrap.

 

[ko888]

If you can get an anti-static bag that would be best but if not put it in a plastic bag or even shrink wrap since plastic doesn't conduct electricity it should be ok.

That's the worst thing you can do to a static sensitive device.

An anti-static bag is actually slightly conductive and will dissipate static whereas a non-anti-static plastic bag or shrink wrap will accumulate static charge and potentially damage the device.

 

[inzone]

Well , I guess I better not use a screwdriver with a plastic handle around electricity because aparently plastic now conducts an electric charge.

 

[swifty_morgan]

the "saran" wrap does hold a lot of static electricity. Bad move to use it as stated. If this is a resale item, to keep good faith, wrap it in a "real" anti-static bag before shipping.

bad uneducated remark about the screw driver. NOT the same thing.

if you have hair and plastic wrap..... unroll some and move it across the top of your head slightly above your hair........ what happens ? if you say nothing you didn't do it or you're not being honest.

 

[tcfraz]

Ok so ill try to find a real anti static bag but if not put it in a brown paperbag or send as is?

 

[ko888]

Ok so ill try to find a real anti static bag but if not put it in a brown paperbag or send as is?

I would send it as it is unless its bouncing around inside that clear plastic shell. If its bouncing round I would place some crumpled paper in there to prevent the movement.

 

[OverzelousPhysicsStudent]

@Inzone

This thread is 5 years old, but I have to live up to my username.

Please never say that again. Static electricity is the accumulation of charge on the surface of an insulator or in a conductor. It is not a phenomenon exhibited only by conductors. To illustrate this, try rubbing your plastic screwdriver with a wool cloth. Also, if you try to put on a wool shirt in the winter, you will probably feel a few shocks. The difference is that in an insulator it is very very hard to drive a significant current ('dynamic' electricity, if you will), and so the charge stays on the surface of the material rather than disseminating throughout it, and it is not affected by a connection to ground elsewhere.

A grounded conductor will not accumulate charge. A grounded insulator will. So, while you can ground yourself by touching a door handle, it's rather difficult to do the same for a wool sweater. So we can see that touching sensitive electronics with a grounded conductor is safe, because that conductor has no charge to discharge into the electronics. However, an insulator is hard to ground, and thus may likely carry a charge that will discharge on contact with conductive materials in your gpu.

It should also be noted that the danger of touching a charged object to an unpowered gpu lies not in the charge, but in the sudden rather large current that results when that charge is discharged. The gpu can be charged (within reason) without hurting it provided the charging is done slowly rather than all at once, and so once a conductor is in contact with the gpu, unless you hook a power supply up to it, it's very unlikely that that conductor will damage the gpu.

In sum, plastic wrap accumulates charge that does not easily dissipate, and thus is dangerous. Your screwdriver, however, has a metal end that you should have grounded before using, which is conductive and easily dissipates any charge it accumulates upon touching it to a ground. So, screwdriver safe, plastic wrap not.

In fact, plastic is often used in physics classes to demonstrate static electricity. This is because it's very easily charged. So don't use it to package sensitive electronics.