Moving boxes - where to get them ?
Question:
I am not moving yet, but does anyone know of a source of cheap moving boxes of MEDIUM to LARGE size for dishes and similar stuff ?
Answer:
Contact your local Coldwell Banker RealEstate agent - they have an
affiliation with a box manufacturer where they sell moving kits at
something under half the regular price. - or try the manufacturer
direct - www.uboxes.com
Try Kinko's or equivalent user of mass quantities of copy paper. The boxes
with lids are pretty good, and you can reinforce them with clear tape if you
need to. Free. Start now.
Guys in trucks collect used flattened cardboard boxes from dumpsters behind
retail establishments. I don't know whether they're armed or not, but that's
another possbility.
Grocery stores, that is, regular supermarkets. Even Safeway gets
lots of cartons full of paper towels, eggs... Not as many as
used to have solid bottoms though.
Many stores break them down shortly after the stuff gets out of
them and on the shelf, so you should ask them to save cartons for
you.
You don't want a lot of big boxes except for stuff like pillows
and lampshades. Big boxes are heavy and awkward to handle.
Also liquor stores (or grocery stores in some states) where beer
& wine are sold. Beer cases are nicely sized for stuff like
books and dishes. Wine cartons are usually quite sturdy and
reasonably large.
How much stuff are you moving? Moving from a one bedroom or studio
apartment? Then perhaps the box scavenger hunt will work. I helped my
wife (long before she was my wife) move from her two bedroom house,
which she had been in for 7 years, and that was too much for
unorganized boxing.
I would recommend finding a source for boxes of uniform size. By this,
I mean if you need 125 boxes, you may want four sizes... not 125
different sizes. Loading willynilly sized boxes on a truck is asking
for things to cave in, tip over, or just plain not fit.
I am not sure how things work now, but if you can find someone that
just moved using a moving a company, you might find a deal. Moving
companies will not reuse boxes. The last time my parents moved, the
moving company wanted charge a fee of over $100 to take away the 200+
boxes they had.
I just moved our three bedroom household in May. We used about 250
boxes. Probably spent close $2 a box when you consider wardrobes go
for something like $6-$8 each. I don't even remember. If you are in
the Sacramento area I might be able to help you out - I will be listing
my pile of used boxes about .50 each (if you take them all thanks) on
craigslist this week. I think I have about 100 avaialable in three or
four sizes.
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