Free Moving Boxes

Want free moving boxes? This article will help you find them. Paying for moving boxes is never fun. If anyone could understand that it would be us. We have to pay large sums every year for moving boxes. No one wants to pay for something when they can get it for free. That is why we have created this page on our website. We will update this page of our site regularly so you can know where and how to get free boxes.

Moving boxes are a necessary element of every move. It is best to start packing your things at least 3 weeks before moving day. That means you can start collecting your boxes about 4 weeks before your move is scheduled. The following is a list of places that are great resources for you to get free boxes.

Covid-19

More people are staying at home and therefore shopping from home. There is no question that Amazon is the business that people turn to the most when making online purchases. Amazon ships almost all of their products in boxes. On trash day in recycling bins throughout the greater Columbus Ohio area, there are thousands upon thousands of free boxes for moving. All you have to do is to drive through a neighborhood and grab them out of the recycling bins. Anything that is in a recycling bin on the street on trash day is considered fair game. During these times of uncertainty, there are more people moving than usual and budgets might be a little bit tighter too. Using the boxes that are readily available due to Amazon purchases is an easy and cheap way to get high quality moving boxes.

Big Blue Box Store

The biggest box store in the United States is one of the best places to get free moving boxes. It is probably one of the best kept secrets of where to get free moving boxes. Here is the catch, they sell moving boxes so technically they should not give away the boxes at the store. However, keep in mind that the employees at the store really don’t know about this policy. Nor are they going to really think too much about giving you a few boxes that they already have right in front of them. You are just saving an employee from doing more work to discard the boxes. The employees don’t get paid enough to worry about a few boxes. Don’t be afraid to ask. The employees will hand them right over. Go after 10:00 P.M. because that is when they will start restocking the shelves. Odds are if you are packing for a move you will already be up late getting things prepared. So a trip to the big blue box store won’t be inconvenient. Don’t forget to get some bubble wrap and packing tape while you are there.

Craigslist

Seriously? Yes, seriously. Craigslist has free stuff on it all of the time, including moving boxes. Once people have moved they don’t have a need for the boxes and they are just in the way. Many people just discard or throw the boxes in the recycling bins. There are environmentally conscious and helpful individuals that will post their used moving boxes on craigslist. When you search during the summer plan on picking them up quickly. Summer is the busiest season of the year for moving. Overall Craigslist is a great place to get free boxes.

Liquor Stores

Many people recommend that you get boxes from liquor stores. They do have a large amount of boxes come in daily. However, these boxes are usually quite small. They can be great for backing things that are relatively small. Furthermore, you should keep in mind that the more boxes you have, the more trips it will take to load a moving truck. It is best to try to use bigger boxes with the bottom reinforced with packing tape.

Grocery Stores

As you can imagine, grocery stores have a lot of shipments come in every day. Some local grocery stores will be much more helpful with boxes than others. They almost always have boxes in the back before they put them in the trash or commercial compactors. Asking the customer service department at a grocery store will be your best bet. They will likely call a manager who will gladly assist you.

Retail Clothing Stores

Many of our customers have informed us that Old Navy has high quality boxes. Like many retailers, their products are shipped to them in heavy duty boxes. While it can feel awkward to ask for boxes from a clothing retailer, you have to remember, they are happy to get rid of them. The employees would otherwise have to break down and discard those boxes. Breaking down and discarding boxes takes extra effort for the employees and the employers pay for the period of time it takes for them to break down those boxes. When you get boxes from a clothing retailer such as Old Navy, it eliminates inefficiencies and allows employees and employers to focus on more important tasks.

Fast Food Restaurants

Yes, even fast food restaurants are ready and willing to give you boxes. One of the most mentioned fast food restaurants that is willing to give you boxes is Mcdonalds. While some boxes aren’t as large as the ones from other places such as clothing stores, they are still great for a vast majority of the items you will likely be moving.

Stay Tuned

We hope that our suggestions of places to get free boxes are helpful. Our company will continue to add to add to this list over time. We hope this article helps save you money. If you feel you have to buy boxes, buy local. There are local box companies with very cheap boxes. The local box companies products are not in the big box stores. If you must buy boxes look for Columbus box companies and help support our local community.