Where To Get Free Cardboard Boxes For Moving

How Can I Get Free Cardboard Boxes For Moving House?

Moving house is something that almost all people will experience at some point in their lives, and most who have done so at least will attest to just how stressful it can be. Whether you are a student moving out to a flat for the first time or an adult moving into their first house, reducing the amount of stress, both financial and mental, is something everyone wants to do.

Thankfully, there are many ways to save money when moving house, and these methods can range from booking your removals van early to selling anything you are not taking with you to fund the move and purchases that will need to be made for your new place.

Of the many things you’ll need to sort out for your move, sourcing cardboard boxes sounds like one of the easier tasks, but doing so without spending any money takes a little creative thinking. A standard set of heavy duty cardboard boxes can set you back more than £25, but why spend the cash and harm the environment when there are a number of ways to get free cardboard boxes for your move, most of which are probably just a walk away?

Before diving into some methods of getting free cardboard boxes, there are a few things to take note of. The first is that you REALLY don’t want any cardboard box that has any signs of insect living in it or having previously lived in it; the cost of getting pest control in to eradicate the cockroach infestation in your brand new home will leave you wishing you’d bought your boxes brand new! The second is to make sure that any box you use still has its structural integrity. Any box that has been flattened, ripped or dampened will most likely lead to you spilling your crockery all over the pavement.

Without further adieu, here's our list of top tips for getting free cardboard boxes for moving:

• Friends and Family Who Have Just Moved

  The thing about cardboard boxes is that whilst, as this article demonstrates, they are extremely useful when moving house, they aren’t of much use after that (unless you have excitable children who will most definitely be building forts for days on end).

  What this does mean however is that if you have friends or family who have recently moved it is highly likely that they have some unwanted cardboard boxes lying around which you can get for free - just remember to ask nicely!

  You can even take this a step further and post on social media and in local community groups to see if anyone has any free cardboard boxes going spare.

• Freegle, Freecycle and Gumtree

  It’s no secret that there are certain websites online such as Freegle, Freecycle and Gumtree where quite often people will give things away for free, as long as you go and pick the item up.

  Cardboard boxes can often be found on these sites, with the added bonus that often the seller will also be getting rid of furniture due to their recent move themselves. Not only can you get your sought after free cardboard boxes but you might get some cheap (or even free) furniture too!

  Just make sure when browsing that you set the location to where you live, as those ‘free’ boxes suddenly become a whole lot more expensive when you have to get them delivered rather than just picking them up yourself.

• Local Shops

  Almost all high street shops will have regular orders of stock coming in and out of their store on a weekly - if not daily - basis. What does this mean? Free cardboard boxes! What’s more, these boxes are often designed to bear heavy loads and so are perfect for moving.

  The best stores to try are supermarkets, off-licenses and bookstores.

• Recycling Centres and Tips

  As a company that prides itself on eco-friendly actions, we particularly enjoy this ‘tip’. Given that recycling is (rightly) very popular and in the case of businesses even a legal responsibility, there is an abundance of free cardboard boxes for moving in recycling centres and tips.

  If you have either one of these close to you you can be certain that there will be some spare cardboard boxes lying around, however, this is where you have to be particularly careful of broken boxes and insects… only take what you know is okay to use!

• Fastfood Restaurants

  Just as is the case with high street shops, fast food restaurants are constantly receiving orders of new stock, food, condiments etc. and this means they are a goldmine for free cardboard boxes.

  If you know you will be needing boxes soon you can always ask a manager to inform you of when they are being thrown out so that you can claim them for yourself, just bear in mind they may smell quite strongly of fast food (not something everyone will have a problem with!).

• Removal Companies

  If you are hiring a removal company to help you with your move then they may well offer moving boxes as part of their service already. The advantages of this are a) you don’t have to source them, and b) they will usually be specifically made for moving, which means they are stronger and safer.

Shiply’s own platform, as well as offering moving services that can be up to 75% cheaper than usual, allows you to message the potential transport providers and ask about cardboard boxes for moving. They may already supply them free of charge, meaning you have read this whole article for nothing!