Where Can I Find Free Moving Boxes?

Free moving boxes are kind of like four-leaf clovers: they’re out there, but it takes a lot of looking and a little bit of luck to find them. 

There are plenty of places to buy moving boxes, but anyone who has moved before knows that A) they don’t come cheap, and B) you’ll always need a lot more boxes than you initially thought. Scoring yourself a pile of free boxes will save you a wad of cash – and add some extra in case you’re short on your estimate of how much space your stuff would take up.

So where can you actually find free moving boxes? There are a few places to start (including ones you’ve never thought would provide boxes) in the list below, and some advice on making your search easier. 

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What Kind of Moving Boxes Should I Get? 

Before you really start searching, be sure you know what you’re actually looking for. Moving boxes come in several standard sizes, and are used to pack different things. It’s best to have a general idea of what types of boxes you need, mainly to avoid getting boxes that are too small or too big for most of your things. 

• Book Boxes (1.5 x 3ft) are for books, along with any other relatively heavy items like CDs, small photo frames, nicknacks, beer mugs, and bottles of wine.
• Medium Cartons (3 x 3ft ) are most often used for clothing and all the non-breakable stuff in your kitchen.
• Large Cartons (4.5 x 3ft) are for bedding, pillows, bulky clothing like winter coats, and kids’ toys like Legos, board games, and stuffed animals, among other larger, lighter items.
• Dishpacks (4.5 x 3ft) are made with double-thick cardboard for packing all the breakable stuff in your kitchen. They’re also useful for electronics and large photo frames.
• Mirror Cartons usually come in four corner pieces that overlap to fit snugly around large pictures and mirrors. 

So whether you’re a bookworm or have antique tea sets, knowing what kind of boxes you need will help make your search a lot less frustrating. 

First Step? Go Social

Let the people you are connected with know that you are moving, and that it would be a huge help if anyone had any leads on used boxes.

The wording is key! Instead of asking people if they themselves have used boxes (although it couldn’t hurt), ask them to help you by sharing, retweeting, or reposting your request. You’ll reach a lot more people this way, and increase your chances that someone has a ton of boxes lying around, or knows a business that does. If you use Facebook, search for local groups with keywords like “buy sell trade”, “no buy”, and “free” in their names.

 

“…the most extensive supply of used boxes anywhere will be at your local agency for one of the big van lines…[you’d be] hard-pressed to find certain types of moving boxes, namely dishpacks and mirror cartons, anywhere else.”

 

Granted, searching for free boxes on social media is totally hit or miss. It only takes a few minutes to spread the word and see what’s out there, but it can take a lot longer for anyone to respond – if they do at all.

In other words, hope your social media posts work, but act like they won’t, and start looking through other potential resources.

Best businesses for sturdy boxes

Books are heavy. Mugs and a lot else in your kitchen can break. For these, you want sturdy boxes, and because these businesses deal in similar products, they’re your best place to look. 

• Bookstores: Check the chains like Barnes & Noble along with any small independent bookstore in your city. University bookstores are another decent bet, particularly at the start or end of a semester.
• Office Supply Stores: Office Depot, Kinko’s, FedEx, and similar stores have strong printer paper boxes with lids. Print shops might also have heavy-duty cartons to unload.
• Restaurants: Fast-food joints especially will have plenty of sturdy “fry boxes” that are usually clean inside since they are typically used for frozen food.
• Liquor Stores: Boxes for wine and liquor are not only very sturdy but may come with cardboard dividers inserts that help with packing things like mugs and glassware. 

Any mover will tell you that kitchen stuff should go in dishpacks. However, they can be pretty hard to find (except at moving companies, which we’ll get into later) so strong, stout boxes like the ones mentioned may be your next best bet. Make sure to label them “fragile” or “kitchen” so they can be given due attention, and pack them with plenty of cushion. 

Where to find medium and large moving boxes

To pack items like clothing, bath towels, and bedding, you’ll want bigger boxes. As with the previous types of boxes, it’s a good idea to look for them at places that sell the same or similar things. 

• Specialty Retailers: Clothing stores and shops that sell bedding are obvious starters. Drug stores, dollar stores, and sporting goods shops are also good ones to add to your list of possibilities.
• Retail Giants: Stores like Costco, Walmart, Sam’s Club, and Target take in tons of bulk inventory. And they have to do something with all those emptied boxes.
• Supermarkets: You may find they have boxes lying around after they’ve restocked their shelves. But, you’ll want to stay away from produce boxes, which usually have holes and bits of leftover organic matter in them. Instead, look for the big cardboard cartons used for paper towels, diapers, Kleenex, toilet paper, and dry foods like cereal.
• Recycling Centers: Some (but not all) will have cardboard boxes accessible. If this is the case in your area, you might have your pick from boxes of all sizes and shapes, so it’s a good idea to check. 

Other not-so-obvious places to look

• Apartment Buildings/Complexes/Leasing Offices: Who will probably have a lot of boxes they’d love to get rid of? People who just moved! Your best bet would be to call the leasing, rental, or management office.
• Hospitals & Medical Centers: Hospitals go through tons of supplies and produce mountains of cardboard boxes, but make sure you call a non-emergency number ahead of time to ask if they have boxes on hand and where you can safely pick them up.  
• Marketplace Websites: Online resources for freebies do exist. Freecycle is one such site. Craigslist also has “free stuff” pages.

Where to find the best variety of moving boxes 

As a former mover, I am willing to bet that the most extensive supply of used boxes anywhere will be at your local agency for one of the big van lines. United, Atlas, North American, Allied, Mayflower: any of them will very likely have stacks and stacks of used boxes, in all sizes and in decent, usable condition.

 

“You may find [supermarkets] have boxes lying around after they’ve restocked their shelves. But, you’ll want to stay away from produce boxes, which usually have holes and bits of leftover organic matter in them.”

 

You’d also be hard-pressed to find certain types of moving boxes, namely dishpacks and mirror cartons, anywhere else.

However, while there is a chance these places may offer boxes for nothing, you might also have to pay around a dollar a piece for them. This is definitely a buck more than free. However, if you’ve looked everywhere else and can’t find a particular type of box you need (like dishpacks or tall boxes for jackets and clothing you don’t want wrinkled) one dollar is certainly less than you’ll pay at specialty stores or elsewhere. 

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Of course, these aren’t the only places you can find moving boxes. Any business in your area that might get a lot of supplies in several kinds of boxes is a good bet to try. Also, even if you can’t get all the boxes you need for your move with the free options, whatever you do manage to get will still help you save, since you don’t have to get as many boxes as before.