Boxes for DIY move?

calleyw

nadnad wrote:

Just a little thought - empty photocopy paper boxes are handy for little things or things you don't want to pack in big boxes - breakables etc - they also have lids and handles - and are sturdy - if you work in an office there should be loads of them about.

I used a lot of ream boxes when I moved. They are very handy and allows you not to have to unpack as you can shove them in a cupboard.

As has been said try supermarkets as they most just chuck them away. If you have a 24 hour supermaket if you go in about 11pm the Nightshift shelf stackers have started.

Ask them to put out a call for the nightshift manager and have a chat with them.

Hope your move goes smoothly.

Yours

Calley

halloweenqueen_2

Whereabouts are you?

NEWBIE_SHOPPAHOLIC

Tons of banana boxes at my local Morrissons, have you tried there? If there is one near to you.

Ted_Hutchinson

It might be worth asking your local supermarket to save some sturdy boxes for you.

I've just got back from Somerfield where a chap was collecting a load of "moving" boxes which they had kept whole for him. I'm sure most of the smaller local supermarkets would be happy to do the same.

WSO

If you have a warehouse nearby then you might be able to ask if you can have a ratch in their recycles "bin". The company I work for ships clothes and footwear and while we recycle a lot of what we use (i.e. it comes in with one style in, and goes out as a "carton" for an order), we still put a lot of flattened boxes out for recycling.

If you do, I would recommend you contact them beforehand to ask them as they may have on site security. Don't let that put you off tho, if you can find the right person to talk to and are willing to collect, you should be able to collect all the boxes you need from the one place in a single trip (flattened boxes are easier to transport)

Who knows, you might even get lucky and have someone prepare the collection for you (more likely if there is security on site)... it certainly doesn't hurt to ask, I've seen a lot of people use our boxes for moving in the area (you can't mistake them and they are usually recycled again as tempory window shutters).

Indeed, we had no problems getting boxes of all sizes when we moved earlier this year.

John_M_Business

Just a quick bit of advice:
Firstly, if you're still looking for boxes, you could do worse than to check out some of the stationery suppliers in the UK - i.e. Viking Direct. They do boxes cheaply...

Secondly, get a range of boxes. Small sturdy for heavy items (books, kitchenware etc.), medium sized for 'medium items' (electricals etc.) and large for light items (clothes etc.)... this will really help you. Therefore, for example, banana boxes are perfect for the small sturdy category, or perhaps the medium items, but don't really carry enough.

For my flat, I'm thinking 5-6 small, 10 medium and 10 large...

bunking_off

Agree with John that banana boxes are ok for odds and ends, but not really a practicable proposition if you've got a house full of stuff to move.

It's really worth asking around your network of friends, relations, work colleagues etc to find someone who's moved house recently, preferably with the move done by professional removers. They tend to supply extremely heavy duty boxes, and (other than cardboard wardrobes) seem to positively don't want them back. When I last moved, we ended up with a garage full of the bl**dy things, which we only got shut of when we found someone else who was moving.

hopefulfooluk

Thanks for all your suggestions peeps. A very kind member of MSE gave me all his professional moving boxes from the last time he moved - thank you

FWIW, I have a studio flat and have already filled 12 large boxes and 10 small boxes, and am not finished yet, so John you might need more than you think!

Cheers,

Chris

bunking_off

Have to get this one in....

...when my wife & I moved into our first house, I took a total of 28 boxes from my one-bedroom flat. My wife took 29 boxes from her kitchen!!!!

hopefulfooluk

lol! That's crazy :-)