I might be alone in this, but after every move, I go out of my way to save my moving boxes. I think “Well, what if I need them again?” so I carefully remove the tape and start placing them off to the side.
After a few weeks, they are in the way of my actual furniture, so they transition to the closet. But then I need the closet, so they end up in the garage. Then they get wet, and finally, I throw them out.
Everyone has seen that Nextdoor post at some point asking for moving boxes. It is a time-sensitive and sometimes expensive need. That’s why I always try to save mine, even though they are never as good the second time around.
So if you have a garage full of wet boxes, too, and need new moving boxes, or you’ve never had to move before and don’t know where to look, I’ll go over how to determine what you need and where to look.
Determine What You Need
Figuring out how many boxes you need can be tricky.
I’ll demonstrate:
Bobby loves Warhammer. He has figurines scattered throughout his house, all of which are handmade and delicate. He also has a lot of Japanese artwork, board games, an impressive computer room, a cat, and some basic furniture.
Crystal loves camping. She considers herself a minimalist, and she only buys top-quality items she knows she will use. One of the two bedrooms in her home is for all of her camping gear. This includes a closet used to hang all of her backpacks from specialty hangers, and every wall lined with shelving units to hold things like Yeti Coolers, REI tents, snowshoes, and the like.
Neither Bobby nor Crystal thinks that they have a lot of stuff, but the number of moving boxes they need is going to look very different.
Bobby, for example, is going to need a lot of small boxes, sometimes called book boxes, especially for the figurines. Then he’s going to need a lot of larger flat boxes, sometimes called painting boxes or TV boxes.
Crystal is going to need a lot of large boxes for the camping gear because the measurements for camping backpacks are quite extensive, as are the measurements for a lot of camping gear.
So, start with a moving calculator. I use this as a tool to help: https://www.movebuddha.com/packing-moving-box-calculator/
It will generate roughly how many boxes you need based on the size of your home. You can amend this based on the number of bedrooms or the specialty items you might have, like Warhammer versus camping.
Once you have your list, you can save it as a PDF or print it right away and then use that list to make your purchases. So, where do you buy moving boxes?
Where to Find Moving Boxes
I’ve looked everywhere for moving boxes, and here’s what I’ve found:
#1: Grocery/Liquor Stores
Ok, so everyone has told me this one my whole life, and yet I’ve never had success. I’ve been told that boxes for things like apples are particularly strong, and of course, the boxes for liquor have to be equally strong.
I frequent my local liquor store enough that they know me, my projects, and how work is going.
Yet, when I last moved and asked them if they had any spare wine boxes (good internal dividers for things like packing glasses), they said they “could probably give like 2.”
To be clear, if you buy more than three bottles of anything in that store, they ask if you want a box and give you one for free.
But for some reason, when I seemed interested in the whole box situation, they got all tight-fisted.
Still, this is a method some of my neighbors have used and a method my uncle continues to use (no, my uncle isn’t moving, he is just a hoarder who collects used boxes ‘just in case’). As such, I am leaving it here because you might have better success.
But be warned, boxes are supposed to stack on top of one another when en route, and that’s why it is important for them to be uniformly sized, so if your stores are as stingy as my liquor store, it might not be worth it.
#2: Amazon
This is where most people start their search. It is a good place to find what look like cheaper options than the main stores (Home Depot, U-Haul).
Be warned, this isn’t going to cut it for quality boxes in most cases.
The thing about moving boxes is that they are designed to have sturdy walls that can stack on top of one another uniformly. This is a very important component as it helps displace the vibrations and movement in such a way that the moving box walls don’t crumple.
(FYI: Making sure that they are completely full all the way to the top with extra packing material is the other part of ensuring they don’t crumple.)
So, there are two things to consider here:
- If you buy from Amazon, be prepared to buy almost all of your boxes from the same supplier so that they are uniform.
- If you buy a cheaper moving box from Amazon, be prepared for thinner walls.
There are a lot of sellers on Amazon, so this isn’t true of all moving boxes, obviously. I, for example, found specialty boxes for things like pictures as well as other moving supplies like furniture blankets, tape, and bubble wrap for cheap. But most of their boxes were a let-down.
*NOTE: If you order things from Amazon on a somewhat regular basis, keep your eyes out for good-quality boxes. These include boxes in which heavy items are shipped, as the cardboard is typically much stronger for heavy items. If you can, flatten and save these in anticipation of a move. I used to get monthly subscriptions that would come in the same oversized, heavy box, and after a few months, those boxes served me well during my move.
BUT, be sure they are uniform. If you buy most of your moving boxes from U-Haul and then have four from Amazon, those four probably won’t stack as nicely with the U-Haul.
#3: U-Haul
This is where I ended up buying most of my boxes for the last move.
As I mentioned, boxes are designed to be uniform. U-Haul is the king of uniformity. Their boxes are very thick.
BIG, fat, HUGE spoiler: they also stain your clothes. Picture the U-Haul logo. Their boxes are all stamped with the same green, red, and brown colors, and that ink will attach to all of your beige, blue, and black shirts. Each time you pick up a heavy box and hold it against your body and move even so much as to look to your left or right, it will leave a smudge not only on your skin but on your clothes.
I was devastated that some of my favorite hiking shirts were stained. It’s been several dozen washes and several months, and those stains still aren’t coming out. Now everything just looks dingy.
So, aside from the fact that they will stain your clothes, everything else about them is great. They are thick, sturdy, durable, and stack nicely.
U-Haul has so many different options, like the small book boxes that are even thicker and sturdier, the dish pack boxes, the large wardrobe boxes (that was a doozy to move), and TV boxes.
You can basically find any size you need, and they are all designed to stack on top of one another very efficiently. You can also use your moving calculator list to purchase the quantity you need. U-Haul not only offers a la carte items, but they also have package deals that are based on the average household size.
Anything you don’t use you can return for a full refund. So if you buy 20 medium boxes and you only use 17, you can swing by your local U-Haul shop and return the last three. I always thought I would be returning boxes, and I never did, but it was still nice to know that was an option.
#4: Home Depot
Home Depot actually has a similar moving calculator, and you can change your estimate based on things like a garage or the extra tools you might have. Then you can save it, print it, or even order it right away.
You can totally get by with Home Depot quality moving supplies. They are about the same grade as U-Haul (and won’t stain your clothes). Home Depot is nice because you can go pick them up directly from your local store or have them delivered, and you can add things like mattress covers.
I would recommend Home Depot the same as U-Haul. I’ve used them before, but didn’t during the last move because they were too far away.
#4: Lowe’s
To me, Lowe’s is somewhere in between Target and Home Depot. It isn’t for people who need to get actual work done, but it’s a step above the basic Karens who want to fill their home with prefab furniture from Chip and Joanna Gaines.
Still, they have moving boxes, and they are almost the same quality and grade as Home Depot. If you have a Lowe’s near you instead of a Home Depot, this might be a good alternative. Just remember, the ink for that blue brand is going to end up on your shirt.
#5: Walmart
Walmart sells moving boxes and supplies, too. These typically have to be ordered online because they don’t have them in stock at the stores. I have used some of their boxes before, and I wasn’t impressed.
They didn’t have the same Chinese mass production (lack of) value as the things on Amazon, but they weren’t as good as U-Haul, Home Depot, or Lowe’s. Honestly, I would stick with them for benefits like same-day delivery if you have a Walmart subscription, for those moments when you absolutely need just a couple more boxes or moving supplies.
Summing Up
You can find moving boxes basically anywhere online, you can ask your friends, or you can search through dumpsters like my crazy uncle. But realistically, trying to cut corners isn’t going to save you much, and it might result in a lot of unnecessary damage to your personal goods when all is said and done.
So try to save money elsewhere with DIY packing or U-Pack freight shipments, rather than on the boxes.
Start with a moving calculator from places like MoveBuddha or Home Depot to figure out the quantity you need, and then use that as your guide to make purchases while you pack. Invest in good quality boxes with thick, sturdy internal walls and uniform designs from places like U-Haul, Home Depot, and, for specialty boxes, Amazon.