Where to find new moving boxes
Amazon
As one of the world’s largest online retailers, Amazon sells a wide variety of high-quality moving boxes and ships them directly to your doorstep. It has plenty of different options so you are sure to find the boxes that fit your needs. Each item has customer reviews so that you can compare the quality of the moving boxes to make your decision. When purchasing moving boxes from Amazon, you can take advantage of your Prime membership if you have one and benefit from 2-day free shipping.
Home Depot
Home Depot is by far the largest direct-to-consumer home improvement store and they sell moving boxes. If you shop for your moving supplies on the website, you can pick up your purchase in-store after ordering it online. In addition to its large selection of moving boxes, the website shows you a visual representation of the box’s dimensions and tells you if they have the model you are looking for at your local store.
You can choose to get the boxes shipped to your house or to pick them up at the closest Home Depot store for free. What’s good about Home Depot is that the company allows you to make purchases of moving boxes in any amount you like even if it’s just one box of a particular size.
Walmart
Walmart carries just about everything you need under one roof, including a large variety of moving boxes both online and in-stores.Walmart moving boxes can be ordered on their website and picked up at one of their 400 stores in Canada on the same day of your order. If you choose to have your purchase delivered, you can get free 2-day shipping on orders over 35$.
U-Haul
U-Haul is known as a moving company that rents moving trucks but it also sells a large variety of moving boxes to help make your moving day a success. It also sells specialty supplies like storage bags and disposable moisture absorbers for long or short-term storage. If there’s a U-Haul close to where you live, you can opt for in-store pickup to avoid paying shipping fees.
Canadian Tire
Canadian Tire often has good deals on a lot of household items and it’s not always the first place we think of. Canadian Tire moving boxes actually have a good quality for the price and they even have many other supplies you’ll need for your move as well.
Where to get free moving boxes
Your apartment building recycling bin
We’re not referring to dumpsters, recycling bins are much cleaner and they are bound to contain boxes of various sizes. People order a staggering number of things online that get delivered to their homes so you’ll probably be able to find plenty of empty boxes in the recycling bins of the building you live in.
Grocery store
In order to reduce waste through corporate recycling contracts, this company gets new and slightly used boxes from manufacturers, retailers, and distributors and sells them to you for half the price of the new ones.
Your workplace
You can stop by your local convenience store or any market in your neighborhood to ask if they have any empty boxes to give. Grocery stores receive tons of deliveries in numerous large boxes. You can also ask them to save their heavy duty apple and banana boxes for you, which could be perfect to store your fragile items.
Liquor stores
Liquor stores regularly receive large shipments of wine and spirits and they always set aside boxes for customers who buy in bulk. You can ask your local liquor store if you can take their extra cardboard boxes to add to your moving kit. Try and ask for boxes with lids too. These boxes tend to be small so you can use them for your books or smaller items.
U-Haul Box Exchange
U-Haul has created a convenient message board to connect with customers who want to sell or give away used boxes. You can search by location for free-moving boxes in your area. If you’re lucky, you may also score other free-moving supplies like packing tape and bubble wrap. It’s a smart way to save money on all your packing supplies.
Bookstores
Bookstores, whether large-chain or locally owned ones, have plenty of boxes you can use to pack your things. You can be sure that these boxes will be anything but flimsy, given how heavy books can be.
Friends and neighbors
The easiest way to get free moving boxes, and probably the first idea that comes to mind, is to simply ask friends and neighbors. You may have a new neighbor who has just moved into the neighborhood and who happens to have kept his boxes. You can also call your friends to see if anyone has extra boxes from recent deliveries.
Craigslist & Kijiji
They have a section for people who are giving away items for free. It would be worth your time to see if anyone is giving away boxes as people are always trying to free up space in their home – especially after a recent move!
How many boxes you will need
Studio Apartment
A studio apartment is a small place that typically has one large room that serves as the dining room, living room, and bedroom as well as one kitchen and one bathroom. A studio apartment’s square footage is around 700 to 800 sq ft. For this, you will approximately need:
- 12 small boxes
- 10-18 medium boxes
- 5-6 large boxes
- 4-7 extra-large boxes
One-bedroom home
If you have a one-bedroom home, it means that you also have a living/dining room, a kitchen, and a bathroom. Its square footage can be around 700 to 900 sq ft. You will therefore need:
- 18-20 small boxes
- 20-30 medium boxes
- 10 large boxes
- 4-8 extra-large boxes
Two-bedroom home
The bedroom usually requires more boxes than any other room because it contains the most luggage. If you have a two-bedroom home with a square footage between 1200 and 1600, you’ll need about:
- 35 small boxes
- 25-35 medium boxes
- 15 large boxes
- 6-10 extra large boxes
Three-bedroom home or more
To finish the packing job of a three-bedroom home successfully with a square footage from between 1700 and 2200, you will typically need a box count that looks something like this:
- 38-42 small boxes
- 35-45 medium boxes
- 20-26 large boxes
- 8-15 extra large boxes
Unsure what else you need? Here’s a moving supply list.
Essential Supplies for Moving:
- Suitcases
- Boxes
- Packing tape guns
- Scissors and cutters
- Bubble cushioning/wrap
- Permanent marker
- Bags
- Notepad and pen
Supplies to Transport Furniture:
- Furniture pads and covers
- Mattress covers
- Rolls of plastic film
- Screwdrivers, tweezers, and pliers
- Foam
- Single face cardboard
- Filling material (newspapers, towels, clothes, blankets)
- Corner guards
- Dollies and straps
Cleaning Supplies:
- Bleach
- Floor cleaners
- Furniture polish
- Mop
- Paper towels
- Rags
- Rubber gloves
- Scrubbing brush
- Sponges
- Stain remover
- Vacuum cleaner
- Vinegar
Extra Supplies:
- Security padlocks
- Set of tools
- Measuring tape
- Trash bags
Conclusion
Securing the right moving boxes is not just about convenience; it’s about safeguarding your belongings during the transition to your new home. Whether you opt to purchase sturdy boxes or scout for free alternatives, the choice should prioritize the safety and integrity of your items. If you’re looking to buy moving boxes cheap, try checking out Facebook Marketplace or a similar platform. Interested in renting boxes instead of buying them? Discover where to rent moving boxes.
