Where to Find Free Moving Boxes

All My Sons Moving & Storage provides packing supplies including boxes of all sizes and specialties. Looking to save some money on your moving budget or want to make a more eco-friendly move? You might benefit from snagging some free moving boxes in your neighborhood.

Where do you find free boxes you can use for moving? There are plenty of spaces in most communities that have boxes on hand. Some of these boxes are regular delivery boxes that might otherwise just get broken down and taken out with the recycling, or worse, end up in the local landfill. 

Give some boxes another shot at their purpose by checking these eight places before you purchase any moving supplies.

Snagging something for free is always exciting, but keep a few things in mind as you go looking for boxes. You need boxes that will serve your move well. Boxes that cave under the weight of your books or are infested with roaches are not boxes you want to pick up.

Proceed box-hunting with the following considerations:

• Ask Permission: Do not go through a retailer’s trash or recycling and just take boxes. Depending on where you are and whose trash you’re going through, this could be dangerous or illegal. Always call the retailer ahead of time, ask to speak to a manager or owner, and request permission to get the boxes they throw out.

• Avoid Damaged Boxes: Lots of used boxes you pick up will still have a couple moves left in them, but some boxes are better off getting recycled rather than holding your stuff.  Check the boxes you salvage for wear, tear, water damage, or strange odors before you declare them ready to pack. 

• Watch Out for Pests: Cardboard boxes attract pesky insects who like to feed off the cellulose fibers and make their nests hidden in the corrugated structures. Check the boxes you salvage for signs of cockroaches, silverfish, termites, or spiders before you pack them up or put them into storage. 

• Consider Size and Shape: Small boxes are ideal for carrying heavier items like books, gym equipment, files, photo albums, and dishes while larger boxes are best for bulky but light items like clothes, sheets, towels, and pillows. Boxes that are uniform in shape can be stacked on the same dolly and moved together. When you pick up boxes of varying sizes then you might have to transport them one at a time, not to mention they might not stack well in your moving truck. Try to pick up as many standard-sized boxes as possible and put the oddly sized boxes to the side unless you are running low on boxes.

• Pay it Forward: When your move is complete and you’ve unloaded all your used boxes, take stock of your boxes. Recycle any damaged or overly worn boxes and then offer the boxes right back to the community by listing them on your local social media pages, Freecycle, Buy Nothing pages, or Facebook Marketplace. 

With these considerations in mind, you’ll be able to grab the best free boxes for moving. Your well-packed boxes will be able to safely and securely transport your goods to your new home or survive a few months to a few years in storage. Once you’re done with these boxes, you’ll be able to help someone else in need of moving boxes.

Let the box-hunt begin! Check these eight places in your community to see if you can snag some great moving boxes for free.

1. Local Social Media Groups

Open up your social apps and check local groups for your city, school, church, or gym. The ideal social apps for these groups are Facebook and Nextdoor. If it’s okay with your group’s moderators and within the guidelines of your group, create a post asking if anyone has moving boxes you can use. The best place to find specialty moving boxes like TV boxes, wardrobe boxes, and dish packs for free is from people who have recently moved. Otherwise you would have to buy these specialty boxes new.

You can also check listings on places like Craigslist, Freecycle, Buy Nothing, or Facebook Marketplace.

2. Liquor Stores

Your local neighborhood liquor store likely gets deliveries of heavy-duty boxes containing wine bottles, beer cans, and other alcohol. Some of these boxes might even come with handy dividers which will make them great for packing your glasses, stemware, Christmas ornaments, and fragile collectibles. 

3. Grocery Stores

Next time you shop for groceries, swing by the customer service desk and ask if you can take some boxes. Grocery stores get constant deliveries of pantry goods, produce, and other necessary merchandise in a variety of boxes. Some of these boxes make great moving boxes for packing your pots and pans, kitchen utensils, and knives. Try to take as many uniform boxes as possible, and leave the oddly shaped boxes for the recycling.

4. Bookstores

The best place to find awesome moving boxes for packing your books is your local bookstore. Call your neighborhood Barnes and Noble or Books-A-Million and ask the manager if they’d be willing to part with any of their regular delivery boxes. If you’re someone who loves to shop local and get plugged into your community, you can also look for an independent bookstore near you on Bookshop.org. 

5. Retail Stores

Every store around the block from the big box chains like Walmart, Target, and Costco to your community mom and pop outlet needs to get their merchandise through the doors somehow. For many retail stores this means lots and lots of cardboard boxes that could be great containers for your small kitchen appliances, electronics, clothes, and shoes. Call ahead or stop by the customer service desk to see if they’ll let you take some boxes off their hands.

6. Coffee Shops

The large chain coffee shops and local hidden gems all need to get the supplies they require delivered to their location. Sometimes that means a truck delivery of boxes containing coffee cups, coffee grounds, and other ingredients they sell. If you ask the manager or owner about boxes, they may be able to provide a variety of boxes that could work great for moving your things.

7. Libraries

The next best place to find the ideal boxes for packing your books after a bookstore would be your city or town library. While libraries might not receive deliveries as often, they will occasionally get new books in that come in sturdy boxes. These boxes are great for collectibles, media collections, vinyl records, and of course books. 

8. Offices

You might be able to snag some boxes from community workspaces. If you work in an office, ask around and see if you can grab any extra boxes from deliveries or office supplies. If you do not work in an office, ask friends and family members that do work in an office to see if they can find some moving boxes for you. Offices are a great space to find file boxes which are good for packing files, kids’ memorabilia, photo albums, and media collections. 

Gather all the boxes you can, and then pack your boxes well to maximize the space in your moving boxes. Once you’ve packed your free secondhand boxes, you’ll be well on your way to making an eco-conscious and budget-friendly move.

Exhausted all your resources for free boxes? All My Sons Moving & Storage is a one-stop shop for moving supplies and while you’re at it, why not ask about our local and long-distance moving services? Our team can do everything from the professional packing to the heavy lifting, and we even provide storage solutions for our customers who need some extra space with their relocation. Use the online quote form below to get started on your move.