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[queendiva]

Just decided yesterday that I am going to list my house for sale later this month. It has been almost 12 years since I last moved.

Any suggestions on where to score free or low-cost moving boxes would be greatly appreciated!

I do not know anyone locally who will be moving soon- part of why I decided to list. Mostly a seller's market right now. Last move I got boxes from someone who was finished with theirs.

[patbz]

Ask your realtor to help book you up (from another client) or Home Depot sells new ones for less than some other places.

[pommom]

Ask your local library to save you their boxes.  They are the sturdiest ever - far exceed what you buy in the stores.  I used them for 2 long-distance moves and they held up great.  Used them twice and they still held up after second move.

[Laura14]

The local supermarket or any other restaurant will gladly give you the boxes they get in most days or on delivery days.  You'll save them the effort of breaking them down.  Any business that is constantly getting deliveries to stock their shelves or operate will be happy to donate.  

You may even be able to just stalk their dumpster and load your car right up.  But if they break them down which most recycling or waste companies require, you may want to just ask inside and they'll stack them for you for pick up.  

[StephfromIdaho]

Uhaul sells used boxes for $1. Start collecting now so you’ll have enough

[Elom]

Lowes.....when packing always put contents list on top of box ,for which room, and what priority in unpacking. Lowes has bubble wrap or packs of paper. Don’t skimp on packing it is key. I have moved many times.

[gizmogal]

Liquor stores get their bottle inventory in very sturdy corrugated boxes.  They are also a good size for packing dishes and other breakables. A Liquor merchant will gladly give you empty boxes they happen to have on hand. 

Strong advice:  if you find a good resource for used boxes from a liquor store, library, grocery, etc., do not ask them them to “save” boxes for you. Agree and make it clear you will come to take any available boxes on Monday or Thursday, etc,  or every other day and then keep your commitment. Try to avoid box retrieval from retailers on weekends when they have customers to see to. 

These places are not in the used box business. They do not want to hold the boxes for you and then gIve them over in a handy batch just for you. They want to get rid of them and they will give empty boxes to the first one who comes along to get them or who regularly and reliably takes them away so the merchant doesn’t have to prepare the boxes for disposal. 

If you show up and take what they have, you get them. Make some sort of collecting schedule for yourself and they’ll be happy to donate boxes if they have any. Be glad if you get them, just say “thanks anyway”  if there is no box from them at that moment. In another couple of days, try that place again. 

Good luck selling the house and with your plans for moving. Box collecting will be the easy part! 

[TaylorBrown]

Check with grocery stores.  They get really big boxes with cereal and paper towels, bathroom tissue, etc.  

[ptagirl]

Talk to your local grocery or convenience store manager.. I did that when I was planning a move...They reported when they get their deliveries and when they break all the boxes down.

I would show up at a certain time on their delivery day before they broke them down.  There were usually several boxes of different sizes and weights...so worked out great.

If they do break them down, they will already be put in the crusher or banded for recycling and they won't be accessible to you...so make sure you get there before they break them down.. I can't tell you how many trips I made to the local grocery store...

I also ended up using a moving company ( I had packed most everything myself) , where I purchased the boxes for the mattresses/box springs/ clothes to hang...I didn't think those were too expensive, either...

As I packed each room, I listed everything on the outside of the box, numbered the box, color coded  and wrote what room to unpack the box (i.e. Blue for bedroom #1,Yellow for bedroom #2, Green for living room, etc.)  ..this made unpacking quick and easy and the boxes were already in the room to unpack.....

I also made a journal with each room listed, each numbered box listed and what was in each box...then I also had a place to put my moving contracts, etc...this worked out great if I needed to retreive something, then I knew exactly which box it was in and where to re-pack it.

I know it seems like a lot of work, but it worked out for me... much easier than everything just thrown into a box and not knowing what,where. etc....

[Nevadablue]

Most of mine came from walmart, I would stalk the aisles and find the people stocking shelves and they would gladly give as many as wanted usually they was already flattened out. Hubby used to laugh at me because I felt when I scored boxes it was my lucky day. Start early cause you never have enough, if you belong to costco the apple boxes with handles at each end are very sturdy for your heavy things, (can goods, paints etc)