Discount Moving Boxes Online - Use Caution

The nuts and bolts of moving has benefited little from technological advances. Sure, we can now turn on our utilities remotely, sign up for DSL online and scope out a new place via Google Maps. But moving boxes, the cardboard we entrust our worldly possessions to hold, have not seen many advances in recent decades, other than in price.

Should You Buy Moving Boxes Online?

My friend purchased moving boxes from Dial-a-Box online, which nearly became a costly mistake. It was certainly a considerable inconvenience. The boxes arrived with only a few days left to spare before moving day. Originally, the moving boxes were expected six days prior. The attraction with Dial-a-Box, of course, was to save money.

Part of the delivery problem was Fed Ex and someone was fired for committing multiple delivery misdeeds, including this one, apparently. Yet, the bottom-line is neither Dial-a-Box nor Fed Ex were very helpful. If the moving boxes don't make it on time you're pretty much on your own and your moving box budget may be at risk.

If you want to order moving boxes online do so with plenty of time to spare and ensure that you can afford to buy more boxes locally if something goes wrong with shipping.

How to Buy Moving Boxes and Save Money

The first thing to know about buying moving boxes is to buy them new, with some exceptions listed below. The main reason is to avoid critters (See: Did I Get Bed Bugs on Ebay?), including roaches, spiders and other nasties.

There is no lack of places for new moving boxes but many retailers are overpriced and package deals may be improperly sized. Aim for plenty of medium-sized moving boxes in your purchase to better avoid over-packing, injury and damage goods.

Here are some additional tips when selecting moving boxes:

Avoid the leading moving truck rental companies like U-Haul, you overpay for convenience here.

Try stores like Home Depot, some suggest Wal-Mart, to purchase moving boxes individually. Additionally, Home Depot offers decent-sized, affordable wardrobe boxes, so don't pay too much for these in a packaged moving box deal.

Check out "discount moving boxes" online thoroughly for good and/or bad reviews. BoxKits.com offers guaranteed 3-day delivery, lowest price matching and more. BoxKits.com may offer a better experience than Dial-a-Box. Otherwise, check the refund, delivery and cancellation terms at the website and ensure that the moving box company offers live customer support.

(For best results when ordering moving boxes online, order at least 7 to 10 days in advance of when you first expect your boxes to be delivered.)

Roughly estimate the boxes you need. Multiply the number of rooms by 10 for an ample guide, particularly if packing material (paper or bubble wrap) will be considerable. Seven to eight boxes per room offers a tighter estimate and is better for most local moves. If a moving kit is short only a few boxes, you may save money obtaining these individually, when and if needed.

Save money with used moving boxes at your own risk. Used moving boxes from businesses are generally preferred over household boxes, and boxes from a recent mover should be cleaner than boxes used for storage. Bugs are not the only issue, but also dust, mold spores and other allergens.

UsedCardBoardBoxes.com may offer a viable alternative and an efficient, commercial approach to saving money on moving boxes and living greener. Savings for "stacks" of boxes (no other supplies) offers the best savings. However, for most moving kits, equivalent to BoxKits.com, the savings are less impressive, especially for smaller units.

Whether you buy new or used moving boxes, do your best to recycle them via Craigslist, Freecycle.org or a local bulletin board.