Q: Where Can I Get Free Boxes in NYC?
NYC is a busy city full of many opportunities due to the diversity of businesses and people. Finding free items can prove to be difficult if you do not know where to start looking. There main way to get free moving boxes is to take them from someone who was already planning to get rid of them. How you find out who is planning to get rid of them then is the key. We’ve laid out 10 ways to do this below. Almost all but guaranteed if all 10 options are explored. You’ll find yourself with a nice stack of moving boxes to make use of.
In-Store Free Boxes in NYC
Checking out your local stores and restaurants is a useful way to attempt to get free boxes. These businesses often stock items regularly and have a need to constantly break down and get rid of boxes daily or weekly. Asking staff in these stores for any spares they wouldn’t mind giving away can get you some surprisingly positive results.
Lets take a look at a few of your best in-store options to get your hands on some quality boxes for free.
1) Lowe’s
Lowe’s is a well known hardware store that stock a a huge range of moving boxes in all the sizes you can image. While many of these are for sale, if you take a look in store, you’ll often find they have many spare boxes that they’re looking to get rid of.
Take yourself down to your local Lowe’s store and ask staff instore if they have any free boxes around the shop. They’ll most likely assist you with your request. The nature of the kind of shop means that they’ll likely have piles of boxes that they will have to throw out regardless. If you can help them to offload a few, it’ll be a plus to both of you.
2) The Home Depot
Just as was mentioned above with Lowe’s, The Home Depot has a huge stock of moving boxes. Their inventory is huge and is usually delivered in some kind of corrugated Kraft moving box. Try your luck and ask staff if they have any going spare that they wish to offload. They’ll likely be glad to assist. With their large hardware stock it can make their life easier for you to take a few boxes that they would have had to throw out later anyway.
3) ABC Stores
There are many ABC discount stores around New York City, with many of them constantly updating their inventory. This means many deliveries to the store each day contained within boxes that they’ll need to get rid of later. Because of this they’ll likely have many empty boxes around, ask and they’ll probably be glad to hand a few to you for free.
4) Dollar Tree
Dollar tree is another store with high inventory. You can often find the employees stocking items if you catch them at the right time. They’ll often be doing this closer to night time. When you come across them restocking see if they have any moving boxes spare, they’ll like have a few to give away. Again it saves them the time of having to get rid of the boxes later by breaking them down.
5) Furniture Store Throwaways
You can do some dumpster diving around furniture stores to see if there are any goods worth taking. The nature of the items sold in furniture stores means that items are delivered there in huge boxes. These boxes will often be broken down and put into the dumpster. However there are likely boxes that are still in great condition, ready to be reused. Check out the surrounding areas of a few furniture stores and you’ll likely come across something worth taking away.
6) Wingstop
Busy restaurant chains such as Wingstop fly through high levels of inventory daily and are often restocking to keep up with their high demand. This of course means that there are items being delivered daily in boxes that they’ll eventually need to get rid of to make room for the next delivery.
You can call up a few chains and request if you could grab a few boxes from them. Ask nicely and explain why you’re in need of them and they’ll likely be happy to help you out.
7) Starbucks
This may seem like a strange place to source some free moving boxes. However just like a few of the other busy stores, Starbucks will also be stocking often due to high inventory. They’ll probably have a few high quality boxes that they can hand over to you, so ask at the counter and see what they have spare to give to you.
Online Free Boxes in NYC
The online realm offers you a greater reach to see opportunities for free boxes. Opportunities that you may not otherwise have access to in person in your local area. There are many online avenues you can take to try and source some free boxes. We list 3 of our favourites that will likely get you the best results with the least effort.
8) Free Cycle NYC
Free cycle is a grassroots movement that’s dedicated to people wishing to give away and get free stuff from locals in their own towns. Its a non-profit organization founded to try and help out others in a pinch. Check out your local Free Cycle and look out for people giving away moving boxes. Likely other locals who have just moved into the area and need to get rid of their packing materials.
Freecycle: New York City Group
9) Craigslist Free NYC
If there is one place to try and source free boxes online, its Craigslist free. The free section of Craigslist will certainly have ads posted by recent movers who have just finished unpacking all their items. They’ll post the ads here hoping someone can save them the trouble of getting rid of the boxes and take them off their hands.
This is where you come in and do them this favour that will of course help you out for your next move. You can then return the community favour later on by giving them away of Craigslist Free when you’re done with them.
10) Nextdoor App NYC
Nextdoor offers you the chance to be a useful part of your community. Its essentially a community app that allows you and other neighbours to help and support one another and local businesses. Many online are looking to donate their used boxes to others in their local community. Checkout what is going on here and keep an eye out for any listings involving moving box giveaways.
Conclusion – Where Can I Get Free Boxes in NYC
Source free boxes in at your local hardware stores. Lowe’s ABC etc. in addition to other places in person when the inventory is high. Deliveries are always happening and staff constantly stocking up. They’ll eventually need to break down and get rid of these boxes at some point. Do them a favour by taking these boxes off their hands saving hem the laborious work of getting rid of these boxes themselves.
Online community apps and Craigslist free are another great way of sourcing free items. New home movers recently finished unpacking all their items and furniture will be looking to free up some space in their new homes. Do them a favour by freeing up their space by taking their unwanted boxes off their hands.
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