15 best places to get free moving boxes

Moving to a new home can be exciting but often comes with hidden costs, including pricey moving supplies. One way to cut costs without compromising your packing needs is by sourcing free moving boxes from reliable sources. Many businesses and online platforms offer gently used, sturdy packing boxes that can help make your move more affordable and eco-friendly.

This post will explore the best places to find free moving boxes, from local grocery stores to community-driven platforms like Craigslist, Freecycle, and Nextdoor. Whether you’re moving on a budget or want to minimize waste by using free packing boxes, these options will ensure you get quality boxes for free while keeping your move hassle-free.

So, let’s start with the list.

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1. Recycling centers

Recycling centers are prime locations to find free moving boxes and shipment suppliers. Most items collected for recycling, including moving boxes, end up in these locations. So, you can stop by your local recycling center to pick up a few free shipping boxes.

You might also need to call beforehand to ensure they save some for you or request information about the steps necessary to get free moving boxes.

2. Local grocery stores

Grocery stores such as Walgreens, Kroger, Cub, etc., receive inventory shipments in durable boxes, which are perfect for moving. Most of the time, these boxes are compacted for recycling or thrown away as waste. Some large gas stations also order inventory in bulk, resulting in extra cardboard boxes. Ask the managers of a few local stores in your area if they have extra boxes to give away.

3. Try the Nextdoor app.

Many apps and platforms connect community members for free items, including shipping supplies and moving boxes. One of the best apps for finding free moving boxes is Nextdoor. This app helps you search for people in your area with free items, which include shipping and packing supplies such as boxes and tape.

To get started, download the app and search for free moving boxes in the search box. You can also post a question asking if anyone is giving away shipping supplies and wait for a response. If you are not in a hurry to move, it might be worth waiting and trying different ways to get free boxes before buying them. This is a clever way to make your move hassle-free and save money simultaneously.

4. Liquor stores

Like local grocery stores, liquor stores receive inventory shipments in durable boxes. If you need durable boxes, contact liquor stores in your area for spare shipping boxes. You might be surprised that some stores are having trouble getting rid of these boxes, so offering to take them could be a win-win for both parties.

5. Local bookstores

If you are moving a lot of books or similar items, getting free moving boxes from local bookstores would be a great idea. Typically, book boxes are smaller and designed to hold one book or multiple books of similar sizes. This allows you to have compact and durable boxes for free, which you can use to move your books or other items of comparable size, such as DVDs.

6. Join the Freecycle in your area.

Recycling has become a big deal worldwide, so some recycling movements and NGOs have also started operating to strengthen these movements. One of the best NGOs specializing in recycling by connecting communities is Freecycle. This NGO aims to reduce waste, save precious resources, and ease the burden on landfills while enabling its members to benefit from a larger community.

Freecycle is a non-profit organization, and membership is free. So, to get free moving boxes and other supplies, join a Freecycle group in your area to connect with your local community. This membership will give you unlimited shipping and moving supplies free of charge.

The organization has over 11.6 million members and operates in over 5,000 towns. So, before buying boxes, check if people in your local community have free moving boxes through the app.

7. Try Craigslist

Craigslist is one of the best websites for getting free moving boxes. Similar to Facebook Marketplace, it is designed to connect local customers. Many people give away moving boxes after moving, which allows you to find sturdy, gently used boxes for free. It’s a great way to recycle and save money.

Go to Craigslist.org and click on Free under the For Sale tab. Then, type free moving boxes in the search bar. You will see multiple people offering free moving boxes in your area. Browse through various offers and go pick up the ones you like.

8. Facebook Marketplace

Facebook Marketplace is a perfect place to find free moving boxes. On this platform, you will find people who have finished moving or decluttering their homes and need someone to take their boxes instead of throwing them away.

To get free boxes on Facebook Marketplace, type “free moving boxes” in the search section. After that, you will see dozens of people giving away free packing boxes in your area. You might also find other free packing supplies, such as packing tape and foam. All you need to do is contact people with the listings you like in your area and pick them up.

9. Big bulk stores, such as Costco and Sam’s Club

If you are moving, you likely need large boxes to store all your clothes and oversized items. In this case, seeking free packing boxes from big bulk stores such as Costco and Sam’s Club will ensure you get the big boxes you need for free. These stores usually have large, durable boxes because they sell items in bulk, which you might need when moving heavy-duty items.

10. U-Haul Box Exchange

Did you know that you can get free moving boxes from U-Haul customers? Well, this is done through the U-Haul Box Exchange page. U-Haul has created an exchange Page where customers post leftover supplies, including moving boxes. People who need free moving boxes and other supplies can then contact customers offering them through the exchange page and pick them up.

You can visit the U-Haul Exchange page and search for customers with free moving boxes in your area. Once you find a customer near you, you will contact them and pick up the boxes. You might also get other moving supplies like bubble wrap, packing tape, and foam.

11. Use the U-haul “take a box, leave a box”

Every U-Haul store has a bin known as “take a box, leave a box,” allowing customers to leave gently used boxes they are no longer using. If you need free moving boxes, check your local U-Haul store to see if they have readily available boxes left by previous customers that you can use. This service was introduced to help customers get free moving boxes and to help in recycling. So, if you need free boxes when moving, your local U-Haul might be your best option.

12. Check your local manufacturing plant.

Local manufacturing plants are some of the best places to get free moving boxes, and they have them in large quantities due to an inflow of inventory. The company I used to work for produced hundreds of boxes that were then compacted for recycling. Most of my co-workers used to take home these free boxes when moving. If you know a manufacturing plant near you, contact the management team to see if they can give you a few cardboard boxes to help pack your stuff.

13. Buy moving boxes in bundles.

If you can’t locate a place with free moving boxes, the next best thing to do is to purchase them. But don’t just buy one box here and there. To save money when purchasing moving boxes, buy them in bundles. This is sometimes called bulk pricing. Meaning you buy more boxes to bring the price per unit down.

Some stores, such as U-Haul, offer unit and bundle prices for all sizes, such as small, medium, and large. U-Haul says that if you did not use all the boxes you purchased, you can return the remaining boxes for a 100% buy-back guarantee. That is a great way to save money on moving boxes.

14. Your workplace

Your workplace is the first and most reliable place to find free moving boxes. No matter where you work, there is a high chance your company receives inventory in boxes. For example, if you work in a restaurant, ask your manager if there are a few spare boxes you can use.

When I worked in a manufacturing plant, my company gave me many free boxes because they had thousands of boxes in inventory. So, even if I wanted 100 boxes, I could easily take them. If you work in such an environment, ask your manager if taking a few boxes for your moving needs is OK. If you don’t work in such an environment but know someone who does, ask them if they can get some free boxes from their workplace for you. You never know until you ask.

15. Ask your local pharmacy or healthcare facility.

The secret to finding free moving boxes is targeting businesses that receive large quantities of inventory. After receiving the inventory, they usually have no use for those boxes except recycling or throwing them away. Healthcare facilities and pharmacies are some of these businesses, which tend to have a lot of empty boxes after receiving medical supplies. Bear in mind that the boxes you find might be smaller, but you can still use them to pack smaller items you are moving.

You can ask your local healthcare facilities and pharmacies for spare boxes. They might either save them for you or ask you to show up when they are unpacking inventory. Either way, your only cost to get these boxes is to stop by and pick them up.