Leading Packing Supplies Sources for Your Move
Alex Sherr is the founder of 9Kilo Moving. He has been in the moving and relocation industry for more than 17 years, making him an expert in his field. Alex started as a helper, dispatcher, and driver and has worked his way up to owning his own company. He takes great pride in his work and enjoys helping people relocate.
Full service national movers often don’t include packing materials in their quotations. This means that you’ll have to buy these for yourself. It is therefore important for you to find the best sources for packing supplies and equipment.
Here are a few of the best online sources out there:
1. UBoxes
A well-trusted seller that offers various payment methods and a wide variety of packing supplies. They offer free delivery and will bring you your order in just 1-2 days.
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2. U-Haul
From the company that is considered as the leader in DIY self-moves. Purchase your moving supplies online and they’ll give you free standard shipping on orders over $25. The best thing about U-Haul is that they’ll even buy back the boxes that you don’t use.Website
3. The UPS Store
This is from one of the oldest and most respected shipping and logistics companies in the world. You can be sure that they know what they’re doing when it comes to packing materials and equipment. They also have padded envelopes, mailing tubes and other handy pieces. Website
4. Office Max
A respected supplier of office supplies and also offer a wide variety of packing supplies. What’s great about their site is that you can browse around their online store and purchase other supplies that you may also need (those which are not directly related to packing). Website
5. Amazon
Nowadays, is there anything that you won’t be able to find on Amazon? You’ll be able to find a plethora of moving and packing supplies on this behemoth website. Just remember that when purchasing numerous items, you may actually be buying from different sellers. Website
6. Two Men and a Truck
This charming little site offers a complete list of supplies and they’ll even give you a full refund for the items that you don’t use. Make sure to check out their box calculator to get an idea of how many boxes you’ll be needing for your move.
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7. Pods
If you’re going to rent a Pod, you may consider buying your packing supplies from them as well. This is very similar to U-Haul.
Sample Cost of Moving Boxes and Supplies
To give you an idea of how much you’ll be spending on packing materials, let’s take a look at one of the packages offered by U-Haul.
Their 1-2 bedroom kit consists of 15 small moving boxes, 20 medium boxes, 10 large boxes, 10 extra large boxes, 4 wardrobe boxes, 4 box/packaging tape, 1 box marker with knife. All of these amount to a grand total of $179.39.
Take note that you’ll probably need additional supplies like protective materials (furniture pads, packing peanuts, bubble wraps), covers, bags and ropes (tie-downs). This could set you back another $100.
So that’s $270.39 just for packing materials!
See also: Where to Buy Moving Boxes?
How to Save on Packing Costs
Of course, nobody wants to spend too much just on packing their goods. To help you minimize the costs, you can try the following:
- Use paper shreddings from the office as fillers and cushions for your boxes.
- Use plastic grocery bags as a quick wrapper for items that aren’t necessarily fragile.
- Reuse what you already have. Whenever you buy a new item (like a computer or appliance), have you noticed that they always come in padded boxes? Well, this is actually your goal. You want your items to arrive safely just like that appliance you’re holding right now. So to cut moving costs, try saving these pads and boxes and use them for another day.
- Visit your local retails or grocery store and ask the managers if they have extra boxes from the recent shipment of goods. Just make sure that before you use them, you’ve checked them for any signs of damage.
- Save newspapers, magazines and coupon mailers as soon as you know that you’re moving. Newsprint was and still is often considered the best packing paper available.
- Everyday items like towels, socks and washcloths can be used as additional padding and protection for your other possessions.
So you see, the expenses incurred in moving don’t all go to the moving company. Packing and getting the right supplies can cost you huge amounts too if you don’t know the techniques on how to minimize costs.
This knowledge will be very helpful for you once you start planning out your moving budget.
For more information on moving budgets, online moving quotes and practical relocation tips, contact us at 9Kilo.com today.
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