Why are moving boxes so expensive?

Moving Box Question:

Why are moving boxes so expensive?

Moving Box Answer:

Moving boxes can cost more than other boxes for any or several of the following reasons:

·         Materials and construction.  Moving boxes are made to be more rugged, often using what’s called "double wall" construction.  The materials and methods used to accomplish this are more expensive, making the boxes more expensive.

·         Convenience.  Under the stress and urgency of a move, many people are more interested in getting their boxes quickly and easily than doing a lot of comparison shopping.  That means retailers of self storage units, moving truck rentals and similar moving services don’t have much incentive to compete on price.  That keeps those prices higher.

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One Moving Box Alternative to Avoid

A number of moving websites I’ve visited point out that many items to be moved don’t require a traditional packing box. For example, you’re better off leaving dressers and chests of drawers loaded with their contents instead of packing all the items in separate boxes. (Tie the drawers in place to the furniture with bungie cords or something similar).

You can also use other containers such as trunks and large plastic storage bins. All of these are great options and worth considering.

However, I have to warn against the latest recommended box alternative: trash bags. The arguments for them seem compelling:

• they’re dramatically cheaper than moving boxes
• they’re plentiful
• they’re easy to use
• they can hold much more than average box can
• they can hold odd-shaped or bulky items

Sounds great, right?

Well, there are significant downsides to bags:

• they tend to get put out to the garbage with your treasures inside them, no many how times you repeatedly warn everyone
• they are notorious in how often they rip, tear, snag and split
• they don’t stack well
• they offer almost no cushioning or protection for their contents
• their handles tend to stretch and break
• labeling them is a real bear, which means know what’s in which bag is tricky at best

All of these drawbacks tend to add up during the chaos of a move, which is not the time to learn of a strategy’s disadvantages. So if you want to consider box alternatives, feel free. However, do yourself a favor and skip the trash bags!

Have you had box alternative victories or tragedies? Please let me know!

Also, please don’t forget to visit our homepage at http://www.Movers-Edge.com.

Labeling Boxes- Part 2

Last time I wrote about some of the basics of labeling your moving boxes. Now I’ll finish up with some final tips:

• Mark one or two boxes per room as “Open Me First” boxes with a red, wide-tipped marker. These are the boxes that contain the “absolutely can’t live without” stuff. For me, one example would be the coffee maker and coffee for the kitchen. Using these labels make it easy to get settled in quickly as soon as you arrive.
• Don’t forget to indicate “Fragile” on all boxes containing anything breakable. Yes, it may seem obvious, but you don’t want to run the risk of forgetting prior to Moving Day.
• Label at least two sides of each box, preferably the two broadest sides opposite one another. That way, if boxes get turned, you’ll still be able to find what you need.
• Don’t use the box tops for labels. The reason is simple: when your boxes get stacked, you won’t be able to see them!
• Indicate the contents on the labels. Yes, this is a pain, but not nearly as painful as not being able to locate your possessions. You want to be fairly specific, but you can safely group obvious things (“spice rack” is a better option than writing out “Anice” through “Zedoary” is probably overkill).

If you follow this simple guidelines, you should be in good shape of being able to identify all your boxes quickly and easily. Check out all our tips at http://www.Movers-Edge.com.

What are your best labeling hints? I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

Labeling Boxes- Part 1

It’s not unusual for a relocation to involve over 100 moving boxes– that’s a lot to keep track of! You can eliminate a lot of stress unpacking by using clear labels on your boxes. Here are a few quick tips to get you started:

• Label your boxes as you go. Some people decide that they will pack things first and then label a whole room’s worth at the end. Unfortunately, they tend to both run out of time and forget what’s buried in the bottom of most boxes.
• Make you labels legible. Use block letters to make your labels easy to read. You don’t need to win a penmanship contest, but labels you can’t read won’t help you much.
• Use wide-tipped markers. When your boxes are stacked or scattered during unpacking, you’ll want to be able to read your labels from across the room. Pencils, pens and thin markers’ letters are almost invisible even a few feet away.
• Use a room labeling system. Try to use room labels such as “BTH2- 4,” where “BTH2” indicates the second bathroom, and the “- 4” identifies it as the 4th box. This helps movers know exactly where items go, and allows you to quickly know if one of a room’s boxes have gone missing.

Next time we’ll talk about what other information should be on your box labels.

What about you? What was the best, or worst, system you ever tried to use in labeling your moving boxes? Be sure to check out our other moving tips and suggestions.