Boxes. For those who sell, where are you getting boxes??

I buy and sell on the Bay.  Most of the time I reuse boxes I have received something in.  Once in awhile I do have to buy a box or 2.  I never use UPS...too expensive.  I sometimes buy at my FedEx drop off store.  Example a 12"x12"x48" (golf club box) is about $7 or $8.  If it's too big I cut it down to the size I need.  If I need a smaller box I check with post office.  They do have other boxes besides Flat Rate boxes.  Or I go to Staples or Wal-Mart or KMart.  Sometimes I tape 2 boxes together.  Like 2 shoe boxes from the post office.

 

One other thing I sometimes do is keep an eye out for empty boxes at KMart or Wal-mart.  Like when they receive merchandise and have empty boxes.  If you ask they usually let you have a couple.  Even from the grocery store.

 

Rick

Ship USPS Priority and boxes are FREE!!! I have used two boxes taped together to get one the size I need but works fine if you do it right.

Also check at your local food or drug chain.....my son works for a big drug store chain and he brings me boxes time to time. Buying boxes is costly.....but I have seen some that are not near as costly as you noted at Home Depot....check them and office supply stores......if you must buy them.

Wal-Mart late at night when they are stocking shelves. Toy department, hardware and the grocery section.

Buy a case of toilet paper,  those boxes will fold, cut, bend:  a good carpet cutter,

does wonders on the corners.   We use so much copy paper, those boxes are strong,

and you would be amazed what you can make with 2 of them,  and alot of tape.

are people sending you stuff, in nice boxes?  what in the world do you do with those, wy in the attic it goes,....... but buy, a box, nah !

we have a couple 24 hour supermarkets in town.

drop in at 2am for all the odd size boxes you need.

 

another good source is a local Jack-in-the-Box where i pick up coffee occasionally.  on Tuesday and Friday they get deliveries and they have a few nice big, strong boxes i pick up from time to time which they're glad to get rid of i've discovered.

Uline.com

Free USPS Priority Mail "Shoebox" size are perfect for most traditional size rolling stock. I did purchase some larger boxes from Uline for shipping Standard O cars.  

Like I stated in my original post, locomotives.  Tomorrow I have to ship a C & O Yellow Belly. Box is 6 1/2 x 7 1/2 x 32 1/2... 

 

I use USPS boxes and have my girls save every box we get. The USPS shoe box is a good idea!!

 

Thanks for the suggestions!!!

The USPS shoe box is a good size, but it's made of much thinner cardboard than other boxes. It was originally designed for shoes, which are pretty much indestructible. Trains are more fragile, so be sure to pack correctly. Make the packing tight around the item.

 

Don't pack locomotives with Styrafoam peanuts. They flow around the loco, it sinks to the bottom of the box, and bounces off the bottom of the outer box for the entire arduous, bump and jolt filled journey. Locomotives should be double boxed and the open spaces filled with tightly wadded up newspaper that will not flow.

 

 

I get some of mine from grocery, department, dollar stores, etc. Sometimes I get lucky and happen to be in the store while they are stocking shelves. I usually get as many as I can. They have always been willing to let me take them. You can usually get a good variety of odd sizes in these stores.

 

Jeff

Grocery stores also have a constant supply of boxes. However, if you can use 25 or more, try a box company. Let your fingers do the walking. You can also check out an internet company like Uline

You have to pay for these but they work well for shipping.Used to be that I never had the right box when it was time to ship, Someon mentioned U-Line above.I bought some of their 4 x 4 corrugated boxes in a 15 inch length as this would handle most of the interurban and trolley cars I was selling.Costs a little more  but in general seems to be worth it.

I don't like to ship trains in any used box.  I want my buyer to have the best chance to receive their item in good condition and a new box and good packing helps this happen. 

 

I use USPS new boxes when I can because they are free.  If item will not fit properly with packing I go to our local paper products or box store to buy new boxes.  I keep a huge bag of foam pellets and roll of bubble wrap for packing.  I believe those members here who have purchased from me can attest to the good packing I do.  It is well worth it.

 

TEX

Steve

I save any decent box I get items in. You can remove the labels and reuse them that way, or if the outside of ugly with markings, disassemble the box and reassemble inside out. USPS regular priority mail boxes are free, I use the VHS Box, Shoe Box, 8X8X8 box, and Regional rate A and B Boxes. The USPS boxes are not typically the correct size for most items, that is why I look for and hold onto boxes of a specific shape when I get them. I recycle my Ice Pop and Klondike Bars boxes. Just disassemble and reassemble inside out. Always good to recycle if you can! For larger boxes, I go to BJ's Wholesale Club, they leave them up by the doors on large carts, just pick through them and take what you want and need. For specialty boxes, I have ordered from U-Line. But you have to order them in quantity to make it practical. I usually order from them the small white boxes like Jeff Kane uses for shipping very small parts and small items like vehicles etc.

 

Gandy

 

PS: I also horde packing peanuts, bubble wrap, and news papers for reuse.

As mentioned above, ULine is the ultimate box source.  They have every conceivable size and shape, including the long boxes you need for trains.  They also have a line of heavier weight cardboard boxes that I have used to ship standard gauge engines.  I buy them in bulk (25 at a time) to get a better price, and use them up over the course of a year or so.

 

 

I primarily use UPSP boxes - the price is right and they can be re-used several times. I had never dealt with Uline up to about 6 months ago, but tried them out on recommendation of a friend and was very pleased with their prices, products, and service - if you can handle the minimum quantities to get a good price.

 

Jim

The shipping and receiving department at your local hospital would have some boxes you can use.

 

Neal 

I get a pretty unlimited supply of boxes from work.  Before I put anything up for sale (either here or Ebay), I always make sure I have a box that fits the item.

 

Considering how much I generally lose when I sell an item, paying for a box would make the loss only greater.

 

I have never found the USPS prepaid boxes to be of an appropriate size to fit anything I've shipped.  They have no boxes that fit Atlas or MTH rolling stock in with boxes as far as I know.  I'm also surprised to find out here that they have no issue with someone taping two together.  Maybe these aren't the prepaid boxes?

 

Also, from my understanding, is that if you use newspaper as packing (and I have many times in the past), and you end up needing to put a damage claim in with UPS, they will say that the packing was insufficient and deny the claim.

 

Frank, yep, you can tape 2 USPS boxes together and send thru the mail.  2 USPS "shoeboxes" work very nicely.  I even received 2 "computer paper" boxes duct taped together once thru the mail.  Imagine that.  That box looked like a terrorist bomb.  It was sooooo ugly.  But, it worked.  LOL

 

Rick

walmart or grocery stores

I've found the frozen food section of grocery stores to have the most useful sizes for train items.

Dumpster diving...a quick ride around the rear of local shopping centers does the trick.  These boxes are likely to be as good as your merchandise.

I am "blessed" by having a wife that buys just about everything via Amazon Prime.  The UPS guy is at our door DAILY.  I save all of those boxes and often the little air pillow stuffing they use.  I really like the boxes as I flatten them out and stack, AND they almost always have the dimensions printed on them or at least their Letter Number code (i.e. A3 or B7).  A big time saver when searching for just the right size.

There have been times, when absolutely no box is available.  When that happens, I wrap the package in several layers of heavy paper ( I use construction prints, usually only printed on one side, and white on the other side.  Kraft paper would work too.).  I then use multiple warnings of "FRAGILE"  all over the package.  Several layers of paper has worked very well for me in these situations, with no complaints from recipients.  

I have found boxes for steam engines at muffler shop

Home Depot and Lowes have moving boxes. 18x18x24 for less than $1.50 and 12x12x16 for $.75. Easy to cut and fold into whatever sizes you need. I fold them with the logos on the inside. You can sometimes get 2-3 shipping boxes out of 1 moving box.

I also have used the boxes Dotty mentions, they are a good source  to pick up a few boxes when needed that seem to work well, and are not too costly.

 

 

 

 

ULine - bundles of 50 of 3-4 different sizes.  Almost always those are used as the inner boxes since I ship cars and engines double boxed.

 

Out boxes are procured via the "scrounge" technique.  Anything in the hallways at work before the recycling collectors make their rounds that will do the job.

 

 

Charging buyers for boxes is the worse idea. Prices are already high enough, and shipping costs are way out of line already. The fastest way to run off buyers is to start tacking on box charges. Getting free boxes also does not require running around wasting gas and time. You do it when you normally go to the market or hardware store etc. The USPS delivers right to your door for free. This is not rocket science. 

 

Gandy

Funny how shipping trains can alter one's perspective.  An eye is cast on every box delivered to our house with regard to its suitability for packing locomotives or rolling stock.  Those of requisite size and durability go to the attic for future retrieval; rejects make their way to the recycling bin. 

While on vacation, my wife and I purchased some goods at an outdoor antique show. I found everything I needed for shipping at Walmart. They had an assortment of boxes, packing tape, and bubble wrap.

I probably do not ship anywhere near as much as some of the folks who have already responded. Typically, I use the free USPS priority mail boxes, or clean boxes from the local grocery store.

What about using USPS Flat Rate Priority Mail boxes for regular Priority Mail shipments? Is that against USPS regulations?

 

I've received conflicting information on this.

 

Jim

A flat rate box is just that, a flat rate, anything up to 66 pounds.  There are other priority mail boxes available from the USPS at no charge, and the charges are for weight, size and distance, not a flat rate.  The post office has a local, or regional  rate for these types of boxes, not generally published, and the costs are pretty reasonable.  Shipping something heavy, big, or bulky, across country by priority mail is pretty costly now-a-days.   I strictly use FedEx.  Much better service, cheaper shipping rates and much faster delivery (one day for most residential deliveries)

Our local Moving Company sells  new boxes in lots of different sizes and shapes.
I think most Movers offer them for sale.
Hope this helps..

K.C.

I suppose it's nice to get Free boxes from the P.O. but I think that's just another reason they are in the red all the time.   It's been stated enough here about all the sources for boxes and they're all good ones.  It doesn't make sense for free boxes from the P.O. if they can't get out of the financial hole they're in.  IMO, this is 1 way to start climbing out.

Does Uline ship the boxes to you via UPS?

I also order the free bundles of boxes from the post office as I very rarely ship via UPS any longer.