Those corrugated boxes

I keep the corrugated box just in case I want to sell the item in the future.  Not because its worth anything, but because then I don't have to find a box to ship it in that's the right size.  I just put it back in its shipper, and put a label on it.  Otherwise they have no value to me.  I would not pay more for any item just because it has its shipper box.

Same as Sean

I'm a box nut, never sh$$ can them including the shipper.

I do mark and flatten shipper boxes for storage. 

It cuts the space required down considerably.

Larry

After throwing the first couple I got in the recycle bin, I have been keeping all the rest.

I'm not a collector, but I have always had a thing for keeping original boxes on certain things. Now trains have joined the 'certain things' category. However, I am sure I will be joining you with the daisy pushing before any of the train boxes really matter. Unless I can bring myself to sell some of the excess...which will be an extremely difficult task. 

It's a good idea to have in case an item must be shipped out for repairs!

"With some of the wild prices on flea bay for Lionel cartons so collectors can put their mint cars in the 'original' boxes, wonder what the value is of the corrugated box that might have encased the carton."  With Flea bay anything is possible.

hello rrman............

It may be not worth anything because of the fine print  "MADE IN CHINA" on the box but again I could be wrong.

Tiffany

I keep cartons if they are in decent shape and if they are sized to the inner box.....IE not a lot of foam or packing. I have no hope they are worth any more than scrap value. 

I have a bunch of them in the attic, I keep them for shipping anything I might sell.

Keeping the boxes and/or shipping cartons may not add anything to the final value of an item. However, having them certainly does make an item easier to sell.

I always like to tell the story of how I sold a $200 postwar engine for $4500 because it had the master carton.  so if it doesn't take up too much extra space and it didn't get too beat up in transit, I hand onto it

Yep, bunches in the attic for future internet sales.

  Bill T.

Yeah, I have about fifty percent of the original shipping boxes and, all the original factory boxes.  In fact, I am near to having to build an additional storage building for EMPTY boxes.    And, no one in my family will even care when I'm gone.

I keep them just in case I want to sell what came in that box. It makes it so much easier to ship the item when you have the shipping box.

Interesting timing.  For the last few days, I’ve been trying to make better use of space under the layout.  Taking boxes out, reorganizing them, putting some cars I no longer use back into their boxes for storage or to get rid of them, etc.  I only have a few of the cardboard boxes that trains came in and only if they are the right size to store other boxes inside.

I did run across some old boxes for Gargraves switches (they are now sold in blister-packs).  I wonder how many people saved them.

I toss all the boxes.  I bought the trains and I have them, that's it. 

I try to keep the shipping cartons.  Not because I think they might be valuable but they could prove very beneficial to me if I ever am fortunate enough to make that long desired move back to West Virginia.  If not, when I check out the family has something to put them in when they sell them off. 

It's all about completeness. If it makes something more complete - its kept.

Like you I thought that I would be "pushing up daisies" before I used those boxes; however, they do not take up too much more space than the boxes themselves. When I sold 11 of my engines and a couple dozen cars recently, they made mailing those items a lot easier and I did not get any breakage complaints from the purchasers.

Well, mine took up more space than I had.  Initially I saved them, but within a year or two, I filled up all the available closets, every cubic foot under the layout, etc., so I just cleared them out and now throw them away as I get a new loco.  I don't re-sell, so I don't need them for that, either.

The shipping cartons Lionel uses have to be some of the flimsiest I have ever seen and I hope they are saving lots of money on them. I don't care for these as most of mine have gaping holes from being shipped and in some cases have even failed to protect the inner orange boxes which I do keep. I'm speaking mainly of the ones used for locomotives. I would gladly pay a few bucks more for better boxes to have my orange inner boxes arrive to me unscathed. I can't imagine using them again to ship a locomotive to a buyer - they are worthless in that regard.

I just keep my Lionel/MTH inner cartons inside the corrugated where possible. Doesn't take up that much more space and protects inner carton and always available if ever needed.

You just have too much stuff, but I can fix that for you.