Most people don’t think very much about cardboard boxes
The answer is simple. The cardboard boxes that you get from food stores are generally of a pretty low quality. A lot of them have already been torn open, with little care being given to the integrity of the box. Of course, when you are packing up small boxes of durable, lightweight things like clothes, this doesn’t matter. You put your clothes pretty much anywhere and they will get to the destination intact. When you are moving books, furniture, expensive electronic equipment, and other heavy or fragile materials, however, the type of cardboard boxes you use can make a huge difference.
Buying high-quality cardboard moving boxes – perhaps at a packing store or a U-Haul rental place – is always a good idea in my opinion. Of course, there is the durability issue that we already talked about, but there are other reasons besides that. One of the biggest reasons is that they are all of uniform size and shape. This can make it tremendously easier to pack – particularly if you have a lot of stuff. If you are only taking a few things, it doesn’t really matter. If, however, you are moving your whole house, it helps if every cardboard moving box is about the same size. They will all stack easily on top of each other, making moving a breeze.
Of course, moving isn’t the only use for cardboard boxes. Cardboard storage boxes are also extremely important. Sometimes, they actually make a lot more sense than using file cabinets. You can still sort files in them, and they are cheap, light weight, and easy to move around. Of course, having the right cardboard shipping boxes is important, but not quite as important as having the correct packing materials.