lazylou123

Hi

As the title says can I use plastic boxes with lids to pack and ship the stuff we are taking with us or does it have to be cardboard boxes. Currently most of what we are thinking of taking is stored in plastic tubs/boxes, the only exceptions being some of what we know we are taking has gone back into their original boxes.

Many thanks


Louisa

lerato

Hi Louisa,

I think quite often companies aren't too keen on people using their own packaging methods, purely because they're often not as secure as their own reinforced cardboard boxes. I have come across a couple of sites that said they would only accept goods stored in their supplied boxes - it may be best to query with a few companies or one that you have in mind?

lerato

lazylou123

Thanks for the answer

I will start to ring round a few places, we are not taking much with us mainly personal items that I would prefer to pack myself. Anyone got any recommendations on who to use.
Forgot to mention will also be taking the husband's work tools and box which is rather large and heavy but I think we should need no more than 10 - 15 foot of container

thanks

Louisa

ausi dream

Yes you can, as long as they are put into the cardboard boxes after to be shipped over in to the container if you are having one.
We used them, the ones from home base and john Lewis and had no problems at all.
We moved there and back twice with all sorts of plastic boxes packed into the cardboard ones and all went well.
Hope all goes well for you.

Kim67

We left all our kids toys that are stored in the plastic boxes with lids in them and the removalists just wrapped them in international wrap and put them in the container.

lerato

As the other posters have mentioned, packed in plastic boxes then put inside the main packing boxes is fine. I've got a big box of craft things which I've jammed full, which can then go straight into a cardboard box for shipping and will fill with other stuff too.

lerato

MrCro

if it is your own sole use container then is it ok just in the plastic box?

medwaymark

We used quite a few plastic boxes...put some of those crystals in them...just in case.

The shippers put the plastic boxes in cardboard boxes or wrapped them in bubble wrap....they didn't bat an eyelid.

lazylou123

Thanks for all the replies

Will ask the shipping companies what they want then go from there as I have a couple of rather large plastic boxes with stuff in that may not fit into cardboard ones


Many thanks again for all the replies


Louisa

CDM

I imaging it would depend on how heavy-duty the plastic boxes are. We are packing everything ourselves in industrial-strenth plastic totes/crates like these. These things are near indestructable and very much more secure than any box made from cardboard.

The only reason I can think of as to why a removal company might want to put your plastic containers into their carboard boxes is to prevent them from scuffs and scratches.

- CDM

mr mover

We have had ,jobs come in from the Uk and the plastic tubs have disintergrated, in the container.........mainly due to being over loaded {books p/work].......some over the cheaper tubs use very poor quality plastic......mm

hopalong

CDM, Hi, your boxes look very robust, but with the lid split in two are you worried about water getting in compared to boxes with an all in one lid? Maybe I am just getting over paranoid as I guess there is only so much one can do to protect? I am just about to start making all these packing decisions.

CDM

Agreed. Having emmigrated several times and moved several more times, I've seen first-hand the sort of punishment boxes and furniture go through during a move.

Those crates that we have bought (see above link) were bought for £12.50 per 80 Litre box and £8.50 per 54 Litre box. Although this is more expensive than cardboard boxes, it still works out to less than the cost of insurance excess alone. And, of course, they are completely re-usable on the other end.

- CDM

CDM

We've considered this.

Although the boxes are not considered completely water-tight, they are not made of paper (which cardboard boxes are) and are not nearly as susceptical to moisture or water damage than are cardboard boxes.

The lids do close quite tightly and the design of the box means that when others are stacked aon top, it's difficult for water to get in even if the whole stack is standing outside in the raid. There are no relief holes in the boxes so water cannot get in from underneath.

Also, every box into which things are being packed that are susceptical to water or moisture damage is being lined with a heavy-duty bin liner. I bought a whole load of thick bin liners cheaply off the internet and these fit nicely into the boxes. Once the bin liner is full, we tie it with a tie-wrap to secure it.

Finally, we are going to be using silicon gel bags inside the boxes and bin liners to absorb any moisture that might be present.

I've not yet found a box as sturdy as these that have all-in-one lids. Having said that, I've already got about 40 of these totes packed and tucked away in the garage and having used them for a bit, I'm more than happy with the protection they offer.

One really important aspect for me is that each and every single one of these boxes can sustain the weight of very much more than will ever be needed (they will never be stacked more than the height of the container at the end of the day but could probably be stacked at least twice that height). This means I can be confident of packing even delicate and fragile items into any box and not worry about where on the container is will end up being loaded.

- CDM

mr mover

Yes those are tough tubs, we use similar ones, on office moves..............mm