If you are well into the planning of your upcoming move, it is easy to feel like you’re getting nickle and dimed into the poorhouse.  It sure wouldn’t hurt to track down some cheap moving supplies for the big day, would it?  At least then you’d feel like you got a good deal on something when it comes to moving…

Cheap Moving Supplies

When it comes to the word “cheap,” most of us think of one thing: price.  Unfortunately, in the world of moving supplies, cheap also often means poor quality.  Like any other retailer, most moving supply vendors want your money, right?  And they hate losing some of your money by just lowering the prices.  Therefore, they need to sacrifice elsewhere.  Quality of the product is often one of the first things to get cut.  You might not notice it in the store, but you’ll definitely notice when your packing tape rips off and the bottom falls out of a moving box, or when the side of one of your boxes crumples and an entire stack topples over in the back of your moving truck.  These little quality cuts can cause big headaches on your moving day, so be sure to focus on maintaining quality, while increasing affordability.

Finding Cheap Moving Supplies

Ok, so now we know what type of cheap moving supplies we want, but where do we find them?  The best bet might be to simply check with the guys that are renting us the van, right?  Well, you’ll definitely find high quality moving supplies there, but you will not find low prices.  Most of their customers are last minute or impulse shoppers, meaning they can keep their prices high.  What about the department store?  They have good prices on everything.  Actually, department stores don’t typically stock moving supplies in significant enough quantity to allow them to offer low prices.  And even if you were to go the store route, it would likely take several trips before you would have enough for your whole move.

Cheap Moving Supplies Online

Maybe you’ve heard rumors from your friends or family about buying cheap moving supplies online.  Some people can be fairly hesitant to make big purchases online, but more and more retailers are setting up their operations strictly online to avoid the typical overhead costs of having a store.  Customer reviews are very high for the best online moving supply retailers.  Also, these retailers offer the absolute lowest prices on moving supplies anywhere.  These cheap moving supplies are as strong as, or stronger than, those you can find at the store or moving truck rental location.

A lot of people are somewhat confused when it comes to matching up their moving vehicle to their other moving needs.  When so many elements of your move are being provided by so many different sources, it can be difficult to find compatible matches for everything.  Whether you’re renting and driving the truck yourself or it comes with a full moving crew, you need to know certain things about your moving truck to make the day go more smoothly…

Size of Your Moving Truck

Moving trucks come in a very wide variety of lengths and heights, depending on your particular moving needs.  If you’re sending junior off to college and just need a little extra space, a small tow-behind moving vehicle may be most appropriate.  If you’ve lived in a house for 25 years and you’re moving somewhere else, then you’re going to need something quite a bit more sizable.  The size of moving trucks is also important when it comes to compatibility with your moving supplies.  For example, using mostly small moving boxes will be highly inconvenient if you have to fill a large moving truck.  The same can be said about extra large moving boxes in a small moving vehicle.

Moving Truck Features

Some moving trucks come outfitted with little extras that will help improve the efficiency of your move.  These include roll out ramps, such as the one pictured above.  Some moving trucks also come equipped with rails along the side to tie down larger items for extra stability.  This can also be especially helpful if you have some fragile furniture items you don’t want banging around during the drive.  Of course, this adds another indirect moving supply, twine or bungie cords.  These smaller side items are often neglected during a move but can make a huge difference as to whether or not you end up considering the day a success.

Moving Truck Crew

Whether it’s a real moving company or a group of your friends, the best moving trucks in the world won’t save you if they aren’t packed properly.  You want a group of people with experience loading such a vehicle who actually care about whether or not your stuff makes it to your new place safely.  The choice of moving crew is definitely not an issue to be taken lightly, considering how much your value your things.  Take time to consider multiple moving companies before signing up with one.  And if you’re using your own crew, just be at least a little choosy.  After all, who amongst your friends and family would really be bummed out to be missing a move?

Look, hardly anyone is in a good mood when they’re moving.  So don’t feel bad if you’re not quite as psyched about moving into your new place as you think you should be.  Actually, the lead up to the move is usually the source of most of the stress and anxiety.  This is especially true when it comes to the price tags at the moving supplies store.  Sure, moving the right way isn’t free, but who knew it was going to be this expensive?

Buying Moving Supplies

First off, it should be mentioned that you are doing the right thing by looking into moving supplies for your move.  Your breakables will thank you when you get to your new place.  But once you step into a moving supplies store, you might start thinking about just crumpling up newspaper and stuffing it between your dishes.  True, it’s been awhile since your last move, but what happened since then?  Is bubble wrap the new world currency or something?  Believe it or not, there are a few good reasons the places you’re looking at are charging so much.

Buying in Bulk

Anyone who’s been around a Sam’s Club or similar store knows the advantage of buying in bulk.  You save money, right?  Well, a lot of the big box stores don’t focus too strictly on moving supplies, meaning their demand for such products is relatively low.  This also means they don’t purchase these types of items in sizable quantities from manufacturers.  As such, their cost is higher than some other places, meaning they need to charge more for the product.  If you’re unfortunate enough to have already purchased moving supplies from a store like this, you can pretty much know for sure you paid too much.

No Demand, No Supply

The other danger with some moving supplies stores is the small quantity of moving supplies offered.  If their core business isn’t moving supplies, they are unlikely to stock an appreciable quantity of these items.  That can leave you in a tight spot if your move is coming up quickly and you need to gather all your supplies.  You can’t be sitting there waiting for another shipment with your move just days away.  Consider this a “hidden cost” of sorts when it comes to moving supplies stores.

Do yourself a favor and check out the moving supplies offered by online retailers.  But only if you want a wide selection at an unbeatable price, of course.