Many people think of BoxCycle primarily in the context of moving boxes, but it is also designed to help people sell and find cheap shipping boxes.  For example, you can now find a decent variety of new and used shipping boxes in Los Angeles.  And if shipping boxes you need aren’t available in your area yet you can create Boxes Wanted listings, which are designed to help large sellers find buyers looking for specific boxes.

It is usually harder to find used shipping boxes than moving boxes.  Smaller shipping boxes are easier to get rid of and aren’t worth as much so most people don’t think much about them before recycling them.  Shipping boxes are needed in larger quantities and specific dimensions are usually much more important than for moving boxes. 

For online merchants and warehouses shipping boxes are the flip side of the box problem.  These businesses get their merchandise in bulk in large boxes, but send it out in small quantities using small boxes.  They end up with lots of moving size boxes they can’t use, but find themselves constantly buying new shipping boxes when used boxes would work just as well.

There actually are plenty of sources for unneeded shipping boxes.  Box manufacturers often have misprinted, overrun, and discontinued boxes by the truckload that they literally throw into the recycling bin.  Companies often buy boxes by the thousands for a specific purpose.  If their idea doesn’t pan out they are stuck with lots of boxes they have no use for.  In both of these examples, boxes are thrown out without ever being used!

The problem is that finding such sources is difficult, especially when you need specific size boxes.  Similarly, it is nearly impossible for sellers to find buyers for their boxes.  Although people are always looking to buy and sell finding a match of size and quantity at a specific point in time is difficult and most don’t bother.

Our Boxes Wantedsection was designed to help sellers find buyers.  But we also have sellers regularly list their unneeded shipping boxes.  If you are in the mailing business checking BoxCycle before buying boxes just might save you some money without a lot of work.  You can make it even easier on yourself by getting an automated notification when sellers list specific boxes.

Plus you’ll be doing a big favor for the environment.

BoxCycle launched with the focus of helping businesses and individuals with more or less regular supply of used boxes to connect with people who need boxes on occasion.  A typical example would be a retail store with boxes and a person looking for moving boxes.

There is a related, but very different scenario that is quite common.  To our knowledge it is also completely unserved: businesses with regular demand for specific boxes trying to find sellers with occasional supply.  A typical example would be a fulfillment center that regularly needs specific shipping boxes and a box manufacturer with overruns.

It is difficult for sellers like the box manufacturer above to list their boxes and be found by buyers.  Their inventory changes frequently and boxes often head to the recycling bin in days if not hours.  What is needed is a way for sellers to find buyers who have immediate demand.

A major new section recently added to BoxCycle allows for exactly this functionality: Boxes Wanted. 

Potential buyers can now indicate exactly what boxes they need including quantity, frequency, dimensions, color, wall thickness, printing, etc.   The listings are visible to anyone and buyers are notified each time a matching seller lists boxes.  Sellers can also respond to wanted listings without actually listing their boxes.

Boxes Wanted section is built on notification functionality we offered since launch and much of the current data comes from notification requests we received until now.

Buyers can still specify just their name and email address (or phone number) and be notified each time a new seller lists boxes near them.  We’ve added the ability for them to enter more specifics about the boxes they need and to restrict notifications to only those listings that match these specifics.

Furthermore, notification requests are now automatically visible in Boxes Wanted.  This allows occasional sellers to find regular buyers.  It also makes buyer requests more influential since visible requests signal demand which may encourage new sellers to list boxes in the area.

I am quite excited about the Wanted section.  It brings potential for efficiency and waste reduction to a complementary, but entirely new, audience.  At the same time I hope that it will increase the number of notifications submitted and make demand more visible to potential sellers which in turn could help BoxCycle get through the initial ‘chicken or the egg’ problem of a completely new marketplace.