Straight comparison
Plastic moving crates vs cardboard boxes
Cardboard is cheap until you add tape, time and the tip run. Here's the honest maths for a Sydney move.
| Wombat crates | New cardboard | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost for a 2-bedroom move | $149 delivered | $150–$250 plus tape and a trip to the hardware store |
| Assembly | None, lids attached | Tape every box, twice |
| Stacking | 5 high on a dolly, roll it | Crushes, tips, tears |
| Rain on move day | Waterproof | Soggy |
| Afterwards | We collect | You break down and dump 50 boxes |
| Waste | Reused 200+ times | Single use |
The money
Fifty new heavy-duty moving boxes from a hardware store run about $150 to $250 in Sydney, before tape, marker pens and the trip to buy them. Our 50-crate Two-Bedder is $149 with delivery, collection and two weeks of hire. Even second-hand boxes cost you petrol, a boot full of trips and boxes that have already been crushed once.
The time
Taping fifty boxes takes an evening. Crates have hinged lids attached, so you open, fill, close and cable-tie. Stacked five high on a dolly, one person moves 340 litres in a single trip instead of carrying boxes one at a time.
The weather
Sydney rain does not check your moving date. Cardboard bottoms give out when they get wet, usually while you are carrying the box with your record collection in it. Sealed plastic crates do not care.
Afterwards
When cardboard is empty you own a mountain of it. Flatten, bundle, fit it in the yellow bin over the next three fortnights, or drive it somewhere. When crates are empty we come and take them away, and each one goes back out over 200 more times.
When cardboard still wins
Odd-shaped items, framed art and long-term storage in a garage are all better in cardboard or purpose-built cartons. Plenty of our customers hire crates for the bulk of the house and buy a couple of picture cartons for the rest. We would rather tell you that than sell you an extra pack.