If you’ve ever moved, you know how hard can it be to find the right moving boxes.
Even if you do find them, there’s the hassle of assembling them and the stress that they might not hold up for the entire move.
Well thankfully there’s a new solution from U-haul.
In a great strategic move and in order to keep up with the ever-innovating startups in the moving industry, U-haul announced recently that they will now be offering Plastic Moving Boxes rental to their customers. These boxes are stackable plastic boxes with lids that can be used in place of cardboard moving boxes.
U-haul which is already the biggest name in the truck rental industry and dominates the do-it-yourself moving space, will be adding another option to their offerings in order to provide more value to their customers.
Now, the idea of renting plastic moving boxes for a move isn’t really a new one, as there are already a few startups offering this service to customers that are looking for an alternative to cardboard moving boxes. We did a spotlight on some of them a few days ago, you can check it out moving boxes . But to me this move by U-haul seems more like a strategic one. Given the enormous brand value that they enjoy and the millions of customers that use them every year, barrier to entry in this new space is quite low for U-haul. Adding the Ready-To-Go Box to their packing solutions lineup, adds another way to generate some additional revenue, while offering move value to their already huge customer base.
What should you know about U-haul Ready-To-Go Boxes?
Currently these plastic moving boxes are only available in select U-haul locations, but there are a couple options on how you can get them.
- Pickup the Ready-To-Go Box at the participating U-haul location
- Have the boxes delivered and picked up from your house.
For more info, feel free to watch the video below that U-haul posted
Why should you use Uhaul Ready-to-Go Boxes?
In our article about plastic moving boxes we listed several benefits of using these instead of a cardboard box. Here’s the list again:
Benefits of packing with plastic moving boxes
- Ready to go, no assembly needed.
- Much sturdier than cardboard boxes
- Water resistant,
- Environment Friendly. Many of these plastic boxes are made from recycled materials unlike many cardboard boxes that are made from trees.
- You wouldn’t have to bother about how to get rid of them after moving and unpacking. The companies that provide these boxes will pick them up at your doorstep.
- Best of all? they are cheaper than cardboard boxes!
Uhaul lists some additional benefits on their website. Check all type of boxes.
What this means for the Moving Box Rental Startups?
Consumer benefits aside, the big question here is that how will this effect the fate of companies that are already in this space. Startups like BungoBox, LendaBox, ValueCrates have all been providing a similar service to moving customers for some years now. What will this announcement mean for them?
Currently all these companies operate in different areas, with BungoBox having the largest coverage and market share. But with the entrance of uhaul in this space, its really something to watch out for. It will really depend upon how quickly uhaul is able to develop this program and make it available in all the areas they service currently. Surely that won’t be that hard to do given the resources available to uhaul and their foothold in the do-it-yourself moving industry.
However on the other hand, several startups have had the first-mover advantage in the space and are gaining traction in their respective areas. Whether uHaul takes the market share from them or maybe even acquire a few dominant ones is something only time will tell.
Till then, if you’re looking to move, checkout to see if this options fits your needs and also compare some moving quotes.
