Moving box rentals in Charleston, SC.

Option 1: buy cardboard moving boxes

Home improvement stores, shipping stores and online sellers all sell moving boxes in Charleston, Mount Pleasant and North Charleston. A three-bedroom home usually needs 60 to 80 boxes plus tape, markers and paper. Expect $150 to $300 for boxes and supplies, an evening of taping and assembly, and a pile of flattened cardboard to break down and haul away after the move.

Option 2: find free moving boxes

Free boxes exist: grocery stores, liquor stores, neighborhood groups and people who just moved in. The catch is time and consistency. You spend several trips collecting mismatched sizes, some arrive damp or weak, and the odd sizes make stacking in a truck harder. For a small apartment it can work; for a whole house it rarely does.

Option 3: rent reusable moving boxes

Reusable moving boxes, sturdy plastic crates that some people call totes or bins, are delivered to your door ready to pack, with secure snap-fit lids, rolling dollies and a QR code on every crate that you scan to note what is inside, and collected from your new address after you unpack. Each crate holds about 1.4 standard moving boxes. Packages run from $59 for 10 crates to $309 for 60 crates for 14 days, with five-day extensions. There is nothing to buy, tape, build or throw away, and the crates stack squarely in any truck.

For most Charleston moves the rental costs less than buying good cardboard once you count tape and supplies, and it removes two errands: getting boxes before the move and getting rid of them after.

Renting reusable moving boxes in Charleston: what to compare

Several companies now deliver reusable moving boxes in Charleston, and the offers look alike until you read the fine print. Four things decide what you actually pay.

Rental length is the big one. Most crate and tote rentals around town are priced by the week, so a weekend of packing, the move, and an unhurried unpack usually means paying for two weeks. Every Totally Boxless package includes 14 days, and you can add five days at a time from your booking page.

Then the starting price: our Intro Package is 10 crates for $59, while weekly rentals around town usually start at about $99 for a similar count, plus more for each extra week. Check whether delivery and pickup are included for your address, since our core Greater Charleston area pays nothing extra and outer areas see the fee at checkout before paying. And look for a way to keep track of what is in each box: every one of our crates carries a QR code you scan to note the contents and the room it goes to.

• Days included in the base price
• Price for the crate count you need
• Delivery and pickup fees for both addresses
• Extension price and how you add time
• Dollies, lids and labels included

Which one is right for you

Free boxes if you are moving a studio and have time to collect them. Cardboard if you need boxes stored for months, or you are shipping items rather than moving locally. Rental if you are moving within Greater Charleston, want to pack in a weekend, and would rather not deal with cardboard at either end.

• Studio or one bedroom: 15 to 20 crates
• Two bedrooms: 30 crates
• Three bedrooms: 40 crates
• Four bedrooms: 50 crates
• Five bedrooms or a full house: 60 crates
• Six bedrooms or more: a custom quote

Common questions