Dissapointment: low price and no service

So I visited the Home Depot and got to see how they are now selling moving boxes and related items. At least at the store I visited, the boxes were crammed into a small area near the
pesticides and bar b que cleaners. Not a bad spot, except if you were guilty of predatory pricing
or just a bad vendor selling inferior products....allow me to explain

I saw the first moving boxes make up entirely of recycled paper, and having spent 25 years
in this end of the moving/shipping transportation side of the buisness, they are nothing more
than a bad box. By bad box, I do not mean the size is off, but rather, that the box itself is not
strong and this will lead to some problems.

What do I mean? If you load your boxes heavy, these boxes will not be strong enough to
protect their contents. Maybe for clothes or lightweight items, but if you think these are
standard moving boxes, they are not, and why the industry and its insurers are not out there
deeming these boxes not worthy or coverage, they are making a big mistake.

Allow me to explain. Moving boxes used to be all rated at 200lbs per square inch bursting strength. Then the industry was allowed to manufacture boxes for moving which were made
a bit less strong, but still within the parameters of 32 edge crush. Some people thought this was
a step in the wrong direction, but what no one understands is that I believe that the standards
used today for moving boxes stem from the old regulations put forth by those moving shipments
for the government and the military.

The reasons for this are that the military wanted to ensure that the cartons used would not be of such a low quality, that they would not work for their intended purpose, moving.

Likewise, my firm has shipped for the hardest handling shipping world, UPS. Volume is their middle name and a few years ago, they startled our industry by denying shipping damage claims, but saying that the boxes used had to be of a strong and not a used nature. This is
very important.

Used cardboard or cardboard that is made very cheaply via poor or low grade components
(maybe you have seen some items from China packed into thier locally made boxes and
you will understand that they have no strength, they tear easily and will not withstand
the handling associated with the sorting systems used today in package conveyance today)
are today, grounds for denying a shipping damage claim with UPS. In fact, they now what
you to use double boxing for high value items, and no used cardboard.

Of course, none of this is present in the wild mindsets of those people who want to go green
at all expenses, but do they want to self insure? We see lots of firms selling used boxes to people
who are moving, but do any of these sellers and buyers understand that moving is more of a
science than an art, just like shipping today. Book boxes are designed for the weight they carry
and the reasons for these unofficial rules are for the benefit of a damage free move. There is a reason why the moving boxes used to pack and transport china are made of double walled cardboard, for their strength and protection. Likewise, when cardboard is bent, dented or mashed, it will not perform as strongly as when new, which is why I make this point. These boxes are no better than using previously used cartons, since they are too lightweight for their intended purpose.

I think the cardboard industry should address this, along with inland marine insurers. Years ago, when the world's largest retailer, Ikea, came into this market, insurers working with the
moving industry quickly excluded particle board furniture from coverage. I think they should do the same here for these lower cost boxes, which will not perform in moving or shipping.

Otherwise, the local people will see more damage claims, and more upset customers, so that
we will be trading a lower priced product for an initial cost savings vs. less value in the long run.
After all, you do not have to be a math genius to see how this plays out: you save a quarter or 50 cents on an inferior box, and then you pack it with 500.00 worth of goods that are both valuable
and important to you, and you get no protection and an increased risk of damage to those items
all to save 50 cents, maybe. Is this where the statement, Penny wise and pound fooling, came from?

Ask me, all this does is open the door for China to supply us with what they do best, an inferior product, but for less money. I predict that in a few years, they will be exporting boxes and we will will have save nothing, except for the greed of a few to make a dollar today to hurt the rest of us down the road. Anyone remember Nafta? Ross Perot was right. Short term gain vs long
term hardship, for what?

I want everyone who reads this to understand that I am not a fool or a hypocrite, as I have bought products from China to save a buck and later wondered why. Make no mistake about
these choices, as Hope Depot will not stop selling inferior products than appear to save people money, but in truth, they will only cost the customer more since he/she is unaware of how to
get a good move. It starts with the packing and using the right items. Just like contracting, you
have to have good materials and the right tools. Same in cooking. Unfortunately for us, this
same rule applies in moving.

Short story how this unfolds today: I have some friends who allowed their daughter to use the lowest price mover for a small move, for their daughter, who lived in another part of the state.
They got a bargin alright, they got the lowest hourly rate for their move, but it took an extra
10 hours and this 300.00 move cost 1300.00, all because they needed to save $5o.oo on their
move. Such a deal, and these were educated people.

Our task will be in providing the value to customers, letting them know that Box Brothers
wants them to use the right box, not the most expensive box and to understand that
short cuts lead to issues, lost time, hard or bad moves and losses in money and in your goods.
What is the value in that?