Moving in Vancouver comes with enough expenses. Boxes don’t have to be one of them. Vancouver has plenty of spots where you can get sturdy, free cardboard — you just need to know where to look and, in some cases, when to show up.
📦 Moving a 2-bedroom or larger with Secure Moving? We drop off hard plastic boxes at your place the day before your move and pick them all up after for free. Get a free quote →
1. Facebook Marketplace & Craigslist Vancouver
The easiest place to start. People who’ve just finished a move post their boxes for free because they want them gone — and unlike random retail boxes, these are usually actual moving boxes in decent shape.
The catch: they move fast. Search “free moving boxes” plus your neighbourhood (e.g. “free moving boxes East Van” or “free moving boxes Burnaby”) and respond the same day you see the listing. Waiting a few hours usually means someone else already grabbed them.
2. BC Liquor Stores
This one is underrated. Liquor store boxes are built to carry heavy bottles, so the walls are thick and reinforced — much sturdier than most grocery store boxes. Wine boxes often come with cardboard dividers already inside, which are genuinely useful for packing glasses, mugs, and anything fragile you’d otherwise need to bubble-wrap individually.
The best time to visit is Tuesday or Thursday morning, right after deliveries arrive. Just walk up and ask — most staff are happy to set some aside. Any BC Liquor Store location across Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, or Surrey will do.
3. Grocery Stores
Supermarkets go through enormous quantities of cardboard every week. Save-On-Foods, Real Canadian Superstore, Safeway, No Frills, and T&T Supermarket all have boxes available if you ask.
A couple of things to keep in mind: visit early in the morning or later in the evening when staff are restocking — that’s when boxes are most available. And stick to dry goods boxes rather than produce boxes, which can carry moisture damage or lingering food smells that are hard to get rid of once your stuff is packed inside.
4. Bookstores
Book shipment boxes are some of the strongest free boxes you’ll find. They’re engineered to hold the concentrated weight of stacked books, which makes them ideal for packing your own heavy items — books obviously, but also tools, kitchen appliances, vinyl records, anything dense.
Indigo and Chapters locations across Metro Vancouver get large regular shipments and usually have boxes if you ask. The UBC Bookstore and SFU Bookstore are also solid options, especially around September and January during textbook season. Independent bookshops on Commercial Drive or Main Street are worth a call too.
5. Costco
If you’re a Costco member, you already know they leave boxes out at checkout. But the better move is to ask a staff member at the back of the store for the larger shipping boxes — these are oversized and very durable, great for bulky items like bedding, pillows, and light fixtures that don’t fit neatly into standard moving boxes.
The Burnaby (Still Creek), Richmond, and North Vancouver locations are all accessible depending on where you’re coming from.
6. Coffee Shops
An overlooked option. Local cafés receive regular shipments of milk and coffee beans in surprisingly sturdy cardboard. Stop in at a neighbourhood café, explain your situation, and ask if they put boxes aside. JJ Bean and 49th Parallel are worth trying, as are independent shops throughout the city. It helps to call ahead rather than showing up hoping for the best.
7. Your Apartment Building’s Recycling Room
If you live in — or near — a larger apartment building, check the recycling room before doing anything else. Residents who just moved in frequently leave their flattened boxes there for others to take. Buildings in areas with high tenant turnover — the West End, Downtown, Yaletown, Mount Pleasant — are especially reliable for this.
📦 Still looking? If you’re moving a 2-bedroom or larger with Secure Moving, free box delivery is included. We drop them off the day before your move and pick them up after — no hunting required. Contact us to schedule.
Before You Pack
Regardless of where you get your boxes, inspect them before you start packing. Check for soft spots from moisture, any sign of pests, and strong odours — especially boxes from grocery stores or restaurants. A box that looks fine on the outside can have compromised walls that give out mid-move.
Hope this saves you some cash on moving day. 🙌
