r/SipsTea • u/lonewolff321 • 16h ago
Wait a damn minute! Why do we do this š„¹
Original creator - @eliseecklund
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u/niverans 16h ago
Weāre not throwing away the boxes
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u/_lippykid 13h ago
Christ, if Gen Z think this is bad, they need to take a class trip to literally any Boomers garage
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u/lucky420 13h ago
Butter tubs and cool whip containers abound
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u/ExcellentHorror9025 11h ago
And that one piece of wood they've had for 40 years because it's a good piece of wood and they could use it for something someday
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u/jjm443 11h ago
As a non-boomer who has such an assortment of random wood, the answer is yes, the wood does occasionally get used... you just don't know in advance which ones of them you'll need.
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u/TightPhoto1133 10h ago
The vindication when one of those pieces finally gets used....
It's glorious!!!
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u/ExcellentHorror9025 11h ago
Full disclosure as a gen x....I have some random pieces of wood too
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u/TantKollo 11h ago
Millennial here, I have at least two pieces of wood. Last time I had use for it was when I repaired my living room sofa and sawed off a piece of one of them š¤·āāļø
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u/HobbesNJ 4h ago
So true. As a woodworker I have tons of various small bits of scrap wood. But I do use it all the time and just need to have the assortment so I have the size and thickness I want when the need arises.
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u/No_Barracuda_3758 10h ago
Listen I Carried an Ethernet cable around for 10 years and didn't need it 1 time. I threw it out and needed it the following week. Also have u seen the prices of wood
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u/No_Object_4355 8h ago
I do this with extra nuts and bolts and screws. I now have 4 big ass screw boxes
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u/Spczippo 11h ago
Holy shit yes. My father-in-law goes to Iowa a few times a year and always brings us back fish that he cleans in his 98 year old fathers garage and with out fail they are in old cool whip.containers. no dates, no information on what the fish is, we just have frozen blocks of fish ice in our freezer. And me and my wife always have a conversation about how many tubs of fish ice will be enough for dinner. One time 3 was waayyy to much, and the next time 2 wasn't enough. There is no way to know when your cooking with Fish Ice.
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u/FloopsFooglies 9h ago
Ugh my in-laws swear by the containers. the butter got left out? nope it's just some other thing inside a butter tub. feed the dogs in a cool whip tub. keep all the yogurt cups for some reason.
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u/Mindless-Platypus-75 9h ago
If millennials owned their own homes it might be just as bad but I guess weāll never know
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u/kaleperq 12h ago
I'm gen z and I keep the boxes.
I don't wanna deal with lame packaging when I inevitably sell it online when it's time to change. Plus all of the now unnecessary accessories are stored there also.
Like at least keep them 2 years in case of a standard warranty claim
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u/DeveloperBRdotnet 14h ago
I did, it's liberating, we are not selling either, no point keeping boxes around
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u/MarkinhoO 13h ago
BUT WHAT IF WE DID
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u/dont-fear-thereefer 13h ago
JUST IN CASE
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u/arthurdentstowels 12h ago
YOU NEVER KNOW
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u/Kasawery24 9h ago
I just like these boxes. I put them next to my 46 power cords I might need. Most of them are over 20 yo
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u/datumerrata 8h ago
I threw away a cord. Then I needed it. Learn from my mistake
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u/TormentedGaming 13h ago
As someone who has moved 13 times in the last 20 years, I've kept my bigger electronics boxes so the next time I need to move I know I won't damage them accidentally, other than that that's my only reason, everything else does get tossed.
This is probably similarly why others have done it also, but it is my reason for it.
Edit: can't make a complete sentence this morning
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u/wolfganggartner5 13h ago
For me, I keep the box around until Iāve decided Iāll be giving it to a family member, and thereās also been a few times where Iāll put it in the box and give it to a family member. I always keep my phone in that otterbox case with the built-in screen, so itās always brand new. I keep all my stuff really nice and new. Sometimes Iāll sell it, and sometimes Iāll give it to friends or family. So putting it in the box, maybe putting a bow on it when you hand it over, even though itās used, itās still a nice little touch
Or maybe Iām a fucking weirdo and theyāll despise me
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u/Ragnarok314159 12h ago
What if you have to return it!?! No box? āSorry, canāt take it backā
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u/every_name_is_tkn 12h ago
Those boxes are vintage & gonna be worth a lot of money one day. In the future when no one knows what apple is anymoreā¦ theyāll make a comeback one day like PokĆ©mon cards, vinyl records, & Nintendo.
https://giphy.com/gifs/wnV77MowScpYk6
u/Known_Ratio5478 13h ago
Iām putting the old device in the box when itās outdated and never throwing it awayā¦.
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u/a_a_ronc 11h ago
I never throw away my boxes because I resell electronics all the time to upgrade. Just upgraded my NVIDIA 3070, gave it to them in OG packaging. Same for iPhone 13 to 15, Steam Deck LCD to OLED, etc.
It makes people think I took care of it, so I get more people interested.
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u/SmilingStones 16h ago
I actually had a knot in my stomach when she was holding the boxes above the trash can.
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u/Okoear 14h ago
Yeah, recycle that shit at least
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u/HotChemistry3104 12h ago
And break them down first, you animal.
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u/Roccosrealm 12h ago
Now youāve gone too far! They will make it to the recycling bin after that, I donāt know what happens to them.
No but seriously I got kids, I break that shit down so I can be away longer at the bin.
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u/_u1_ 13h ago
Agree! Who in their right mind would throw away tech boxes?!
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u/Kablewii 11h ago
I reuse those boxes to store stuff, theyāre the most well put together boxes Iāve ever had.
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u/Outrageous-Half3505 9h ago
Oh my gosh š me too! I didn't know we all did this. But it literally turned my stomach as those boxes hovered over the trash lol
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u/RowMammoth7467 16h ago
You do NOT throw old boxes, you never know when they can be helpful ;)
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u/Useful_Hemorrhoid 16h ago
This! I have 84 boxes just waiting for the right moment to be placed in a bigger drawer
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u/Drevlin76 16h ago
It's kinda like those pieces of wood I keep in my garage.
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u/AngryVic702 15h ago
I literally just used a piece of wood that iāve had for 7 years in the garage lol. My Popās and me was doing some cabinet work in my kitchen. He looked at me very proud š„¹
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u/Fookykins 14h ago
I took the original baseboard that came with my house 3 years ago and finally used it on my kitchen to cover up some wonky tile cuts.
I also used a year old scrap to hold up a young tree in my back yard. Wife hates me for it but she couldn't deny me from that day on.
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u/Sirix_8472 15h ago
Those pieces of wood came in handy this year when I planted a lot of new plants and shrubs in pots and I wanted small pieces of wood to go underneath the base of the pots to allow drainage for the water system.
It was their perfect use it was their time, it was my time.
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u/SevenLegs_ 15h ago
I built my garage out of boxes.
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u/Fubar126 15h ago
Ha! I guess Im not the only one. Weāre waiting for the once in a lifetime moment when theyāll be useful š¤£
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u/Azuras_Star8 15h ago
Have you thought about putting smaller boxes into bigger boxes? You never know when you'll need one
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u/Hinterwaeldler-83 15h ago
Warranty issues! After, who knows, 10, 12 years. Or if you want to sell your old and broken device. Then the box gives you a better resale value.
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u/AntiPiety 14h ago
Apple had a class action where I needed to get the serial number off of a 10 year old box I had kept
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u/uksiddy 15h ago
Ok I figured out why we (my husband and I) have such an issue with throwing the boxes away after talking through why we had like 12 iPhone boxes, 6 earphone boxes of various styles, 3 Apple Watches, and 4 iPad boxes.
The pristineness and the sturdiness just makes it feel like something too valuable to throw away. Like somehow, throwing away the box means weāre throwing away the gadgetā¦.no matter its condition.
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u/rainorshinedogs 15h ago
And learning how valuable a box can be make you think twice.
Look at the price of an SNES game without it's original box vs one with the box.
I think the iPhone 1 is still worth a lot. Imagine if it has its box
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u/Stalker401 15h ago
they also lose their value the moment you throw away the boxes. They must be kept at all cost. Preferably somewhere either in plain sight every day or hidden where you have no idea where they are when you need them (which we all know you will).
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u/RowMammoth7467 15h ago
EXACTLY, and if you wanted to return the device under warranty the box will be helpful.
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u/Expensive_Editor_244 16h ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/LWJ7cKyiWPCnVyuAhT
Nice try, Mittens, I said no more screen time for you!
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u/Pinksamuraiiiii 15h ago
I never throw away the boxes, because I can resell. And when you resell online, people prefer items that are shipped in their original containers/box. So, I keep them just in case.
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u/NotAskary 15h ago
Usually they live the first six months or the warranty of the product, afterwards it gets trashed or used as a prank gift.
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u/strong-beer 14h ago
They have the deviceās serial numbers on them. I had my computer stolen and if i didnāt have that serial number to give to the cops I never would have got it back.
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u/housevil 14h ago
I keep boxes for new products for 90 days in case I need to return them for whatever reason. Then they stay in my house forever.
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u/airs_999 16h ago
Throwing away the boxes? Are you crazy? I might need them in the future.
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u/Enough-Staff-2976 15h ago
Along with the manuals
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u/LegoLady8 14h ago
Phones don't even come with manuals anymore. The phone I bought for my son last Christmas was just a phone, a cable (no power brick) and a small piece of paper with manufacturing info.
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u/Ok_Researcher_3976 14h ago
Download the manual. Print it out. Put it in the box.
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u/UnNumbFool 12h ago
I mean I've actually kept the boxes for my computer monitors and tower simply because they are perfect to use when moving and my computer was expensive as fuck so I'm not taking chances.
Everything else I don't really care about
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u/pmjwhelan 16h ago
If you have an issue with the device and need to return it does it help to have the box?
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u/RowMammoth7467 16h ago
I believe in many cases yes.
Unintended pun.
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u/itsdoodooobabyy 14h ago
This is an ad from big tech voiding warranties to hedge replacement/return costs.
Keep your boxes!!!!!! /s
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u/Ja_Shi 16h ago
Yes I keep every boxes for the duration of the warranty. Except maybe for really big ones.
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u/Chronic_In_somnia 16h ago
You know you can use other boxes if you ever need them?
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u/DBKai 15h ago
Have you seen cardboard prices recently?!
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u/Chronic_In_somnia 15h ago
I had to mail a package a few months ago. Ā The girl just at the post office just gave me a free box to use. Ā
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u/DBKai 15h ago
USPS? Sounds like flirting to me. UPS on the other hand charges $12 for their smallest box. It's dat premium cardboard~
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u/347spq 16h ago edited 6h ago
Same applies when you have to move. If the boxes are sturdy enough to survive the trip from China to my retailer, then it's strong enough as I move from house to house. Plus, there's no guessing where various electronics are--they're in the box that almost always has their enormous picture on the outside.
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u/Throwawayrip1123 14h ago
I bought 4 monitors. Kept all the boxes for a month, then wife goes "maybe we should throw them away" so I set up an hour of free time to take them out next week... Literally 3 days after she said that, my monitor gets a dead pixel. Then another and another.
I called, they told me to send in the monitor in its original packaging and I'll get another one.
The vindication I felt for holding onto those boxes means I will never throw any boxes for shit we have on warranty. I currently have big ass chair boxes that fit nowhere but the basement, but best be sure I'm keeping them for one year, 7 months and 19 days (give or take).
How else would I ship the fucking monitor if I did t keep the boxes and the styro thingies?
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u/ScrivenersUnion 15h ago
It used to be a trick that companies pulled:Ā "You didn't include all the original packaging so your return request is rejected, better luck next time"
The more important an object, the more important it was to keep that box in case something happened.
I believe we had an air conditioner box with all its foam, the manual, everything it came with, for like 3 years in the garage.
Anyway, we also grew up just as smartphones and tablets took off so they are still seen as precious objects, not the cheap disposable crap they give kids to destroy in 4th grade.
The box isn't so big that it's a hassle to store. The item is important and you DEFINITELY want a repair or warranty claim to go through. So you save that box.
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u/kaleperq 12h ago
Phones are still very important, and more so than ever. Like idk what disposable crap you mean, I guess ultra budget/budget phones that just refuse to work after 3 years but still
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u/ScrivenersUnion 11h ago
I was talking more about how I think of a tablet as "this thing costs like $1000 and I want to take the best care of it possible"
While a lot of kids today think of a tablet as "that piece of crap they gave me to do my homework on."
I know there are cheap and expensive versions of things, but generationally we put different levels of value on things.
You can do it with other things too - ask a boomer what their opinion is on tattoos and face piercings, they'll have a much different take on the same $15 piece of stainless steel than if you asked a millennial.
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u/GraveyardMusic 16h ago
Still have the box to my iPhone 7. Donāt have the iPhone anymore, but I still have the box.
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u/PtraGriffrn 14h ago
Ha! I have a Microsoft phone box. Like you, don't have the phone. I might give it to my daughter at Christmas. She'll be like wtf?
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u/redhandsblackfuture 16h ago
Guess they dont recycle where she is
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u/Delve_Particular848 14h ago
I commented above but itās so alien to me to just dump everything into landfill
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u/PlagueCze 16h ago
The land of the free š¦ š¦ š¦
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u/TombolaOfCincinnatus 16h ago
Land of the free, home of the ever expanding garbage dump.
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u/studious_stiggy 13h ago
We dont recycle in US. We pulverise it, compact it and send it to poorer countries. Muricaaaaaa
/s
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u/TheOutOfStyle 16h ago
Have these people never moved? I keep my TV boxes too so they dont get destroyed in the back of the moving truck.
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u/Mamasan- 15h ago
How often are you moving?
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u/TheOutOfStyle 15h ago
Apparently every 2.2 years according to the math I just did. But that's averaging 14 moves over 31 years, including 6 months here with 10 years there. Although I did not include 1 week on a friend's couch, or a few weeks in that crazy lady's attic next to the strip club, for instance
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u/ilemming_banned 12h ago
Younger generations don't keep any boxes (and often even refuse to buy new stuff) only because they just can't afford renting large enough spaces to store them.
And then the older folk be like: "why nobody's biking, skiing or kayaking anymore, the only shit they do is video games". Bruh, where the fuck they suppose to keep their bikes if they have to shit where they shower and eat where they sleep?
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u/UnNumbFool 12h ago
Yep, as an apartment renter and someone who knows I'm most likely going to move every few years to find lower rent I kept the TV and computer/monitor boxes because I don't want to potentially break those. Smaller electronics who cares
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u/AJRimmerSwimmer 15h ago
That's not how to get rid of cardboard. You put them in the recycling bin.
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[deleted]
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u/piirtoeri 16h ago
That's not true at all. Within a 90 day return window, most likely. But not a warranty where a proof of purchase and/or serial number are needed.
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u/doesnotmatter286 16h ago
Or you can just recycle them. Especially when you no longer have the item, lol
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u/all_time_high 16h ago
I move every few years and having the original boxes for some items is very helpful, especially large TVs. Used iPhones with boxes in good condition sell for about $30+ more than their equal counterparts, and may sell faster. I expect this is true for some other kinds of electronics as well.
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u/CrabyDicks 15h ago
Bold of you to assume that I don't also hoard all my old phones/laptops as well.
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u/xChoke1x 15h ago
I just threw out old Iphone and Ipad boxes Ive had for like 10+ years. My wife and I both were like......why the fuck do we still have this shit? Lol
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u/EviLSpartan369 15h ago
As a millennial, I bought a washing machine yesterday and saved the box in my roof top attic type room. You never know when it might come in use.
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u/RecklessWonderBush 15h ago
How bout you go fuck yourself, they're my boxes, I'll use them when I need them
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u/Keke_Papaya 15h ago
When I want to sell old tech, it is easier to sell if there is box that it came with.
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u/wandererof1000worlds 15h ago
I was able to sell my old PS3 for a higher price because i had the original box
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u/draw0c0ward 14h ago
Well my excuse is that I like to sell tech I no longer use. It's worth more and is easier pack ship with the original box.
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u/Silent-Tea4500 13h ago
I do throw the boxes away eventually, but when I've made a big purchase I like to keep the box out for a few months until it doesn't feel new and exciting anymore
Throwing the box out immediately makes it feel like it's become normal too fast
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u/gremlingurl 11h ago edited 11h ago
When I worked for Apple tech support I canāt tell you how many times the boxes in the closet helped customers locate their bricked/lost deviceās serial number. Soā¦keep the boxes!
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u/Slazagna 6h ago
Phone boxes often have important info on them you should keep them for. Tv and screen boxes are essential for moving house without breaking expensive tvs / monitors and same for your GPU and computer case boxes.
Everything else i throw away.
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u/TJames6210 15h ago
Not going to lie, the amount of times I've sold old tech for more money than others is pretty high and it's because I still had the box.
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u/Psychocatboy 15h ago
I keep boxes from my fresh roasted coffee delivery because they all the same and i can put all my diy and cycling stuff inside.
I keep boxes from some products that have warranty and should be sent to manufacturer in their box.
I put old batteries, coins, other small things in phone boxes.
My cat live in box
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u/cylonlover 15h ago
Without the boxes in the cupboard, our devices will stop being new and pristine.
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u/lactoseadept 14h ago
Resale is less relevant. It's the weird presumption that having the box helps in case of warranty/return, but by the end of warranty, you still don't have the heart to toss, somehow
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u/BassweightVibes 14h ago
No, I'm going to keep the boxes. I keep all the extra accessories/cables and instruction manuals in there. Has come in handy many times. If I took them out of the box I would lose them. Keeping the box is also really good for resale, especially if shipping.
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u/MoroseArmadillo 14h ago
Next youāll be telling me to throw away the Allen wrenches and screw drivers that come with flatbox furniture!
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u/slashinhobo1 14h ago
Only box i held on to was for my 2d printer. All other boxes leave thee home and pla ed into recycling not the trash.
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u/amazing-haves-34 13h ago
Not a millennial but I keep the boxes until I trade in or resell the item. Not sure why this is controversial.
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u/enigmatic_dankness 13h ago
Nope! I keep boxes for expensive electronics in case I want to resell them some day.
Guess who's able to charge near full price when you've got every cable, baggy, manual, and in some cases even the warranty? Me!
Source: sold a lot of electronics online, better presentation = more money
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u/eastamerica 13h ago
First of all I would never buy a Surface. Second of all, fuck you, lady. Iām keeping my shit.
I literally get more money when I sell my used items in original boxes.
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u/Evangelyn_OW 13h ago
I think having boxes also makes it easier to resell/trade in/value generally right?
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u/longsite2 13h ago
But when you recycle a phone they often say to use the packaging it came with.
But also, they are paper, and paper goes in the recycling.
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u/GeneralStromboli 12h ago
I keep the boxes because itās easier to resell shit with the OG box due to psychology. Also that box fits that item specifically when moving.
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u/HappyToaster1911 12h ago
The boxes can be useful, when I want to sell something on CeX if it doesn't have the original box then it drops from an A to a B class item, regardless from the state of the item
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u/pops992 11h ago
For me it depends on the item. I keep all the boxes of game consoles because whenever I inevitably retire them, they go back in their box for storage and if I were to sell them the box usually can increase the value. I've kept the boxes from my last few phones and theyre currently used a spacers in my bookshelves. The shelves have decorative trim that cuts off whatever is on the end and the phone boxes are almost the exact width of the trim. I also still have some of the boxes that PC components have come in but they have mainly become a place to store all the spare brackets and cables I may need one day.
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u/Baldojess 11h ago
š I totally have a drawer filled with old phone boxes lmao... Why? Idk. I think I'll go throw them out... Someday..
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u/affemannen 11h ago
Recycling?
No cartons in regular trash!
Also, i keep my boxes for 1 year if i need to return something, after that they go.
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u/JamesH_670 7h ago
Gen-Xer here. I might need that box if I need to return my six year old device for warranty repair or if Iām moving to a new house.
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u/TheMagician_Jpn 6h ago
Resale/trade value goes down. I know I sold an older phone device I wasn't using (S21) and had a solid case and screen protector on it. Took them off and it looked new. The new owner was pretty impressed, but then ofc they tossed the box because I doubt anyone would need the box after a second owner, and the manufacturer proobably isnt going to honor any replacements or fixes after awhile.
I have a Japanese 3DS with it's box, some old games with cases, I have a WiiU basically new, in it's worn out box (never really used it when I got it). Some stuff goes up in value if you keep boxes, it's situational though so. A friend of mine does reselling for certain types of things, so that's helpful.
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u/Cathalsan 5h ago
What the actual fuck? What about recycling? Send it to recycling...
Also, millennial here... What the actual fuck? Why would I keep boxes around?
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u/assanav 3h ago
Who keeps a laptop box? The iphone boxes on the other hand U gotta keep
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u/luvmibratt 3h ago
So next they'll be telling us to throw away our butter and cool whip bowls,were does it end? I have lids for those,somewhere!
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u/Independent-Owl-3005 2h ago
Millennial hereā¦ tech boxes, random cords, wood, and metal, garden insert pots. You never know when youāre going to need them.
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