Original packaging: keep or chuck?

There’s a collection of cardboard boxes piled up in our cellar: hairdryer, electric toothbrush, wine glasses, Christmas baubles, fan, humidifier. It’s starting to look like one of those superstores that stock everything from fishing lines to mobile stoves.

So why do I have all those boxes, I hear you ask? First of all, there are two types:

• Seasonal things: these boxes are for appliances and items that only come out for a limited period of time. Think Christmas decorations, daylight lamps and inhalers. Putting them back in their original boxes protects them from dust and makes them easier to stack in the cellar.
• Valuable things: I hang on to some packaging if it belongs to valuable items. For example, jewellery, TVs or silverware.

Now that I’ve explained the reason for the boxes, it’s time to talk about how to deal with them. Do I really need all those boxes and packaging? The short answer is no. Ultimately, there are only three categories of packaging that deserve a place in your cellar.

1. In case of a warranty claim

Ordering items from my favourite online shop has its advantages. For example, up to 30 days to return a product if I’m not happy with it. So I always hang on to the box for that period of time. After all, you can’t return an item without it.

But even after the 30 days are up, I keep certain original boxes for up to two years, which is the warranty period for most devices. If there’s an issue with the item during this time, the manufacturer will usually ask you to send it in. And the handiest way to do so is probably in its original box. Having said that, it’s not a mandatory requirement for the statutory warranty according to Swiss consumer magazine K-Tipp (article in German). I once returned a broken Sonicare toothbrush to Philips in bubble wrap and that worked fine.

Once or twice a year, I do an inventory. All boxes that belong to items with an expired warranty get thrown away.

Why not channel your inner Monk and, before taking it down to the cellar, put a sticker on each new box stating the expiry date of the warranty.

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Labeling strips

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Labeling strips

Quantity discount

EUR9,29

Herma Labels 70x36 matt 10 sheets DIN A4 240 pieces

18

2. In case you want to resell

Some products are worth reselling if you no longer use them. Mobiles, monitors, routers, amps, soundbars, that kind of stuff. If you have the original box, you’ll get a better price on resale platforms – usually around ten to 20 per cent more. However, I only keep boxes of products that originally cost me 100 francs or more. For cheaper items, I simply don’t think it’s worth the storage costs to hang on to the packaging.

3. In case you move home

If you’re the kind of person who moves home a lot, I recommend keeping the original boxes of items that are fragile. The box your TV, widescreen monitor or lamp came in, for example. Unless, of course, if you’ve hired a moving company. They usually ensure that your belongings are transported safely, even without their original packaging.

Exception: Apple

There’s one part of the shelving in my cellar that’s not in line with the logic described above. I tend to keep boxes that contained Apple products longer than necessary. Even the ones for accessories such as keyboards or mice. Somehow, Apple has managed to make their cardboard boxes part of the product experience. I tell myself that that sturdy iPad box might come in handy someday. Obviously, it never does.

And yet, I’ve still not managed to throw them out. Not least because my collection of Apple boxes fits into a single moving box. Who knows, maybe they’ll be worth something one day.

How do you deal with packaging? Let me know in the comments.