The sole reason why I keep my boxes, is because some people won't buy your phone unless you also have the box with it. Otherwise they'll rightfully assume that you stole it from some random person and want to pawn it off.
But it's better built than the phone is.
It's always sensible to keep the boxes for the stuff you're currently using. If you sell something, it'll fetch a better price with the original box. If you give it away, the recipient will also appreciate it more. Just make sure to throw out the boxes from stuff you haven't had around in ten years. Don't ask me how I know.
But where will I keep my assorted lengths of wire, tiny drill bits, and interesting mineral formations?
This.
Also useful for warranty/returns.
For larger items like TVs, there's specialized packing material, which if used correctly, can better protect the TV from damage during a house move.
There's a lot of good reasons to keep this stuff.... Just, put it in a closet somewhere and forget about it. Every time you add anything to the collection, go through what you have and throw out any boxes for things you no longer own. Maybe they were damaged, maybe they were stolen, who knows, but if you're adding to the pile, something can very likely be taken away from the pile too.
Just, put it in a closet somewhere
Sure.
In the house I can't afford
Sounds like a gen Z problem I'm too gen X to understand.
Reselling old but functional deveices in the original box
Not a fan of of just throwing things away
Those boxes are VERY useful when you're buying a new phone by trading in the old one. Keep them.
I'm poor, I will keep my phone until it breaks down
Since I am Gen X I can safely ignore this and sit comfortably on my throne of old phone boxes.
You have a cupboard with every console of the 90s and 00s stuffed back into the box awaiting Ragnorak right? Plus maybe some original Game + Watches.
Since I always keep stuff forever, I'm not sure I can comfortably sit on the 6 phone boxes I've accumulated in my lifetime.
No!
But when the old phone gets its final resting place in the cupboard, I want it to be in the original box.
This is what I do, along with a few other devices I've owned. Sometimes I've been able to give perfectly decent devices away to friends/coworkers/family who had a sudden problem with theirs and have a hard time affording a new one.
But unlike the old video game consoles that I do the same thing with, I am always a bit worried about long-term storage of devices that use lithium ion batteries. I know failure rates are rare but I've heard the horror stories and I know the risk increases each time I take another device and put them back in a box up on the shelf.
Hopefully some day, people will look back and laugh at us using lithium ion batteries like we laugh at lead paint, nitrate film, and asbestos.
You say that, but then I throw away the box to my phone and suddenly my phone bricks itself and I need to find a box to send it back to the shop in.
I'm not sure about US, but in EU there is a law that makes companies accept products for warranty without original box. Saving every box is nightmare, so the law is basically common sense.
Yeah but I'd rather not be going to the post office to get a box to perfectly fit a phone when I have the original box.
I literally have all my small device boxes in a reusable tote box in a storage location at my house, and larger boxes for TVs and stuff sitting next to it.
I keep this stuff for warranty, resale, and a place to store any unused or unneeded additional items that came with the device. Maybe a cable or power brick, since I have most of my power/charging needs already solved, or documentation like receipts or included user manuals or something... Depending on what came with the device. Whether it's a cellphone box or something like a Google/nest home speaker thing or whatever.
This only serves as a reminder to go through it sometime. My SO sold her phone without me being involved (she's a strong independent person, so I'm not upset about it at all), but I know the box for the phone she sold is still in there somewhere. If I had known she was intending to sell it, I would have fetched the box for her to sell with it, and honestly that's the only part of that I'm somewhat disappointed with. Now I have to find the box and get rid of it.
Boxes for larger items like TVs are great to have on hand when moving, since I can care a bit less about what's placed in/around the TV, since I just pack it in its original box which has plenty of protection for the screen.
I may discontinue the practice in the coming years since, a few years ago, we moved into a property that we own rather than one we are renting. Once I feel established enough that we're not going anywhere, a lot of those larger boxes are headed for the shredder.
When I sell my 5 year old flagship phone I'll get $30 more easily if I have the box and the stuff that came in it. People see that and subconsciously think "this person has their shit together. buying their used phone isn't a risk."
Same goes for other stuff, too. I recently sold a synthesizer for $150 over the market rate because I had the box, manual (even though it was out of date due to firmware updates) and the stickers that came with it.
I like semi up-to-the-minute tech, so keeping things in good shape and giving someone the unboxing experience keeps my costs down at the cost of a little space in my closet.
+1 to this- I was about to comment the same thing before I saw your comment. Phones with packaging definitely sell better.
Hey it actually helps if you ever want to resell it. Prices around the same which listing are you going to pick? The one of some reseller who has the same generic photo or the one with the complete box and even the original cable still sealed in it?
But that's where I keep the little pokey thing that I use to open the SIM card tray!
Don't believe everything you read on the internet. I will have a use for the box one day.
I could go on
Sold my old electronics at easily a 20% premium because I had all the box and packins. My xbox with the box, materials, and everything (all nicely cleaned) sold for more than I paid for it - inflation being what it is, that was quite nice.
So, this is poor advice.
I put my phone back in its box when I upgrade. It’s like a little phone coffin…
It has all the important data like IMEI on the box, it stores the extra USB-C to USB-A adapter and USB-C cable and SIM tool, and it helps with carrying and eventually reselling the phone
I always get a good price when I resell my gadgets because I keep the original boxes for them.
At this point I think my OG Droid box is almost a family heirloom.
BUT WHAT IF I DO SOME DAY
the phone box drawer is the new sauce packet drawer
I've resold all my old phones (for cheap, but still). Handy for that, it is much easier to resell something with a box than without one.
Every time I throw out a box i have to end up returning the item for some reason and then I’m screwed
Never!
Not entirely true.
Several times aIready I have been glad having kept them when I had to return devices because of warranty stuff.
So it makes sense to keep the boxes for half a year or so.
Real problem is, in reality I still have smartphone boxes dating from 2005 lying around which I am just too damn lazy to sort out... 😒
I mean like 4 times now though I've kept it and resold it in the original box
How'd you sell the same phone 4 times? Did you tie a string to it and pulled it back after the transaction was done??
No. I'm using it to store spare cables, the plastic cover my sim came in (in case I'm forgetful...), some microSD cards, and the little sim removal pin.
The box usually has the IMEI and serial number and stuff on it. Can be very useful when it gets stolen or something.
Man I still have the box my fucking zune came in. It's where all my old microsd/sd cards and assorted small semi-valuables live.
A small nice box can be a useful thing to have.
Hard disagree if you ever plan to sell your old phone. I always buy a used phones and I only buy it if they have the original box because it's a good way to show it's not stolen. Same goes for tools
Funny story, today I met someone that was using their phone box as a case for their phone
People tweeting stuff. We allow tweets from anyone.
RULES:
