And then the boxes just sort of hang around, in garages, in lofts, in spare rooms Partly, saving these relics of consumer lust is a practical endeavour. All electrical items these days have a month warranty and we worry that manufacturers will expect faulty goods to be returned in their original boxes. This isn't necessarily the case: according to Trading Standards, if you're returning a defective product under your consumer rights, as allowed by the Sales of Goods act, you can return items in whatever box you have to hand.
In any case, having the proper box is often more handy than trying to scrabble together enough cardboard and bubble wrap to cope with that broken George Foreman portion grill and griddle. There is also the eBay syndrome. Second-hand gadgets fetch a much better price on the auction site if they come in their original packaging and so cardboard boxes have become important commodities in the modern used goods economy.
We often justify the cost of new gadgets by convincing ourselves that the re-sale value on older models will cover much of the cost — and with new products appearing at a staggering pace, the upgrade cycle on things like smartphones and tablets is accelerating. The boxes soon mount up.
But there is also something much more profound going on. We're living in a digital age, an age of consumer electronics omnipresence. It has come a long way since it was founded in From their very first product, the original Apple computer, also known as the Apple I, to the highly sought after AirPods. The company has amassed a huge cult following, with people camping outside of stores for hours to make sure they get the latest Apple device. Sign In Create Account.
January 7, , am. Hannah Ewens. For example, Best Buy's director of public relations Paula Baldwin tells BuzzFeed that while holding onto the original product packaging can make a return easier, it's not necessarily required.
Whether you changed your mind or want to exchange a damaged item, you can return the product within the return window without the packaging or accessories — though you may have a small fee deducted from your refund. Amazon's return policy states that it will provide a full refund within 30 days if the item arrived damaged or is still in an unopened box so there's no need to save the box!
However, the policy does change from vendor to vendor so read the fine print before making a purchase. Best Buy, for example, will give you store credit in exchange for used electronics.
Baldwin says that you can earn a larger credit for the product if you provide the original packaging, manuals, and accessories. Having the original packaging assures the buyer that you take care of your tech, so you can sometimes sell the product for a higher price.
The styrofoam and the included box will help keep the product secure, easy to move and a breeze to unbox when you're ready to settle it into its new home. Do you have a pile of product boxes from years past? Do they sit there, collecting dust, bearing no purpose at all? If you answered "yes" to even one of these questions, you may be hoarding. In some rare cases, you may decide to keep a product box for storing a device you'll one day retire, but keep around often seen with iPhones. But in most cases, product boxes have no use and should be broken down and recycled.
If you still have a box for a product you no longer use and you don't plan on selling it, it may be time to get rid of both. If your answers to the previous four questions suggest you should let your box go, but you still can't do it, this next solution may be for you. A number of crafty DIYers around the Web have found ways to "upcycle" product boxes into usable furnishings.
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