Where to get bubble wrap for free

Moving is an expensive affair, so you will certainly want to do everything possible to reduce your relocation costs. And one of the easiest and most efficient ways to save money on your move is to get free packing materials.

From free packing paper and bubble wrap to used cardboard boxes and old newspapers, you can find all kinds of packing supplies at no cost and save hundreds of dollars on packing expenses.

While it’s really easy to obtain free moving boxes and gratis newspapers though, more specialized packing supplies are not so simple to get for nothing. You won’t find bubble wrap or packing peanuts in the dumpster by the grocery store – you need to know exactly where to look for them.

So, if you’re looking at the many fragile items in your home that need to be packed for moving and asking yourself “Where can I get free bubble wrap for my breakables to lighten my moving budget?”, be sure to keep reading – you’re certain to find the money-saving answer you need in the cost-effective tips below.

Where to find free bubble wrap

Delicate and sensitive items need extra protection to stay safe and sound during a house move – and bubble wrap is the best protective material for packing fragile items for moving. You can use old clothing and linen to pack your breakables, of course (so you don’t spend a penny on wrapping and cushioning materials), but they won’t provide the quality protection bubble wrap will. (See also: Packing materials for moving you already own)

The air-filled plastic material, however, is not cheap – and you need plenty of it to ensure the safety of all your delicate belongings. The best solution, then, is to find free bubble wrap for moving. This is not as easy as finding free packing boxes, but it’s still doable as long as you know where to look.

So, where to get free bubble wrap? You have several viable options:

1. Your social circle – friends, neighbors, and co-workers

Your best option to get free bubble wrap for moving is to ask friends and acquaintances – they may have some packing materials left at their homes from previous moves that they don’t need and will likely not mind giving them to you free of charge.

So, reach out to your buddies and let them know you’re moving soon and need lots of bubble wrap to pack your breakables:

• Use your preferred social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) to reach all of your friends at once and ask for help. Many of your pals will know from personal experience how tough and expensive a house move is and will try to help you out if they can;
• Talk to your friends, relatives, colleagues, and neighbors face to face and ask them if they have any unneeded packing supplies (and bubble wrap, in particular) to give away.

Even if your friends and acquaintances don’t have any bubble wrap to give you, some of them may put you in touch with other friends of theirs who have recently moved and want to get rid of the leftover packing materials.

2. Online

The Internet is your next best bet when looking for free boxes and bubble wrap – after a move, many people searching for an easy way to get rid of the packing supplies they no longer need and want choose to list them for free on a specialized website rather than to go through all the trouble of recycling the cardboard boxes and wrapping materials (plus, it always feels good to help people in need).

So, how to get free bubble wrap for your next move? Check several specialized websites to see if anyone is offering free packing supplies in your area and, if you find someone who gives away bubble wrap, go over to their place to pick it up.

Not sure where you can find free bubble wrap online? The most popular websites that can help you obtain packing supplies for free are Freecycle and Craigslist:

• Freecycle – Freecycle is a non-profit organization that aims to keep still usable items out of city landfills. It has more than 9 million registered users in the world, so there’s a good chance that you’ll be able to find a Freecycle group near you. When you join in (it’s free to become a member of the Freecycle Network), you’ll be able to do a local search for bubble wrap or post a wanted request for the air-filled material. Every single item on the website is offered free of charge, so with a little luck, you’ll get all the boxes, bubble wrap, and packing paper that you need for your move for free;
• Craigslist – Craigslist has a FREE STUFF section where you can search for free bubble wrap. Just be careful when setting your location criteria – you need to find free bubble wrap in your current town or city as paying for shipping costs or driving to a faraway place to get the bubbly material will defeat the purpose of getting packing supplies for free.

Oftentimes, it’s enough to just type “free bubble wrap near me” in the browser and you’ll find the solution you need.

3. Local businesses

Local retail stores and other local businesses are the best places to get free bubble wrap – they receive regular shipments and many of the delivered goods come wrapped in bubble wrap.

Those businesses need to get rid of the packaging materials so they may as well give them to you at no cost. All you need to do is call the store managers and ask them if you can have the packing materials they don’t need. Usually, you’ll be allowed to take them as long as you come to pick them up at the time when the store receives a shipment and the staff is about to take all the unneeded boxes, bubble wrap, packing paper, and other perfectly reusable packing materials to the recycling area.

As an alternative, you can simply go to the recycling areas behind large stores in your town and pick up all the bubble wrap you can find there (most retailers bag it separately and place it on top of the dumpsters).

You have the highest chance to find free bubble wrap at businesses that deal with sensitive and delicate items (as they need excellent protection and are packed with lots of bubble wrap):

• Chinaware and glassware stores
• Electronics stores
• Furniture stores
• Book stores
• Craft stores
• Hardware stores
• Home improvement stores
• Warehouses

Good to know: IT departments buy a lot of electronics and don’t need the packaging, so it’s a good idea to check out larger companies in your city – they may have heaps of bubble wrap, Styrofoam peanuts, and other protective materials to give you for the asking.

Bonus tip: Do your best to stock up on free bubble wrap before your move:

• Keep any bubble wrap and packing peanuts that come in the shipping boxes arriving in the mail in the months prior to your relocation. If you buy any new items that are wrapped in bubble wrap, be sure to save the air-filled material for your packing needs;
• If you see a neighbor buying a new TV or another piece of electronics, a kitchen appliance or an electrical device, etc., go ask them to give you the packaging materials – such sensitive items come with sturdy boxes and a huge amount of bubble wrap and foam sheeting (and sometimes, even packing peanuts);
• Ask friends and relatives to save the packaging of any electronic or electrical devices they buy in the time before your move for you.

Even when you know where to get bubble wrap for free though, you may not be able to find sufficient amounts of the air-filled material for your packing needs or may prefer to buy some brand new bubble wrap for your more delicate belongings. In such cases, you’ll be looking for cheap bubble wrap.

Where to buy cheap bubble wrap

Different places sell bubble wrap for different prices, of course, but the difference is not that big – to find cheap bubble wrap for moving means to find a way to get it at a discount. You can do that in several different ways:

• Purchase bubble wrap from the moving company you’ve hired for your move – your chosen movers are likely to give you a lower cost on packing supplies as you’re already their customer (if you hire full service movers or use professional packing services, all packing materials will be included in the cost);
• Use coupons and promo codes to get better deals on packing materials. If you change your address through the official USPS website, for example, you may get promotional coupons for packing supplies from USPS stores (the local post office may be the cheapest place to buy bubble wrap even if you don’t have any coupons);
• Get cheap large rolls of bubble wrap on Amazon, eBay, and other specialized websites;
• Take advantage of ongoing sales and promotions at home improvement stores;
• Buy bubble wrap in bulk – you will need lots of the bubbly material and it’s always cheaper when you’re shopping in bulk.

Whether you find free bubble wrap, get cheap bubble wrap, or purchase it at its regular price, make sure you provide enough of the air-filled material to ensure the safety of your breakables during the move.

Must-read: How to pack with bubble wrap