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Boxing Day USA: Amazon Boxes with Donations Can Be Shipped to Goodwill for Free
Have boxes? Of course you do. If you fill those empty Amazon boxes with donations for the charity Goodwill, you can have those donations shipped for free.
Dec. 23, 2016
It’s the happiest time of the year, but as millions of Americans celebrate Christmas and Channukah by giving gifts, it’s also the “boxiest” time of the year. As in shipping boxes from Amazon and other retailers. Now there’s something useful (and kind-hearted) you can do with those boxes.
If you fill those empty Amazon boxes with donations for the charity Goodwill, you can have those donations shipped for free.
According to the Scary Mommy blog, an organization called “I Give Back Box” will pay shipping costs, including pick-up from your house.
From ScaryMommy blog:
“The free shipping program encourages people who shop from a variety of retailers to reuse the box their new purchase arrived in. Say you order a dress from Amazon. When the box arrives, you can pack it with some old dresses (or any other donation that isn’t an electronic), print a shipping label for free from GiveBackBox.com, then drop it off at a nearby post office or UPS store. If you’re too slammed to make it out of the house, just request a pick up when you download the free shipping label then leave the package outside for your mail carrier to pick up. If you don’t have a printer, don’t fret. Just bring your box to the closest UPS store, and they’ll send it for you.”
“The boxes filled with donations go to the nearest Goodwill, which if you don’t know is an international nonprofit. And all the money raised from the donated items goes back into community programs like job training. Last year alone Goodwill helped 35 million people access online training. So not only are you reusing your cardboard box, but you’re also being a helpful member of society. And you didn’t even have to put on pants.”
If you take advantage of this convenient way to donate used household items and clothing, remember to keep an itemized list of the items and their approximate value. You’ll need this if you plan to claim a deduction for the donations. Goodwill has a handy valuation guide at http://www.goodwill.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Donation_Valuation_Guide.pdf.