Guide
Buying vs. renting moving boxes: the honest maths for Copenhageners without a car
Choosing between DIY transport and all-inclusive box rental comes down to one thing: your budget for time and hassle versus your budget in kroner. Here is the raw, unfiltered maths, so you can judge what really pays off in your situation.
Moving is enough of a hassle already. Especially if you're wondering how to get hold of moving boxes without a car in Copenhagen. If you're choosing between buying or renting moving boxes, here are the raw facts. No fluff. Between us we've moved 32 times, and we know all about the frustration of wrestling with thin cardboard and useless boxes that just end up gathering dust in the storage room afterwards.
TL;DR
Skip the trip to the DIY store. We deliver, you pack, we pick up.
Comparison: what do 30 moving boxes cost in time and money?
Takeaway: The DIY option looks cheap on paper, but once you add car sharing and hidden fees, the price quickly overtakes heybox's all-inclusive solution.
Here's the concrete overview that lets you judge how much your own time and back are worth.
| Parameter | heybox (all-inclusive rental) | DIY (e.g. DIY store + Share Now) |
|---|---|---|
| Price for 30 boxes | 540 kr in total (18 kr per box incl. delivery and pickup) | Approx. 450 kr for cardboard + at least 100-150 kr for car hire/Freetrailer |
| Transport to your door | Delivery and pickup are included. Carrying up the stairs can be added. | Haul the boxes across town and up the stairs yourself. |
| Material quality | Strong, double-wall corrugated cardboard (high ECT value). | Often single-wall cardboard that gives way under pressure. |
| Assembly & tape | Self-locking crash-lock bottom – no tape needed. | Takes time and rolls of packing tape to assemble. |
| Time spent | 2 minutes to order online. | 1.5 - 2.5 hours of driving, queuing and parking. |
| Clean-up afterwards | We simply pick them up again at your new address. | You have to dispose of or store around 20 kg of cardboard yourself. |
approx. 15-20 moving boxes for your home
- 4 weeks' rental
- Delivery included
- Pickup included
Moving boxes from the DIY store vs. renting: the hidden costs
Takeaway: Transporting and sourcing boxes is a time-consuming cost that multiplies the price of the "cheap" cardboard boxes from the DIY store.
On paper it may look cheaper to buy 30 standard cardboard boxes at a DIY store. But the maths falls apart quickly once you account for the true use of resources.
The box itself is only half the price. If you hire a Share Now or a Freetrailer, the meter is running while you drive out to the DIY store, wait in the shop and drive home again. Suddenly the "cheap" boxes aren't so cheap any more. The alternative? Carrying 30 flat-packed boxes on an overloaded cargo bike into a headwind over Knippelsbro, with an uncontrollable kinetic centre of gravity, is a recipe for a really bad Saturday.
The physics of boxes: thin cardboard is junk
Takeaway: Traditional DIY-store boxes collapse easily under weight, while heybox's double-wall corrugated boxes can be stacked high without giving way.
Traditional boxes from the DIY store are usually made of single-wall corrugated cardboard, which collapses easily under weight. And this is exactly where your choice of box decides whether your things survive the trip.
heybox's boxes are made of double-wall corrugated cardboard with a self-locking crash-lock bottom, so they can be stacked high in the van and you don't need tape. If you want to see price, size and cardboard side by side, we've compared Silvan's moving boxes with professional rental boxes.
After the move: no clean-up afterwards
Takeaway: Skip the trip to the recycling centre; heybox picks the boxes up again, which eliminates the cardboard waste and supports a circular model for moving.
When you finally sink into the sofa after spending hours unpacking, there's a big pile of flattened boxes in the corner. And we'll probably need them again at some point, right?
The fact is that Statistics Denmark recorded 861,718 moves in 2025. We estimate that they generate around 4,450 tonnes of cardboard waste from around 20.5 million conventional cardboard boxes in use. The box and waste figures are our own estimates, but the reality is often that thin boxes only survive a couple of moves before they're thrown out. Proper disposal of moving boxes means another trip to the recycling centre – otherwise they just sit gathering damp in the storage room.
heybox is built on a simple circular model for sustainable moving: same boxes, many moves, less waste. When you've finished unpacking, we simply pick them up again.
The verdict: which option is best for you?
Takeaway: Choose heybox if you don't have a car and want to avoid the hassle. Choose DIY if you have unlimited access to a car and prefer lower direct, upfront costs.
Whether you want the lowest possible upfront price or would rather remove all the hassle, the choice is fairly simple:
- All-inclusive box rental (heybox) is best for: You, if you don't have a car (or refuse to spend the weekend in a rented city car). You want to avoid the hassle of transport, taping boxes together and endless stacks of cardboard waste after the move. We deliver, you pack, we pick up. Get your price here
- DIY transport is best for: You, if you already have free use of a car, want to keep the direct, upfront costs down, and either have room to store the boxes afterwards or plan to drive them to the recycling centre yourself.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
No, fetching moving boxes on a cargo bike is rarely worth it, as 30 flat-packed boxes weigh 15-20 kg and take up a huge amount of space. You risk a dangerous gust of wind in traffic and damaged cardboard if it rains on the way.
At heybox you rent 15 boxes from 300 kr, including full delivery and pickup. By comparison, buying new boxes often costs the same or more once you include the expensive driving time in a rented city car.
Yes, the professional boxes from heybox are made of heavy-duty, double-wall corrugated cardboard with a high ECT value. They are much stronger than traditional moving boxes, and you can safely stack them from floor to ceiling.
No, pickup is fully included, so we collect all the empty boxes at your new address (anywhere in Greater Copenhagen). You don't have to dispose of them at all once you've unpacked.