This viral Twitter thread is surprisingly inspirational.
(Image credit: Greg Does Things on Twitter)
Do you feel the need to stockpile the boxes your purchases came in 'just in case', or are you the type to ruthlessly confine them to the bin straight away? It's a battle that's waging in households around the world, with many consumers storing their boxes in dust-gathering piles while their cohabiters stare at the clutter in dismay (yes, we speak from experience).
A recent Twitter thread has exploded (seriously, it has over 75,000 retweets), which all began with the suggestion that you should just ditch the box your phone came in as "you will never need it". What came next highlighted the great divide in opinion, as the lively discussion threw up some super-inventive potential uses for Apple iPhone boxes.
I don’t know who needs to hear this but throw away that box your iPhone came in. You don’t need it. You will never need it.January 3, 2021
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Practical ideas ranged from repurposing the boxes to create new storage and display space in the home...
The really old clear plastic ones ipods used to come in are great for organizing small desk supplies.January 5, 2021
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And here I've been propping up my cabinet top decor with packing styrofoam. I'm upgrading to tablet, phone, and laptop boxes.January 4, 2021
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Business cards ?? How is the chariots and caves business going ?January 4, 2021
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If anyone wants an eco-friendly solution, reuse them as drawer organizers for your desks and stuff so that you don't need to go to Target to buy a plastic oneA bit messy but I even use my Warby Parker boxes. https://t.co/oo5ahMHJQt pic.twitter.com/utwD7qnL8IJanuary 4, 2021
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The below invention kinda blew our minds:
Amazing idea!Now, just need to research steps 2-75... pic.twitter.com/MMHRXPPdETJanuary 4, 2021
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The next trend is slightly more sombre...
we used one for my hamster. I agree, perfect. We put a sunglass cleaning cloth for a soft lining. Seems we save those too....January 3, 2021
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Birds often crash into windows and knock themselves out and then come to and fly off later. Hope you waited a bit before you had your little funeral.January 4, 2021
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Then, of course, there's the practical reason to save your boxes – the resale of your device, or the need to keep your IMEI code (though some people had workarounds for this).
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What is the real value of a 3/4 gen older device though? If you’re buying new phones more often than that you’re probably using the Apple buyback system or don’t give a shit about the money from selling it anywayJanuary 4, 2021
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If you log into your cellphone account that information is on there and if not take a picture of the informationJanuary 4, 2021
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We were stunned to hear how much old boxes can be sold for on eBay (see below) – looks like this Apple aficionado will be getting a surprise payday:
Sell them on Ebay? Save them for a yard sale where someone who sells on Ebay will buy them to sell on Ebay? They seem to be averaging around $10 but I just did a quick look.January 4, 2021
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And finally, there's the retro appeal of old box design...
the indented home button was always my favorite part😭i was stupid young like under 10 so i didn’t have my own phone and would play with my moms phone box💀January 4, 2021
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I keep seeing pics like yours and thinking: what if you made a collage with them on the wall? they're modern artJanuary 4, 2021
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To explore more ideas for repurposing your old boxes (and we think many of these could stretch to other products too – we're looking at you shoebox mountain), see the original thread right here. And if any of the organisation-based ideas have sparked a need to get yourself organised, see our office organisation ideas, which are guaranteed to transform your studio.
Georgia is lucky enough to be Creative Bloq's Editor. She has been working for Creative Bloq since 2018, starting out as a freelancer writing about all things branding, design, art, tech and creativity – as well as sniffing out genuinely good deals on creative technology. Since becoming Editor, she has been managing the site and its long term strategy, helping to shape the diverse content streams CB is known for and leading the team in their own creativity.
