Moving to Oregon? Redi-Box Makes Moving Easier (ICYMI)

PORTLAND, OR — Redi-Box for the past seven years has helped Chicago residents reduce waste and save time, money, and energy when moving. Now Redi-Box owners Bobby Eaton and John Lange hope to do the same for Portlanders.

When it comes to moving, most folks deal with the same stresses: Converting everything to the new billing address, coordinating with the new landlord or property manager, and of course finding a way to pack everything. On the west coast, in places like San Fransisco and Los Angeles, companies have made strides in the moving industry by pushing for reusable, plastic totes instead of traditional cardboard boxes for packing. So Eaton took notes, hatched a plan and in 2010 established Redi-Box as an easy, economical, and environmentally friendly moving solutions company that delivers and picks up plastic totes for a nominal fee.

"I hate waste in my life — time, money, energy — all of it," Eaton said. "And I do anything I can to help other people waste less in their lives."

Eaton, formerly an accountant before the recession, immediately found that he mitigated at least one small part of the moving process by using the plastic totes, in that people preferred an alternative to dealing with the build up and break down of cardboard. Additionally, Eaton found Redi-Box reduced moving waste, saved moving money, and decreased moving time. (Sign up for our free daily newsletters and Breaking News Alerts for the Portland Patch)

After seven years of growing success in the Chicago area, Lange helped expand the company to the Pacific Northwest, where Redi-Box established a presence in the Portland metro region from its office in Vancouver, Wash., located at 5517 N.E. St. James Rd.

Now Redi-Box serves the whole metro region, offering free delivery and pick up from Forest Grove to Damascus, and from Ridgefield, Wash., to Wilsonville.

The totes are delivered in bulk quantities of 20, 30, 45, or 60 boxes, with moving packages ranging in cost from $99 to $249. Movers have a two-week window from delivery to pickup to get all their stuff moved and unpacked, which Eaton said adds another layer of accountability for the people moving — because let's face it, after a big move, when there are only two or three boxes left, those boxes can remain unpacked for years.

"It's the hidden benefit," he said. "Putting a time limit on it encourages people to unpack faster."

For now, Redi-Box does not offer moving assistance for liability reasons, but Eaton said he'd like to partner with a local moving company in the future to offer a whole moving package deal of totes and muscle.

Reviews across Yelp, Google, and Facebook offer perspective from a consumer standpoint, and all indications are that Eaton and Lange have tapped into something people didn't even realize they needed.

Read John B.'s review of Redi-Box on Yelp

Most reviewers comment on the benefit of not using cardboard boxes, and several mentioned taking advantage of the company's additional rental accessories, like a hand truck, packing material, or Redi-Wheels — a flat-bed-style tote wagon.

"Me and Bobby are both environmentally conscious, and moving is not environmentally friendly. It's so wasteful," Lange said. "This is the new way to do it. We're doing for the moving industry what electric cars are doing for the auto industry."

Photo Courtesy: Redi-Box