Warmer weather in Boston can only mean one thing — summer is approaching.
And with final exams just around the corner, thoughts turn to moving out and what to do with all the stuff accumulated over the last nine months.
If the answer is storage, CollegeBoxes.com can help make the process a little easier.
For $35, CollegeBoxes provides online registration, door-to-door pickup and delivery. The dot-com ships packages using an outside shipper to destinations worldwide, and stores all boxes in secure, climate-controlled locations.
Storage sites are located conveniently near campuses. CollegeBoxes delivers items to your new address and allows students to update their address and other information for those who are not sure where they are living in the fall.
The basic service price also includes $100 insurance, but students can choose to purchase up to $4,000 additional insurance.
“You don’t have to wait until the last two weeks of school to make arrangements,” said Neel Chaudhury, Boston University’s CollegeBoxes manager. “You can sign up early and get it out of the way before finals.”
According to Chaudhury, a College of Arts and Sciences sophomore, BU students have been disappointed with other storage and shipping services, including BU’s Campus Shipping ‘ Storage, which the University has used for the last seven years. This is the first year CollegeBoxes is available to BU students.
“The market here is big enough and we’re a breath of fresh air. We’re a student company here to serve students,” Chaudhury said. “BU’s current storage and shipping company has been here seven years with no competition. I’ve heard stories of people getting their packages a month late.”
CollegeBoxes also provides students with the materials they need to pack their belongings a week before move-out day. Boxes are sold at $2 a piece, and packing supplies and tape are free, but students can use their own supplies. In fact, the company encourages students to use the original boxes for items such as computers and TVs.
“There will also be a distribution of boxes and supplies at the GSU and some locations in east and West Campus,” Chaudhury said.
Students have access to their boxes over the summer and the ability to track packages online.
CollegeBoxes will ship nearly any item, from futons and carpets to refrigerators. The dot-com will not, however, ship any liquids, gases or other items professional shippers will not handle, as well as jewelry or other highly valuable objects.
The company, which is completely student-run, also provides services to other Boston-area schools, including Harvard, Northeastern and Tufts Universities.
“I saw the CollegeBoxes signs up everywhere so I checked out the website and it turned out to be cool and simple to use,” said Joe Tessmer, a freshman in the School of Management.
CollegeBoxes makes several recommendations to students so their boxes and items are stored securely. These include using towels and newspaper to wrap fragile items, distributing the weight and carefully sealing the boxes, placing all necessary information on a piece of paper inside of the box and clearly marking the labels on the outside of the boxes.
“Keep track of what you’re packing, know what you need for the summer and what you don’t and check accounts online,” Chaudhury said.
Originally a class project at Duke University in 1998, CollegeBoxes now serves 42 schools nationwide, providing services to more than 10,000 students. Founded by Arnaud Karsenti, the company is headquartered in Miami.
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