Amazon lets you keep the holiday gift-giving going even after Santa returns to the North Pole. Now you can reuse your empty Amazon boxes by filling them with goods to send to Goodwill and get a tax deduction…for free. Ho ho ho!
The Low Down:
If you’re like me and tens of millions of Americans out there, most of our holiday shopping was done online this year. According to Adobe Digital Insights, this holiday season was the “largest online shopping affair yet.” Sales were up 11%, coming in at $91.6 billion in total holiday online transactions. That means, coming Christmas Day night, we’ll all have tons of empty boxes lying around our house staring us in the face.
So rather than bother with breaking boxes down and cramming them into your already overflowing recycling bin, put them to good use, help someone in need and get a tax donation while you’re at it.
Amazon announced that it has teamed up with GiveBackBox, an organization that allows you to take any cardboard box you have, fill it up with goods for donation and ships it for free. It is a great way to use your old boxes and make a difference in your community.
How It Works:
After opening your new Christmas or Hanukkah loot, keep all your boxes. Fill them with gently used items that you would normally donate. That means items like: clothing, shoes, toys, household goods and other items you would normally donate at a Goodwill. Then go to GiveBackBox.com and enter in your zip code. This will help locate and print shipping labels for your nearest partner organization. USPS or UPS will pick up the items from your home, if you desire.
Your box will be routed to the nearest Goodwill store that’s participating in the program, and if you’re willing to register for a Give Back Box account, you can get a tax receipt for your donation as well. The donations you send remain in your community and Goodwill, through its mission, helps put people in your community back to work. Over 37 million Americans have been served by Goodwill.
Fine Print:
While Amazon has given the GiveBackBox program publicity, you can use any box you have lying around your house. Be sure to fill it with donation-worthy items. Any household items such as clothes, shoes and jewelry are appropriate. No electronics, any liquids, fragile, hazardous or volatile items, or ammunition should be placed in the boxes. There is no limit to how much you can put into a box or how many boxes you can send.
