Chris Marsman knows what a pain the whole process of moving from one city to another can be. He's moved 13 times in the past 9 years himself, and said one day he found himself thinking about how he could 'uncomplicate' the process.
"I thought, 'There's got a be a way to help people out; there's got a be away to make this easier,'" he says.
And so, moving supplies company
Boxzilla was born.
Boxzilla finds its unique value in the 100% recycled plastic moving boxes, which Marsman says can be used about 400 times before being recycled again, whereas cardboard boxes have a much shorter lifespan.
"You don't have to use the tape or assemble them," he says. "We drop them off at somebody's door and then they just pack them up and then finish their move and we come and pick them up from wherever they unpacked them at," he says.
Boxzilla's industrial-strength plastic moving boxes are designed with a subtle groove in the top for easy stacking, so Marsman says about 25 unpacked boxes only stand about 6 feet tall, "nested" in each other like plastic cups. It helps not only with easy storage, but also allows customers a more flexible packing regime, saving space while taking the worry out of stacking boxes with fragile items.
The way Boxzilla's business model is a simple one - Boxzilla drops off your plastic moving boxes at your requested location, you "pack, stack, and roll to your destination, and when you're finished unpacking, Boxzilla comes to your new destination and picks the boxes up.
Each plastic moving box is sanitized between uses and rates are up to 50 percent cheaper than other traditional moving supply store boxes, Marsman says, at $1.75 per box for the first week, which is cut in half each additional week.
Boxzilla also offers custom, four-wheel dollies for easy transportation during move-in, bubble wrap, packing paper and zip ties.
Marsman says currently, Boxzilla's 4920 Plainfield NE office space is only used by administrative staff while their storage warehouse is located off-site. However, with Boxzilla's consumer base of both residential and commercial movers growing steadily since he opened last month, he says he's in the process of finding a larger space - possibly a little closer to downtown Grand Rapids - where he can house an office space, warehouse facility and new storefront for customers.
Boxzilla's service area covers most of greater Grand Rapids and out to the lakeshore, but on its website users can key delivery and pickup locations into a form that will confirm service area eligibility. Marsman says Boxzilla will also deliver outside of those specified service areas for a small fee upon request.
"It's awesome, people are loving it and it makes their lives way easier," Marsman says.
For more information on Boxzilla products and service areas, visit www.rentboxzilla.com.
Written by Anya Zentmeyer
Images courtesy of Boxzilla, LLC
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