There’s nothing quite like unboxing a new Apple product. Whether it’s an iPhone, the ever-popular MacBook Air, or the feature-packed iPad Pro, Apple has always found a way of making even the packaging for its hottest products feel special.
While these boxes are recyclable, doing so is a waste of time in my book. Instead of sending these to the bin, you should consider giving these sturdy boxes a second life. With a bit of creativity, they can be repurposed into something both useful and stylish. Here are some of the ways you can use them.
Storage, organization, and DIY
Clean up your place and fuel your creative side
The most obvious optional use for Apple product boxes is as drawer dividers or organizers for office supplies. Their sturdy build makes them perfect for keeping clutter in order inside desks or drawers.
You should also consider using the boxes to store craft items such as buttons, scissors, and sewing kits. My daughter, for example, uses her iPhone boxes to store stickers she collects to put onto gifts for her family and friends. These boxes are small enough to carry anywhere and sturdy enough so you know they won’t break.
One storage solution for Apple boxes is creating so-called “mission kits.” These could be used to keep track of essential items such as incredibly useful AirTags, an extra pair of earphones, charging cables, and other small items. Larger boxes, perhaps those for a MacBook Pro, can be divided to store items like the stickers mentioned above, washi tape, note cards, and more.
I’m all thumbs and would never consider myself a DIY expert. However, I have heard from more than a few of my creative friends that Apple boxes make great shadow boxes, wall-mounted display shelves, or even small storage cubbies. Some actually like to paint or cover the boxes with fancy paper to make them look amazing when hanging on a wall.
The Apple boxes are also great for many types of art projects, such as miniature dioramas or holiday villages. I’ve also heard of some wrapping the boxes with tiny lights to show off items in them.
One of my college friends told me they like to use old Apple boxes to store items collected each year, such as ticket stubs, snapshots, and anything else they want to keep remembering from a period in their life. For this purpose, they typically wrap the boxes, add a unique design, and put them on a bookshelf in their home. When lined up, they have a nice catalog of items collected in years gone by.
Gifting …
… and re-gifting
Because of their incredible durability, these boxes are also great for gift-giving. Around the holidays, I often wrap a gift or two with boxes of some of my latest Apple purchases. An old iPhone box, for example, was recently used to wrap a wallet and a pocket knife for my dad’s birthday. I have also used iPad boxes to store picture frames.
If you decide to use an Apple box for gift-giving, I have a suggestion. Be sure to wrap the box so they don’t think you gave them a new Apple product. It would be not very pleasant if a teenage relative, for example, thought they were about to unwrap a new iPad, only to get a very nice (but inexpensive) card game. To avoid this, consider theming the gift box to match the occasion by covering the front of it.
If that relative is getting your used iPad or other Apple product for a gift, it also makes sense to use the box as-is when gifting it. In this case, there’s nothing more special than seeing someone receive their first iPad or laptop, even a slightly used one.
Reselling and shipping
The most obvious use of an old Apple box is keeping it until you sell the item to someone else. Apple has designed these boxes to protect the device during shipment, so it makes sense to use them when you get rid of it. Keep the box in a clean, dry environment so it’s nearly perfect when you need to use it again.
Kept boxes are also useful if your device needs to be shipped back to Apple for service. Again, matching the box to the correct item ensures it’s well protected in transit.
Interestingly, there’s often demand for original Apple packaging in the secondary market. Selling a pristine MacBook or iPad box online can appeal to collectors or secondhand buyers alike. In this case, you could make a little extra cash by selling a box you have no use for in your home, while making someone on the other side of the world very happy. Sure, you won’t become rich by doing this, but money is money, no? Look on eBay for “Apple boxes” and you can see what empty boxes are selling for.
Recycling and giving away
The old standby
And yes, old Apple boxes are recyclable. Therefore, if you see them as clutter, you can send them away on your next recycling run, knowing they could eventually be ground into pieces for use in future Apple product boxes!
At the very least, you could give your family and friends empty Apple boxes if they need them. For example, my brother is notorious for not keeping boxes for his Apple products. When he decides to sell one of his old devices or needs to ship it back to Apple, I’m usually the one he asks for an extra box. It’s such a small thing, but he always appreciates my box hoarding!
Lots of fun ways to reuse
Apple’s iconic packaging doesn’t have to end up as waste — it can organize your space, support your hobbies, and even recoup value long after the initial purchase.