Packaging - what do you do with it?

[Thin White Duke]

I wonder if there’s a general consensus among the SF CM regulars?

My late Mam used to have an ornate cabinet in which she stashed all the presentation boxes of her rings, brooches and other assorted jewelry. I’m not sure what happened after she dies but I have a feeling my sister probably turfed them all!

Over the years I’ve acquired a plethora of similar packaging - from watches, sunglasses, footwear, even some shirts and ties can come in ornate packaging, and a modest brand like Meermin sends their stuff in solid cardboard boxes with of course the mandatory shoe bags, of which I’m getting quite a collection.

Is it worth keeping all this stuff or should I just ‘Marie Kondo’ the lot? I have a feeling that (hopefully decades from now!) my missus will just bin the lot off which would make any storage efforts all pointless.

I remember a fella on here desperate to get an Allen-Edmonds box as he stored his shoes in them and wanted to keep them all the same. My shoes are on a rack!

 

[Phileas Fogg]

I keep my shoes in the boxes they came in. As for ties, if they came in a box then I keep them that way. Otherwise, I hang them.

I don’t have a ton of watches, but I keep them in their boxes. Some day I’ll get a winder, but even then I’m not sure I’d get rid of the boxes.

 

[Andy57]

I don't keep any packaging. Shoes boxes, tie boxes, pocket square boxes, what I can recycle I do, the rest, annoyingly, goes to landfill. I'm especially irritated by shirt boxes and the way shirts are packaged. I have provided feedback to all the shirtmakers I have used that I prefer not to have my shirts delivered in a box, wrapped in paper, with plastic stiffener around the collar. It's such a waste. I understand the desire for a nice presentation, but I already purchased the shirt, I don't need to be impressed by packaging, especially as I unpack the shirt and send it straight to the laundry.

Watches are different, as "box and papers" are part of the package and are value enhancers if ever the desire to sell a watch comes over me.

 

[Phileas Fogg]

I’ve see enough antiques roadshow episodes to know that Robbie the Robot is worth a helluva lot more with its original box.

 

[Thin White Duke]

I don't keep any packaging. Shoes boxes, tie boxes, pocket square boxes, what I can recycle I do, the rest, annoyingly, goes to landfill. I'm especially irritated by shirt boxes and the way shirts are packaged. I have provided feedback to all the shirtmakers I have used that I prefer not to have my shirts delivered in a box, wrapped in paper, with plastic stiffener around the collar. It's such a waste. I understand the desire for a nice presentation, but I already purchased the shirt, I don't need to be impressed by packaging, especially as I unpack the shirt and send it straight to the laundry.

Watches are different, as "box and papers" are part of the package and are value enhancers if ever the desire to sell a watch comes over me.

You are spot on with the shirt business Andy.
I would have hoped in the supposedly more environmentally conscious world we live in that all that crap would have gone the way of the 8 track. And what’s with all the pins? Shirts often come, fully buttoned, with a pointless pin stuck through the placket at the top button serving no purpose whatsoever.
These days a lot of shirt packaging seems to have made cuts in the cardboard sheet - which is probably more biodegradable - but have just as much pointless plastic around the collar (both inside and out) as they ever did!

 

[Nobilis Animus]

I tend to keep the more useful packaging, by which I mean that some of the smaller boxes or things that aid in organization can be helpful to keep around. All of my linen handkerchiefs are in a lidded box that originally only held a couple from the store, but it's a fair size and easily fits them all when folded.

 

[willyto]

You are spot on with the shirt business Andy.
I would have hoped in the supposedly more environmentally conscious world we live in that all that crap would have gone the way of the 8 track. And what’s with all the pins? Shirts often come, fully buttoned, with a pointless pin stuck through the placket at the top button serving no purpose whatsoever.
These days a lot of shirt packaging seems to have made cuts in the cardboard sheet - which is probably more biodegradable - but have just as much pointless plastic around the collar (both inside and out) as they ever did!

The shirts I buy custom from one of my friends come inside a paper bag with the logo and a piece of the fabric outside glued on to it and the shirt model and style. No plastic, no pins and just a paper tag with some thread around a button to hold it. The shirts come inside a shipping box or shipping bag.

I don't see the point of all that plastic collar, paper tissue, plastic clips, etc that some brands and most RTW use.

I mostly buy shoes second hand that have only been tried on or NIB. Sometimes they come with the bags and original box, only a couple that way so I kept the boxes but otherwise I just keep one in case I want to sell a pair. The shoes are kept in their shoe bags if they have and otherwise I just brush them a couple times a week to remove any dust.

My suits and other clothes usually come from brands that just use a box with the brand graphics and illustrations and some paper tissue. Same, I keep a few around to ship things if I need to but not because I must keep them or something. No useless wrapping and plastic all over.

My two watches are vintage 1920-1930s and obviously have no packaging. All my cufflinks and collar pins are in a jewelry box and throw everything away but since they're vintage they don't have any box anyway.

I basically throw everything away unless it's for later shipping purposes.

 

[JFWR]

I keep the boxes for my shoes for a limited time, but usually end up tossing them into the recyling eventually; however, were I to invest in say, a 1500 dollar pair of JM Westons, I'd keep that box for quite a while.

I suppose it's the prestige that counts.

 

[Mannion]

The excess shirt packaging is just annoying, especially when I bought it online.

Shoe boxes are a convenient size so I reuse those for storing other things.

 

[ValidusLA]

I keep shoe boxes. Tie boxes are often lovely but I don't generally keep them.

I keep watch boxes if the watch isn't vintage and if it likely has resale. (Worse example of this is a bought a Moonwatch in the giant presentation box in Taipei and lugged it back through multiple airport checks in Taiwan and Japan).

Generally only keep a box longterm if its the best way to store the item (shoes) or if there is resale potential.