Orange County Register

Congress has voted to bail out major mortgage lenders, but who’s offering something for the little guy? Los Angeles moving box retailer UsedCardboardBoxes.com, that’s who.

From now until election day 2008, the two-year-old company is offering one free, environmentally friendly moving kit to any U.S. homeowner who has just lost a home to foreclosure and must move.

Marty Metro and used cardboard boxes

The “Starter Moving Kit” includes 17 quality used boxes and new supplies:

• 9 Medium Used Boxes
• 5 Large Used Boxes
• 2 X-Large Used Boxes
• 1 Roll of New Packing Tape
• 3 Pounds of New Packing Paper
• 1 New Permanent Marker
• 1 New Retractable Blade Box Cutter

Founder Marty Metro says he watches the market closely and empathizes with the plight of the displaced homeowner.

“We’re trying to take the sting out of buying moving supplies and still show the world that you don’t have to cut down a tree, to make a used cardboard box,” explains Metro.

Any U.S. resident being forced out of their home due to foreclosure can contact the company’s corporate office at 323-724-2500, provide proof of foreclosure and receive a free “Starter Moving Kit” ($38 value).

Orange County residents will get their boxes the next day, says company spokeswoman Jennifer Berry.

Recipients just have to pay for shipping.

That’s a lot of boxes if owners of all 502,000 foreclosed homes in the U.S. take advantage of the offer. California alone has more than 178,000, and O.C. has 8,133foreclosures as of Oct. 9, says Foreclosure.com. On the other hand the company won’t have to ship everywhere. Foreclosures are concentrated in eight states: California, Arizona, Nevada, Florida, Michigan, Rhode Island, Indiana and Ohio.

Used Cardboard Boxes, Inc. acquires quality used boxes by the truckload, then resells them as low-cost and “earth-friendly” moving kits complete with packing paper, tape, box cutters and markers. The company guarantees delivery in one to two business days, anywhere in the country.

Other real estate news:

• O.C.’s foreclosure threat grows
• Mortgage markets yawn at bailout
• Wells Fargo buying Wachovia
• O.C. foreclosure starts plummet amid new law

Other business stories:

• Saks expands shoe salon to 700 styles
• Homebuying doubles or more in 17 O.C. ZIPs
• O.C. city has most valuable businesses in U.S.
• How to avoid bad doctors
• O.C. credit union small-business loans increase 30%
• 3M buys O.C. car wax pioneer
• August sales of O.C. businesses plummet

More mortgage meltdown news:

• Oil prices skid to 2008 low on falling demand
• Central banks, governments try to contain crisis
• Iceland plunges further into financial turmoil
• Pending home sales up 7.4 percent in August

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.