Quick QuoteShipping Containers For Sale
How To Buy A Shipping Container Questions
Jan
How To Buy A Shipping Container Questions
Do you have questions about buying a used shipping container for home storage or other business ideas? The majority of Coinex Depot’s customers buy a used shipping container online for home storage or storing their business inventory and equipment.
At Conex Depot, we receive a lot of questions from first-time shipping container buyers, and we thought we would answer a few of the most common questions that you have on the subject of buying a used shipping container.
Can I buy used shipping containers online for my home use?
Many American homeowners have discovered that a used shipping container is both an economically sound and practical solution to their storage needs.
Standard metal shipping containers come in several different sizes. The most commonly available containers are 8’ ft wide and 8’6” in height and come in 10’, 20’, and 40’ ft lengths.
The standard Conex container will come equipped with 1-1/8” thick marine grade hardwood laminate floors, heavy gauge welded steel walls and roof, double swing cargo door opening, and forklift pockets positioned under the container, to make the heavy steel container easily movable.
There are an amazing variety of uses for used shipping containers when we look around at some of the ways in which individuals and businesses buy steel cargo containers and repurpose them.
Used shipping containers are extremely versatile for a multitude of purposes! Shipping containers are extremely durable, nearly theft-proof, weather-tight, and portable. You can modify and customize your container with both small and extreme modifications while preserving its structural strength.
We see containers often used as the base for large manufacturing projects. They are utilized in practically every industry and sector of life – government, military use, law enforcement agencies, industry, and small, independent retailers of all sorts. We especially see used shipping containers used in construction and agricultural businesses. You don’t need to be a large business to make use of used Conex boxes – a large portion of used shipping container sales is to private individuals.
Can I buy a shipping container for my business storage?
One of the challenges of a growing business is when they start to outgrow their facilities and run out of space to store their inventory and large equipment.
All types of manufacturers and retailers commonly need convenient, cost-effective, and secure storage space for storing excess inventories of raw materials, inventory, equipment, seasonal things, hazardous material storage, and secure document storage.
Major retailers in the USA have employed shipping containers to store seasonal inventory adjacent to the store. Additionally, this shipping container storage may easily be transported to another location.
Can you buy old shipping containers?
What happens to empty shipping containers? The majority of consumer goods in the United States are transported via container ships from manufacturing centers in Asia. The containers may then be refilled with goods at a USA shipping port and returned back to Asia. But more often, the empty shipping containers are stored in locations adjacent to major USA shipping ports, And importantly for you, the buyer, available for purchase.
Usually, one of three things happens with empty Conex containers. The empty shipping containers are refilled with new freight and turned around from the US port to their destination in another part of the world. Or, the empty containers are shipped to their new destination without anything inside due to empty cargo container repositioning. Or depending on the carrier’s current state of demand for shipping containers, they accumulate at storage facilities at depots near the ports.
Can you buy shipping containers wholesale? How to buy shipping containers direct?
While it can be possible to buy shipping containers directly in some cases at shipping ports – provided you can get in contact with the department that manages the empty container storage – it is not the most common, nor the easiest way for you to buy a used shipping container.
Around major seaports and inland intermodal freight hubs, there are usually plenty of shipping container sellers. If you want to buy a used shipping container, there will be a number of local places to look around the port. You will also be able to buy cargo containers through brokers who have depots located near the ports.
Can I buy a shipping container direct from the port?
Your experience will vary if you want to buy a shipping container directly from the port.- due to the wide variance between the sizes of different sea and inland ports and the way they are structured.
To find out information on buying a used container, you will need to contact the shipping container depot that handles the storage of the empty containers after they have been unloaded. The container depots will typically sell Conex containers that shipping lines no longer want in service.
If you are looking into purchasing a used cargo container, you search Google on shipping container depots near major port cities (i.e., Long Beach, Miami, Seattle, etc.) and get the phone numbers and addresses or email addresses for any depots.
It’s recommended to call and ask to speak with someone in their equipment sales department. The department that is responsible for dealing with the containers often will point you toward online brokers that sell the shipping containers, If you go this route, you are not truly buying directly from the port, and there is no guarantee you will get a rock bottom price on your shipping container despite directly going through the port.
Of course, the primary advantage of buying directly from the port depot is the possibility you may be able to find it at a lower price. This is no guarantee of the cheapest price possible. Their prices may end up being similar to the shipping container resellers. An added benefit, if you go this route, is that you may be able to visit the depot and view the shipping container you are buying before you pay for it. .
One of the disadvantages of buying directly from the port is that you are very likely going to have to arrange the transport of your shipping container to your location, on your own. If you are unfamiliar with the delivery process, this can be complicated, and the delivery service will have to be added to the bargain price that you got.
If you are not geographically situated close to a major shipping hub, don’t worry, there are several convenient ways for you to buy a cheap shipping container.
What are the best places to buy a shipping container online?
The two most popular options to buy a shipping container online are:
1) Online Resellers/Broker websites
2) Online Marketplaces- Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, eBay
How To Buy A Shipping Container Online?
Don’t despair if you don’t live near a major container shipping hub. Buying a shipping container online is the most popular and easiest way to buy a used shipping container. And you can find a great deal on a cargo container without having to get in your car and drive to a shipping container depot
Resellers and Brokers
When you search “buy a shipping container” on Google, you will find a long list of brokers, and resellers.
The websites will usually feature a live chat with sales staff that can answer your questions immediately. You may be asked to fill out an online form to assess your requirements. Some websites want you to call a 1 (800) number to speak to sales associates.
The sales agent will ask you several questions to assess your needs and are well prepared to answer your questions about sizes, pricing, and the delivery process. If you are ready to buy right away, the salesperson will get the process started right then and there.
What are the advantages of buying a shipping container online?
The main advantage of buying a shipping container from an online seller is the convenience factor. And it’s a BIG factor if you are buying a used shipping container for the first time.
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Online shipping container sellers like Conex Depot are quick and easy to use. You can chat with a salesperson immediately (instead of sending off an email and waiting for a reply) and get a price quote.
The online seller will be an expert in answering any questions that you have about buying a used shipping container and provide an easy-to-understand explanation on things like sizes and shipping container grades. Best of all, they can arrange the delivery of your heavy steel cargo container to your door.
The disadvantage of buying a shipping container online is that there is typically a markup in the price as there are added services compared to buying directly at the port. Normally, you do not get to see the container you want to buy before it is delivered.
Can I buy a shipping container on Craigslist? (or other Online Marketplaces)
A shipping container reseller is not the only option for buying a used cargo container online.
Online marketplaces such as Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, eBay, and a number of others will sometimes list used shipping containers for sale. Private individuals may be selling an unneeded shipping container. The container resellers that we discussed earlier may also have listings on these platforms.
The advantage of this channel is that you could get lucky and find a fantastic deal on a cheap shipping container. If the seller is motivated to get rid of the shipping container, you might find a real bargain!
There are several disadvantages, however. Depending on where you live, there may not be many listings. And you certainly won’t find the selection of different options that you would see with a container reseller. Add to that, you will have to arrange the pickup and transportation, and delivery of the shipping container yourself.
How much is a used shipping container to buy?
You are probably wondering: How much does it cost to buy a used shipping container? This is similar to asking how much does a used car costs. There are a number of factors involved in answering that question.
The price of a used shipping container is determined by several factors:
How new is the container? A one-trip container? Several years old but still WWT (wind and watertight), “as is,” which might be an older unit that has seen its share of wear and tear.
The size of the container. The most common sizes are the standard 20-foot and the larger, more expensive 40-foot length.
The proximity to a major shipping container port. It stands to reason that there will be a greater supply of empty containers near a major seaport like San Diego or Long Beach compared to a smaller, inland location like El Paso, Texas (which does have a Conex Dept location!)
The current level of shipping container availability is determined by the global economy and other major economic factors. There exists a container imbalance in world trade. The major demand for export containers in China and across Asia means that these countries often face a deficit of containers, as Asia has an export that exceeds its import. They, consequently, at times don’t have enough containers available for consumers.
If you want to buy a container in, for instance, Shanghai, the cost will be higher than if you were to buy one in Hamburg, Germany.
Read more: https://www.conexdepot.com/shipping-container-shortage-in-2023/
Now that we have said all of that, you want to know how much does it cost to buy a used shipping container?
For a specific quote, Search by your Zip Code.https://www.conexdepot.com/shipping-containers-for-sale/
Let’s have a look at some average prices at the time of this writing in early 2023:
| Container Size | Price Range |
| 20-foot shipping container price | $2,800 to $6,500 |
| 40-foot shipping container price | $4,000 to $8,300 |
A used shipping container is going to cost in the range of $1,500 to $5,000 US. New and one-trip containers, on the other hand, usually come more expensive and can be anything between US $3,000 – US $5,000.
For example, a used 40ft cargo container will cost approximately US$1,400, whereas a new or one-trip 40ft container can cost upwards of US$3,500.
Have questions about buying a used shipping container? Click the chat icon in the lower right of the page and get connected to one of Conex Depot’s live experts
