About Me


Hi, I'm Michael Ford, owner and creator of this site, Shipping Containers For Sale. I've had over 20 years in the business of international shipping, mostly regarding large container ships. And now my specialty is selling shipping containers themselves. I wanted to create a site that would educate and provide you with the kind of direct and specific information you cannot get anywhere else. I'll post articles and provide images that will help you chart a course through the murky waters of shipping containers and come to port safe and happy. Feel free to ask a question or leave a comment. I'm happy you stopped by.

Archive for the ‘Buy Shipping Containers’ Category

The Best Places To Buy A Shipping Container Online

shipping-container-shopping

Buying a new or used shipping container used to be a long, time consuming process. Sending requests out to local vendors and waiting for them to respond with pricing was an arduous and very old school process.

Fortunately, the internet has solved some of these problems.

#5 – ContainersAuction.com – Was a good site for buying but has now been absorbed by Shipped.com (#1 below).

#4 – eBay.com has a shipping container section with quite a few for sale.  The problem is delivery is not included and most of the containers on offer will be far from your home.

#3 – Craigslist.org – Lots of deals can be found on Craigslist and there are containers listed in many of the top cities.  Buyer beware when dealing with the sellers though – make sure you FULLY INSPECT the container before forking over your cash.

#2 – Local Vendors – Guys like MobileMini come to mind.  But the prices these companies charge is typically quite high.  Check the phonebook or online sites like YellowPages.com to find them, contact them, and then deal/negotiate with them.

#1 – Shipped.com – This is the largest online marketplace to buy or sell shipping containers.  It works like a reverse eBay, you put in what you want and then sellers compete for the lowest price. All sellers are verified and they also have a free escrow feature, guaranteeing that the buyer gets the exact container they’re supposed to.

 

If you have any questions or comments please leave them below.  We love to read your feedback.  Good luck with your shipping container buying!

5 Considerations Before Buying Shipping Containers

When deciding to buy shipping containers, there are many considerations to keep in mind, such as the purpose of buying the containers, the dimensions, the grade of the containers, the size of the warehouse where the containers will be stored and the price are all important. Here are all the considerations in detail.

1. Need and purpose of buying shipping containers:
Before deciding on buying shipping containers, one must be able to evaluate the needs of the business. For example, you are in a manufacturing business and you want your products to be shipped internationally, then you must buy shipping containers. International trade cannot function without shipping containers.

Evaluation of the use of the containers, will they be used for storage or for shipping or for both? Knowing this will help you decide on whether to buy new or used containers.

2. Dimensions of containers:
There are standardized dimensions for shipping containers especially those which are shipped internationally. Here are the standard sizes for steel shipping containers:
a. 45′ x 9′ 6″ x 8′ 6″
b. 48′ x 9′ 6″ x 8′ 6″
c. 53′ x 9′ 6″ x 8′ 6″

3. Grade of shipping containers to use:
Consider the grade of the shipping containers to be used. Take note that there are at least 3 grades for shipping containers.
a.New containers
b.Used but inspected and certified.
c.Water weight shipping containers.

4. Size of the place where the shipping containers will be stored:
Be sure that if you need 20 feet shipping containers, the space you need to store them should be double or triple the size to facilitate flawless storage and removal.

5. Price and manufacturers of shipping containers:
Right prices for containers used in the shipping industry are only given by reliable suppliers and manufacturers of shipping containers. Be sure to do a background check on the manufacturer or supplier, so that you can be guaranteed of the highest quality shipping containers with right price.