SHIPPING CONTAINER buying

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Buying a SHIPPING CONTAINER?

Here are some tips I'll pass on to you from my experiences when buying a shipping container.

Firstly,there are many different types of shipping containers,20ft and 40ft with two front doors are the most common,then there are refridgerated & other specialty shipping containers and modified ones.

New or used?

"New" containers are at least one trip old,generally they are made in China then packed with export trade & sent out overseas,you can tell the box's build date as it stamped on the CSC plate on the front doors,it will also tell you when it's next test is for survey purposes (usually 5 years after being built) as they must be current if you want to rail-freight it in Australia or send the box on a boat overseas.

High cube boxes are 9/6' high & with furniture rails make popular removalist containers,they commonly have three tie-off rails & many tie-off points down each side & back & sometimes two rails on the inside of the roof, a standard box is 8/6,subtract about 8 inches for inside measurements & this will vary slightly depending on the box type & maker,some high cube's are two pallets wide,fitted with internal shelving they make excellent storage boxes,newer containers are often fitted with an industry standard shielded lock box from the factory that allows the container to be stacked with others.

Getting a shipping container moved.

I've found that the better tilt-slide towie's will charge around $150 per hour or less to move a empty 20ft container,calculated both ways,but it varies and can be cheaper on a back-load from city to city,country area rates can be higher.

Where to get one?

Australia is a container hub so there are plenty of good ones available,EBay,yellow pages & it's usually on the box itself on the CSC plate or in the form of several big advertising stickers with contact details,ring around & get the best price,I would generally recommend going straight to the owner or supplier of the box & select one yourself.

 

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