Every few weeks we get an email that starts with: "I saw a shipping container listed for $800, can you match that?" The answer is almost always no, and it is not because we are marking prices up. It is because those $800 containers are a specific kind of unit, and they are rarely the unit you actually want.
Here is the real breakdown.
What the under-$1,000 listings actually are
Containers listed under $1,000 fall into four buckets:
1. As-is / scrap-grade units at a remote depot. Heavily dented, some with active holes, usually with broken locking gear. These are sold wholesale to buyers who plan to scrap the steel ($180-$250 per ton scrap value gets most of the price back) or patch it into farm storage.
2. 10ft "half-height" or specialty units. Occasionally you see a 10ft offshore container at a fire-sale price because nobody wants one. Total interior: 75 sq ft.
3. Damaged containers at the port that cannot legally ship cargo but are fine as static storage. Structurally compromised corner posts, bent rails, major racking damage. Still wind-resistant but not stackable.
4. Scams. Bait listings from sketchy Facebook Marketplace accounts that vanish after taking a deposit. If anyone asks for a Zelle or wire before showing you depot paperwork, walk away.
What you do not get under $1,000
- Delivery included (a tilt-bed trip alone is $300-$1,200 depending on distance).
- A 20ft or 40ft unit that is wind-and-watertight.
- A unit with working doors and gaskets.
- A warranty or any kind of return window.
