Buying a shipping container
Three grades, three sizes and a handful of types. The decision that matters is grade, not size, and it is the one most people skip. Here is how to make it without paying for condition you will never look at.
- Used 20ft from
- $2,200 ex GST
- New 20ft from
- $3,300 ex GST
- Used 40ft from
- $2,600 ex GST
- Cartage
- Quoted with the unit
The three grades, side by side
| Grade | Condition | Watertight? | Buy it for |
|---|---|---|---|
| New (single-trip) | Effectively unused; clean paint, tight seals, unmarked floor | Yes — sold as new | Visible placement, conversions, anything that cannot tolerate a leak |
| Cargo-worthy | Used and certified fit to carry freight; surface rust and dents | Yes — checked wind and watertight before loading | Most storage in this district; the sensible default |
| As-is | Sold on condition; patched roofs, soft floor sections, cosmetic faults | No — not sold watertight | Steel, drums, fencing, gear that lives outside anyway |
As-is units are the cheap end and they are not sold watertight. They are sold on condition, described plainly, and we will tell you what is wrong with one before you buy it rather than after. If the contents have to stay dry, buy cargo-worthy.
What "checked wind and watertight" actually involves
Somebody climbs inside a cargo-worthy unit, pulls the doors to and looks for daylight — roof, corners, along the bottom rail and around the door seals. The floor gets sounded for soft spots and the door gear gets worked so that it will still operate in six months. Bare steel is treated before the unit travels.
It is a real check and it is a specific one. It tells you rain from above stays out. It does not speak to water rising from below, it is not a warranty against a stone through a panel, and it does not apply to as-is units, which are not sold on that basis at all.
Ask and we will send photographs of your actual unit with the serial number visible, before delivery. On a used container that is worth doing every time — a description and a photograph are two different levels of information.
Buying — common questions
Which grade should I buy?
Work out what happens if the contents get damp. If the answer involves an insurance claim, buy new or cargo-worthy. If the answer is nothing much — fencing wire, steel, drums, gear that lives outside anyway — as-is will save you real money and it is correct specification rather than a compromise. As-is units are not sold watertight and we describe the faults before you buy.
Do you have a yard I can walk around?
No. Kingaroy Containers works as a service area rather than a depot, so there is no public yard to inspect. What we do instead is send photographs of the actual unit with the serial number visible, on request, before delivery.
Does the quoted price include delivery?
Yes, for the scope quoted. The figure covers the container and the cartage to the address you gave us, as one number. What changes it is the job changing — a different address, a crane instead of a tilt-tray because the access turned out tighter than described, or a long wait on site. All guide prices on this site are ex GST.
Will a used container hold its value?
A well-bought cargo-worthy 20ft resells for most of what you paid for it, which is the argument that usually settles buy-versus-hire on a working property. Keeping it blocked up off the ground and the doors working is what protects that value.
Can I get one modified?
Vents, extra doors, shelving, paint and bunding are all specified at order time rather than afterwards, because retrofitting is a tradesman's day. Tell us what the container is for and we will tell you which of those are worth it.
Get a delivered figure
Tell us the grade you think you need and what is going in it. If the cheaper grade does the job we will say so.
(07) 4141 7699Mon–Fri 7:30am–5pm, Sat 8am–12pm. If we are out on a run, leave a message or send the form and you will get a call back.