New, cargo-worthy or as-is — which grade the job actually needs

Grade moves the price far more than size does, and it is the part of the decision most people skip. Here is what the words mean and how to pick without overbuying.

The three grades

New, or single-trip. Built overseas and loaded once to get here. Clean paint, tight seals, a floor nothing has been spilled on, and doors that work the way doors are meant to. You are buying condition and appearance, and the resale reflects it.

Cargo-worthy. A used unit still certified fit to carry freight internationally. It has been to sea and it looks like it — surface rust, patched paint, a dented panel or two. Structurally it is sound, and every cargo-worthy unit is checked wind and watertight before it is loaded. For most storage in this district this is the correct purchase.

As-is. Sold on condition, cheaper again, and not sold watertight. Some have a patched roof, some have a soft section of floor, some are simply too ugly to sell as anything else. We describe the faults before you buy rather than after. If what goes inside must stay dry, this is the wrong grade.

What "checked wind and watertight" means in practice

Somebody climbs inside the cargo-worthy unit, pulls the doors to and looks for daylight. Roof, corners, the join along the bottom rail, and around the door seals. The floor gets sounded for soft spots and the door gear gets worked to make sure it still operates. Bare steel gets treated before the unit travels.

It is a real check and it is also a limited one. It tells you the box keeps rain out from above. It says nothing about water coming up 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.

Picking without overbuying

Ask what would actually happen if the contents got damp. If the answer is "an insurance claim", buy new or cargo-worthy and do not think about it again. If the answer is "nothing much" — fencing wire, steel, drums, machinery parts, gear that lives outside anyway — as-is will save you real money and it is not a compromise, it is correct specification.

Ask how visible it is. A container fifty metres behind a shed can look like anything. One that sits beside the house, faces the road, or has a business name going on the side is worth spending on, and paint is not cheap after the fact.

Ask how long you are keeping it. Under a couple of years, hire almost always wins on the numbers because there is no capital tied up and no disposal problem at the end. Past two years buying wins clearly, and it wins harder than the raw figures suggest because a well-bought used unit resells for most of what you paid.

What moves the price besides grade

All guide figures on this site are ex GST.

See it before it turns up

Ask and we will send photographs of the actual unit with the serial number visible, before delivery. That is the point at which to say no. On a used container it is worth doing every time — a description and a photograph are two different levels of information.