Craigslist Storage Containers (2024)

FAQs

Is there a shortage of storage containers? ›

Understanding The Shipping Container Shortage and Prices in 2021. Due to COVID related supply and production delays, there is a global shortage of shipping containers. This shipping container shortage is leading to skyrocketing shipping prices and major delays.

Shipping container storage units can help anyone with their storage needs. If you're a small business owner and you need a secure space to organize your inventory, you can use one. If you're a farmer that needs a spot to keep seasonal equipment and supplies, you can use one.

Possible ideas for these containers include selling them, such as in a garage or yard sale, or through Craigslist or something similar, or donating them to a charity or similar organization that could use them.

With proper maintenance, a shipping container can last for decades, ensuring a long-term investment. This durability also means that containers retain their value over time, unlike other assets that may depreciate quickly. Investing in shipping containers aligns with the growing emphasis on sustainability.

There is today a notable lack of empty containers in the world. The main reason behind this is, of course, the COVID-19 pandemic. It has become a serious problem in the logistic industry. Many countries around the globe entered lockdowns impacting the whole logistics supply chain and world economy.

Because of widespread manufacturing delays and bottlenecks, there aren't enough of these boxes in the right place and at the right time. There are also too many containers at shipping terminals, which is clogging up ports and blocking more cargo from arriving.

Generally, a used container can last 10-12 years at sea and long beyond that after it's retired from the cargo ships. When maintained properly, a shipping container can last upwards of 25 years or longer.

FOR YOUR HEALTH: GLASS

Glass has a non-porous surface that doesn't absorb like plastic and can be safely washed at higher temperatures in your dishwasher without melting or warping—most food storage containers made of glass are designed to withstand high heat without breaking.

One of the main concerns when using storage boxes is the potential contamination of mould and mildew. Many people have found that when they come to retrieve their items, they are damp, soiled and in some cases, unsalvageable.

That's why we've partnered with TerraCycle® to create a free program so you can recycle any plastic or glass food storage container—even if it isn't curbside recyclable.

What happens to old storage containers? ›

Once the container has served its intended life and no longer useful, it may be melted down and recycled or used for scrap metal.

Plastic food storage containers and lids-such as Tupperware containers-that have the 1 or 2 recycling symbol on the bottom are accepted in almost all local recycling programs, provided they are empty, clean and dry. Recycle with the lid attached. Most recycling programs also accept #5 plastics.

Monthly container freight rate index worldwide 2023-2024

Container freight rates oscillated dramatically between January 2023 and August 2024. Freight rates slumped to their lowest level on the 26th of October 2023, when the going rate for a 40-foot container was only 1,342 U.S. dollars.

Converting a shipping container into storage rental business

Storage rental is highly profitable and easy to do with your storage container. In fact, if your property has some extra space, you could easily turn that space into income, as a part-time storage rental business.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, shipping containers have become a major issue across most industries including the PPE manufacturing sector. The disruption of supply chains caused by Covid-19 has sparked a global shipping crisis, with freight prices soaring due to a container shortage.

The shipping container shortage could probably be better described as a logjam. Shipping container production has been at record levels in 2020 and 2021, but very few of those containers have made their way to the resale market because shipping lines have so much demand for freight.

This issue arises due to imbalances in trade; for instance, European and American ports often have a surplus of empty containers, while Asian ports face a deficit. This imbalance leads to congestion, handling delays, and increased costs at ports.