Purchase vs. Hire - Which container option is best for you?

Why leasing shipping containers could cost you more

There are a number of things to consider before jumping into a rental agreement. Even taking out the monthly hire charge for a shipping container on your land, you may be asked for a security deposit to begin with. On top of this there are delivery and collection charges to be considered. Transporting containers is no easy business and either an artic lorry with hiab or a wagon and drag is required, which rack up considerable costs that need to be paid up front. Although you will still have to bear these costs if you are buying a container, you will have twice the transportation costs to pay when hiring - the container will need to be collected at the end of the lease period! If you look at the prices of buying shipping containers and compare this to the the overall delivery and collection costs of hiring, you may be surprised to find the figures are not too dissimilar!

Also be aware when if you rent a shipping container that the lease company will expect it to be returned in the same condition as it is delivered to you, A little bit of wear and tear is acceptable, but any accidental damage beyond this and you will be invoiced for repair costs up to the market value of the container!

So you're sure you won't be needing container for long?

If all things have carefully been considered and short term container hire looks cheaper than buying you own, then now is the time to present to you our Buy Back scheme. This means our customers can buy their container outright while keeping open the option to sell it back to us and have us collected for free! The Buy Back option is valid for up to 24 months from your delivery date, and is applied at the point of sale, so you don't need to make any decisions there and then.

Buying your container also allows you to take advantage of a range of optional extras, particularly condensation prevention, which is unlikely to be offered in a standard container for hire. Using a shipping container for the storage of items made of materials vulnerable to damage from moisture formed by condensation (especially furniture and other household goods). ply lining and insulation to keep your container completely dry inside, is always recommended under these circumstances. But don't worry, the additional expense incurred with any optional extra will be added to the value of the buy back price.

The choice is yours, and everyone's circumstance will differ, but the message is do your research before deciding whether to hire or buy and make sure you are aware of all the costs to factor into shipping container rentals.