Used Shipping Containers For Sale Vancouver, BC
Every container we sell comes with our guarantee.
Just a few of the customers who have trusted us with their container needs:
Read real customer reviews and see more of the companies we've worked with here.
Shipping Container Prices Vancouver, BC:
Please contact us for volume discounts.
COMING SOON...
We're in the final stages of ensuring we can provide a high level of service to customers in Vancouver, BC. This page will display live pricing the moment we begin offering service in Canada. Check back in the coming weeks for updates, and please feel free to contact us with any questions.
You Choose Container Specs
First select the size, condition, and door direction that meet your needs, then add your selections to the cart and checkout in our secure payment portal. Make sure to check out the sample photos before you buy. Your container is guaranteed not to leak, and comes with a 30-day money back guarantee (less trucking costs). Every container we sell is also backed by our one year warranty.
We Source Your Shipping Container
Then we source your shipping containers directly from intermodal cargo circulation. We work directly with the largest intermodal container suppliers, so you avoid paying unnecessary middle-men. After your order is placed, you'll receive a confirmation email. You then get the next container off the stack that meets your criteria. We guarantee the doors, floors and roof (but not the cosmetic condition). Color cannot be selected.
Pick-up: 2-3 Business Days
Delivery: 4-7 Business Days
After you order, we'll be in touch within one business day to confirm your order and coordinate the logistics. To ensure everyone's safety, only customers with the proper equipment should select intermodal depot pick-up (please allow 2-3 business days for release information). Delivery is optional and calculated at checkout by zip code. Contact us with any questions, we're always happy to help.
Make Sure You Have Enough Room for Delivery:
Things to Know Before You Buy:
We've Got a Lot of Happy Customers
Shipping Container Conditions
Shipping Container Grades
Used shipping containers come in a wide variety of conditions. The most common are One Trip, Cargo Worthy (CWO), and Wind & Water Tight (WWT). There are also "As Is" Containers, which we do not sell because they are usually damaged, and thus cannot be guaranteed. As well as containers repaired to IICL (Institute of International Container Lessors) standards.
While we don't offer IICL containers as an option, we do sometimes sell IICL condition containers. Our experience has been that containers repaired to IICL standards are in excellent structural condition, but don't look cosmetically different than CWO or WWT containers (and, due to dents often being patched/welded instead of simply pounded out, IICL containers can sometimes look less visually appealing than their wind and water tight or cargo worthy counterparts.
No matter the grade, every container we sell is guaranteed to be structurally sound, and comes with our one year warranty.
One Trip Containers
One Trip shipping containers are "like new" and have been used on one ocean-going trip on a cargo ship. They are generally 1-2 years old, and are in excellent structural condition, and look great (but may still have a dent here and there).
CWO - Cargo Worthy
A used shipping container can still be classified as cargo worthy (CWO) if it meets the standards set forth by the International Maritime Organization to be stacked while loaded on a cargo ship. All CWO grade containers will have surface rust.
WWT - Wind & Water Tight
Wind & Water Tight (WWT) containers are often used as storage containers. While they can no longer be stacked 7-high while loaded, they are still structurally sound and weather tight. All WWT containers can be repaired to CWO.
Every Container We Sell Comes with Our Guarantee
Shipping Container Dimensions:
Ocean cargo containers are held to a rigid standard to ensure that there are no issues during shipping. Each intermodal shipping container (sometimes called "conex" containers) must be able to not only stack perfectly on a cargo ship, but also lock into chassis trailers safely and securely stack on rail cars. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) sets the standards for shipping container dimensions (via ISO 668).
PLEASE NOTE: Dimensions may vary slightly, based on manufacturer. But these numbers should be very close.
A Brief History of the Shipping Container
Early 20th Century Shipping
Prior to the 1950's, loading a cargo ship was a laborious process where cargo was loaded piece by piece onto a ship. During the Korean War, the US military developed the "Container Express" box system to make transporting supplies simpler. The term "Conex" comes from that system, and Conex is still synonymous with shipping containers to this day. There were also a large variety of different container systems in use prior to the 1950's, but each shipping container was still very different from company to company, and not easily interchangeable.
Containerization
Malcom McLean is often credited with "inventing" the shipping container, but that's a bit of a stretch. McLean was certainly the first to successfully commercialize container shipping, but definitely was not the first to come up with the idea. For instance the Bureau International des Containers (BIC) was founded in 1933, 23 years before McLean would shuttle a few dozen containers from Newark to Houston on a re-purposed World War II cargo ship in 1956. Matson would soon follow, and began offering containerized freight services two years later.
Standardized Containers
Sealand (Malcom McLean's original container shipping company, now owned by Maersk) had 33' and 35' shipping containers. Matson's shipping containers were 24' long. In the late 1960's the International Organization for Standardization (commonly referred to as ISO) established standards for shipping container dimensions via ISO 668. Due to the standards set forth by the ISO, containers are now measured in TEU's (twenty-foot equivalent units). Today there are over 34,000,000 TEU in circulation (or roughly 20,000,000 shipping containers).
More Information About Shipping Containers:
SAFE HANDLING INSTRUCTIONS
A sticker or plate to identify such things as High Cube containers, hazardous cargo, or other such labels. High Cube shipping containers will also have yellow decals at the top of the frame on each end, to make the extended height more noticeable. High Cube containers have an outside height of 9'6" (one foot taller than standard shipping containers, which are 8'6" tall).
CSC PLATE
The Convention for Safe Containers (CSC) Plate includes information on the date and location of manufacture, as well as other specifications. Learn more about the Convention for Safe Containers on the International Maritime Organization's website. And make sure to purchases CSC survey if you need to use your shipping container for export.
LOCKING RODS & HANDLES
Locking rods are bolted to the exterior of the shipping container cargo doors and frame, that seal the door tightly when twisted closed and clasped. A broken or bent locking rod can mean that a door won't seal properly. We guarantee doors will seal on every shipping container we sell, but it's always a good idea to grease the hinges and make sure the door frame is square.
CONTAINER ID NUMBER
Each shipping container has a unique identification number. The first three letters represent the container owner (registered with the Bureau International des Containers "BIC"), and those are followed by a "U" for dry containers, and then six more numerical digits for the unit number. The 7th number is a "check digit" used by calculating the value of each letter and number in the ID. Check your check digit with BIC.
SIZE & CAPACITY SPECS
To ensure safe handling, and stacking on ships, containers should not be loaded heavier than the weight specifications listed on the door and CSC plate. Please note, however, that local shipping weight regulations may be much lower than the maximum payload of the container. For instance, many shipping containers can handle over 65,000 lbs of cargo, but loading them that heavy would exceed FMCSA regulations.
DOOR GASKET
Each of the shipping container cargo doors is fully surrounded by a rubber gasket. The gasket allows the steel doors to be shut tightly to prevent both weather getting into the the container. It also helps keep cargo from spilling out if the freight shifts or pallets fail during transport. Good gaskets are essential to a cargo container being wind/water tight. Cargo door gaskets are covered by our 1-year warranty.
How Do you Buy Shipping Containers in Vancouver, BC?
Not sure how the process works...? Watch this video to better understand where the shipping containers come from. And be sure to check out the sample photos before you buy.
Prefer to Rent Storage Containers?
What Makes Western Container Sales Different?
We're one of the largest buyers of used shipping containers in North America. By working directly with some of the largest intermodal shipping container companies in the world, we help our customers leverage our buying power and quality standards to buy quality shipping containers at a fair price. We also believe in providing up-front and transparent pricing. We're proud to have helped thousands of customers buy conex containers and rent storage containers throughout North America.
How Do Used Shipping Containers Compare to PODS?
Compare Western Container Sales to PODS
The largest nationwide portable storage company is PODS (Portable On Demand Storage). While both PODS and Western Container Sales offer nationwide portable storage rentals, there are some key differences... Primarily that PODS' containers are smaller, lighter units that are made from fiberglass, aluminum and plastic, and designed to be moved while loaded. In contrast, Western Container Sales rentals are re-purposed used shipping containers (all steel construction, with wood floors over steel cross members). Overall, steel shipping containers are a heavy duty alternative to PODS storage containers.
PODS Will Move Loaded Containers, We Won't...
While Western Container Sales offers steel storage containers in sizes up to 40' in length, PODS offers smaller, 8', 12' and 16' storage units with aluminum and plastic exteriors. Steel shipping containers are difficult to load/unload without the heavy equipment found at ports and depots, but PODS units are small enough to be easily managed with light duty lifts.
Western Container Sales does not move loaded units, so if you need your container moved after it's loaded PODS or similar companies might be a better option. However, if you need storage at your location we offer larger, all steel containers. Our cost per square foot is almost always lower, as well.
Why Don't We Make You Call for a Shipping Container Quote?
We know what a hassle it can be to call for a shipping container quote. Or how annoying it can be to fill out a form on what appears to be a conex container rental site and consequently be bombarded with salespeople from third party companies because your information was sold as a lead. Unlike the big guys, our shipping container prices are posted online. Why do we do this when other companies won't? Simple, we know our prices are fair, and well below what you'd see with our large corporate competitors.
Western Container Sales will get you a fair price for a used shipping container sourced directly from global intermodal equipment providers, pulled from their inventories at your nearest intermodal depot. Because the containers were recently moving cargo, we know they won't leak and we guarantee it. Check out our current shipping container prices (please note they do change with inventory levels). We also make renting steel storage containers just as easy, with our online rental order form.
Shipping Containers Direct From the Source, Through a Company You Can Trust
Since 2015, we've been proud members of the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA), the National Portable Storage Association (NPSA), and the Green Business Bureau (where we're a certified Platinum green business). We leverage our relationships within the Intermodal Shipping Container industry to help our customers buy quality used shipping containers, that we guarantee won't leak.
We've helped thousands and thousands of customers buy shipping containers and rent steel storage containers, and our customer satisfaction rate is over 98%. We're also accredited by the Better Business Bureau, and are proud to have an A+ rating. Whether you need to rent a conex container for a jobsite, or purchase a used shipping container for extra storage, we're always happy to help.
