Shipping containers offer great solutions for several needs; be it housing, storage or dangerous goods storage, shipping containers offer a simple yet adequate solution. If you are in need of one (or two), the main question no matter the intended use becomes whether you’ll hire one or buy one.

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10 Reasons to Hire or Buy a Shipping Container
Shipping containers offer great solutions for several needs; be it housing, storage or dangerous
goods storage, shipping containers offer a simple yet adequate solution. If you are in need of one (or
two), the main question no matter the intended use becomes whether you’ll hire one or buy one.
Quite tricky, I know. To help you out with this predicament, we shall list ten reasons that would make
you decide to buy one and ten reasons that would make it wiser to hire one. By the end of these,
making the final decision should be much easier.
10 reasons to hire a shipping
1. Seasonal needs – Sometimes you only require the shipping container for a season; maybe
to store some out of season items such as winter clothes. It would not make economic sense
to buy one for this purpose.
2. On site storage – Shipping containers offer superb secure storage facilities for onsite needs.
It’s quick to install and very cost effective.
3. Temporary storage – Your house might be getting renovated or you might be moving out to
another house. Temporary storage is needed while work is being completed or moving
arrangements are being made.

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4. Sporadic transportation – Cargo containers make moving goods easy as they consolidate
several small units into one load. They ease loading, transportation, and handling. Chances
of losing goods are also reduced if not eliminated.
5. Easy disposal – Hiring a shipping container is advantageous in the sense that you don’t have
to worry about its disposal once you are done with it. The owner will take it back after you are
done.
6. To avoid maintenance costs – Shipping containers (although rarely) need maintenance.
Hiring one ensures that you are not responsible for this.
7. Flexibility – Hiring a container instead of buying gives you flexibility if you are unsure of what
you need in terms of specifications (size, design and what not). If you don’t like one, you can
just exchange it with another until you get one that suits you.
8. For one time events – You might be in need of a shipping container for a single event. For
this reason, hiring would be the better option.
9. Trying it before buying – Sometimes customers are not sure whether a container will be
useful for their particular need. It is for this reason that hiring is recommended so that you
can try it out before making the buy decision.
10. To supplement owned assets – You might already own several containers but may be in
need of an extra one for some time. Hiring will solve this problem.
10 reasons to buy a shipping container
1. Long term needs – It is cheaper to buy instead of renting if your needs are long term.
2. Customisation – The level of customization allowed on hired shipping containers is limited. If
you do desire to customize yours, it would be best to buy one.
3. Recurring transportation needs – If your company ships large quantities of goods regularly,
buying would be cheaper than hiring.
4. To construct permanent fixtures such as shipping container homes and pop up shops,
buying is necessary.
5. Where major damage is expected. If, for any reason, you expect that the shipping container
will suffer serious damage, it would be better if you owned it.
6. Durability – Shipping containers are very durable hence will serve you for a long time before
needing major repairs or replacement.

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7. Flexibility – Shipping containers can be transformed continuously to suit emerging needs.
This means you won’t have to buy one for each and every need. Just modify the one you
already have.
8. Convenience – Once bought, the shipping container will always be available and at your
disposal every time you need it.
9. It’s a good investment – When you are not using your shipping container, you could lease it
to other people and make some money off it.
10. It’s cost efficient – Building permanent buildings is costly and will consume more time that
using a shipping container.