Container Hire: An Appropriate Option for Temporary Storage

Posted by clevelandcontainers on January 14th, 2015

Whether you should rent or buy your shipping containers depends on many factors, like the cargo you want to store, whether you intend to ship them away or not, and what time constraints you might have. For temporary storage and one-time shipping, it typically makes sense to rent instead of buying. For instance, if you want to ship your things for personal reasons—such as moving overseas—you don’t have to buy a shipping container you will use only once. The same is true if you are just switching offices or moving to another city. The best way to go in the situations is to rent because doing so will cost you much less than buying, and the job can be completed more efficiently in this manner.

However, if you run a business that requires the shipment of large quantities of cargo on a regular basis, it maybe more prudent to buy your shipping containers instead of leasing them. Renting containers on a per-use basis would end up costing you more money than you would otherwise spend buying your own. When you purchase a container, you can also customize it with your brand’s logo and keep it as long as you want.

In between these two extremes is a grey area—such as smaller businesses that need to ship large cargo quantities every so often, but not regularly. If this is the case, look for a shipping container supplier that specializes in renting or leading out shipping containers for a predetermined period, on a ‘contractual’ basis. Draft up a contract that gives you access to your shipping container for several months or even years, as necessary. This is a fantastic solution for short and medium term storage requirements that don’t justify the costs of buying a shipping container. Don’t want to rent? Your other alternative is to buy used shipping containers at reduced prices if budget is an issue.

Be sure to hire containers that pass ISO and CSC standards. Determine what sizes match your storage requirements. Work with a supplier that offers secure, strong, and water- and wind-tight tight containers of the highest quality. The container should have the added security of fitted lockboxes and security padlocks, too. These are just some of the factors to mull over before making any final renting or purchasing decisions.

About the Author:

This article is written by Karen Wentworth, consultant for Cleveland Containers, who specialize in offering shipping containers in UK. Cleveland Containers is one-stop shop for your entire container related needs whether buying or hiring is the right solution for your storage requirement. They also give their buyer a facility of providing a bespoke size container tailored to your specific requirements and can normally be delivered in 7 working days.