If you’re not familiar with the process of shipping products overseas, or just to another city or country, you might be wondering what’s involved and how much it will cost you to do it. One of the costs involved is that of the shipping container. If you’re shipping something as a one time thing, it makes sense to just rent one, but if your business is based on shipping products somewhere else, it makes more sense in the long run to buy your own shipping containers and save some money in the long run. The prices of shipping containers aren’t always easy to pin down though, especially since there is a bit of fluctuation on the market, depending on a number of things, including the modifications made on those containers, the features, the sizes, the materials used, your location and closeness to a seaport and so on.

The two most common used shipping container sizes are the 20 ft and the 40 ft models. The ones that are more portable are the 20 ft variants, which can also be used for small businesses or for storage purposes. The 20 ft shipping container typical price is somewhere around the $2,000 mark, but once you add some modifications to it, the price can go up quickly, reaching even $4,000 if you add things like refrigeration, an additional door, a change of paint, insulation or a lock box. For a model that is used, the price should drop to $1,500 for the basic model, or $2,500 for one with modifications. If you prefer to rent, the price should be somewhere from $50 to $90 for one month.

For bigger items, a 40 ft container is more appropriate, but a bit more costly as well. The price for one varies from $2,500 to $5,000, adding another $1,000 or so for modifications.