Buying new or used shipping containers online may be a first time experience for many people, however it's very similar to other auction or ecommerce purchases that most people are familiar and comfortable with.

The process of buying a shipping container begins with deciding what you need the container for, and what type of container you’ll need. Will you be using the container for international shipping, converting it into a portable storage unit, modifying it into a container home, or some other purpose? Once this decision is made you'll be able to choose which type of container is best suited for your needs and begin your search on ContainerAuction.com.

The top menu bar on every page of the website is the most common place to begin your search. Type in your city, select the type of container that you need, and click the search button. These search results will display all container are currently offered by our sellers and you can refine your search criteria on this page. You're able to remove criteria by clicking on the [X] that's next to the that item, or add items on the left column to better filter your search results. We encourage you to browse as many of the listings as necessary and register an account so that you can contact the sellers to learn more about the containers that you have an interest in.

Once you find a container that you're interested and you're ready to bid, or in some cases use the "buy now" feature. Log into your account and navigate to the listing that you'd like to purchase. Next to the red "Maximum Bid" button is the text field where you can enter in your maximum bid. After you type in and submit your bid you'll be asked to confirm the offer one last time. Once confirmed the seller will also be notified of your offer.

If the auction closes and you're the highest bidder over the reserve amount you'll first receive a confirmation at the time the auction closes. Then, shortly after 12:00GMT you'll be emailed a copy of the final invoice. Once the payment is remitted you'll be able to make arrangements to collect your container or have it delivered to you.