Shipping Container Scams:
How to Avoid Getting Ripped Off

The most common outright scam. A "seller" posts a container for sale on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, or eBay at a price well below market — $800 for a 20ft, $1,200 for a 40ft. The listing has real-looking photos (stolen from legitimate suppliers) and a plausible story (moving overseas, estate sale, military deployment). They take a deposit or full payment by wire transfer, Zelle, or cash app — then disappear. The container never exists.

• Price significantly below market ($800–$1,500 for a 40ft)
• Seller can't let you inspect before payment
• Payment required by wire, Zelle, Cash App, or gift card
• "Container is at a port/storage yard — I'll arrange delivery"
• No physical business address verifiable on Google Maps

✓ Protection: Never pay without inspecting in person. Never wire money to someone you haven't met. Legitimate sellers accept card payment or allow inspection first.

A container is sold as "one-trip" or "cargo worthy" but delivered in WWT or AS-IS condition. This is the most common form of supplier fraud from otherwise legitimate-seeming businesses. The difference between a one-trip and a WWT container can be $1,500–$3,000 — a significant financial loss. The misrepresentation is confirmed only when the container arrives and the buyer sees rust, damaged floor boards, or a failed door seal that no one-trip container would have.

• Supplier won't confirm the grade in writing before payment
• No inspection photos of the specific container you're buying
• Price seems low for the stated grade
• Vague terms like "like new" or "excellent condition" instead of standard grade terminology

✓ Protection: Get the grade confirmed in your written contract. Request photos of the specific container — serial number visible. Inspect before final payment where possible.

A container is advertised at a low price — then delivery is quoted separately at $800–$2,000 after the sale is agreed. Sometimes the "delivery fee" is legitimate but unexpectedly high due to distance. Sometimes it's artificially inflated after the buyer is committed. In either case, the total cost ends up significantly higher than the advertised price suggested.

• "Price doesn't include delivery" — without a delivery estimate upfront
• Delivery fee quoted only after deposit is paid
• Fuel surcharges, permit fees, or "difficult access" charges added at delivery
• No mileage rate or delivery zone pricing disclosed upfront

✓ Protection: Always get a fully delivered all-in quote before agreeing to anything. Ask specifically: "What is the total cost including delivery to [your address]?" Get it in writing.

A buyer agrees to purchase a specific container — inspects it, approves it, or is shown photos of it — and then a different, lower-quality container is delivered. Suppliers who source from large depot inventories may substitute a container of the same stated grade but significantly worse actual condition. By the time the container arrives, the supplier has been paid and the buyer's leverage is limited.

• Supplier can't provide the serial number of the specific container being sold
• Large inventory dealers who pick from a pool rather than a specific unit
• Delivered container has different markings or serial number than the one inspected

✓ Protection: Get the container's serial number in the contract. Photograph the serial number on the delivered container before signing the delivery receipt. Refuse to sign if serial numbers don't match.

Containers that carried pesticides, industrial chemicals, or pharmaceutical products can have residue embedded in the floor boards and wall panels that is dangerous for human habitation and expensive to remediate. Sellers sometimes knowingly omit the cargo history or describe a container as suitable for habitation when it isn't. This is particularly common with older containers sold cheaply at auction.

• Strong chemical smell inside the container
• Staining or discoloration on floor boards
• Seller cannot provide cargo history
• Price significantly below comparable containers
• Containers from auction with no provenance

✓ Protection: Always inspect the interior for smell and staining before purchase. Ask specifically about cargo history. For any container intended for habitation, request written disclosure of previous cargo. When in doubt, walk away.

Rust holes, impact damage, and structural penetrations in container walls are sometimes concealed with Bondo automotive body filler and repainted. From a distance — or in a photo — the repair is invisible. Up close, a magnet test reveals the truth: a magnet sticks to steel but not to Bondo. This allows a structurally compromised container to be sold at a price consistent with a sound one.

• Freshly painted container at a discount price
• Suspicious patches or smooth areas on corrugated panels
• Magnet doesn't stick in isolated spots on the side panels
• Tapping panels produces a different sound in certain areas (hollow vs solid)

✓ Protection: Bring a magnet to any used container inspection. Run it along all side panels — it should stick consistently everywhere. Hollow sound on tapping or magnet failure indicates filler or rust-through.

A buyer gets a verbal or informal quote for a specific container at a specific price. By delivery day, the price has changed — fuel surcharge added, "the container we quoted isn't available so we're substituting a pricier one," or additional fees appear on the invoice. Without a written contract, the buyer has limited recourse.

• Supplier resistant to putting the quote in writing
• "We'll sort the paperwork out later"
• Price changes between quote and delivery
• New fees appear on the final invoice not mentioned in the original quote

✓ Protection: Get everything in writing before paying a deposit. Written contract should include: container size, grade, serial number, price, delivery date, delivery address, and total all-in cost with no hidden fees.