Shipping Containers for Sale or Rent in Central Alabama.

With our equipment yard based in Prattville, AL, our typical delivery radius is within 100 miles for rental units. Anything further than that, give us a call and we'll see if it's something we can handle or make third-party recommendations for those who are buying a container.

Absolutely. Our container yard is located at 1715 South Memorial Drive, Prattville, AL 36066, between the Circle K and Bubba's Materials. Please note that this is our equipment yard and is not regularly staffed — you are free to walk around the lot.

Containers available for sale have price tags on them. Containers without tags are part of our rental fleet and are not available for sale. If you see a container with a sale tag you're interested in, snap a photo of the container and the tag, then text it to 334-320-7071 with your name and delivery address — we'll follow up with a final all-in purchase quote.

If you'd like to meet us at the yard in person, give us a call at 334-320-7071.

It really comes down to grade and condition. The container industry uses condition terms like One-Trip, IICL, Cargo Worthy (CW), Wind & Water Tight (WWT), and As-Is — and there are notable differences from container to container.

We sell only IICL or One-Trip grade containers — the highest commercial grades available. Our rental fleet is primarily IICL grade; occasionally we sell containers retired from our rental fleet, which are Cargo Worthy grade. We do not sell as-is or basic WWT containers.

When you order direct from a broker, the container may have service flaws — doors that are difficult to open, or rust that needs to be ground off. We grind down rust and touch up areas with new paint, and in many cases, we paint the entire box with fresh paint of a corresponding color. We recognize that not everyone has the time, tools, and materials needed to get a used container into working condition. That's what we put into our containers.

Purchasing direct from a port is like rolling the dice — sometimes the container is great, more often it needs work. Any issues you notice during delivery from an online broker, the third-party delivery driver cannot address. With us, your container is delivered by our team, who can address any concerns at delivery and provide best practices on container maintenance. Read our full guide to container grades →

Unfortunately not. Our prices reflect the best available price of containers from ports or rail hubs, combined with our improvement cost to ensure the container you receive is in excellent working order. Whether renting or buying, we'll provide a flat, all-in number with no need to haggle.

We respect that others may advertise their containers higher or lower than our prices. While we cannot control how low or high they may go, our rental and sale prices are set based on the improvements we make to the container, coupled with market-driven pricing.

When renting containers, watch out for additional surcharges, required insurance, and fees charged by larger regional or national companies. For sales, we charge for the container, the delivery, and sales tax. For rentals, we charge for the container, the delivery, the pickup at the end of your term, and sales tax. No fuel surcharges, no required insurance, no hidden fees.

There's a type of seller that's not a scammer but isn't a traditional dealer either — and it's worth understanding before you buy. A lot of online container listings come from brokers who operate without a physical yard. They may have a professional-looking website, answer the phone, and complete legitimate transactions. But here's how the process actually works on their end:

When you place an order, the broker buys a container directly from a port or rail depot — usually sight unseen — and contracts with an independent owner-operator truck driver (someone who doesn't work for the broker's company) to pick it up and deliver it to you. The broker has never physically seen the specific container you're getting. The driver may have never worked with that broker before. Neither of them is familiar with your property or delivery situation.

This isn't necessarily fraud — the container exists, and the transaction is real. But here's what it means for you:

• Condition is a roll of the dice. "Wind and watertight" is a grade, not a guarantee, when nobody has inspected the specific box before it ships. Dents, stiff doors, pinhole rust, and misaligned seals are common surprises.
• The delivery driver can't fix problems. If something's wrong when the container arrives, the independent driver isn't authorized or equipped to do anything about it — and neither is the broker, remotely. You own it as delivered.
• Recourse is difficult. If the container isn't what was described, you're dealing with a chain: broker → port depot → third-party driver → you. Each party points to the others. There's rarely a clean resolution.
• Delivery skill varies. Placing a container precisely — around a fence, down a slope, without tearing up a lawn — takes experience. A contract driver running one-off jobs may not have it.

One more thing worth knowing: if you're dealing with a company claiming to serve Alabama and they're calling or texting you from an out-of-state area code, that's a signal you're not dealing with a local business. We always call and text from our 334 number. A company that can't be reached locally for a follow-up question is a company that's harder to hold accountable if something goes wrong.

At ASC, we own every container on our yard. We inspect it before it leaves. Our team delivers and walks the container with you at delivery, on-site, before we leave. That's not how the broker model works — and it's worth knowing the difference before you decide.

Nope. While we are not liable for the contents of what you choose to store in the container during rental, should you want to pursue insurance on your own, that's your decision. We do not offer it, nor require it.

If you're buying a container from us, then feel free. We recommend a 1-ton truck with a gooseneck trailer with tilt/unload capability (such as a Landoll trailer, which is what we use). If you load it onto a trailer without tilt/unload capability, we can load it on our yard with our forklift, but you may have challenges unloading at home.

If you're renting from us, we are required to perform the delivery, as the container is still owned by the company and to avoid damage during transit.

Unfortunately, we do not. If you are unable to purchase a container from us, renting is a great option for you. Because renting is a large part of our business, what you pay as part of your rent does not go toward the purchase of a container.

Most of our containers arrive from the Port of Savannah, as well as rail hubs in Atlanta and Memphis. The containers we sell either come directly from those areas or from our existing rental fleet.

Every fall, retailers like Walmart source dozens of containers for additional storage during the holiday season. The high demand depletes the available inventory of most container companies. We understand this business cycle and plan for it by setting aside containers for year-round use despite these spikes in demand. Availability may be reduced in the fall, but we'll still do our best to help you with your storage needs. Give us a call.

It depends on your county, your property's zoning classification, and how you intend to use the container. Here are general rules of thumb:

• Temporary storage in rural or agricultural zones: Usually no permit required.
• Residential neighborhoods or HOA communities: Check with your HOA first — they often have stricter rules than the county. Some municipalities limit placement to 90–180 days or require a temporary use permit.
• Modified containers (offices, homes, commercial use): Almost always require a building permit and may need to meet IBC or IRC code compliance.

We recommend calling your county's building department before ordering to confirm what applies to your property and intended use.

Sure. Our containers typically come in red, blue, green, grey, or tan. If you'd like a container custom-painted to match an existing building or preference, let us know — there are additional paint charges if we have to paint a container to your preference.

We have a very limited number of office containers, which include an 8'×16' office and an 8'×24' storage area. Aside from those, we do not modify the containers beyond maintenance/repairs, painting, or adding lockboxes to the doors.

If you're looking to build a container home or other large-scale modification, we will gladly sell you a container for your project, but we don't perform those modifications on our end.

No. We do not sell or rent containers on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, eBay, or any other online classifieds platform. All legitimate Affordable Storage Containers transactions happen through our website (affordablestoragecontainers.com), our phone line (334-320-7071), or our email at jack@affordablestoragecontainers.com.

If you see our name, logo, or address being used in a listing on any of those platforms, it is fraudulent. Please report the listing to the platform and let us know so we can help take it down.

We bill on a true calendar month — the same month your bank statement runs on. If you rent for a year, you get 12 bills. Not 13.

Some national container and portable storage companies use what's called a "28-day billing cycle." That sounds like a month. It isn't. There are 13 periods of 28 days in a calendar year, not 12. So if you rent for twelve calendar months expecting twelve bills, you actually get thirteen — one extra charge that nobody mentioned when you signed up. The 28-day cycle is a standard industry billing configuration — one that generates an extra payment period per year without any change to the advertised rate.

At ASC, we bill monthly. Your rental renews on the same calendar date each month. No surprise 13th bill. No counting days. If you need the container for three months, you pay three times.

No. We don't require insurance, and we don't sell or charge a damage waiver.

Some national container rental companies build a mandatory "Loss Damage Waiver" or similar product into their rental agreements — typically 10–15% of your monthly rate, added automatically. Read the fine print and you'll find this fee protects the company's container. It does not cover what's inside it. For contents coverage, that's a separate product on top of the waiver fee.

We don't play that game. If you choose to carry insurance on the contents of your container through your homeowner's or business policy, that's your call. We won't require it, price it into your bill, or penalize you for not having it.

If you rented, you just call us and we'll schedule pickup. That's what the pickup fee covers at the end of your rental term.

If you bought, a used container in good condition holds real resale value — typically $1,500–$2,500 for a 20-footer and more for a well-maintained 40-foot, depending on condition and market timing. You can sell it privately through local contractor networks, or post it yourself. Call us too — depending on our current inventory needs, we occasionally buy back containers from previous customers.

Either way, you're not throwing money away. A container you bought and maintained is an asset, not a sunk cost. That's a meaningful difference from years of self-storage unit payments that leave you with nothing when you stop.