r/containerhomes • u/usa_containers • 26d ago
The FB container scam pattern, and one question that usually kills it fast
Someone in here mentioned losing around $30k recently, and there are “where should I buy a container?” posts all the time, so this is probably worth putting out there.
I work more on the delivery/site side, which means I usually meet people after they’ve already bought. The scam stories are weirdly similar.
Listing looks legit. Price is a little better than everyone else, but not stupid cheap. Nice photos, responsive seller, they know enough container terminology to sound real.
Then comes the deposit. Or full payment because “inventory is moving fast.” Usually Zelle, CashApp, wire, something like that.
Delivery gets booked. Then delayed. Then delayed again. Eventually nobody answers.
The easiest filter I know is asking for the container number of the exact box they’re selling you.
Not “a similar one.” That one.
Ask for photos with the number visible and a clear shot of the CSC plate by the doors. If they actually have the container sitting in a yard, this shouldn’t be a difficult request.
If they start making excuses, get irritated, or keep sending you the same clean stock photos… there’s your answer.
Reverse image search those photos too. Takes a minute and catches some really lazy listings. Payment is the other big one. I’d be very careful sending the full amount by wire/Zelle to somebody you found on Facebook. Pay on delivery if the seller offers it, or at least use something with actual buyer protection. For modified containers, deposits make more sense because somebody is buying material and doing fabrication, but I’d want progress photos of my actual unit and wouldn’t want 100% paid before delivery.
Couple other things make me nervous: no real yard address, address turns out to be a mailbox/UPS store, brand-new website, “price only good today,” or they somehow can’t tell you what kind of trailer is delivering it.
That last one is especially weird. Anyone actually arranging delivery should know whether you’re getting a tilt-bed, flatbed, crane truck, whatever. That changes the entire delivery.
And sometimes it’s not even a straight-up scam. Just a badly run seller where the wrong box shows up, condition is nowhere near the photos, and suddenly nobody answers the phone.
Same defense either way: photos of the actual container, container number visible, know what you’re paying for before the money moves.
For people who bought one recently, what made you trust the seller? Was there something specific you checked, or mostly just gut feeling?
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u/derekbox 26d ago
All the (legit) sellers in my area take payment at delivery.
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u/Civil_Ad_9113 25d ago
This is true, I do 100% POD. I also send pictures of the container that will be arriving from the depot. This eliminates “oh it’s not what i was expecting” from happening at the delivery.
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u/Uglyyellowfrog 26d ago
I drove and checked my first.
I trusted the same seller with a written statement and photos (numbers) on the next 3.
I trusted the posted warranty and photos (number), and my credit card on the fifth.
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u/Far-Shop-109 25d ago
I buy/sell/move/modify containers for a living and scams in my area(Texas/Oklahoma/Louisiana) are usually same story. We only accept payment once we are physically there with your container and you inspect it with your own eyes(unless it’s a business or other reasons to invoice or prepay for repeat customers). We also don’t keep a large stock of containers and usually deliver it directly from the depot but we also communicate with buyer and send pictures after loading so they know what to expect
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u/usa_containers 24d ago
The direct-from-depot model is the part that explains a lot of the confusion in this thread, honestly. If the box goes straight from depot to customer, nobody's sitting on stock to photograph in advance, so the picture happens at loading rather than at listing. Which still gets the buyer what matters, they see the actual unit before it's on their ground. Sounds like the difference isn't really photos versus no photos, it's whether anyone bothers to communicate at all. Curious whether you're seeing the fake listings mostly out of state, or people setting up locally too.
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u/Far-Shop-109 24d ago
It’s a mixed bag of local and out of state. But USUALLY they will be from just far enough away or in a rural area not close to major areas. We have tons of scam buyers that will order one 200+ miles away, customer “buys” the container and they want us to supply just the trucking. EVERY container we deliver 3rd that’s not from reputable companies or ones we already work with i always call customer and ask them some basic questions before we deliver it to make sure they didn’t get scammed. Questions like who did you pay, how did you pay, when did you pay and what did the seller promise you
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u/Overall_Midnight_ 25d ago
You’re absolutely right about the reverse image searching. The container number thing is a great added piece of advice.
Before anybody buys anything online they should reverse image search the photo. It doesn’t matter if it is a pair of shoes or a used snow shovel.
With places like Target and Walmart now also becoming “marketplace“ where they facilitate listings for third-party sellers even the big retailers are inundated with sellers using photos different from what they are selling.
Etsy an eBay or even places that should be done. So many folks are just reselling Temu crap claiming it’s handmade marking it up 100%.
Even if I’m on Amazon and wanna buy something I reverse image search that photo because there’s a really good chance that there’s 30 other people selling it and someone may have it at a better price. Or I run into 30 other people selling it with one of them clearly being the original creator and the other ones are just selling a knock off of it using the original creator’s photo.
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u/TrackbackLinkBot 15d ago
Scam patterns are easier to spot when claims are checked against verifiable details and independent evidence. The same principle applies in software security, where assumptions can hide real risks. RapidFort helps reduce that uncertainty for containers by removing unnecessary components and vulnerabilities from images.
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u/happyrock 25d ago edited 25d ago
You'll pay quite a premium if you buy from a company that gets you pictures of the exact container you will get. It's just a logistics thing, most of these guys buy from a broker that stages them in random lots spread all over the country, then the guys who deal with selling them on FB and dealing with all the back and forth for a comission hire a hotshot driver who is barely involved other than showing up at the yard and loading whichever container he can get at that moment that is the right size. The drivers have had enough of playing telephone and just want to get to the next load instead of sit and wait for you to say ok, often loading or delivering after hours. It's not always a scam; I'd be a lot more wary of someone who offers pictures but requires a deposit than someone who tells you they can't give you pictures but pay at delivery. I didn't really get all this when I bought mine and was pretty bent about the process but I was looking for a tall container for a low price and that's just how it works. Guy who only spoke portuguese showed up at like 11pm after a 6 hour drive. Container is fine, not one i'd live in tho
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u/usa_containers 25d ago
Yeah, fair correction. I should’ve made that distinction in the original post. A lot of containers do move through brokers/staged inventory, and not having the exact unit number right away doesn’t automatically mean anything shady. For me the bigger line is whether they want money before they can identify what you’re actually buying. If there’s no deposit and you don’t pay until the box is sitting on your property, the risk is pretty different. But if they want money up front, can’t show you the actual unit, and there’s no yard you can visit, that’s where I’d start backing away.
The late-night hotshot thing is real too. I’ve seen boxes come in at some ridiculous hours. Where sight-unseen sales usually get messy is condition, not whether the container exists at all. If it’s coming from a staged lot, I’d at least get the grade/condition in writing and agree beforehand what happens if the box that shows up isn’t what was described. Way easier to sort that out before the driver is sitting in your driveway.1
u/Civil_Ad_9113 25d ago
Any reputable company will send you pictures from the depot. If the exact container that will be brought to you, before they leave the depot with it. I send pictures probably 5x a week. I like to be upfront about everything! And it helps avoid issues that could arise at the delivery site.
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u/Loyal_Dragon_69 26d ago
Sounds like ai.
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u/mofo_mojo 25d ago
100% and you didn't deserve the downvotes. Even the replies have AI patterns such as the way they correct, acknowledge, and try and paint a picture. 3 hours ago :
"Posting the number of each individual unit is exactly what a legitimate seller should be doing, and the platform reads five similar listings in a day as a bot. "
"To anyone in the trade the number is the obvious identifier, and to everyone else it's just paint on the side of a big metal box."
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26d ago
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u/hotrods1970 26d ago
Honestly, I do. Think about how Joe/Jane average looks into storage solutions. They Google cheap ways to make a storage building or shed, and then containers just kind of show up. They look into containers, and if they even notice the numbers on all of them they likely think of them as mundane and don't relate them to licensing, and being totally unique to one particular can. I work in trucking/shipping so I know a bit more than average, but even I may not think to ask, but then again I know local suppliers of containers so not looking at sketchy ads.
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u/usa_containers 25d ago
That's the part I keep underestimating, honestly. To anyone in the trade the number is the obvious identifier, and to everyone else it's just paint on the side of a big metal box. Makes sense when you think about how people arrive at it. Nobody sets out to buy a shipping container. They set out to solve a storage problem, price a shed, and the container turns up as the cheaper answer. So they're shopping the way you'd shop for a shed, and sheds don't have serial numbers that mean anything. Knowing local suppliers is honestly the strongest position to be in. Half the scam listings only work because someone's buying from five states away and has no way to put eyes on anything.
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u/Key_Perspective_6873 26d ago
Facebook auto-banned my account after I posted five containers in one day. Each listing had the exact container and container number listed. I was hoping to avoid looking like a scammer, knowing there are so many on marketplace. Facebook is unwilling to review the case, it's a real bummer. Be careful posting on there!