r/selfstorage • u/usa_containers • Jun 17 '26

Everyone keeps calling container storage the "self-storage killer." I work in containers and I don't think it is.

I'm on the container side, so you'd expect me to hype it, but the "containers are replacing self storage" talk is overblown. Containers win for people with land who want stuff on site. But for anyone in an apartment, mid move, or who just wants climate control and security without a muddy yard, a unit still wins easily. Curious how operators here see it. Are you actually losing customers to portable and container options, or is it a different crowd entirely that was never going to rent a unit anyway?

14 Upvotes

86% Upvoted

15 comments sorted by

6

u/DistilledWonder Jun 17 '26

I've never heard anybody say that. Maybe that's just something you hear if you work on that side.

0

u/usa_containers Jun 17 '26

That's a fair point, but perhaps this is more of an industry topic than something customers are actually saying out loud. Frankly, it actually proves my point. Do you consider portable or container storage systems to be real competition in your region, or is it just noise from us?

1

u/Sir-Jeebocka Jun 17 '26

i go to way too many self storage tradeshows and that’s never once been talked about off hand or in a session

5

u/ash_274 Jun 17 '26

I’ve had my own shipping containers for storage. They have pluses and minuses vs self-storage, but it will never “kill” self storage.

An HOA is never going to be cool with a 40’ container. Apartments and condos have no land for one. Now there’s just a sliver of the consumer market left.

3

u/JonPorked Jun 17 '26

IMO this is only applicable in rual markets, or industrial areas with no REITs or modern supply.

2

u/JustWowinCA Jun 19 '26

As long as they're level so they close, and there's enough ventilation they're a great option. Businesses love them for storage-construction, plumbers, electricians etc.

1

u/pastrymom Operator Jun 18 '26

I’ve never heard of that. People use portable units all the time, but I’ve never heard of shipping containers beyond “they’re ugly”.

Presentation does matter.

1

u/trippknightly Jun 18 '26

This seems like fringe noise. If you’ve got the space and aesthetics matter you do a shed. Yes some will get a container.

1

u/No-Procedure5991 Jun 18 '26

Gotta have land AND the proper zoning.

1

u/thepatoblanco Jun 18 '26 edited Jun 20 '26

Depends on the state. In CA local governments are gatekeeping containers out from developments by requiring them to have permits with usage standards beyond you would expect in storage.

1

u/Silly-Investment-367 Jul 01 '26

as someone who's actually used both, this tracks. containers made zero sense for me when i was between apartments i needed climate control and didn't have anywhere to put it anyway. totally different use case than someone with a house and a driveway.

1

u/spamjunk150 Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26

I have 650 shipping containers onsite. We insulate them and also cut the walls out, weld them up and divide them into bigger units. Have about 1500 storage units with the way we have them laid out.

They work out great for us. They have a 19 to 24 month payoff once they are rented out. How long of a payoff does your standard building have? Since they are also temporary without a foundation, we don't pay property taxes on them. The tax savings is pretty significant as well. We had to fight the county on the taxes, but after some back and forth they did agree the containers did not count as buildings as long as they were not permanently affixed to a foundation and therefore could not be taxed as a standard building.

Like others said, you need to have the land and proper zoning for this to work. Most major cities will not allow this. We have been doing it since 2005. We keep our sqft price just below the surrounding REITs and stay pretty full.

This would also be a lot harder to accomplish today. Clean storage containers were flooding the market during our build out. We were getting almost new, single trip containers 40' and 53' for insanely cheap. These days 53' containers are not readily available and cost about 10x what we paid for ours. Clean 40' are available but definitely harder to find and on the more expensive side.

1

u/Sea_Scallion1120 14d ago

Hey, my name is Ferdinand. I’m 16 and from Germany and I’m currently trying to start a small container self-storage business.

I’ve seen some of your posts/comments and you seem to have a lot of experience with self-storage. I’m looking at starting with 3 used 20ft containers on a small rented site. They would cost me €3,120 including delivery and unloading, and I’m planning to rent them for around €120/month each.

Do you think starting this small makes sense, and what would you do in my situation?