📍 B105A, Penrhyn Rd, Botany NSW 2019, Australia
✉️ contact@elitecontainerssupply.com
Everything you need to know about buying, delivering, modifying and exporting shipping containers from our Botany, Sydney yard.
Price depends on size, condition grade and current market conditions. Container pricing moves with global steel, freight and currency markets, so figures change through the year.
As a general guide, a used 10ft unit sits at the lower end of the range, while a new one-trip 40ft high cube sits at the upper end. Refrigerated and modified units are priced separately because of their specification.
Delivery within Australia is charged by destination, from A$450 (Sydney metro), and shown at checkout. Prices are ex-yard, Botany NSW.
Yes, and we encourage it. You're welcome to inspect any container at our Botany yard by appointment before purchase.
If you can't attend in person, we can send you a detailed photo set of the specific unit, including all four sides, the doors, the floor and the interior.
Inspecting before purchase is the single best way to avoid disappointment — particularly with used containers, where cosmetic condition varies within a grade.
Both. We supply homeowners buying a single unit for backyard storage, tradespeople needing a site store, and businesses ordering multiple containers or arranging regular export.
You must be at least 18 years old to purchase. Australian businesses registered for GST should provide their business name and ABN at the time of ordering so it appears correctly on the tax invoice.
Not necessarily. Photographs on our website are representative of the grade and type rather than of a specific unit, unless we state otherwise.
Used containers vary in cosmetic appearance. Two units of the same grade may show different rust patterns, dents or paint markings while both meeting the standard for that grade.
If the exact appearance matters — for example, you want a particular colour, or a unit with minimal surface rust — tell us before you order and we'll photograph specific units for you to choose from.
Container colour is not guaranteed unless it has been specified in writing and agreed in your Quote.
Used containers come in whatever colour their previous shipping line used, and often carry residual logos or stencilling. New one-trip containers are more predictable, but availability of a specific colour varies with stock.
If colour matters, we can repaint a container to your specification as a modification. Ask us for a quote.
We stock containers from 10ft through to 45ft, including:
We also supply refrigerated containers (reefers), flat pack units, cabins and container pools. Browse them all in our shop.
We grade every container so you know exactly what you're buying:
A high cube is roughly one foot taller than a standard container of the same length. Everything else — length and width — is the same.
That extra height is useful for tall equipment, pallet stacking, workshop conversions, or anywhere you want more headroom. It also means slightly more overhead clearance is needed on delivery.
Surface rust is normal on used shipping containers and is not a defect. These are industrial goods built from corten steel that have spent years at sea.
The following are expected on a used unit and do not indicate a fault:
What would be a problem is structural rust that compromises the container, or a unit sold as Wind & Water Tight that leaks. Those are covered by your rights under the Australian Consumer Law — see our Refund Policy.
This is condensation, commonly called "container rain", and it is not a leak.
Steel containers heat and cool faster than the air inside them. When warm, humid air meets the cooler steel ceiling, moisture condenses and drips. It's a property of steel boxes, not a defect.
You can reduce it substantially with proper ventilation, desiccant products, insulation, or by not storing damp goods inside. We sell vents as accessories and can fit ventilation as a modification.
We deliver to every Australian state and territory — New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, the Northern Territory and the ACT.
Sydney metropolitan deliveries are handled directly by our transport partners. Interstate and regional deliveries go through licensed freight carriers.
Some restricted-access locations may not be serviceable. We'll tell you before accepting your order.
Orders delivered within Australia usually arrive in 2 to 8 business days after payment has cleared for Sydney, NSW, the ACT, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia, and in 8 to 15 business days for Tasmania, Western Australia and the Northern Territory. This includes 1 to 3 business days to prepare your order. Orders placed after 2:00 PM (Sydney time) start on the next business day.
These are estimates, not guarantees. Weather, traffic and carrier schedules can affect timing. Custom and modified units are built to order, so the build time stated in your Quote is added. See our Shipping & Delivery Policy.
Delivery within Australia is charged per order, by destination, and the fee for your address is shown at checkout before you pay:
Prices are ex-yard, Botany NSW. The fee covers one standard delivery to a site that is ready to receive the container. No other delivery charge applies unless a delivery cannot be completed because the site was not ready.
It depends on your site and the container size:
Yes — collection from our Botany yard is free of charge, by prior appointment.
You'll need a suitable vehicle and any lifting equipment required, and you're responsible for load restraint compliance. We'll load the container onto your vehicle where we can do so safely.
Bring photo identification and proof of purchase. Risk in the container passes to you the moment it's loaded onto your vehicle.
Yard hours: Monday to Friday 8:00am–5:00pm, Saturday 9:00am–1:00pm. Closed Sundays and public holidays.
If our carrier attends and delivery can't be completed safely or lawfully — because the site is inaccessible, nobody is present, overhead clearance is insufficient, or permits aren't in place — the delivery is treated as failed.
A failed delivery fee applies, and re-delivery is charged at full cost. Both are payable before the container is re-dispatched.
To reschedule a confirmed delivery without charge, give us at least 48 hours' notice.
Site preparation is your responsibility, and it's the most common cause of failed deliveries. Before delivery day, make sure you have:
Possibly. Rules vary significantly between councils, and depend on how long the container will stay, what you're using it for, and whether it's visible from the street.
Approval or a development application is more likely to be required where the container is:
Obtaining any necessary approval is your responsibility. ECS doesn't apply for permits on your behalf, and we're not liable for fines or removal orders arising from placement without approval.
The container needs firm, level ground that won't subside. Concrete, compacted gravel, road base or railway sleepers under the corner castings all work well.
Placing a container on soft, uneven or sloping ground can cause it to twist or rack — which distorts the frame and can jam the doors permanently. Damage caused by unsuitable ground is not covered.
Leaving a small gap under the container for airflow helps reduce condensation and slows corrosion on the underside.
Once the container is placed and the truck departs, repositioning requires a separate paid job — a return visit with the right equipment.
Be certain of the placement before the driver leaves. Mark the position clearly, check the door swing direction, and confirm access for whatever you'll be putting inside.
We modify containers to specification, including:
Work begins once you approve the specification in writing and we receive your payment. Browse our modified containers for examples.
Yes. You can return any product, including a modified container, within 14 days of delivery or collection, for any reason. Return transport is free and there is no restocking fee.
Contact us within the 14 days to request a Return Authorisation. Your rights under the Australian Consumer Law are not affected. See our Return Policy.
Often not. Cutting doors or windows into a container can compromise its structural certification, and modified units may lose their Cargo Worthy status and CSC plate.
If you intend to ship the container by sea after modification, tell us before work begins so we can advise what's possible while retaining certification.
Electrical, plumbing and structural work may require certification, engineering sign-off, or council approval in your jurisdiction — particularly for habitable conversions.
Obtaining these is your responsibility unless we've expressly agreed otherwise in writing. Ask us and we'll tell you what's typically required for the work you're planning.
Yes. We export from Australia to Europe, the United States, Canada and countries across Asia. Our position minutes from Port Botany means we can load and dispatch efficiently.
We arrange the shipping line booking, delivery to the port of departure, Australian export documentation and customs clearance, and marine insurance where requested.
Incoterms® define exactly where our responsibility ends and yours begins. Every export Quote specifies one. The common ones we trade on:
Unsure which suits you? Ask us and we'll explain the practical cost and risk difference for your destination.
Generally no. Containers exported from Australia may be treated as a GST-free supply where the statutory conditions are met — including that the container is exported within 60 days and isn't used or altered in Australia first.
However, GST-free does not mean tax-free. You'll be liable for import duties, taxes and charges in your own country. See our Sales Tax & GST Policy.
Import charges are payable by you, aren't included in our invoice, and are outside our control. Depending on destination they may include customs duty, import VAT or GST, customs brokerage, quarantine and inspection fees, and port and terminal handling charges.
You may also incur demurrage and detention if the container isn't cleared promptly at the destination port.
Transit times are set by shipping lines, not by us, and vary by route, vessel and season. Port congestion, vessel rollovers and schedule changes are all outside our control.
Any transit estimate we give is indicative only. We'll keep you updated on the booking and provide documentation as it becomes available.
Generally no. Once a container is loaded for export or has departed an Australian port, return freight usually exceeds the value of the container itself.
If a genuine fault is identified after arrival, we'll work with you in good faith on a practical remedy — a repair contribution, partial refund or price adjustment — rather than physical return. Your rights under the Australian Consumer Law are not affected.
We accept bank transfer (EFT), and international wire transfer for export orders. We do not accept card payments or cryptocurrency.
Our bank details are given to you directly on your invoice or quote. Full details are on our Payment Policy.
Yes. Your order is paid in full by bank transfer. The total, including delivery, is shown at checkout and on your invoice.
Once your payment has cleared, your container is reserved and we schedule delivery, collection or export. See our Payment Policy.
Yes. You can cancel at any time before your order is dispatched or collected and receive a full refund.
After delivery, you can return any product within 14 days. See our Refund Policy and Return Policy.
Refunds are paid by bank transfer, in Australian dollars, to the bank account the payment came from. They are generally processed within five to ten business days of approval.
Bank transfer fees and currency conversion charges are not refundable.
Title passes to you once payment has been received in full and cleared — not before, even if the container is reserved or modified.
Risk passes separately: when the container is loaded onto your vehicle at our yard, when it's delivered to your site, or at the point set by the agreed Incoterm for export orders.
Insure the container from the moment risk passes to you.
Try a different word, or ask us directly on WhatsApp — we answer fast.
Speak to a container specialist. We'll help you choose the right unit, quote your delivery, and answer anything this page didn't.
