01/11/2023 - Shipping Containers
By Huska Cehic
There have recently been some opportunistic shipping container sellers in Melbourne. These sellers have been taking advantage of high container demand, limited supply and increasing prices.
When certain markets experience such type of turbulence, unsavoury characters try to find quick ways to make easy money, without ever actually providing shipping containers for sale in Melbourne. How to spot these fraud sellers?
Scammers rely on the growing demand to attract customers with competitive pricing and gimmicks. Victims get easily enticed by extremely low prices and are often convinced by the supposed provider’s legitimacy. They only realise that they were scammed upon non-delivery of the shipping container they have purchased.
Luckily, there are some proven ways to spot fake shipping container sellers and minimise scams. Here are the top tips to help identify fraud shipping containers for sale in Brisbane:
Before you purchase or hire a shipping container, verify the authenticity of the business by looking for its company registration information. Ask for their registration certificate and liability insurance.
The seller must have a publicly listed contact number. Call the phone number and ensure that they sound genuine. Additionally, look for evidence of:
> A full address
> Google location details
> Third-party site mentions
> Online reviews
A reliable online business will have its company domain as the name, for example, containercompany.com. Whereas, a scammer may use an address like containercompany61.com. Also, visit their social media pages to ensure that they are consistent on all platforms.
Another way to ensure their online credibility is to check that their website appears in Google search engine results. A business only appearing in a paid ad could indicate that there is no actual webpage, meaning the business may be fake.
Before you purchase a shipping container, you must inspect it. This is the best way to avoid scams when looking for shipping containers. Avoid dealing with any seller who is not transparent and declines an on-site inspection.
Physically inspecting a container site will help you see what you are going to buy and meet the people that you are dealing with. So, request a physical inspection at one of their shipping container depots.
Good-quality shipping containers are not cheap. So, it is better to compare the prices of various sellers to get a rough idea of the deal you are getting.
If their prices are significantly lower than other prices in the market, this could be a red flag. Similarly, a price that’s much higher than the market price is also an immediate red flag.
A legitimate container seller would be able to answer your questions and satisfy you with expert answers. Whereas, a seller who dodges questions or is dismissive about specific questions should be treated with caution.
Scammers don’t know the industry and are afraid of questions. So, if a shipping container supplier doesn’t seem to answer your question, just hit the road!
Be suspicious of any business asking you to share your personal or banking information, especially early on in the process. This may showcase a lack of professionalism and reliability.
Also, make payments only using secure payment portals online. Avoid making transactions using cryptocurrencies or any other pseudo-anonymous methods.
Lastly, be wary of discounts and additional charges too. Shipping containers require a considerable investment and their prices may escalate during peak demand. So, don’t fall for this scam, thinking you could buy a 20-foot container for $2,000 when the market price is $4,000.
If you are looking for a reliable shipping container for sale in Melbourne, you can trust Affordable Containers! We have a range of shipping container sizes and grades available for different applications. Our team of experts is passionate about shipping containers and also offers logistics and removal solutions for commercial, residential and industry requirements.
Contact us for a no-obligation quote.
