If you've caught the new show Container Wars on TruTV, you may be wondering how these container auctions work and whether you can get in on the action in your area. Although the show takes place in a commercial ship yard, similar types of auctions may occur in any area where items are shipped, stored and abandoned. Even if you live in a land-locked city like Dallas, you can still find certain kinds of shipping container auctions in Texas.
Shipping container auctions take place when a shipping or cargo container is left unclaimed. Once these containers reach their destinations, they are unloaded and stored for a predetermined amount of time before going up for auction. The proceeds of an unclaimed container go toward reimbursement for the shipping costs and other associated expenses, like duties on international goods.
The shipping container auctions Dallas auction-goers can find will generally be for ground-shipping cargo containers. These are sometimes used for commercial purposes, but they are more commonly used by private parties as a way to ship items from one location to another as part of a move.
In many cases, the cargo companies work closely with storage units, and many cargo containers are placed in storage after arriving at their destinations. This means that some shipping container auctions Texas auctioneers host will actually occur at storage facilities. If you're a regular at storage auctions in your area, you may be able to find shipping container auctions as well just by attending auctions and talking to the auctioneer or facility owner. You can also check the Dallas auction calendar for your favorite auctioneer to see whether any auctions are scheduled in the future.
The best way to find out about upcoming auctions is to network with fellow auction hunters. You can also check an online listing service for your area for a Dallas auction calendar. If you're in the Dallas area, you can use our service to locate storage and shipping container auctions in Dallas, Fort Worth and other major Texas cities.