Has anyone used shipping containers for storage?

If you want to store perishables, go for a refrigerator trailer box. They are insulated and sometimes have all the equipment still in/on it to hook up for a cooler. They are cheaper that steel shipping containers, but need the undercarriage (wheels, etc) taken off as they sit rather high.

As they are insulated, they also work better as a shop, etc

Greencounty Pete: Don't know where you are, but here in the White Mountains, Bunger Steel ( just bought out & can't remember the name) was the main supplier They cost $3200.oo now for a 40 footer. (Supply & demand)

Just found a place in Phoenix that says statewide delivery - but not the cost to deliver.
Smart Storage Containers. 40 ft: $2995oo; 20 ft: $2195oo w/ steel doors; 20ft w/ roll-up door $2300oo. I think the roll up doors are pretty flimsy compared to steel doors.

Price here to move a 40 ft. container is $150.oo

My neighbor uses an 8x40 for a tool shed, works just fine for the most part except for some rusting of his tools occasionally. No leaks, built like a, well, a container. He put a couple of huge padlocks on the door and poured a small concrete pad in front of the door, dug a small ditch and ran power from the house to the container to power lights. These containers can be very frustrating to use as an active storage spot without some sort of lighting in them.

The only problem is they can be a hassle to move. He set the container over the water lines that run through his property (on the easement) to the properties down the road from him... then there was a leak in one of the water supply lines and... then there was a problem to sort out.

There was a thread on these not long ago. We have 2 of the 40-footers. We love them but have experienced the same issues described here. We wanted to put trusses across them for a barn but couldn't afford the $7500+ price tag and the labor to secure them and finish off the roof to cover the whole area. Would have been a nice barn though! Maybe some day.

As a storm shelter, even buried or set into a hillside, I'd be VERY concerned about lightning strikes - they are nothing more than a big, metal box.