Shipping Containers for Sale in Chicago, IL
In Chicago, a used 20ft starts from $940, less than in any other metro where we list depot prices. Moving up to a used 40ft costs from $1,250; a brand-new one-trip 20ft, from $1,800. Delivery and tax are extra. One seller in our network has a depot on the city’s Southeast Side, and delivery near it runs about $450.
Going by the sellers whose prices we track, most containers arrive 3–7 business days after you accept a quote; when and how you pay is up to each seller, so check its quote.
Enter your ZIP code to check that we cover your address. Up to 5 sellers serving it send you their delivered prices after you send your request.
Chicago prices
Each “from” price is set 15% below the average of the cheaper half of what the 3 Chicago-area depots in our network list for that model and grade, container only, or 15% below our national starting price when that’s lower, and is checked monthly. The price you pay, with delivery and sales tax, is the one in the quote you accept from a seller serving the Chicago area.
| Container | Chicago, from | National | Depots |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20ft, used, WWT | $940 | $1,400 | 3 |
| 20ft, used, CW | $1,030 | $1,550 | 3 |
| 20ft, new | $1,800 | $2,750 | 2 |
| 20ft high cube, new | $3,930 | $4,620 | 2 |
| 20ft double door, new | $2,810 | $4,100 | 1 |
| 20ft open side, new | $5,360 | $6,750 | 1 |
| 40ft, used, WWT | $1,250 | $1,900 | 3 |
| 40ft, used, CW | $1,440 | $2,060 | 3 |
| 40ft, new | $4,250 | $5,350 | 1 |
| 40ft high cube, used, WWT | $1,380 | $1,980 | 3 |
| 40ft high cube, used, CW | $1,480 | $2,130 | 3 |
| 40ft high cube, new | $2,850 | $3,900 | 2 |
| 40ft high cube double door, new | $3,830 | $4,800 | 1 |
WWT: wind and watertight; CW: cargo worthy; new containers are one-trip. Depots: how many of the Chicago-area depots in our network listed that model and grade at the last price check. The 10ft, reefers, offices and modified units weren’t listed at these depots at the last price check, and the 40ft high cube open side can’t be matched to one of our two versions, so all of them keep their national starting price: all shipping containers.
Every Chicago “from” price is below our national starting price, by $460 to $1,390.
To get quotes, open the model page and choose “Get the best price”: up to 5 sellers serving the Chicago area send you their delivered prices. How we set the prices on this page: price method.
Where Chicago containers come from
Three verified sellers in our network keep containers around Chicago, each checked for licensing and insurance, and one of their depots sits in the 60617 ZIP code, on the Southeast Side. Your request goes to up to 5 sellers in our network that serve the address; before you accept a quote, ask which yard the container is in, so you know the box you’re buying is already in the Chicago area.
Delivery across Chicagoland
Near the Southeast Side depot, a 40ft costs no more to drop off than a 20ft; distance is what raises the fee, out to the western and northern suburbs. Requests from Chicago and across the suburbs, including Evanston, Oak Park, Cicero, Schaumburg, Naperville, Aurora, Joliet, Elgin and Waukegan, and from over the line in Gary, go to sellers that deliver to the address.
Inside the city, the back of the lot often means the alley: Chicago counts about 1,900 miles of public alleys, by its transportation department’s own figure. If the container is going behind the house or next to the garage, the truck has to come in that way and set it down in line behind it: plan on a straight run of about 60–80 feet for a 20ft or 100–120 feet for a 40ft, 10–14 feet of clear width, and no wires or branches low overhead. Measure the alley before delivery day.
Delivery figures here are estimates from rates depots publish, about $4–$6 a mile by tilt-bed past the depot area; the fee in the quote you accept is the one you pay. What the truck needs on your lot: site checklist.
Frozen ground is the local catch: a container that will sit on footings for years needs them below the frost line, at a depth your building department sets. Our foundation guide covers the options.
City rules, suburban rules
Inside Chicago, ask the Department of Buildings whether your container needs a permit or zoning review before it arrives. Each suburb writes its own rules, and some only plan for temporary containers. Chicago Ridge’s container permit, for example, lasts 30 days, with one 30-day extension, and covers loading and unloading household items: one container per property, on a driveway or other hard surface at a house, and no more than 16 feet long on residential property unless the building department approves. A 20ft or 40ft you plan to keep falls outside that permit, so ask your village hall what applies before you order, and check with your HOA; our permit guide has the questions to ask.
Sales tax in Cook and the collar counties
Illinois charges 6.25% statewide, and on August 1, 2026 the Northern Illinois Transit Authority’s share rose to 1.25% in Cook County and to 1% in DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will. County and city taxes come on top: Cook County’s own rate history lists 1.75% for the county and 1.25% for the City of Chicago, the latest change in its table dating from January 2016, and the City’s list of tax changes for 2026 leaves its sales tax alone. The total still differs from town to town, so check an exact address in the Illinois Department of Revenue’s Tax Rate Finder.
Ask each seller to show the sales tax for your delivery address in its quote.
Browse containers Quote for several containers
Frequently asked questions
How much does a 20-foot conex cost in Chicago?
In wind and watertight grade, a used 20ft conex is $940 and up here, cargo worthy $1,030 and up; new one-trip units begin at $1,800. Add delivery, about $450 near the depot, and sales tax.
How much does a 40-foot conex cost?
Used, $1,250 and up at standard height or $1,380 and up as a high cube. Buying new? The 9′6″ high cube ($2,850 and up) undercuts the 8′6″ standard model ($4,250 and up) at these depots. Delivery and tax are extra.
How can I buy shipping containers wholesale?
Send one request for all of them: list the sizes, grades and quantities, and each seller that gets it sends back a written price per container plus delivery for the lot. Quote for several containers.
Sources
Prices: public listings at the 3 Chicago-area depots of sellers in our network, recorded October 21, 2026; delivery fee near the Southeast Side depot from the same day’s published rates.
Sales tax: Illinois Department of Revenue, bulletin FY 2026-34 on the Northern Illinois Transit Authority rate change (June 2026). County and city shares: Cook County, Cook County Tax History; City of Chicago, Tax Rate Changes as of January 2026. Alleys: Chicago Department of Transportation, The Chicago Green Alley Handbook (2010). Suburban permit example: Village of Chicago Ridge, temporary storage container permit application (ordinance 19-10-20). All read by October 24, 2026.