Become a shipping container dealer — without building everything from scratch
How to start a shipping container business in the US, join a container dealer network, and sell shipping containers as a dealer — without standing up a marketplace, CRM, and dispatch stack yourself. You still need an entity, insurance, sourcing, and a delivery plan.
Full Pro for 90 days — no credit card required. Plans and fees live on the dealer plans page.
Who this is for
Three common ways people sell shipping containers as a dealer. Prime Network is the operating layer either way — not a franchise and not a wholesale-only desk.
Yard dealer
You already keep inventory on the ground. You need more buyers finding those units, and a place to run the lead through quote, order, and delivery without a second set of tools.
Drop-ship reseller
You sell containers without holding a full yard. You still need a way to source, list, prove you are a real business, and get the unit delivered — the parts most resellers stitch together by hand.
Expanding retailer
You already sell related products (storage, equipment, construction supplies) and want to add shipping containers. You need a catalog buyers already search, not a new storefront to explain from zero.
The traditional path vs a platform path
Traditional path
- Form a legal entity and get the insurance a yard or reseller actually needs
- Find a source of boxes and keep that relationship alive yourself
- Arrange trucks one load at a time — texts, rate calls, no shared board
- Earn buyer trust from scratch: a website, classifieds, and word of mouth
- Build your own lead tracking if you do not want deals living in email
Platform path
- You still need an entity, insurance, a source of boxes, and a delivery plan — Prime does not replace those
- Marketplace demand is already there: buyers search Prime Marketplace by type, condition, and location
- CRM, Scam Shield verification, and delivery dispatch are on the platform instead of a pile of extra tools
- Plans are a flat monthly subscription. Prime does not take a percentage of the sale
What you need to become a dealer
Joining a network does not skip the basics. These are the pieces every container dealership still has to cover.
A real business entity
A legal entity (typically an LLC or corporation) is what Scam Shield checks against. A personal Facebook account is not a dealership.
Insurance that covers the work
Yard, cargo, and general-liability coverage are industry basics. Prime does not sell insurance; buyers and carriers will still ask whether you carry it.
A way to source containers
You bring the inventory relationship — a depot, a shipping line, or another yard. Prime Network is a place to list and sell, not a wholesale desk that fills your lot for you.
A delivery plan
In-house trucks, a private carrier roster, or the Prime delivery partner network. The sale is not closed until the box is on site.
A reason for the buyer to trust you
Identity and business-license checks, a 5-tier condition grade, and photos of the actual unit before it ships. That is what Scam Shield is for — so the buyer is not wiring a stranger.
How Prime Network fits
The layers you would otherwise build: marketplace demand, CRM, Scam Shield, dispatch, and plans. Details live on /network/dealers.
Marketplace demand
Your listings appear on Prime Marketplace, where buyers already filter by size, condition, and city. The inquiry becomes a lead instead of another Facebook DM.
CRM
Growth and Pro (and the 90-day Pro trial) include the Lead → Quoted → Ordered → Delivered pipeline. Free still receives buyer contact info; the board is a paid-plan tool.
Scam Shield
Dealer identity and business-license verification, listing and photo standards, and the right to refuse a mismatched delivery. Warranty plus Scam Shield is on every plan, including Free.
Dispatch
Schedule the haul on a calendar and broadcast it to your private carriers or the Prime partner network — without leaving the deal record.
Plans
Free, Growth, and Pro are flat monthly software plans. Prime does not take a percentage of the sale. See the live table below.
Buyers already browse Prime Marketplace and city pages such as Houston, TX, Los Angeles, CA, and Chicago, IL. How Scam Shield works for buyers is public. Carriers join the same network to haul the deliveries you dispatch.
Sign up, verify, list, first lead
Sign up
Create a dealer account. No credit card. After onboarding, every new dealer starts a 90-day free Pro trial.
Verify
Complete business details in onboarding. Scam Shield verifies dealer identity and business license before the listing carries that trust bar.
List
Add containers by hand, or bulk-import from CSV and reuse photo sets (Growth, Pro, and the Pro trial). Free lists up to 5 active containers.
First lead
A buyer on Prime Marketplace submits Contact Dealer. That inquiry lands as a lead with contact info — then you quote, order, and dispatch from the same record.
Plans on Prime Network
Every new dealer starts with 90 days of Pro, free, no credit card. After that, pick Free, Growth, or Pro. Prime does not take a percentage of the sale.
Free
+ $49 per verified-buyer sale · up to 5 active listings
Growth
Unlimited listings · CRM + analytics + bulk CSV + photo sets · no per-sale fees
Pro
Wholesale Pricing Monitor, trade credit (Net-7), priority placement, API · no per-sale fees
Full feature matrix: Sell on Prime Network.
Franchise vs wholesale-only vs Prime Network
Feature comparison only. Prime Network is not a franchise and not a dealer-to-dealer wholesale desk.
| Feature | Franchise | Wholesale-only | Prime Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public catalog of end buyers searching for containers | Not the typical model | No — other yards | Yes — Prime Marketplace |
| Dealer-to-dealer inventory trading desk | Not the typical model | Yes — that is the product | No — retail marketplace plus ops tools |
| Operate under your own business name | Often a licensed brand | Yes | Yes |
| Built-in retail CRM pipeline | Brand-dependent | Not a retail pipeline | Lead → Quoted → Ordered → Delivered on Growth and Pro |
| Buyer-trust verification on the listing | Brand-dependent | Not a retail trust layer | Scam Shield on every plan |
| Delivery broadcast to carriers | Brand-dependent | No | Yes — private roster or Prime partner network |
| Platform take of each sale | Set by that franchise | Set by that desk | Prime does not take a percentage of the sale |
Frequently asked questions
What happens after my 90-day free trial?
You keep full Pro access for 90 days with no credit card. When the trial ends you can subscribe to Growth or Pro to keep the paid tools, or stay on the Free plan — your listings and leads stay put either way. We'll show a countdown in your dashboard so there are no surprises.
Do I need a credit card to start?
No. The trial is genuinely no-card — you only add payment if you choose to subscribe to a paid plan.
What does the Free plan include?
List up to 5 active containers, appear in the marketplace, and receive buyer leads with contact info. The Free plan carries a $49 verified-buyer fee per completed sale (it covers Scam Shield buyer verification). The CRM, analytics, bulk import, and pricing tools are part of Growth and Pro.
How do payments work — does Prime take a cut of my sale?
No. Most container sales settle directly between you and the buyer (commonly pay-on-delivery). Prime does not insert itself into the payment or mark up your price. Paid plans are a flat monthly subscription; the Free plan has the per-sale verified-buyer fee described above. Prime does not take a percentage of the sale.
Can I change plans later?
Anytime, from your billing settings. Upgrade to unlock more tools or downgrade if your needs change.
Start the 90-day free Pro trial
Join the container dealer network, list inventory, and take the first lead on Prime Network. 90 days of Pro, free — no credit card.
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