Shipping and Delivery

Shipping and Delivery — the detail that matters is below, written for this business rather than for the industry in general.

This policy explains how delivery is quoted, what is included, what is not, and what happens when a site turns out to be different from the description. It applies to sales and hires alike.

Shipping and Delivery: the short version

What follows covers this delivery policy: what is included, what is quoted separately, what we do not claim, and what to send us to get a firm number. It is written to be read before you commit rather than after.

Shipping and Delivery: how a unit is delivered

Delivery is by tilt-tray, by side-loader, or by crane, and which one is used is decided by the site rather than by preference. A tilt-tray tips the unit off the back and needs a straight run and a firm surface. A side-loader lifts the unit off the side of the truck and needs clear space along one flank. A crane lifts it over an obstruction and needs a set-down point that can be reached from above.

Timing and scheduling

Weather affects tilt-tray and crane work more than it affects a side-loader, and a wet or soft site can stop a delivery on the morning it is due. Where that happens the delivery is rebooked rather than forced, because a truck bogged on a site is a worse outcome than a day’s delay.

Collecting from the yard

The unit has to be matched to the vehicle before it is booked. Weight, height when loaded, and the lashing points all matter, and a unit that is too large for the trailer will not become smaller on the day. Tell us what you are bringing and the right unit will be prepared for it.

Damage found on delivery

Inspect the unit before the truck leaves. Note any damage on the delivery document at the time, and photograph it. A note made on the day is the simplest evidence there is, and it makes the rest of the process quick.

How a return is raised

Report the problem as soon as it is found, before the unit has been loaded, cut into or otherwise altered. Send photographs of the issue and of the unit as delivered, the order number, and a description of what differs from what was expected. That package is usually enough to decide whether a return, a repair or a price adjustment is the right answer.

How a refund is paid

A refund is initiated once the unit has been collected and checked, or once the fault has been agreed without collection, whichever applies. The exact date is confirmed in writing when the refund is approved.

Pricing and GST

GST is itemised on the invoice rather than folded into a single figure. The ABN 94 010 669 539 appears on every invoice, which is what allows the document to be used as a tax invoice without a follow-up request.

Faults, damage and fair wear

A container that has been used at sea will show the marks of that use. Dents, scuffs, patches of surface rust and faded paint are normal on a used unit and are described at the grade shown on the listing. They are not faults, and a return raised on those grounds will be declined.

Returning a hired unit

A hired unit is collected at the end of the agreed term. The collection is booked in advance so the truck and the site are ready at the same time, which is the single biggest factor in how smoothly a hire ends.

Limits of liability

Where liability cannot be excluded, it is limited to the amount paid for the unit and the delivery. Nothing here limits a right that cannot be limited by law, including the consumer guarantees that apply to goods and services sold in Australia.

Links to other sites

This site links to the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator and to other references where they help explain a rule that affects moving a container. Those sites are run by other organisations and their privacy practices are theirs, not ours.

What we collect

This website does not ask you to create an account to browse. Account registration, where it is used, collects the same details as an order because it exists to make repeat orders faster.

What this site does not claim

There are things a container listing is often expected to state that this site deliberately does not. We do not publish a warranty period, because the honest term depends on the unit, the use and the site. We do not publish stock quantities, because they change daily and a stale number is worse than no number. We do not publish delivery prices, because delivery is a function of distance and access and a published price would be wrong for most buyers.

What we do instead is answer those questions specifically when asked, against the unit and the postcode in front of us. A quoted answer is worth more than a published average, and it cannot mislead someone whose situation differs from the average.

Payment

Payment is by bank transfer or PayID. The order number goes in the transfer reference so the payment can be matched without an email chain, and the invoice is issued before the transfer is made so the amount and the reference are both in writing.

Card payment is not offered. The surcharge that would have to be added to cover it is better left off the price than buried in it.

Making a complaint

We acknowledge within one business day and give a decision in writing. Where the answer depends on an inspection, the inspection is booked at the first opportunity and the expected date is confirmed rather than left open.

How to get a price

Send the product name and your postcode. Add a photograph or description of the approach and the drop point if the site is anything other than open, level and clear. That is enough to come back with a delivered price rather than a unit price plus an unknown.

If the layout needs changing, describe the change at the same time so the modification and the delivery can be quoted together. Two quotes for one job are slower and usually worse than one quote for the whole job.

How we contact you

If an email address is wrong, say so early. A delivery confirmation that lands in the wrong inbox is the same as no confirmation, and the day it matters is the day there is no time to correct it.

Storage before collection

A unit bought or hired but not yet delivered is held at the Queensland yard for the agreed period. Storage beyond that period is a separate arrangement and is quoted rather than assumed.

Reading these documents

These pages are written in plain language on purpose. A policy that a buyer cannot follow is not a policy, and a term that has to be explained by a lawyer before it makes sense is usually a term that should have been written differently.

Questions about this page

Shipping and Delivery: how is delivery quoted?: From distance, equipment and access. Distance is the easy part. Equipment depends on whether the unit can be tipped, side-loaded or craned, and access decides whether the truck can get close enough for any of those.
Shipping and Delivery: why do you ask for a photograph of the approach?: Because the most common delivery failure is a site that matched the postcode but not the truck. Narrow streets, low branches, overhead lines, steep drives, soft ground and tight gates all change the plan.
Shipping and Delivery: what is a tilt-tray delivery?: The truck tips the bed and the unit slides off the back. It needs a straight run, a firm surface and enough length to lay the bed down, which many suburban sites cannot provide.
Shipping and Delivery: what is a side-loader delivery?: The truck lifts the unit off its own side and sets it down alongside. It needs clear space along one flank, and it is usually the answer where there is no room to reverse and tip.
Shipping and Delivery: when is a crane needed?: Where the set-down point cannot be reached from the road by either truck, or where the unit has to pass over a fence, wall or building. A crane needs a reachable position and firm ground for its outriggers.
Shipping and Delivery: how long does delivery take?: A stock unit can often move quickly. A unit that has to be modified first cannot move until the work is finished, and that timeline is quoted with the price rather than assumed.
Shipping and Delivery: will the truck bring the container onto my property?: Only if the surface and the access allow it. A truck loaded with a container weighs far more than the container, and soft ground that supports a car will not support that. Set-down at the boundary is sometimes the only option.
Shipping and Delivery: can I collect instead?: Yes, by arrangement from the Queensland yard. Collection removes the delivery cost entirely, and the unit is matched to your vehicle before it is booked so the trailer is not too small on the day.
Shipping and Delivery: who loads the container at the yard?: We do. Loading is done by the yard for insurance and safety reasons, not by the customer, and the loading bay is booked for the agreed window.
Shipping and Delivery: what happens if it rains on the delivery day?: A wet or soft site can stop a tilt-tray or crane job on the morning it is due. Where that happens the delivery is rebooked rather than forced, because a truck bogged on a site is worse than a day of delay.
Shipping and Delivery: do you deliver outside Queensland?: Yes. Delivery runs across Australia from the Queensland yard, priced on distance and access. Interstate work is arranged rather than routine, so it is worth asking early.
Shipping and Delivery: what should I do when the truck arrives?: Look at the unit before the truck leaves, and note anything wrong on the delivery document at that moment. A note made on the day is the simplest evidence there is.
Shipping and Delivery: what if I find damage after the truck has gone?: Report it as soon as it is found, with photographs and the order number. Damage that is clearly transit-related is handled as such; damage that happened after set-down is handled as a repair.
Shipping and Delivery: is a delivery date guaranteed?: A date is agreed and held. Weather, road closures and site access can move it, and where that is likely you are told before the day rather than on it.
Shipping and Delivery: does delivery include positioning?: The unit is set down at the agreed point. Moving it after set-down is a separate job with separate equipment, so the set-down point is agreed in advance, not chosen by the driver on arrival.
Shipping and Delivery: what if my site is not ready?: Tell us before dispatch. A truck that arrives at an unprepared site usually has to leave with the unit still on it, and the second attempt is charged because the transport was performed twice.
Shipping and Delivery: is the unit covered in transit?: The transport we arrange is our responsibility until set-down, and damage caused in transit is dealt with under that. Insurance of the unit after set-down belongs to the buyer.
Shipping and Delivery: what ground does the truck need?: Firm, level and able to take the weight of the truck and its load, not just the container. Soft ground that supports a car will not support a loaded tilt-tray, and that is the most common reason a set-down has to move to the boundary.
Shipping and Delivery: how much notice do you need?: As much as you can give, particularly for a craned set-down where the equipment has to be booked. A stock unit can sometimes move quickly, but quick is not the same as guaranteed.
Shipping and Delivery: can the driver move the container after set-down?: No. The unit is set down at the agreed point, and moving it afterwards needs equipment that is not on a delivery truck. The set-down point is agreed in advance for that reason.
Shipping and Delivery: can you deliver on a Saturday?: Ask. Weekend work depends on the transport operator and on the site, and a craned set-down is harder to arrange at short notice than a tilt-tray.
Shipping and Delivery: who pays for a second delivery attempt?: Where the site was not ready or not as described, the second attempt is charged, because the transport was performed twice. Where we got the equipment wrong, it is ours.
Shipping and Delivery: do you deliver to a residential street?: Often, but not always. A residential street may not have the length, the clearance or the surface for the equipment the unit needs, and the alternative is set-down at the nearest workable point.
Shipping and Delivery: who does this shipping and delivery policy cover?: This shipping and delivery policy applies to every unit delivered from the Queensland yard, whether bought, hired or modified first.
Shipping and Delivery: does this shipping and delivery policy cover interstate freight?: Yes. This shipping and delivery policy covers delivery Australia-wide, priced on distance and access rather than a fixed zone table.
Shipping and Delivery: what does this shipping and delivery policy say about access?: This shipping and delivery policy requires the approach and drop point to be described before delivery, because the wrong equipment on the day is the most common failure.
Shipping and Delivery: does this shipping and delivery policy include collection?: Collection is arranged under this shipping and delivery policy at the end of a hire, and it is booked in advance so the truck and the site are ready together.
Shipping and Delivery: what does this shipping and delivery policy say about damage?: This shipping and delivery policy asks for damage to be noted on the delivery paperwork before the truck leaves, which makes the rest of the process quick.
Shipping and Delivery: is a delivery date guaranteed by this shipping and delivery policy?: A date is agreed and held under this shipping and delivery policy. Weather, road closures and site access can move it, and you are told before the day rather than on it.
Shipping and Delivery: does this shipping and delivery policy cover a second attempt?: This shipping and delivery policy charges a second attempt where the site was not ready or not as described, because the transport was performed twice.
Shipping and Delivery: can I collect instead of using this shipping and delivery policy?: Yes. Collection removes the delivery cost entirely, and under this shipping and delivery policy the unit is matched to your vehicle before it is booked.

External reference

For freight and heavy vehicle rules that apply to moving a container, see the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator. We do not give regulatory advice, and nothing on that site is specific to this business.

Photographs from the yard

Questions about this page: support@seawaycontainer.com.