You're Looking for Storage in Brisbane... Here's How to Make The BEST Value Decision!

Does it really matter if you cannot accurately estimate the actual storage space you require? Yes it does, but perhaps not for the reasons you think!

You can call a storage provider or perhaps even rely on a "storage calculator" found on some websites to give you an estimate BUT it'll be exactly that... an estimate. Even an experienced industry professional viewing the stuff to be stored can make a mistake. And chances are as you're reading this you're a DIY'er, you'll be packing the storage space and you probably won't do that as efficiently as the professional guys.
So yes, accuracy does matter but perhaps not for the reasons you think.

When enquiring about storage, most people ask "What will it cost?" The response is to ask "What storage space do you require?" A rate is then quoted. A call is then made to another provider or two, and the enquirer makes a decision... probably based on the lowest price. But was this the best value decision?

What happens when you get to the storage place and find your stuff doesn't fit? Storage buildings provide fixed storage spaces... the next size up, or rather the next size available will cost a lot more! You may have been better accepting that other quote.

Matters get a little more complicated should you need to down-size or up-size storage space during your storage term. As storage buildings provide fixed storage spaces... the provider won't move a wall to cater for your needs, so you'll have to move, spending more time and money!

There is a better way. Seek a storage provider that will guarantee you exclusive space to cater for your actual demand. And ensure that storage provider will charge only for the space you use!

This is an impossible task for operators of traditional self storage facilities, with fixed sized storage sheds. However, these benefits are available from mobile storage operators like BoxNgo.

Up to five 7m³ storage modules can be delivered to your door in one load. With each mobile storage module holding 60+ various sized cartons or 1½ rooms of furniture, it means your storage demand is immediately catered from 7m³ to 35m³!

And most importantly... you pay only for the hire and storage of the modules you actually use! Most mobile storage operators like BoxNgo recommend you order that extra module for your peace-of-mind... the operator will happily take back and refund any unused modules not required.

Mobile storage operators' flexibility also extends when you down-size or up-size storage space during your storage term... you pay only for the hire and storage of the modules you are actually using!

For more information go to http://www.boxngo.com.au

Two very distressed persons called us earlier this year … both had stored with competitors and used metal containers. One had stored for 6 months, the other 9 months, both returned to find that mould had decayed linen, mattresses and clothes; rotted cartons, and severely damaged wooden tables and chairs … only a few items were salvaged! Moisture was the culprit, and the airtight container the villain!

Metal containers are not designed for term storage ... they're designed to haul stuff! When a container is loaded and the doors swung shut, it’s airtight … the seals are so tight that containers lost overboard at sea actually float for a period! Temperatures rise quickly in a metal container more so than in a locked car on a hot day. Airtight storage exposed to high and fluctuating temperatures are disastrous ingredients. Moisture inside will evaporate as temperatures rise and then, as temperatures fall, form condensation which will drip onto your stuff below. This is repeated day after day, for your entire storage term!

Most household and personal items that you store will contain moisture … linen, towels, clothes, shoes and furniture. An average queen sized mattress, as an example, contains several litres of fluid absorbed from the bodies that slept on it. Even the air trapped inside a metal container contains water … many litres of it!

A wooden module is unquestionably the best in which to store goods. Why? Wood breathes … meaning that the contents equalize with the outside environment, so any moisture released will escape to the atmosphere preventing condensation forming inside. A simple, effective, and proven storage method!

Metal containers are a cheap storage source but the end result is a horrific write-off … the cheapest option will surely cost you at the end. The two folk that prompted this story are testimony to that!

►If you are or have been a self storage user, give us your opinion - good, bad and indifferent! 

  ⇒What are the top 6 things (in order of importance) that mattered most to you when you were selecting somone to provide storage? Think about why you selected your storage place: Was it recommended?; Did you shop around? - if so what made you decide?

 ⇒What have been the top 6 things that frustrate you the most about self storage? Think about the services you were looking for, or promised, but weren't provided. The service provided by the storage place. And what you want to tell others who may want to use the same provider!

►Perhaps you have a future use for storage:

⇒What are the top 6 things (in order of importance) that you are seeking from the storage place? Is it location of the facility, hire of truck or trailer, security, cleanliness, access to your goods, help with unloading, want goods stored off the floor, storage cost?

The Australian, Business: 30 August 2008

RENNIE Schafer, executive officer of the Self Storage Association of Australia, says the industry has enjoyed strong growth over the past six years.

 "It's really only been 10 years that the industry has gained such a presence," he says.

Schafer says that at any point in time, 290,000 individuals and businesses use storage services.  "There are in excess of 1000 self-storage facilities in Australia and New Zealand, ranging in size from small 10-unit sites in regional areas through to multi-storey 1000-plus unit centres in the major cities," he says.

 Schafer says self storage in Australasia continues to be used primarily by domestic clients, looking to store personal items they don't have room for at home, or need to access away from home. There is an increasing demand from commercial clients, looking at using self storage as a business tool, with about 25 per cent being of commercial nature.

 He says he is not surprised by the emergence of a niche mobile storage business.

"This has been around in the US for a while; it's a niche. If you need regular access to your goods then mobile is not a solution. But there's definitely a market," Schafer says. "Some people will like the idea of dropping a module at their front door."

Self storage is "location-driven". He adds: "People won't travel more than 10 minutes to get access to their stuff. There are biglifestyle changes where more people are living in apartments and where two people coming together need to store possessions."

 He points to the fact that new houses, while offering space for open-plan living, seem to have cut out storage space. "There aren't attics any more and garages are needed for the cars."

 Schafer says the self-storage industry has thousands of mum-and-dad operators who mainly work in regional Australia, with the three industry leaders accounting for about 35 per cent of total space.

Did you know if you occupy office space you may be paying as much as $800 per square metre (psm) and around $2,000 psm for specialty retail space, just to store excess office furniture, archive files, or store excess or last season’s inventory? You may not be paying these rent levels yet, but office and retail rents have surged typically 60% in the past 12 months, so you will feel this bottom line impact come your next rent review!

Should your storage space measure a modest 4sqm then it could be costing you, as a retailer, around $8,000 per year just to have that stuff sitting in your shop. On top of that there’s the lost opportunity to make more sales when you consider that the space you’ve set aside for storage within your business premises could be replaced with displays to merchandise more stock, or occupied by an additional revenue generating employee!

All you need to do to tap this bottom line profit potential is to rent a BoxNgo Room and have BoxNgo store your stuff off-site. To rent a BoxNgo storage Room which measures about 4sqm, for 12 months, will be about 2.5 times less than the cost of archiving files in your office and 7 times less than the cost of storing inventory on-site at retail premises.

And it gets better. With BoxNgo’s re-delivery service, you call and BoxNgo will return your storage Room to your business and then when you’ve finished extracting that file or unloading your stock, BoxNgo will return your storage Room to store.

BoxNgo - a convenient, simple and profitable business solution!

We are pleased to present the BoxNgo video - which quickly and succinctly shows the BoxNgo process in less than 20 seconds! Take a look here ... BoxNgo Video

MONEY BACK GUARANTEE

You will NEVER see our competitors offer this guarantee... 

BoxNgo’s portable storage concept is new to the Sunshine Coast and we believe to Australia. We want your business but understand your reluctance to try something ‘new’. So we’ll reverse the risk of you doing business with BoxNgo - the risk is all ours!

Our Money Back Guarantee ...

"If you are not absolutely delighted with our service, the practicality of our system, or believe you have not received value for money, anytime within the first 7-days of the delivery of your BoxNgo storage Room, then we’ll refund your initial service fee in full."

All we ask is that you first call and then post a notice of your request to the Guestbook Page at our website, with a comment to what you weren’t happy with – that’s fair and reasonable, isn’t it?

What is the difference between PORTABLE storage and traditional self storage?

Portable or mobile storage and traditional self storage facilities provide tailored storage for different needs. Each are equipped to store your belongings securely and easily. However, there are several differences between the two.

Portable storage is traditional self storage but with the addition of service and convenience.  It allows those who require more flexibility to pack their portable storage unit right at their home. For example, when making home renovations, a mobile unit will temporarily hold the contents of a room. It is delivered directly to your door and picked up when ready.

A self storage facility offers a more stationary and long-term option. You need to pack your trailer or hired truck, drive to the facility, unpack into your allocated storage space (which could be above the first level!), return the trailer, and then repeat the entire process when you want your goods back home! With petrol at record high prices most folk don’t want to be driving to and from a distant storage facility.

Here is some information to help you choose the best option for you.

Moving? Use a portable storage unit for a more flexible moving schedule.

Renovating? A portable storage unit will hold the contents of each room you’re renovating right in front of your home.

Overload? Full Garage? Stuff unwanted? Self storage or portable storage is the perfect solution to hold your overabundance of belongings until you can find space for them.

In-between homes? Portable storage would be perfect to hold your stuff either short or long term. It’s packed once, unpacked once, and handled only at those times minimising damage. Importantly portable storage return your goods in the same storage modules you packed, at a time you want.

No room for a portable storage unit? Self storage is perfect for those with a small apartment that has restrictive access or no driveway to park a portable storage unit.