You can now bid on shipping containers once part of Arizona's makeshift border wall
If you’re in the market for a shipping container, you now have the opportunity to purchase one from the state of Arizona.
The public auction for the shipping containers that were once part of former Arizona Governor Doug Ducey’s makeshift border wall is now live.
Now that the border wall has come down, the state of Arizona has about 2,000 shipping containers sitting in storage that it's trying to auction off.
The state paid nearly $7,000 for just one 40-foot container. The bidding starts at $2,000.
So far, only a handful of people have placed bids on them during the first day of auction on Oct. 16.
These containers that have traveled the world and served as part of a border wall are being stored at a prison in Tucson. Their next destination will be determined by winning bidders.
"They are rusted, dented. They do have operable doors, they have a floor and obviously walls. So, we are just anxious to be able to start the auction and continue it until the public interest has been satisfied," said Megan Rose with the Arizona Department of Administration.
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Bidding for a single 40-foot container starts at $2,000. Bidding for a group of three starts at $6,000.
On its website, the Department of Administration states the containers could be used for housing, offices, classrooms and other types of occupancy use.
"Shipping containers are not in the building code yet. You have to go through a different process to get it permitted. So there's a lot of stuff out there that people don't realize," said Brian Stark, cofounder of Steel + Spark.
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Local builder, Steel + Spark, has been turning shipping containers into housing in Phoenix for nearly a decade. They have several projects around downtown and their latest project involves creating sustainable housing for the homeless.
Experts say those planning to turn a container into a permitted home should expect to spend tens of thousands of dollars on building and materials.
"I guess if you were very, very scrappy, and you're doing it yourself, maybe $50,000 by the time it's said and done. But it will be challenging," Stark said.
The state will auction a lot of five shipping containers at a time. Every two weeks, a new lot will go up for auction.
The makeshift border wall cost Arizona taxpayers close to $200 million. The state could potentially recover around $4 million through the auction sales.
You can sign up for a future auction. There's a seven-day waiting period before you can bid.