Self-storage boxes, also known as self-storage bins, are
storage containers often rented by individuals and businesses in
metropolitan areas
A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually ...
.
The storage
box
A box (plural: boxes) is a container used for the storage or transportation of its contents. Most boxes have flat, parallel, rectangular sides. Boxes can be very small (like a matchbox) or very large (like a shipping box for furniture), and can ...
service offers on-demand pick-up and drop-off services to storage facilities; the
self storage
Self storage (a shorthand for "self-service storage," and also known as "device storage") is an industry that rents storage space (such as rooms, lockers, containers, and/or outdoor space), also known as "storage units," to tenants, usually on ...
service does not.
Description
Self-storage rental bins are primarily lockable boxes made from hard
plastic
Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptab ...
suitable for
household goods
Household goods are goods and products used within households. They are the tangible and movable personal property placed in the rooms of a house, such as a bed or refrigerator.
Economic role
Businesses that produce household goods are catego ...
,
clothing
Clothing (also known as clothes, apparel, and attire) are items worn on the body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials and natural ...
,
shoe
A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot. They are often worn with a sock. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration and fashion. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from culture ...
s,
electronics
The field of electronics is a branch of physics and electrical engineering that deals with the emission, behaviour and effects of electrons using electronic devices. Electronics uses active devices to control electron flow by amplification ...
,
document
A document is a written, drawn, presented, or memorialized representation of thought, often the manifestation of non-fictional, as well as fictional, content. The word originates from the Latin ''Documentum'', which denotes a "teaching" o ...
s and
book
A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physi ...
s. They typically have a capacity of at least 80 liters and a weight limit of approximately .
The storage bins are usually picked up from the tenants' location. Some operators offer a photographic inventory of bins and tracking system using the pictures as reference; apps to view, add or request storage returns. Self-storage becomes transparent with its virtual visual catalogue from which single items can be ordered back. Tenants are usually charged a fine for pickup and delivery, as well as a monthly fee for the storage at self-storage facilities. As prices for the small storage bins range between $5 and $10 per unit, they are increasingly becoming a popular storage option in both consumer and commercial applications. Bloomberg News cites the dramatic increase in demand over supply as being the primary reason for the bin storage option becoming so popular in cities like New York.
Unlike traditional self-storage facilities whereby tenants actually go to the store to view their items, the self-storage industry simplifies the storage process by providing clients with more transparency and on-demand services.
Challenges to traditional self-storage industry
As major cities run short of living space, self-storage boxes are now becoming a relevant service in many parts of the world. The service is particularly attractive to clients because its pick-up services save time and effort for the inhabitants of metropolitan areas such as
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
,
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
,
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, and
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
, but in particular in the
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
n world.
Business analysts continue to monitor the space closely to follow the possible intrusion into the self-storage market.
identifies the major NYC startups as: RedBin, MakeSpace and Clutter. Although only RedBin keeps to the original bin storage model, the others have pivoted to offer full service moving and storage services.
See also
*
Mailstorage
*
On-demand outsourcing
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Self storage boxes
Family economics
Containers