A mini-container for inter-modal shipping includes panels forming a pair of oppositely disposed side walls, a front wall, a back wall opposite to said front wall, a floor, and a roof. The side, front and back walls may releasably lock to one another to form an enclosure and unlock from one another. The panels are positionable between an erected-for-use configuration and a collapsed storage configuration. In the storage configuration, the side, front and back panels are stacked lying flat to form a stack of the panels laying on the base. The stack of panels is overlaid with the roof. The erected mini-containers are sized for space efficient loading of an inter-modal mobile transport conveyor such as an automobile carrier, train, ship or plane. In their storage configuration the mini-containers may be carried on the mobile transport conveyors for later use carrying cargo and may be carried in a stack simultaneously with mini-containers carrying cargo. The mini-containers may be sized so as to enclose at least two standard-sized pallets or at least three standard-sized boxes positioned side-by-side and adjacent the base of the mini-container.