If you were upgrading the car recently or if it is in bad condition – so bad that you don’t consider that someone will buy it as a whole – you may wonder, where to sell old car parts. There are some places.
Inspect the Parts, Compare the Prices
The first thing you should do is thoroughly inspect the condition of parts you want to sell. It’s very unlikely that potential buyers will be willing to buy things that are not working properly or if the purchase will break immediately after the deal. Some components may be sold only for scrap metal, some others may be repairable – and you should know it in advance in order to sell them to someone even if you don’t want to make repairs at your own expense.
Of course, you’ll need to do some research to make the most money possible. Familiarize yourself at least somewhat with the car parts you want to sell. Compare the prices for similar components online to know how much you can get for yours. When you’re done with the preparations – you’re ready to sell.
Local Salvage Yards
The first place you can go to sell old car parts is the salvage yard in your area. These dealerships specialize in selling broken down or stripped off cars to buyers who use them for individual parts or as rebuilding projects. If your parts are worth reselling, they will consider to buy them. This way is not the most profitable, but it is quick and easy.
The information about local salvage yards you may find online or in your local phone directory listings. Don’t forget to call them beforehand to inquire about whether or not they buy individual car parts for your particular make, model, and year. Pay attention for the price they are offering, because different dealerships might be interested in different parts, and the price will be changing respectively.
Salvage yard in Albuquerque, New Mexico © Clinton Steeds/CC BY 2.0
eBay Motors & Other Sales Services
Selling your car parts online via eBay Motors is the best shot you have if you want to make the most money possible. This particular way is not as easy as it looks because it suggests that you have time and desire to sell parts separately to different buyers from across the country. Popular Mechanics has a nice story about how to sell old car parts on eBay Motors and how much time is needed for that.
eBay is not the only option – there are other sales services. A lot of motorists have chosen Craigslist, for instance. eBay and Craigslist use different approaches, so you may want to try both, if you’re not sure, what is best for you. Either way, it takes some time to sell the stuff, as you’ll have to negotiate, make photos and advertisements, ship the parts to the buyer and so on. By the way, do not underestimate the ‘photos’ part – it is very important. The first impression could decide the outcome of the deal.
Combining the Solutions
If you have a bunch of old car parts, it’ll be wise to contact the local salvage yards to sell them as many parts as they will be ready to buy, and sell the rest via eBay, Craigslist, or analogues. You will make some money without spending too much time and effort.