How can I tell if a junkyard is a scam?

Have you decided to sell your junk car? Let us be the first to congratulate you. Believe us, it’s definitely the best decision you could possibly make. There’s no reason to hang onto a junk car. They cause you nothing but trouble in the long run. Plus, they slowly drain your bank account. And, in the meantime, they detract from the appearance of your property, take up valuable space, and can even subject you to fines from your local city or county.

If you’re looking to sell your junk car, you may have already considered trying to find a private buyer. If so, you’ve probably passed on that idea. It’s nearly impossible to sell a junk car to a private party, and more often than not it’s a complete waste of time.

Instead, you’re trying to find a reputable junkyard in your area, in the hopes that you’ll get a decent price for your junk car. This can be a lot harder than it might sound. Unfortunately, there are quite a few scammers out there in the world of junk cars. Here’s how to tell if a junkyard is trying to scam you.

No title transfer

When transferring ownership of a vehicle, you’ll need to sign over your vehicle’s title to the buyer. Without this step, the sale hasn’t legally occurred. In fact, regardless of whether or not money changes hands, a title still in your name means that the vehicle still belongs to you. If the car were to be involved in an accident or some kind of illegal activity after you’ve “sold” it (but while it’s still titled in your name), you could be held legally liable.

A reputable junkyard will ask you to sign over your title when they pay you for your vehicle. If they insist that they don’t care about titles, they may be scamming you.

Paying by check

Checks aren’t inherently bad. We’ve all used them. But, if you run a business, you’ve probably received a bad check somewhere down the line. It’s incredibly frustrating: not only do you end up never seeing the amount of money that the check was written for, but you frequently also have to pay a returned check fee to your bank.

There are a lot of stories out there of junkyards writing bad checks as “payment” for a vehicle. The checks bounce, and the sellers never see a dime. When you sell your junk car, go with a company that pays in cash if at all possible.

Charging for towing

Here’s a common scenario when dealing with a junkyard. You call them, give them some basic information about your car, and receive a quote. Then, when they come to tow your car away, they tell you that there will be a (usually sizable) fee for towing. You thought you were getting hundreds of dollars for your car, but now you’re getting next to nothing.

Junkyards are in the business of buying junk cars, which means they’ll likely have their own tow truck(s) available. Charging you for towing is just a way to increase their profits. Go with a junkyard that offers free towing: you deserve to keep 100% of the amount you’re paid.

Skip the scams: choose Junk Car Traders

Rather than dealing with local scammers, why not go with a national company that has an excellent reputation? Junk Car Traders offers amazing customer service, and we’ll beat any other offer in your area.  We make it easy for you, just give us a call in Colorado and we will ask you a few questions about your junk car, then we will give you a quote over the phone. Visit JunkCarTraders.com for more information.