Platform philosophy
A marketplace that only wins when the seller does
Plenty of marketplaces talk about being "seller-friendly" while quietly charging for every listing whether it sells or not. ScrapTrade's mechanics are built the other way around: the platform makes money exactly when a seller does, and not before.
The problem
"Every platform says it's for me. Most are optimised for the buyer"
"I've listed things before on sites where I paid to list, paid to feature it, and still didn't know if I'd actually get paid at the end. The buyer had all the leverage the whole way through."
That is a fair complaint about a lot of online marketplaces, scrap or otherwise. A platform that charges upfront for a listing has already been paid regardless of whether the seller ever sees a cent, which quietly misaligns its incentives from the seller's. Worth naming plainly, rather than assuming good intentions are enough.
Four mechanics that specifically protect the seller's side of a deal
No listing fee, ever
Creating a listing is free whether it sells in an hour or never sells at all. The platform's revenue comes from a commission on completed sales, meaning it earns nothing from a seller who lists and gets no offers.
Escrow protects you from non-payment
A buyer's 5% deposit is collected before you hand over any material. Without this, a seller handing goods to a stranger has no recourse if the buyer simply doesn't pay, a risk that sits squarely on the seller's side, not the buyer's.
The Wanted Board brings demand to you
Instead of only being found when a buyer happens to search, a seller can watch active buyer requests and respond directly, turning discovery around rather than leaving it entirely to chance.
Live pricing removes the information gap
A seller with no reference point is the easiest seller to underpay. Live material pricing exists specifically so that gap doesn't work against you by default.
See what a listing actually costs to create. Spoiler: nothing, until it sells.
Create your first listingHow this compares to a typical marketplace model
| Design choice | Buyer-first marketplace | ScrapTrade |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to list | Often a flat fee, charged regardless of outcome | Free, always |
| When the platform gets paid | Upfront, on listing | Only on a completed sale |
| Protection if a buyer doesn't pay | Rarely addressed directly | 5% deposit held in escrow before pickup |
| Who finds whom | Seller lists, waits to be found | Seller can also respond to buyer requests directly |
Trust, and the honest objection
"If it's free to list, how does ScrapTrade actually make money?"
A fair question, answered plainly
A disclosed commission is taken on completed sales, stated as part of the transaction rather than hidden in a lower payout number. This is a genuinely different incentive structure from a fee-per-listing model: it means growth for the platform requires sellers to actually get paid, not just to keep posting listings that never convert.
The offer, plainly stated
What's included, and the next step
| Cost to list | Free, no minimum volume required. |
| Cost to sell | A disclosed commission on completed sales only. |
| Included | Fixed price, live auction, and Wanted Board access, escrow protection, live pricing, and seller support. |
| Next step | Register, verify your identity, and list your first batch. |
Frequently asked questions
How does ScrapTrade make money if listing is free for sellers?
Through a commission on completed sales. This means the platform only earns when a seller's material actually sells, which is a genuinely different incentive from a model that charges for listings regardless of outcome.
Does escrow protect buyers more than sellers?
It protects both, but the seller-facing benefit is often overlooked. Without escrow, a seller handing over material to a stranger has no guarantee of payment. The held deposit exists specifically because that risk sits with the seller as much as the buyer's risk of paying for nothing.
What does the Wanted Board do for sellers specifically?
It flips the usual direction of discovery. Instead of a seller searching for a buyer, buyers who already need a specific material post what they're looking for, and a matching seller responds directly, often to demand that would otherwise never have found them.
Is ScrapTrade only useful for sellers with large volumes?
No. The same free listing and escrow protection apply whether it's a single household load or a recurring commercial volume. There's no minimum size requirement to use the platform as a seller.
List on a platform that's only paid when you are
Registering and listing are both free. See what an incentive-aligned marketplace actually looks like.
Related reading: Sell scrap online · Why choose ScrapTrade · Skip the middleman