Scrap metal has always changed hands the same way: a phone call, a yard visit, a price quoted on the spot with no way to check whether it was fair that day. ScrapTrade was built to close that gap, connecting sellers and buyers directly through a structured process with verification, competitive pricing, and payment protection built in at every step. This guide walks through exactly how it works, from creating your first listing to getting paid.
What ScrapTrade Actually Is
ScrapTrade is an online marketplace for buying and selling scrap metal. Instead of a seller getting a single quote from a single local buyer, a listing on ScrapTrade reaches every verified buyer active in that material category, wherever they are. Instead of a handshake deal with no protection if something goes wrong, every transaction moves through identity verification and an escrow-held deposit. For a full breakdown of what the platform is and who it's for, see what ScrapTrade actually is.
The platform is operated by Mobeius Technologies Pty Ltd (ABN 49 693 656 932, ACN 693 656 932), an Australian-registered company, though trading on ScrapTrade is not limited to Australia. Buyers and sellers from other countries trade on the same listings, which is covered in more detail in our guide to scrap trading internationally.
Step One: Registration and Identity Verification
Before you can transact freely on ScrapTrade, you complete a KYC (know your customer) identity verification check. This is a one-time step, and it exists for a specific reason: it means the person or business on the other side of a deal is real and checkable, not an anonymous account with no history behind it. Registration itself is free, whether you're planning to sell a single load of scrap or trade regularly as a business. You can register for a free account in a few minutes.
Step Two: Choosing How to Sell (or Buy)
Once verified, you can list material three different ways, and the right one depends on what you're trying to achieve:
Fixed-price listings work like a standard online store. You set a price per unit weight, and the first buyer to accept it gets the deal. This is the fastest way to sell, particularly useful when you already know roughly what your material is worth.
Live auctions let you set a start time and, optionally, a reserve price. Buyers bid against each other in real time, and competing bids do the price discovery for you. This tends to suit larger or higher-grade lots, where genuine competition between buyers can push the price above what a single fixed number might have captured.
Wanted Board requests flip the usual direction. A buyer posts what they're looking for, specific material, grade, and quantity, and sellers with matching stock respond directly. This is particularly useful when a specific material is in short supply locally, since it surfaces demand you might never have found by listing alone.
Our full comparison of these three options, including which one tends to suit which situation, is covered in quick sale or standard listing and in the broader explainer on how it works.
Step Three: Building a Listing That Actually Sells
A ScrapTrade listing asks for more detail than a bare classifieds ad, and that's deliberate. Every field exists to answer a question a buyer would otherwise have to ask you directly: material category, estimated weight, condition, and location. Buyers filter listings by category, so getting this right determines whether the right buyers even see your material. Our page on why the listing form asks for more breaks down what each field is actually for.
One optional but strongly recommended addition is a GPS-verified listing: a short video recorded with location services active, tying the material to a real place and time. This single feature is one of the strongest trust signals a listing can carry, and our page on why video-verified listings sell faster explains exactly why it shortens the gap between a buyer seeing your listing and committing to it.
Before you set a price, it's worth checking live material pricing for your specific category. Scrap prices move with global commodity markets, and a number that looked reasonable last month may not hold today. Our guide on knowing your value before you negotiate walks through the actual formula: weight multiplied by the current rate, adjusted for purity and contamination.
Step Four: A Deal Is Agreed
Whether a listing sells through a fixed-price acceptance, a winning auction bid, or an accepted Wanted Board offer, the mechanics from this point are identical. An order is created between the buyer and seller, and this is where escrow comes in.
Step Five: Escrow, Exactly How It Works
Once a deal is agreed, the buyer's deposit, 5% of the agreed value, is collected through Stripe and held by the platform rather than released straight to the seller. The seller then arranges pickup or delivery. The buyer has a 24-hour window after receiving the material to confirm it matches what was listed. Once confirmed, or once that window passes without a dispute, the held deposit releases to the seller.
This structure protects both sides of the deal, not just the buyer. A seller handing material to a stranger has no guarantee of payment without it, which is a risk that sits squarely on the seller's side of the transaction, just as much as the buyer's risk of paying for nothing. If something goes wrong inside that window, either party can raise a dispute tied to that specific order, reviewed against the order's own chat history and any GPS-verified listing evidence, rather than being argued out informally between two strangers. The full mechanics of this, including what happens step by step when a dispute is opened, are covered in our trust and safety guide.
What Happens If You're Buying, Not Selling
Buying works the same way in reverse. You can search and filter listings by material, grade, weight, and location, or post your own Wanted Board request if nothing currently listed matches what you need. Once a deal is agreed, the same 5% deposit and 24-hour confirmation window apply, so you're never paying upfront with no recourse if the material doesn't show up as described.
Every seller you deal with has also passed the same KYC verification, which removes one layer of risk before you even start negotiating. Our page on selling scrap without a middleman also covers a related point worth knowing on the buying side: because ScrapTrade never takes ownership of material itself, you're always dealing with the actual seller, not a reseller working off an undisclosed margin.
Support If You Need It
Neither side of a ScrapTrade transaction is expected to figure everything out alone. Seller support can help with listing creation and pricing questions, particularly useful the first time you're not sure how to describe or value a lot. Buyer-side support can help locate a seller for a specific material or grade when nothing suitable is currently listed. Both are covered in more detail in our guide for sellers specifically, which explains why the platform's incentives, commission only on completed sales, are structured around actually helping a deal close rather than just collecting listing fees.
A Worked Example
Say you're selling a 500kg lot of mixed copper wire. You check live pricing for copper and see the current rate, then list it as a fixed price, noting it's mixed rather than bare bright wire (since contaminated material typically prices lower than clean, sorted metal). A buyer accepts your price. Their 5% deposit, based on the total agreed value, moves into escrow through Stripe. You coordinate pickup through the order's own chat thread. Once the buyer collects the material and confirms it matched your listing, either immediately or once the 24-hour window passes without a dispute, the held deposit releases to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to be a registered business to sell on ScrapTrade?
No. Individual sellers, tradespeople, and households can list scrap metal without any business registration. Registered businesses can additionally apply for a verified business badge that builds a visible trading history over time.
What if I don't have a way to transport the material myself?
You can note in your listing that pickup is required, and many buyers will arrange and cover collection themselves, particularly for larger or higher-value loads. See our guide on quick sale with free pickup for how to handle this safely and what to confirm before agreeing to a deal.
Does ScrapTrade set the price of scrap metal?
No. Prices are set by individual sellers, or discovered through competing bids when a listing runs as a live auction. Live material pricing gives both sides a current reference point, but the platform itself is not a pricing authority for any material.
Is my payment information secure?
Deposits are processed through Stripe, a widely used payment processor, rather than ScrapTrade handling card or bank details directly.
Getting Started
The fastest way to understand how this all fits together is to see it in practice. Register for a free account, check live pricing for your material, and list your first batch, or browse the marketplace to see what a real, active listing looks like before you commit to anything yourself.