It’s not every day that you want to sell off your catalytic converter. So, when that day comes, you’ll want to make sure that you get the best price possible.
There are two types of catalytic converter buyers. The first wants to buy it as a car part to install in another vehicle, offering a price based on its functionality. The second type of buyer wants to extract and recycle the precious metals inside the cats-con and will pay you more for it.
So, before you go Googling “scrap catalytic converter buyers near me”, it’s best to read through this guide. It will show you how to get the most money from selling your cats con and what you can do to maximise your payout.
How Do I Sell a Scrap Catalytic Converter?
If you’d like to get rid of your car’s catalytic converter and get a few dollars for it, you can choose from several options.
Potential Buyers of Scrap Catalytic Converters
People who will buy a catalytic converter include:
- Catalytic converter recyclers - Depending on where you live, you might find advertisements for recyclers who want catalytic converters in particular. These businesses will pay you for the cat con to recycle the precious metals inside.
- Wreckers or Junkyards - Wreckers will take cars apart, reselling functional parts and recycling the rest. They’ll also be willing to take your catalytic converter, even if you just want to scrap the whole thing.
- Individual buyers - If you can’t find recyclers or wreckers, you can always sell it off to an individual catalytic converter buyer. The closest catalytic converter buyers near me or you are typically friends and family, so start there. Besides that, you can sell to willing buyers online.
- Used car part dealers - Last but not least, you can try to sell your scrap catalytic converter to used car part dealers. Sure, you might not have any use for the converter at this point, but a used car part dealer might be able to squeeze just a little bit more useful life out of that part.
What Affects the Scrap Price for Catalytic Converters?
Like any other car part, you’ll find that the car brand and model will affect how much you get for selling it to an interested buyer. That’s true even if you’re selling the catalytic converter for scrap.
However, the scrap price for catalytic converters is unique.
Remember: Those converters aren’t just pieces of metal welded together. They also consist of precious metals (e.g., platinum, palladium, and rhodium).
Factors Affecting the Price of Scrap Cats Con
- Car make and model
- Engine type – Is your car a hybrid or combustion-engine vehicle? The quantity of precious metals in catalytic converters of hybrid cars is higher than in ICE vehicles. That means they’re worth more, even as scrap.
- Market prices – The market prices of those precious metals will also determine how much you get for them. Those prices go up and down each day. If the buyer can make more money from the cats con, they can offer you a better price.
Do Catalytic Converters Have Serial Numbers?
No, catalytic converters lack identifying features that make them easier to track when stolen. That’s another reason these car parts are such a tempting target for thieves.
There is some good news, though.
You can add markings to your catalytic converter to make them at least somewhat traceable. A popular anti-theft method is to etch or engrave details onto your catalytic converter. For example, you could put your vehicle identification number (VIN), license plate number, or other identifiers on the catalytic converter.
However, there are two things to bear in mind:
- First, a determined thief can rub the etchings off and make it unreadable.
- Etchings or other identifiers don’t deter thieves from stealing the converter from your car. Instead, they’ll only make the converter somewhat traceable after the theft has already happened.
Where Can I Get the Most Money for My Catalytic Converter?
You can get the most money for your catalytic converter by selling them to recyclers or wreckers.
I bet you want to know why.
Two Types of Catalytic Converter Buyer
At this point in this guide, you might have figured out that there are two types of catalytic converter buyers.
- The buyer who wants the cat con as a spare part. These buyers intend to install the cat in another vehicle, so they’ll pay you for the part’s functionality. Examples of these buyers include used car parts dealers and individual buyers.
- The buyer wants the cat con for the precious metals it contains. Their goal is to remove the precious metals and recycle them. They’ll assess your converter based on how much palladium, rhodium, and platinum they can get out of the part and earn from the process.
Bottom-line: if you want to scrap your catalytic converter and get the most money, go with a buyer who wants it for the precious metals inside and not as a car part.
How to Get the Most Money Selling Your Catalytic Converter
The selling price for your catalytic converter will depend mainly on the precious metals market and how much your buyer is willing to pay. Still, you can do a couple of things to maximise the amount of money you get from selling it.
Here are some quickfire tips to get the most money selling your catalytic converter:
- Do your homework: First and foremost, do some research into the catalytic converter you have. Then, you can do a quick check online to see how much it might be worth. For instance, you can check other sellers' listing prices for the same part.
- Leave the honeycomb alone: Suppose you're taking the converter apart by yourself. In that case, leave the honeycomb alone. There will be plenty of precious metals in there, and you don't want to get rid of them unknowingly.
- Compare prices: Never take the first offer. Instead, call up the different recycling centres or wreckers in your area, or visit them personally. You’ve probably only got one cat con to sell, so you might as well put in a bit of effort to get the best price.
- Cut the exhaust pipe off: If you'd like, you can cut the exhaust pipe off to make things easier on everyone. Firstly, that'll make it easier to carry the part around. Secondly, the buyer will do that anyway to see what's inside, so you can make things easier for them.
To search for wreckers and recyclers in your area, feel free to use the Directory at CarpartAU. You can use the dropdown menu to narrow down the automotive businesses you want and get their contact details.
So what are you waiting for? Give them a call now to tell them you’ve got a catalytic converter for sale and ask how much they’ll pay you for it.
By Ray Hasbollah