When your car battery dies, it can be a bit frustrating. However, knowing that the dead battery is still worth something may brighten your spirits just a little bit.
You know how we are always looking for ways to make extra money, and the old car battery is certainly a way to accomplish this. With a used car battery, you can get money for it, even if it has no charge left.
The most important part of this process is knowing who buys used car batteries near you and making sure that you get the right amount of money for your old car batteries. Here are the best places to sell your old car batteries.
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How Much Is a Used Car Battery Worth?
A used car battery will vary in price depending on how much is left in it, where you bought it, and it’s overall condition. If you are looking to sell a slightly used battery, you are going to get more for it than a battery that is dead. The initial price of your battery will also affect the value.
We all know there are high-quality batteries out there, and there are some that are not nearly as good. Although you may get a deal for a battery, in the beginning, you may end up getting less for it when it comes time to sell.
If you are selling a lot of used car batteries, you should check the rates that local stores or auto salvage yards are offering. Depending on what they need at the time, they may offer you more money for your battery.
Who Buys Used Car Batteries Near Me?
Finding a location that will buy used car batteries near you should not be difficult. There are several places that will take them from you. As always, do a bit of shopping around to make sure you are getting a good price for your used batteries.
1. Auto Parts Store
A local auto parts store will take used batteries. The reason that they take these batteries is because of the core charge. Essentially when you purchase your battery, you are charged a core fee. This fee is very similar to the deposit that you may pay when purchasing glass in some states.
Essentially the fee is in place to encourage people to recycle and turn in their batteries when they are done using them. Your fee is usually around $10 or so. Depending on the store, the price can go up and down a bit.
You will not need your original purchase receipt when you bring the battery in. These stores are equipped with the necessary information and technology to process a used battery.
If your battery is completely dead, you are still able to collect your core charge. If your battery has a bit of life left to it, you may get more than just the core charge.
The locations below are all known for giving you money for used car batteries. Not all locations that sell batteries will give you money for used batteries.
Keep this in mind as you may as well get a few dollars for your used battery.
Advanced Auto Parts
Napa
Autozone
O’Reilly
Pep Boys
2. Auto Repair Shop
An auto repair shop is in a similar situation to an auto parts store. If you have a local auto repair shop, you may understand how smart these professionals can be about using and reusing parts and products. Sometimes an auto repair shop will recharge a battery and sell it for a reduced rate.
Other times they will recharge it and use it for their own testing purposes when working on vehicles. Chances are the auto repair shop is going to find a need or a use for the battery. If nothing else, they will go ahead and sell it again to a recycling center or another repair shop.
Since an auto repair shop needs to make their profit on the battery as well, you can expect to get slightly less money for your battery.
3. Auto Salvage Yards
Auto salvage yards will take all sorts of used cars and used car parts. At an auto salvage yard, you may turn your car in with the battery still in place. Sometimes the yard will take it apart and get that battery out to sell for a reduced rate.
Auto salvage yards will give you a bit more money if the battery has some life left in it. However, keep in mind that they will need to sell the battery to the next customer; therefore, they have to leave room for their own profit.
4. Pawn Shop
If you read our recent article about pawn shops, you know that they can be a great way to help you sell some things for quick cash. The problem with pawnshops is that the price they pay you has to allow them to make some money as well.
Therefore if an item is worth $5.00 they will probably give you $2.00 and then sell it for $5.00 themselves. Essentially they are getting paid for their service.
Many pawn shops take car batteries, but it is best to bring in car batteries that have a little life left in them. The batteries that are older or completely dead are probably not really worth it for the pawnshop to take.
However, if you are headed to the pawnshop with a bunch of belongings to pawn, go ahead and bring along the old car battery.
5. Recycling Center
A battery recycling center will often pay you for the battery, but so will a scrap metal recycling center. There are parts and pieces inside the battery that can be salvaged and then repurposed. You will probably see prices for a used battery at a recycling center to be around $6.00-$10.00.
Of course, if the battery still has some charge left to it, you may be better off at a local auto repair shop or auto salvage yard. Save the recycling center for a place to bring the batteries when they have no charge left.
Although we want you to make some cash for your old batteries, it does not hurt to help recycle either.
6. Craigslist
Car enthusiasts, tradesmen, and those in need of a car battery could be searching Craigslist any day to get a deal on a battery. When you post an ad on craigslist, be realistic about the pricing.
List your item for sale for a few dollars more than you would at a local store. Take some good pictures of the battery as well as any information as to the condition.
People are very worried about getting scammed on Craigslist. Be honest about what you are selling and be realistic about how much you are asking. These are two signs that your listing is legitimate and people can trust the information.
7. iScrap App
The iScrap App is a unique tool that can help you get some cash for more than just your used car battery. The iScrap App is an excellent choice if you are looking to get rid of any type of scrap metal or parts.
The exciting thing about scrap yards when it comes to the battery pricing is that they will pay you by the pound. So for a car battery, it is not going to really matter if the battery is functioning or not.
The current pricing per pound is about .22 cents. If a normal car battery weighs about 40 pounds, you will get about $8.80 for your car battery. However, if you can grab some old batteries from the neighbors or friends, you can make your trip to a much more profitable scrap yard.
The iScrap App also lets you know the best places near you. Chances are you will find a scrap yard or two that you didn’t even know about.
8. Pull-A-Part
Pull A Part is similar to an auto salvage yard, but they tend to help out a bit more when it comes to transport and getting the batteries to the location. If you have an old car that won’t even start or run, you can call Pull A Part, and they will help get you the quote for the total offer on the car and a way to transport it to their yard.
Generally speaking, Pull A Part will be more interested in the overall price of the car than just a pile of batteries. They will, however, give you individual numbers for all of the parts on the car that they can use. Chances are, you will see about $6.00-$8.00 for the battery.
9. Classified Ads
A classified ad is a great choice, especially if your old car battery has some life left in it. People who need a car battery may take a look through the classifieds to see what is available.
What we recommend doing before placing an ad in the classifieds to take a look through and see if you can find anyone was looking for older car parts.
Sometimes there are scrap yards or auto repair shops that are in need of these things. With more and more recycling centers popping up, people have a hard time finding used batteries when they need them.
Before you head out with your batteries, always take a quick look at the classifieds in case there is a good offer on there.
10. eBay
We all know of eBay as being one of the easiest and best places to sell items quickly. The problem with car batteries being sold on eBay is that they are hard to ship. If you are interested in selling on eBay, you just need to look for local people that my interested.
The great thing about eBay is that you can start listing all of the things you need to sell once you start an account. For those items that can be shipped, it is rather easy to figure this out.
If you don’t want to get involved in shipping, you will see that many people are looking for local items on eBay as well.
It is a good platform to work with, and most people find it much safer and more reliable than Craigslist.
11. Yard Sale
When having a yard sale or a garage sale, why not empty out everything that you have in your garage, including those all car batteries. A yard sale is an excellent choice if you do not want to leave your house to dispose of your old car batteries.
If a trip to the salvage yard or the pawn shop does not sound too appealing for you, try selling your old car batteries at a yard sale. Keep in mind that if someone is buying this from you at a yard sale, chances are they are going to try and bring it to a salvage yard or an auto part store.
They will have to leave some room to make a profit themselves.
12. Global Tech Environmental
With Global Tech Environmental, you are going to have to have quite a bit of volume to be able to sell your used car batteries. Global Tech Environmental will take used electronics when you have more than 500 pounds available.
Considering a car battery is about 40 pounds, you will need to have quite a few of these for this process to work out for you. If you do have a battery stockpile, you can simply call in, and they will help schedule a pick-up and give you a quote for what your batteries are worth.
13. Peddle
Peddle is a very easy service to use, but you will need more than just the car battery to take advantage of the Peddle services. When you go to the Peddle website, you will fill in the make and model of your car. Once they have all the information they need, you will get your quote and towing information.
Of course, as part of the Peddle process, they are paying you for the battery that you still have in your car. You will most of the time see about the same amount of money offered for your battery as you will have offered through other resellers.
14. Battery Reconditioning
Battery reconditioning is a new and exciting business. With battery reconditioning, you can sell your battery or have it reconditioned. If you have your battery reconditioned, you can then sell it again as a reconditioned battery.
Certainly, these reconditioned batteries don’t go for quite as much money as a new battery, but they are still worth a good amount. This may be something you want to consider before you hand over your battery.
Make sure that you are sure you can’t make some extra money off of a reconditioned battery before you sell it for $6.00 and walk away. Remember that sometimes it costs a few dollars to make some extra money.
Summary
Hopefully, you have a better understanding of the best ways to sell your old car batteries for cash. Finding a place to sell an old car battery should not be a problem.
There are lots of great options out there, and you will be able to price them out to find the best solution. In the end, you can assume that the price you get for a used battery will be anywhere from $5.00 to $20.00.
Every penny counts; there is certainly no need to throw this money away. Have more stuff to sell? Don’t miss this post on how to sell your used appliances.
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