A great example of a product that you can flip for cash is old car batteries. While the amount you can earn will depend upon the type of battery, the overall quality and condition of your item, and what the local demand is for these products, you can still earn money and make something in return for this type of used car part.
That said, finding the right place to sell these old car batteries can be the most difficult part of the process. Do you have some old car batteries that are laying around or do you offer collection services and don’t know where to flip these goods? If so, here is a guide that will help you learn how to sell old car batteries for quick cash when you find yourself in possession of these items.
Where Can I Sell My Old Car Batteries?
Because making the decision to sell an old car battery (or even turning it into a potential side hustle) is not that difficult, we are going to skip over some of the general recommendations and considerations we typically list and dive right into some of the places where you can profit off of your leftover batteries. Let’s get started!
1. Try to Find Local Scrap Yards That Will Accept Used Car Batteries
If you have old car batteries that are no longer functional, that doesn’t mean that you can’t trade them in for money! One of the best places to turn a profit on these dead batteries is at a local scrap yard. Scrap yards will generally see value in the lead core of the car battery, for which the average battery will hold at least 21 pounds of lead inside of it. Although prices will depend upon the going price of lead and how much you have contained inside that old battery of yours, you can expect to make at least $7 on your sale. Check the price of lead as it is now, call up your local scrap yard, and make some money on that car part that you have no other use for.
2. No Scrap Yards? Turn to Recycling Centers Instead!
Sometimes, looking for scrap yards may not turn up the search results that you are looking for. Thankfully, this doesn’t mean that you can’t still earn money on those old car batteries. Another place to look up is local recycling centers, which will also pay you for the materials contained inside of your car batteries. When it comes to places such as recycling centers and scrap yards, look around for multiple options as some facilities may pay you more for the same products than others (especially if you are selling in bulk).
3. Turn to Your Local Auto Parts Store for Help Selling Your Battery
If you’re like most people, you probably have no idea where the scrap yards or recycling centers are in your area. Additionally, if they are located well outside your town and it would cost more for you to travel to the facility than what you would make selling the battery, it simply wouldn’t be worth the cost. So, what is another great alternative? Rather than trying a scrap yard or recycling center, you may want to consider turning to local auto parts stores like Napa, O’Reilly, Advance Auto Parts, or AutoZone. You can earn anywhere from $5 to $12 selling your used car batteries at these types of locations. However, you may not always earn cash. Some stores will instead provide you with a credit that you can use towards other purchases at that location in the future. Make sure to check in with your store of choice and ask them how this process works and what you will get in return for giving them your used car batteries.
4. Sell Your Old Car Batteries to Local Repair Shops Who Sell These Products to Customers
In possession of a high-quality car battery or batteries that would still be useful inside of an operating car? If so, you have something that is much more valuable than your average defunct battery. If your car battery still works, one place where you may be able to fetch a higher price is a local repair shop. Although this is somewhere that can be an easy stop for those just looking to sell one car battery, those who are turning to flipping used car batteries as a business can make a great deal of money acting as a supplier to these businesses. If you have multiple repair shops in your area, reach out to each owner to see what their pricing is and where you will make the most money for your battery.
5. List Your Used Car Battery on Websites Like Craigslist
In this day and age, you do not have to look far to find a platform that will help you sell nearly anything you want to get rid of. For products that you will need to sell in-person, this is especially true. Some places where you may want to consider selling your used car battery includes websites like Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, or OfferUp. The more platforms that you sign up for, the more buyers you are going to be able to reach, which will make it a bit easier to get rid of your used car battery.
That said, there is a trick to making sure that your product sells. Simply advertising that you have a used car battery to the world won’t bring buyers in. Instead, make sure that you have some excellent photos of the battery you are attempting to sell, be very transparent with buyers about what type of product it is and what condition it is currently in, and create a listing that attracts buyers to your product rather than to listings currently offered by other sellers. With the right listing, you will find a buyer sooner rather than later.
If you do choose to sell your used car battery on a platform that is known to do national orders rather than just connect local buyers with local sellers, make sure to do your research on how to properly package and ship your old car battery. Otherwise, you may end up dealing with setbacks and obstacles that may be more costly than the resale value of your car battery is worth.
6. Find a Pawn Shop to Quickly Sell Your Car Battery
Some people want to get rid of their used items as quickly as they can. However, if you have an item that is still in relatively good condition, you don’t want to necessarily sell it to just anyone as this can take away a substantial profit that you could’ve made otherwise. One solution to this problem is to approach a pawn shop.
Now, the issue with pawn shops is that you are still not going to get the best prices as the pawn shop owner will still have to make a profit off of said item. They will have to find a reasonable price to pay you so that you can make some money and they can as well when they find a buyer. However, you are most likely not going to get paid as little as if you were to take your working car battery to a recycling center or a scrap yard. While you should look for more profitable ways to make some money on your used car battery, taking it to a pawn shop can be a way to earn some money if you are not able to find a buyer for this item in the near future.
7. List Your Used Car Batteries in the Classified Section of Your Local Newspaper
Despite the fact that many of us get our news either through our favorite cable channels on TV or through various apps on our phones, there is still a demographic out there that reads the paper and may pay close attention to the classified section to see if there are any great deals in their area. Find newspapers in your area and see if you can get in contact with the editor in charge of the classified section to see what it takes to get your product listed there. Even though this may be a smaller population of people, his will help you reach out to some potential buyers who are not necessarily online and rely on offline sources to find deals around them. The more diversified your outreach methods are, the more likely you are to find someone willing to buy from you in the process.
8. Have a Yard Sale
Trying to sell one product at a time can be a time-consuming process. However, there are some people who have a house full of items that they no longer need. Does this sound like you? If so, you may instead wish to have an old-fashioned yard sale. If you have used car batteries and other old car parts (along with other household goods, of course), laying out your unneeded items on display will attract any passerby looking for used items for themselves or for items that they may want to flip to make a bit of extra money.
What is important to remember if you do choose to have a yard sale is that most local governments will require you to have a permit in order to sell your items. Otherwise, local law enforcement can come by anytime and shut you down if you don’t have the proper paperwork for the days when you plan to show off items at your yard sale. Also, some cities may have special rules about where you can hang signs pointing to your yards sale, which is especially important to know as you will need to direct people to your property (which will be impossible to do if you find that someone has taken down all of your signs).
The best course of action to take if you decide to host a yard sale is to get in touch with a local government official or go down to city hall and ask what you will need to do to legally have a yard sale and what rules and laws you will need to follow in order to make sure that you don’t encounter any problems along the way. This way, you don’t have to worry about setting aside time to sell all of your unused stuff, only to find that the time you spent earned you no profit in the process.
Sell Your Used Car Batteries Today!
Used car batteries are one of those things that people will look at and think to themselves, what am I supposed to do with this? If you are someone who is entrepreneurial or frugal by nature, the good news is that you can make money by selling this otherwise unneeded item. Whether you have old car batteries that are no longer operational (which can be sold for scrap to earn you a little cash on the side) or old car batteries that are still in great condition and can be sold for much more to those who need to purchase affordable, used items, there are plenty of ways you can sell your used car batteries to ensure that your used items don’t lie around and go to waste. If you have a car battery you are looking to sell, go through the list provided above to learn more about where you can find buyers and turn your old car battery into some hard cash!
As we’ve covered in our previous article, 10 Ways to Sell Used Tires for Money, there is always a need for used products that can bring down the cost of having to replace a certain product within your car. This means that when you find yourself having to put something new into your car, the chances are pretty good that you can then take that used item and sell it for some cash, even if it is something that is no longer functional.
