Scrap trading scams follow a small number of well-worn patterns: a load that's lighter or lower-grade than promised, a payment sent before anything ships, a buyer who disappears after collection. ScrapTrade was built specifically to close those gaps, not as an afterthought bolted onto a listings site. This is exactly how, mechanism by mechanism, not just as a promise.
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Every listing carries GPS-tagged video verification before it ever goes live, confirming the material shown is real and actually where the listing says it is, not a stock photo or a description taken on faith. Traders can also carry identity (KYC) and business verification badges, so a counterparty is a checked account, not an anonymous handle. A classifieds ad or a phone number from a forum post gives you neither of those things, which is exactly the gap most scrap scams start in.
None of that guarantees good behaviour on its own, verification confirms identity, not intent, which is exactly why it's the first layer here, not the only one. Everything below builds on top of it, deposit, documents, and escrow all still apply even between two fully verified accounts.
Once a bid is accepted, a deposit, 5% of the bid value by default, is required to confirm the transaction. That deposit is what turns an accepted bid into a real commitment instead of a number either side can walk away from without consequence. Nothing is charged before acceptance: if a seller doesn't accept a bid, no deposit is ever taken, so there's nothing to refund.
If a buyer withdraws after the deposit is paid, a cancellation fee, a small percentage of the order total set per listing, is deducted and the remainder is refunded, typically within 5 to 10 business days. That fee exists to stop a deposit being used as a free option to hold a lot and walk away later, not as a penalty for a genuine change in circumstances.
If a seller backs out after your bid is accepted and your deposit is paid, you get a full refund, no cancellation fee deducted. The fee only applies when a buyer chooses to withdraw. It was never meant to penalise a buyer for a seller's decision not to follow through.
Most scrap scams don't happen at the price-negotiation stage, they happen in the gap between what was agreed and what actually ships: a lighter load than promised, material that doesn't match the listing, a shipment that never turns up. ScrapTrade's transport documentation runs alongside every deal to close that gap with a record, not just a promise:
A certified weight record for the load, not a figure either side just states.
What's actually in the shipment, itemised, before it moves.
Confirms what arrived, matched against what was listed.
The shipping record tying the load to the specific deal and carrier.
The full cargo record for larger or cross-border shipments.
The commercial record matching the agreed price, not a renegotiated number after the fact.
For cross-border deals specifically, the same discipline extends to the standard practices that international trade already relies on: customs clearance handled properly at each end, and a pre-shipment inspection when the value or distance justifies it, so a buyer isn't paying for a container's worth of material they only get to inspect after it's already theirs. See our guide to securing a good scrap deal for how this fits alongside price and negotiation.
ScrapTrade never asks a buyer to transfer payment directly to a seller, and a seller never has to trust that a buyer will pay once material is handed over. Payment moves in two stages, both processed through Stripe: the 5% deposit confirms the bid, then once shipping terms and logistics are settled between buyer and seller, the remaining balance moves into escrow. It sits there while the material ships and is delivered, the seller can see the payment is secured, the buyer hasn't lost control of it, and only releases once the buyer confirms delivery happened as agreed.
That release isn't a fully automatic trigger either. A person checks the confirmation is genuine before funds actually move to the seller, since the moment a buyer confirms receipt is exactly where a fabricated or rushed confirmation would try to slip through. See the full ScrapTrade process for every stage in order, including the deposit and coordination steps before escrow.
If something doesn't match what was agreed, a dispute can be raised on the specific order before payment releases, tied to the existing conversation with the counterparty rather than a disconnected support ticket. See Trust & Safety for the full mechanics of how escrow and disputes work together.
Verification, deposits, and escrow run automatically on every deal without exception, that's the part software does well. But when someone registers, lists material, or submits a purchase requisition, ScrapTrade's own team also calls and messages them directly: helping build the listing properly, actively finding a match, helping negotiate terms between both sides, and staying involved until the deal actually closes. Neither half is a substitute for the other. A checklist without a person to catch what doesn't fit the pattern is just a form, and a person without a system that applies the same rules to every deal is just a favour that depends on who you know.
ScrapTrade follows what's best for the scrap industry, not what pleases whoever happens to be on the other side of a specific deal. The same verification, the same deposit rules, the same escrow, applied the same way whether you're the buyer or the seller. That consistency, not picking a side to keep happy, is what a brand you can actually trust with your scrap business looks like in practice.
Four things stacked together, not one single feature: every listing is GPS-video verified before it goes live, every bid that gets accepted is backed by a real deposit, a document checklist (weight slip, packing list, consignment note, manifest, invoice) runs alongside every shipment, and payment sits in escrow until delivery is confirmed on both sides. Removing any one of the four still leaves gaps, running all four together is what closes them.
Nothing is charged in the first place. The deposit only applies once a bid is accepted, it secures a confirmed commitment, not an open offer. If a seller never accepts your bid, there's no deposit to refund because none was taken.
A cancellation fee, a percentage of the order set per listing, is deducted from your deposit and the remainder is refunded to your card, typically within 5 to 10 business days. That fee exists specifically to discourage deposits being used as a free option to hold a lot and back out later, not as a penalty for a genuine change in circumstances.
You get a full refund, no cancellation fee deducted. The fee structure exists to discourage a buyer from treating a deposit as a free option, not to penalise a buyer when a seller is the one who doesn't follow through. If that happens, raise it through the order so it's on record, and your full deposit comes back.
In escrow, processed through Stripe, the same infrastructure used for the deposit itself. The remaining balance beyond the 5% deposit moves into escrow once shipping terms and logistics are settled, sits there while the material is picked up, shipped, or delivered, and only releases to the seller once the buyer confirms delivery went as agreed, checked by a person before funds actually move. Neither side has access to the other's money before that point.
Both. The verification, deposit, and escrow mechanics run automatically on every deal without exception, that's the technology half. But ScrapTrade also has a team that calls and messages traders directly when a listing goes up or a purchase requisition comes in, helps get it set up properly, and stays involved until the deal closes. Neither half replaces the other.
Because most scrap scams don't happen at the price-negotiation stage, they happen in the gap between what was agreed and what actually ships: a lighter load than promised, material that doesn't match the listing, a shipment that never arrives. A weight slip, packing list, and consignment note tied to the same deal close that gap with a paper trail, not just a promise.
Verified counterparties, a real deposit, a document trail, and escrow, on every deal.
