The listed price is a starting point, not the only option. Listings on ScrapTrade are negotiable by default: make a private offer at your price, counter back and forth, and close the deal on a platform that holds payment safely until delivery is confirmed.
Open a private negotiation on any listing with the price you actually want to pay, the quantity you need, and a note, ready to move fast, need inspection first, whatever's relevant.
The seller can accept, decline, or counter with their own number. You can counter again. It's a real back-and-forth, not a one-shot take-it-or-leave-it offer.
The moment a seller accepts, the deal is done, and if the listing was also running as a live auction, accepting your private offer closes that auction too.
Negotiation isn't a replacement for bidding or buying at the listed price, it's a third option that sits alongside them. Some buyers want the speed of buying now. Some want to test a competitive auction. Others know exactly what they want to pay and would rather propose it directly than wait and see. See our guide to all three mechanisms for when each one makes the most sense.
A number you agree to privately is only as good as the platform that enforces it. Once a negotiated price is accepted, ScrapTrade holds payment in escrow until delivery is confirmed on both sides, the same protection every other deal on the platform gets. Check today's reference prices before you name your number.
Listings are negotiable by default, you'll see a Negotiable badge and a Start Negotiation option on eligible in-stock listings. It's not something you have to hunt for or request access to.
Yes. A private negotiated offer runs alongside public bidding. If the seller accepts your private offer, it closes the auction, even if other bids are still active. It's a genuine alternative path to buying, not just a fallback for listings without bidding.
Nothing forces a response, but every negotiation is tracked in your dashboard, not lost in a phone call or a text thread, so you can see exactly where things stand and follow up, counter again, or move on to another listing.
The mechanics are similar, you're proposing a number and going back and forth, but it's asynchronous, in writing, and attached to a specific listing and seller you can verify. You're not standing in a yard hoping the person across from you remembers what was agreed.
Yes. Escrow holds payment until delivery is confirmed, the same protection that applies to a fixed-price purchase or a winning auction bid applies to a negotiated deal.
