ScrapAd: Click, Sell & Buy
Spain-based ScrapAd is a worldwide digital marketplace for buying and selling recyclable materials.
The global platform, founded by Sandra Montes and Samuel Ruiz, is present in more than 70 countries, counts about 1,000 registered companies and has published approximately 1,000 advertisements. “ScrapAd is a simple, smart and transparent marketplace (a technological platform) that connects buyers and sellers from all over the world to buy and sell scrap and other recyclable materials, such as plastic, paper and cardboard or textiles,” one can read on the homepage. With this platform, the team of 20 people wants to offer their customers the necessary services to facilitate their transactions and optimize their time “through a secure and reliable digital space”.
How the digital trade works
The trade of the materials consists of the following steps. Interested persons can register for free on the platform, but they should provide the information the ScrapAd team asks about the business. “All users have passed this exhaustive verification process so that your buying and selling operations are guaranteed:
- KYC (Know Your Customer) verification: aims to prevent fraud by identifying and verifying the identity of users.
- Operational verification: users meet the necessary requirements to transact with recyclable materials.”
Once registered by providing the required information and the account created, the person or company can choose from all the ads already published on the platform, either to buy or to sell. According to ScrapAd, there are filters to sift through the ads (location, material, and so on). “Whether to buy or to sell, select the chosen ad and negotiate the price.”
Once an agreement has been reached between the buyer and seller, the whole process is completed online, and the buyer makes the corresponding deposit. “All these transactions are completely secure,” ScrapAd assures. “Our financial partner is an entity of total confidence, guaranteed by the biggest bank in Europe; BNP Paribas.” As reported, within the platform, the buyer would have his payment account, from which he would have control of the money. “Purchases are made through deposits, which are kept in a separate account, and are released to the seller as the different steps of the transaction process are completed,” the information on the homepage says.
When the goods are loaded, an independent seller checks and verifies that the goods correspond to what the parties have agreed in the negotiation. “We then manage the logistical operations to ensure that the goods are collected from the seller’s premises and delivered to the buyer’s premises,” ScrapAd emphasizes. “All you need to do is have the documentation ready and prepare for us to collect or deliver the goods to the address you specify.”
(Published in GLOBAL RECYCLING Magazine 1/2023, Page 12, Photo: O. Kürth)
