What's a fair price for scrap whitegoods with their compressors and motors still intact versus already removed?
Short answer: Whitegoods with intact compressors and motors generally sell for more than the same appliance with those components already removed, since compressors specifically contain a meaningful amount of copper winding and other valuable material — if you're not planning to sell the compressor separately, leaving it intact in the appliance typically nets you more than removing it yourself without a specific plan to sell it independently.
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List Free →Why compressors specifically add real value
A compressor motor contains copper windings and other components with genuine scrap value beyond the appliance’s basic steel content — this makes an intact compressor a meaningful contributor to a whitegood’s overall scrap value, not just a minor accessory.
When removing it yourself might make sense
If you have the ability to properly remove and sell a compressor separately, potentially to a buyer specifically interested in that component, this could net more than leaving it in the appliance — but this requires having a specific plan and outlet for the separated compressor, not just removing it without a clear next step.
What to do if you’re not planning to sell it separately
If you don’t have a specific plan to sell the compressor independently, leaving it intact in the appliance and letting the buyer account for its value as part of the whole unit is generally the simpler, equally or more profitable choice compared to removing it with no separate buyer lined up.
How ScrapTrade Makes This Easier
Noting whether compressors and motors are intact in your ScrapTrade whitegoods listing helps buyers quote accurately based on the actual component value present.
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