The Reaper Score
Anyone can call themselves a junk car buyer. Every local buyer we partner with is checked before they make a single offer and scored on every sale afterwards. This page explains exactly what we check, what we measure, and what gets a buyer removed.
- 3Checks before partnering
- 4Measures per sale
- 1Strike for non-payment
- $0Cost to sellers
The Problem With Selling a Junk Car
The complaint in this industry is almost always the same one. A seller accepts an offer, waits at home, and the driver arrives with a lower number. Take it or keep the car. By then the seller has cleared their afternoon and has no leverage, so most people take it.
A company that buys your car itself has no reason to explain how that happens. We don't buy your car. The screened local buyer we partner with in your area does, which means we can hold them to a standard, tell you what it is, and replace them if they fall short.
That standard is the Reaper Score. It is not a marketing badge. It decides whether a buyer keeps working with us at all.
Before a Buyer Can Make You an Offer
Three checks. A buyer who fails any of them does not become a partner.
Licence verification
We verify the buyer holds a current dismantler, salvage, recycler or dealer licence for the state they operate in, and confirm it with the issuing agency rather than taking a copy at face value. An expired or suspended licence removes a buyer until it is resolved.
Public review history
We read what previous sellers have said across every platform we can find them on. We look for a pattern: prices changing at pickup, missed appointments, payment that never arrived. One bad review is noise. A pattern is disqualifying.
A real conversation
We call them. How far they tow, what they pay for, how they pay, who handles the title paperwork, and what they do when a car is in worse shape than described. That last answer tells us whether they intend to renegotiate in your driveway.
What We Measure on Every Sale
Passing the checks gets a buyer in. Staying in depends on every pickup after that.
Did they pay what they offered?
The most important measure. Whether the amount handed over matched the offer the seller accepted.
Did they arrive when they said?
Pickup inside the window the seller chose. Running late happens; not saying so does not.
Was the paperwork handled properly?
The state release completed correctly at pickup, so the vehicle actually leaves the seller's name.
Were they straightforward to deal with?
Responsive, professional and clear. Sellers tell us afterwards, and it is recorded against the buyer.
A Reaper Score is a rolling figure based on recent pickups, not a lifetime record. A buyer who was reliable two years ago and is not now sees that reflected quickly.
What Lowers a Reaper Score
Minor issues affect the score. Major issues are recorded as strikes.
Minor — affects the score
- Late to a pickup window without telling the seller
- Slow to respond once an offer is accepted
- Rude, dismissive or unprofessional conduct
- Paperwork completed, but sloppily
- Rescheduling a pickup more than once
Enough minor issues and a buyer is shown fewer vehicles.
Major — counted as a strike
- Lowering the offer at pickup without a documented reason. A car that is materially different from its description — an engine that was never mentioned as missing — is a legitimate reason, and the buyer has to show it in a photograph at the time. "The market moved" is not.
- Not showing up. No driver, no call, the seller's day wasted.
- Failing to complete the state paperwork, leaving the seller attached to a car they no longer have.
- Charging the seller for anything. Towing is the buyer's cost.
Not paying at all is not a strike. It is immediate removal.
When a Buyer Is Removed
- Non-payment. Immediate, first occurrence, no discussion.
- Three major strikes in a rolling twelve months. The first is a written warning, the second a review call and reduced volume, the third ends the relationship.
- Two major strikes inside ninety days. A cluster is a pattern, not bad luck.
- A licence that lapses and is not restored.
- A Reaper Score below our floor that has not recovered thirty days after a warning.
Strikes age out of the rolling window, so a bad quarter two years ago is not carried forever. What we will not do is let a buyer accumulate one problem every few months indefinitely, which is exactly what a lifetime-total system allows.
We Get Involved
Scoring a buyer after the fact does nothing for the seller it happened to. If a buyer drops the offer without a documented reason, doesn't turn up, or asks you to pay for anything — don't sign, and call us while the driver is still there. We will get another buyer to your car or make sure you are paid appropriately. The buyer takes the strike.
What This Means When You Sell
- The number you accept is the number you should be handed
- Towing and paperwork are the buyer's cost, never yours
- If a buyer breaks that, we get involved rather than pointing at them
- A buyer who doesn't meet the standard is replaced, so the one covering your area is one who does
Get a Free Offer From a Screened Local Buyer
One form, a firm offer from a screened local buyer, and pickup the same day in most areas. The tow is free and you are paid at pickup.
(877) 451-4417Get My Free Quotes →