Meet Roman Drew, Manager of Truro Recycling, an operational vehicle recycling yard in Cornwall that has recently ventured into selling secondhand car parts online. In this article, Roman discusses their approach to vehicle dismantling, the advantages and disadvantages of their location and the challenges they face in the industry.
Expansion: From Scrap Yard to Vehicle Dismantling to Online Sales
Truro recycling has been operational for seven years now. The site had been used as a scrap yard for years before that but only to export ferrous metals from sites around Cornwall.
While we had a quiet spurt back in July 2022, that’s when I started to do some research into secondhand car parts, and after trialling a couple of vehicles we had sat in the yard, we found a real need for these parts on eBay which is what we use to market these items. It was all about branching out for me and utilising the market while other parts of the business were not so hectic.
We have always operated as an ATF, but by taking the (in demand) car parts off and selling them, we can see a rise in profits; therefore, less plastic is being sent to landfill.
Approach to Online Parts Sales: Sourcing, Selection, and Customer Interaction
I am leading this project, but with little experience in selling car parts, I am still learning the most effective ways of identifying which parts are worth taking off and selling and which will stay on the shelf for weeks. Currently, while I’m still in the early stages of setting up this new operation, I am making the most of the vehicles which are arriving at the yard for scrap.
eBay has been a massive help for me as a beginner in this market, by offering advice with everything from pricing, demand, and part numbers.
With regard t customer interaction, like any company selling car parts, we get asked every question under the sun, which can sometimes be a struggle to answer, but we offer the best advice we can.
Location Advantage and Disadvantage: Selling and Delivering Vehicle Parts
Being in Cornwall is beneficial for sourcing vehicles, but when it comes to selling, we are facing a multitude of issues already, smaller items such as lights and mirrors are fine as they can be sent using a few postage carriers, but when it comes to larger items such as bonnets and bumpers, we really struggle to ship these unless the buyer collects. We have had customers from London and the Midlands travelling 4-5 hours to collect parts, which is crazy!
Challenges and Business Growth
We have a long way to go before we will be satisfied with the process and how the project runs.
I have spoken with several dismantling companies, but information is scarce. I think to push us forward into the next phase would be to invest in some software which would help us logistically and have everything in one place rather than on countless spreadsheets. Again, the lack of courier services running this far down the line for the larger items doesn’t make things easy when making sales
The younger generation and vehicle dismantling
I think the scrap and vehicle dismantling world isn’t classed as a (desirable) career to take especially when you’re in school, so I do think that more education into what is involved in our industry would be beneficial. I would say, personally speaking, that there isn’t a lot of help for younger people who are already involved in this industry, and it’s even worse for those interested in joining. From my experience, people can be very reserved.
Running the Business Remotely
In a nutshell, my job is very remote, so I’m lucky enough to be able to work from my laptop and keep an eye on what’s going on back at the yard. We have been running like this for a while now, so the yard is self-sufficient with trusted employees.
Regarding car parts and selling on eBay, as long as I have the images, I could be anywhere in the world advertising! The use of new technology has really pushed a once-dated industry forward massively.
To find out more about Truro Recycling, visit trurorecycling.co.uk
