What's the process if a buyer claims contamination but never disclosed a contamination threshold upfront?
Short answer: A buyer applying an undisclosed contamination standard after the fact is on weaker ground than one who stated their threshold clearly before the sale — ask them directly what specific standard they're applying and why it wasn't communicated beforehand, and treat this as a reasonable basis to push back on the resulting price reduction if no clear standard was ever shared with you.
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List Free →Why disclosure timing matters
A contamination standard is only fair to apply if you had a reasonable opportunity to know about it before delivering your material — a threshold introduced only after your load has already been assessed and found wanting is much harder for a buyer to justify as a legitimate basis for a price reduction.
What to ask the buyer directly
Request the specific contamination threshold or standard they’re applying, and ask why it wasn’t communicated before the sale — a buyer with a genuine, consistently applied standard should be able to explain it clearly, even if they acknowledge it wasn’t stated upfront this particular time.
How to prevent this in future transactions
Before delivering to a new buyer, ask directly what contamination standards or thresholds they apply — getting this in writing beforehand protects you from an undisclosed standard being introduced only after your material has already been assessed.
How ScrapTrade Makes This Easier
Asking ScrapTrade buyers to state their contamination standards clearly in their listing responses before you commit to a sale prevents this exact undisclosed-threshold situation from arising.
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