Can You Sell Old Car Keys

can you sell old car keys
Can you sell old car keys? Yes, you can sell old car keys and you can also sell the old keys as scrap metal to your local scrap metal recycling yard.

They didn’t have vehicles in ancient Egypt but keys were reportedly used back then for many applications that we still use them for today.




A key’s main purpose is to secure against unwanted use or entry.

Car keys just like standard keys for locks are made from a variety of scrap metals. You can find or may own keys made of iron, copper, brass, zinc or aluminum.

Just about everyone that you know carries a key ring filled with keys. It is also a fact that at least one or more of the keys on any person’s key ring is a mystery key. Rather than throwing away keys that you don’t know what they go to, most of us just keep the old key on our key rings or throw them into some jar or junk drawer with other mystery keys.

House keys as well as well as car keys are slowly being eliminated but will still be in use for quite some time to come.

Key and lock manufacturers have been creating what is known as smart locks. Many of these types of locks still have keys for backup but many only require you to know an access code that has to be keyed in to unlock a door.

Modern vehicles now have keys that have computer chips built into them or have key fobs that send an electronic signal to the vehicle.

There are companies that you can sell old car keys with fobs to that will pay top dollar. Metal recycling companies will accept key fobs as scrap but because they are nearly 90% plastic it will take a truck bed full of them for you to make any real money.

On the other hand, old regular car keys, home lock keys and any other key not made of plastic can be scrapped at your local scrap metal recycling yard.

Certain keys like those made of brass, aluminum and copper are more valuable and should be separated into their own piles.

One of the best ways to obtain old keys is to setup drop boxes at local hardware stores that offer key cutting services. You will need permission from the stores management but your key drop box can sit right by battery and light bulb drop boxes. You can find recycling drop boxes on Amazon or on Uline’s website.

To find companies to buy your old car or truck key fobs just perform a simple search online. Visit a few of their websites to see what their requirements are especially pertaining to the condition of the key fobs.