Every licensed scrap metal buyer in the UK has to keep a transaction record for three years, available for inspection by police or the local council at any time. It’s easy to think of this as a compliance box the buyer has to tick — but the record itself is something that works in your favour too.
What has to be recorded
For every transaction, a compliant buyer must log:
- Your name and address, verified against photo ID
- A description of the material sold
- The weight
- The date and time of the transaction
- How you were paid
Why this benefits you, not just the buyer
If a dispute ever comes up — a disagreement over what weight was recorded, a payment that seems to not match what was agreed, or any other issue — this record is the evidence both sides can point back to. Without it, a disagreement becomes your word against theirs, with nothing to settle it either way.
This is also part of why cash and unrecorded transactions are worth avoiding entirely. A buyer who isn’t keeping proper records isn’t just breaking the law — they’re removing the one thing that would protect you if something went wrong.
What this looks like on ScrapBays
Every transaction completed through ScrapBays generates this record automatically — the compliance paperwork happens in the background, rather than being something you or the buyer need to manage separately. It’s one of the reasons routing a deal through the platform, rather than settling privately once a price is agreed, is worth doing even after you’ve found your buyer.
Want every transaction properly recorded, automatically? Start selling on ScrapBays →