Most people sell an old AC once or twice in their life, so they don't know what it's worth. Buyers know that. Here are your real options in Hyderabad, what each tends to pay, and how to protect yourself on the day.
Option 1: Exchange at the showroom
When you buy a new AC, many brands and stores offer "exchange" on the old one. It's the least effort: they take the old unit when they install the new one.
The catch: the exchange value is often part of the new AC's discount rather than a real price for your old unit. Ask the store what the new AC costs without exchange. The difference is what they're really paying you.
Option 2: The local kabadiwala
Convenient and quick, and many are honest. But prices vary a lot, weighing is often done on a hand-held spring scale you can't read clearly, and an AC may be priced as one lump sum without separating the copper.
Option 3: Online scrap pickup apps
Booking is easy and rates are published. But the listed rate for an AC may assume specific conditions (compressor present, copper coil), and the final price is set when the pickup person arrives. Read the fine print on what counts as a complete unit.
Option 4: A dedicated AC scrap buyer
Buyers who specialise in ACs, like us, know the difference between a copper and an aluminium coil and price for it. The trade-off is you'll need to message and share photos first.
Whichever you choose, the checklist below works with anyone.
Pickup-day checklist
- Get two quotes from photos before anyone comes. Send both units and the sticker with the tonnage.
- Ask if it's per piece or per kg, and if per kg, which rate applies to which part.
- Check the coil yourself: reddish-brown U-bends mean copper. Don't let it be priced as aluminium.
- Watch the scale. A digital display you can read yourself is the minimum. Test it with something you know the weight of.
- Don't let anyone cut the pipes or remove the compressor before a price is agreed.
- Get paid before loading. UPI gives you a record automatically.
If it still works, consider selling it second-hand
A working AC under about 5 years old is usually worth more to a second-hand buyer than to any scrap buyer. Scrap makes sense for old, broken or inefficient units.
So, where should you sell?
If you're buying a new AC anyway, compare the showroom's exchange value with a scrap quote. If you're just clearing out an old unit, get a photo quote from a buyer who weighs in front of you and pays before loading. Then use the checklist.