What is a core charge on used part and why?

Our stores quote hundreds of parts daily and often you will hear the salespersons say that this part has a “core charge” associated with it. Often we get asked “what is a core charge and why”?  The reason is that many parts we sell are rebuildable or recyclable, so to insure that we get the old part back we have a minimal core charge. When you bring your old part back (core) we give you those monies back in full. But from starters and engines, to damaged wheels or radiators, its just a lot smarter and cheaper to reuse or recycle that part than it is to manufacture a brand new one.

An every day example is that we used to just throw our old bottles, cans, cardboard etc into the trash and then it was taken to a landfill. Now most of us take those same items, place them in a container and push it to the curb every week to be recycled. Auto recyclers are doing the same thing only with components that just a few years ago were also considered trash or scrap, but now have value.
So the next time you call us for a recycled part, remember that we are just trying to do our best to recycle and reuse as much of the vehicle as possible, so we can continue to keep our prices at the bargain they are compared to new or rebuilt.   Thank You!