Part 2
Stay legal: what never to pull for resale
A few junkyard parts can get your eBay account restricted or, in Virginia, get you charged with a felony. Learn this list before your first trip. Rules change, so check eBay's policy pages before listing anything borderline.
| Item | The rule | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Airbags (driver, passenger, curtain), inflators, steering-wheel airbag covers | Banned on eBay for every seller since Sept 24, 2026, new or used (eBay policy). Meta restricts airbag assemblies in its Shops; don't list them on Marketplace either. Some yards, like Pull-A-Part, don't resell front airbags at all. | Never pull or sell them. |
| Airbag control modules, crash sensors, passenger sensors | On eBay, only pre-approved US sellers can list them (eBay policy). | Skip as a beginner. |
| Catalytic converters | In Virginia, selling, offering or buying a detached converter is a Class 6 felony unless the sale is to or by a compliant scrap metal purchaser (Va. Code § 18.2-146.1). eBay only allows used converters as recertified units or scrap with no make or model listed. At least 36 states have converter sale laws (MOST Policy Initiative). Most U-Pull yards remove them anyway. | Never list them on eBay or Facebook. |
| Emissions "delete" or defeat parts | eBay bans anything that bypasses emissions controls, plus "off-road only" or "race only" powertrain and exhaust parts, O2-sensor bypasses and most tuners (eBay emissions policy). | Don't sell them or describe parts that way. |
| Fuel and refrigerant | eBay prohibits gasoline and CFC/HCFC/HFC refrigerants (eBay hazmat policy). USPS won't mail anything containing fuel or fuel vapors (USPS). | Drain and air out every part. Sell fuel tanks, pumps and rails locally or skip them. |
| Car batteries | Flooded lead-acid batteries are regulated hazmat for carriers (UPS battery guide). | Sell locally or return for core value. Don't ship. |
| Vehicle titles | Titles can't be included with parts on eBay (eBay policy). | Never sell or include a title. |
| Key-cutting or key-duplicating devices | Banned under eBay's lockpicking policy (eBay). | Sell only plain OEM fobs with the part number shown, and check eBay's current policy first. |
| Instrument clusters | Selling a used cluster is normal, but federal law (49 USC 32703) prohibits changing a vehicle's recorded mileage. | Photograph the mileage, state it's the donor car's, and never offer mileage changes. |
Buying whole cars is a different business. We found no Virginia license required just to resell parts you bought at a yard. But buying a vehicle to part it out makes you a "salvage dealer," which requires a Virginia DMV license (Va. Code § 46.2-1600, § 46.2-1601). Other states have their own dismantler rules. Ask an attorney or your DMV before you go there.
General education, not legal or tax advice. Fees, carrier rates and rules change; check the linked sources before you rely on a number.