Donate a scooter that has not been started in a few seasons

Why scooters get donated

Because the resale value does not justify the effort of selling. A five-year-old 150cc scooter is worth a few hundred dollars, which means a listing, several messages, a test ride and a haggle for less than a day of work is worth to most people. So it sits, the battery dies, and the fuel goes off.

They also come from vacation properties and rentals being sold, from college students moving on, and from older riders who downsized from a motorcycle to a scooter and then stopped riding altogether.

Collected in a truck, no trailer needed

A scooter fits in a pickup bed or a small trailer, loaded by hand or with a ramp. It does not need to run. Giving Center arranges and pays for the transport.

Tell us whether it starts, whether the tires hold air, and where it is kept. If you have the original keys, the owner's manual and a charger, include them; on small machines those small items make a difference to the buyer.

What decides what a scooter brings

• Engine size. 150cc and up can be registered for more roads and sell better than 50cc machines.
• Whether it runs, which on a scooter is often just a battery and fresh fuel.
• Brand. Established Japanese, Italian and Taiwanese makes hold value; unbranded imports do not.
• Mileage and overall condition, including plastics and the seat.
• Battery and tire age, the two items that decide whether it runs today.
• Storage. Kept inside makes a substantial difference on a machine with this much plastic.

The paperwork, and what you can deduct

Scooters over a certain engine size are titled like motorcycles; 50cc machines are registered without a title in several states. Where a title exists you sign it over at pickup, and where it is missing a duplicate goes to the registered owner in one to four weeks. See state title rules for your state.

Your deduction is the gross sale proceeds once Giving Center sells it, on Form 1098-C. Items in this class often sell below $500, in which case you may deduct the lesser of fair market value or $500. Above $500 you file Form 8283 Section A; above $5,000 the IRS requires a qualified appraisal you obtain and pay for. We tell you which to expect before pickup. Full detail on the tax benefits page.