Our shop recently changed our procedure regarding scrap bikes: any donated bikes that we conclude we will scrap rather than rehab & redistribute are now disabled by cutting the frame of the bike.
Recently, some donated bike that had been put in our scrap pile appeared on Craigslist. We had two concerns: first, that donors would be unhappy that their donations were being sold by another party, and second that we could develop a reputation as a source of scrap bikes to be picked and sold elsewhere (and usually those bikes were beyond safe repair).
I'd like to hear other perspectives. Is controlling the use of donated bikes (to maintain the integrity of a donation as well as the safety of bikes coming through the shop) worth disabling a bike that might otherwise be reused downstream?
Andy Broke Spoke Community Bike Shop Lexington, KY