Newbies First Day Results

Don't overlook things that you could possibly resale, I started scrapping only after I started seeing metal in the garbage while out looking for antiques to sell at yard sales and in my booth at an antique store.

Hey Newbie, I applaud your effort. It's all good, you did ok. The only way to learn and get better is by jumping in head first. However, by being on this forum, read prior post on how to maximize your cash at the scrap yard. Take care.

Spend your 12 to 5 time breaking down your finds for max profit. Also listing stuff you find on craigslist. I once found 4 tires whiole out metal shopping that still had half tread on them. Put them on CL and sold them for $100 that night. Also found a outdoor table and 6 chair set that was aluminium that was worth maybe $20 scrap that I sold on CL for $150. SO dont corner yourself into doing one thing and youll make money

Originally Posted by Mabrito88

Okay, Day one in the books.

Hours worked: 7am-2pm
Amount recieved at yard: $17.80 (10.10 in steel, 7.70 in cast aluminum)
Amount in gas for day: $20

What to change:
---Dont's waste time on cleaning junk.
I get to the steel heap and I see guys throwing in items that are covered in fabric, wood, all sorts of things on them. I guess they don't care. As long as it has metal in it they didnt even notice. So i wont be cutting fabric or removing plastic feet anymore.

---Patience!
So, guilty. First time ever to scrap yard with an actual load and while trying to learn the procedure I look over a few things... I had 2 nice sized electric motors. One was welded to a big blade and the other was a celing fan. I told myself "next time I will find out where to turn in motors." And I threw them in the steel pile. Only to make it over to turning in my alluminum to find a few guys turning in motors with all kinds of blades and bulbs attatched! (Wish I would have known that)

---Get out earlier, and end earlier.
Things were going good in the morning but after noon I couldnt even find a pile of leaves! Next time, start earlier and end at noon. Get out before the trash guys and hopefully before a few other scrappers. I wasted too much gas driving all over to find nothing. (Now if only I could find a money making venture from noon-5... Ideas?)

In short I didnt profit anything today. But I can understand the appeal. A lot of fun in the hunt. Tweak a few things and maybe I can come out ahead. I'll take any advice I can get. Thanks for all your help. Wish me luck.

One more thing Mabrito88, do what you are doing now, network, network, and network some more. The more people know, the more they will give. Lastly, be pleasant and respectful and watch what happens.

Tweak a few things and maybe I can come out ahead.

I see what your saying but you might want to use a different word, as we all know how much we love tweakers,,,lol

I'm by no means an expert, Mabrito88, but here's 2 tips that can make you $5000+ over the course of the next 12 months if you work them right.

Step 1A1: find a safe, legal, and environmentally responsible way to dispose of CRT tubes from TVs/monitors. Goodwill is ideal, but get this aspect nailed down before going any further with this idea!

Once you have CRT disposal lined up, go to every thrift store in your area. You're looking for places that people take donations to. Stuff that they couldn't sell in their own garage sales, but that they don't want to take to the dump. Make an appointment to speak to the store manager, and clean up/dress up halfway nice for the occasion. Present yourself as a professional or you won't be taken seriously. Now... remember going in that this guy operates on a tight budget. One thing that's straining his budget is the way people keep bringing him bulky old CRT TVs that just don't sell. He has to throw them away, and they're filling up his dumpsters, taking up LOTS of room, and making him have to have his dumpsters serviced more often, or making him keep more dumpsters than he would like to have to keep, either way, those TVs are costing him money. That's where you come in. Ask him to have his helpers set the unsellable TVs aside and tell him you will be there EVERY DAY at 4:30 (or whenever... just BE CONSISTENT!) to pick them up. Before long, they'll be asking you if you take printers/phones/radios/bedframes/ceiling fans/lamps/etc/etc/etc. I have ONE (very busy) thrift store account that gives me probably 300 bucks a month worth of scrap. Be sure to take good care of those guys as time goes on, too.

Another tip, stop & talk to every sole-proprietor plumber you see. Ask them what they do with the old water heaters they remove when they do replacement jobs. Ask them to shoot you a text with the address and tell them you'll remove the water heater, the box the WH came in, and any other trash they may need removed from that job as a courtesy for letting you have the water heater to scrap. Ask them about Garbage disposals they replace, too.

Stop & talk to pool maintenance guys. Ask them A) what they do with those 5 gallon (and some have even larger) buckets their pool chemicals come in. You can never have too many buckets! But mainly, B) what you want from these guys is for them to let you know if they ever do a replacement job on a pool heater. Offer them the same deal: Removal & site cleanup in exchange for letting you have the old heater. And believe me, you'll be a happy man when you see the goodies inside one of those things!

Stop & talk to DirecTv guys (satellite dishes & LNBs)... security system service techs (lead acid batteries)... electricians (in the off chance they don't scrap their wire refuse)... the list goes on & on.


Well, I guess that was more than 2 tips. Sorry.

Thanks for taking the time for this post. It isn't easy, but you have a start. Keep updating this thread for us please to see your progress.

You wrote:
"What to change:
---Dont's waste time on cleaning junk.
I get to the steel heap and I see guys throwing in items that are covered in fabric, wood, all sorts of things on them. I guess they don't care. As long as it has metal in it they didnt even notice. So i wont be cutting fabric or removing plastic feet anymore."

Where-as it is true that many scrap yards will allow certain noticeable amounts of contaminants (such as plastic) on the steel, selling the steel "as is" with these items attached to them, does indeed actually decrease the price per pound of scrap steel, in reality--the long run.
The cleaner steel is, the more it is actually going to put the price of scrap steel at (per pound).
So therefore, if you are merely interested in the short-term result--saved from doing the work of removing the contaminants--it does indeed make your job a bit easier!
However, if you prefer to make a (likely extremely small, insignificant, possible even questionable) investment, you may wish to remove the easier-to-remove, more size-able contaminants.
Thankfully, where I live the price per pound of steel has just gone up another cent per pound--now it is sitting at .6!
Thanks for all of your time!

If you plan to focus on curb shopping, you'll do well to go to your city's municipal waste company's website & find out what day trash day is in different neighborhoods. There's probably even a map you can print out & keep with you.

I really like Sunday afternoons & Monday mornings around here! That's a pretty upscale area of town.

Only other tips I can give you is..break things down that can be. May seem pointless at first, but you'll soon learn otherwise. Some is and some isn't worth it, but you have to get that hands on experience. I started out curb shopping, tv's were my best friends. As another thread said..when you find an item..come here an do a search on said item, even if you think you know..double check, you'd be surprised. I know I was with the little barber clippers I broke down the other night. I coulda tossed whole thing in shred, gotten .08lb for it..I took 2 minutes broke it down. The wire and transformer that came out will bring more then the whole thing just tossed in shred. Also learn your yard, ask questions. If they won't answer your questions, find a yard that will. Most in my experience won't mind. An educated customer makes their life a lot easier, but they won't take you by the hand an teach you.

As an example, one yard I use, I was there dropping some alum an wire ( I have to do this in their building, pull up unload, weigh, etc) an they got a call from a guy with a window ac unit. He asked what they'd give him, yard boss said.."Depends, if you just want the quick cash, bring it in, you'll make at lest 15 bucks, but if I were you I'd break it down. You do that an you'll get from 25 on up 75." I was surprised he said that, figuring he'd just low ball the guy, but my yard likes educated customers, they don't want to be that yard that doesn't care. An this is why they get most of the business down here. An if they do answer your questions an treat you right, take'm some doughnuts, water, drinks, etc. It goes along way an they do appreciate it. It also helps them remember you.

Also find a niche, for some it's TV's, others cars, or ewaste, etc. Find your niche an act on it, but still diversify. I do mainly ewaste but I still take TV's, regular scrap, hell I'd take a car if someone asked me. Before you know it, you'll be either doing this full time, or have a nice steady part time income. Don't be above picking up cans, they can add up.

If you think your gonna make 500 a day off of just curb shopping an not breaking anything down to max profit, your just kidding yourself. An use these forums, they are a great asset. You hear this a lot an there is a reason for it, it's worked for me, an many others here. So get out there an keep doing what your doing, an it'll all come together eventually. You have a resource many of us didn't have when we first started. I didn't find this forum till several months after I started scrapping, an now I can say thanks to all members before, an even after me for helping me take this full time. Without this knowledge I'd still be just doing TV's, an cans.

I wish you the best of luck an let us know how it goes for ya, it's not an easy job, an takes being stubbron, blood(yes it'll happen..), sweat an hell even some tears. Oh an lots of swearing..LOL.

Someone slipped something into my cooler, I'm awfully wordy lately..LOL.

Sirscrapalot - Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. - Winston Churchill