Given the market, why are the newest scrappers even bothering?

Originally Posted by eesakiwi

When I first started scrapping metal, Copper was $4 a Kg. Anything more than $4 was great. That $4 line took years to cross and it had never been seen before, ever.
So when it hit $5 a Kg, wow! 5 Bucks a KG! I gotta get some Kgs as I only need 4 of them to get $20. You can buy a lot (or a little, depends on what yah buying.... ;-} for $20
I was scrapping fridges for Ali and Copper, Microwaves for Copper - there was no Ali in transformers back then, or Invertors. CRT TV.s were not being scrapped.
I wish I knew about the Copper in the fridge compressors though. That would have made a big difference. But I was getting Copper and Brass lined old fridge/freezers too.

So, $5 was great, then $6 was greater, $7 was fantastic $8 was twice what I started on, and $9... Yes NINE DOLLARS! Was like a dream but it was real....

And then the Chinese Olympic games started and BOOM, The metal market crashed.



Walking in with $900 of Copper and wondering why people were walking out looking like someone had just shot their favorite pet....

And then finding I was only getting $400 and I should be happy as it could be worse and Christmas is not going to be what I thought it was going to be....

So, fast forward 10 odd years and Im getting $6+ a Kg and that won't buy a gallon of gas, but its better than the $5+ a Kg I was getting last year December.
2Kgs of Copper will get me a Chinese meal.

So, to answer the OP's question. They never had it better, they never knew $8 a Kg Copper, they have just found out that someone will give then real paper money for some metal that someone else just threw out.

That the 'markets hard' but that means theres less other people out there.

That 'Steels not worth it', but if you get enough Heavy Metal you will get paid good for it and sheet metals not worth anything, but they will take it so you don't have to pay to get rid of it and they give you some gas dollars to help you on your next circuit around the metal spots that they have figured out for themselves.

And they know that any other metal out there is worth more than $1 a Kg...

My answer?
Watch this video

Thanks eesakiwi. I like the video.


@ NA
I think it's because they have been watching to many old youtube videos when the prices were still good.

eesakiwi, thank you for a great description of possible thought process. I hadn't thought about the ''not knowing how good it used to be.''

I know something is better than nothing and being lucky enough to have a job as well as scrapping, I guess I'm wondering if it's enough. Is what the newbies make now helpful enough in todays market? I couldn't survive now like I did when I started out on scrapping alone.

Are the newest having to learn how to fix and flip to make some of the money? Something they either never did or thought about before? Do they like to do this and are they having fun doing it?

I guess todays market has impacted us all in that sense, we have to learn new ''job skills'' so to speak. And, its cheaper than going to college for the education as its a hands on learning/self taught profession.