Hoard Hoard Hoard

The formula applies the same as if it was 1 or 1000 lbs. The idea here was already spoken. There is only one way to "make" more money out of your hoard and that is to sell it and put that money to work. Anything else is a gamble at best and a bad investment at worst. I am not a gambling man, never have been. Therefore I will put my money to work. Everything I get is immediately tested, sorted, grouped into larger lots sometimes, farmed out or sold to other people, locally or through ebay or recovered for its actual value immediately. This process of cutting out middleman and the time consuming gremlin means the money works faster and faster in this business is harder. Less idle time is more buying time.

Remember what my Daddy said If wishes were horses then beggars could ride horse **** be doughnuts we'd eat til we died . I do not hoard I have no space and like some have said you may lose!!

The formula is mathematically correct, but the effect is of course magnified over larger quantities. If you lose 40% of the value on 1 pound of RAM in the next year (That would be a very large drop), that $4.40 could be made back by increasing shipping efficiency and not sending a second box.

You'd have such a small byproduct that you're better to fill the box. I used to send when boxes were full, not when lots came in. Right now, there's not enough to warrant sending. The risk is small as it's not extrapolated over a large amount, and it's a byproduct of what I do. Like Sledge said, it's the gravy.

The problem is that prices are approaching the point where it's losing the feasibility to send smaller lots. If I can shave $0.60 per pound off shipping by using freight (I have before), it adds another variable. If my little lot of RAM loses $10 of profit on the gamble, so be it. If that's the worst mistake I make, I'm doing pretty well!

That, and eBay scrap RAM sales seem to be immune to the price drops- they're still bringing $14/pound in some cases....

those scrap lots, some that I've bought ahve contained usable memory. I usually ask for them to pull a few pounds and take pics of the sticks in the lot. Then if it were to turn sour I have evidence I got catfished.

You'd hate my lots of scrap RAM- you would have a bunch of test failures. That's disclosed in the listing, though, so buyer beware....

It's amazing how the prices have stayed high there, though....

With computer technology getting newer and more expensive, people are relying on their older machines so no, I'm not surprised prices are still high. DDR2/3 will probably still be selling way into 2017 as DDR4's still new(last year).

You're buying a lot for scrap. The odds of yields being high from one of those lots will likely be minimal. DDR3 will sell for a while, but DDR2 values are plummeting as Core 2 Duo machines are becoming obsolete. The odds of seeing a lot of DDR3 in one of those lots is slim to nothing- especially when I've seen those prices on scrap RAMBUS lots.

I maintain working relationships with certain buyers, and when they come up with 30 or 40 lbs every few months for ebay I buy all of it, same with hard drives from them and cpus...and so on...both parties are happy and there are no surprises. Just remember there is a live human being somewhere behind that account and you can get to know them a little bit and see if they have a reliable and steady scrap source that gives you a good judge of their material quality.

As for computer tech getting more expensive...the opposite is true for sure.

In fact...hard drives...the weird factor in the scrap business because I am discovering there is a sweet spot. the 320 to 640 gb range of hard drives by certain makers from certain dates sells stronger than even NEW drives the same size. Why? reliability, plain and simple drives were made better 7 years ago. As were alot of things.

My apologies for derailment.

Im in a apt with a garage im about to start pulling boards and all the non farrous stuff and give the steel away I only. Have a truck and a trailer but the land lord hate stuff sitting outside. But mostly I have turned to ebay.

I've been hoarding copper piping & busbars for a while now.

Coppers dropped a bit in NewZealand in the last month. My 'guesstamit' prices are off the net, but my yards prices are normally a bit better.
But dropping from NZ$6 to $5 a Kg will show up in my local yards prices....

Though there's this situation in NZ where a lot of company's, plumbers, builders, engineers, have saved up scrap over the year and then sell it all in one go, about now, and divide up the money between all the firms workers as a Christmas holiday bonus.
Its summer here now, we normally take two or three holidays starting on Christmas eve and passing thru NewYears until the 14 odd of January.
But, so do the scrapmetal places, at least some of them, and defiantly a lot of their workers.
So, they pay out a lot of holiday pay, and a lot for the extra incoming nonferrous metals.
So because of that, I think they drop the prices a little to cover extra outgoings, increased stock, and a nice bonus for their workers.

Hoarding? Well if you are not getting anything for light gauge, and hoarding it until prices increase (ah, Two years at least....)
It will bring in some money, but if you have costs to hoards it (rent etc), that's not really 'making money' I expect.
Maybe making money for your landlord... But over two years that's a lot of scrapmetal to store, and ten Tons may make you $1000, over 2 plus years its not a lot of money, and hardly a real 'profit' anyway.

Gold? Does anyone know what Golds going to do over the next year?
I get the impression its going to drop unless 'something' happens, and if 'it' does happen, it will rocket to over thou$and$ a Ounce.
But, I have been hearing that for ages, for decades when it comes to silver...

I have a 'Hoard' of escrap that I will sell off in the New year, unless Gold rises, or I get the idea that it will.

It has been said that each individual has to make their own decision because one size does not fit all. I am not going to try to convince others that my strategy is best. If I was right 75% of the time, I would be a millionaire.

I love the different perspectives and the reasons supporting them. Some are very detailed and well thought out. Mine is pretty simple, thank goodness. 100 mile round trip to the scrap yard. Using the IRS mileage allowance of $ .55 per mile it costs me $ 55 to make a trip. This does not include the added expenses of hauling a trailer, fuel to load the trailer, and wear and tear on the machinery to load the trailers. Price for everything here is $ 10 a ton except prepared. Average load equals 5 tons. It just cost me $ 55 to make $ 50 based on .55 per mile. Without labor the true figure is more like $ 80 to make $ 50. My time and money is better spent preparing non ferrous with the goal of a trailer load this spring and fishing/hunting. So I guess I am hoarding.

Personally I hoard $100 bills....takes up a lot less space than all that metal

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Originally Posted by pascoEscraper

Thanks matador… I am. >> but I once was just where you or most of you are at.
We do this daily as a business. my drops of steel are every week of more than half ton or more sometimes as much as two to three times per week. I use to store memory and processors but it just was not worth it. the prices go up and down so quickly. its just better to drop my 10-20 lbs per week of each and keep the payroll running smoothly.

I do understand that most on here are just doing what I did three years ago. scrapping the streets and begging for scrap. I do have one great advocacy … the county is pushing all new laws and rules… they also have increased the fees for dropping all electronics at the dump…. each time they do my phone rings like crazy. the flip side also is I do not have weather issues as most of you do. Florida is beautiful every day. even in the liquid sunshine… sorry guys had to rub it in a little.

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If I'm reading this correctly, as a ''better than 'scrapping the streets' and begging for scrap'' person, you are turning in approx. 1000 lbs of steel once to three times per week?

how does that make you better than the average ''street scrapper'' who can pick up that much OR MORE a day doing it full time?

Sir, unless I'm reading that wrong, it's a very rude statement. I've been a CurboCo for eight years now and not once did I ever ''beg for scrap.''

if pascoescrapper is only generating 10-20lbs of memory/processors per week why does he even need a payroll...........Not sure if he knows the level of scrapper of most of the regular members of this forum..........A half ton of steel per week?......who exactly is this guy and why does he need to make payroll???

Just a guy who is trying to make a living. Only been doing E scrap for three years now. started out of a need for extra cash. now I'm working toward full time and going to the next levels.

Even I accumulate 10# per month, and I'm not trying to. Those are test failures!

That said, in E-Waste, it takes a long, long time for cases to add up.

http://i1017.photobucket.com/albums/...ps09f99830.jpg

This load was about 1200 pounds. That's a lot of cases in that truck!

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Originally Posted by Patriot76

It has been said that each individual has to make their own decision because one size does not fit all. I am not going to try to convince others that my strategy is best. If I was right 75% of the time, I would be a millionaire.

I love the different perspectives and the reasons supporting them. Some are very detailed and well thought out. Mine is pretty simple, thank goodness. 100 mile round trip to the scrap yard. Using the IRS mileage allowance of $ .55 per mile it costs me $ 55 to make a trip. This does not include the added expenses of hauling a trailer, fuel to load the trailer, and wear and tear on the machinery to load the trailers. Price for everything here is $ 10 a ton except prepared. Average load equals 5 tons. It just cost me $ 55 to make $ 50 based on .55 per mile. Without labor the true figure is more like $ 80 to make $ 50. My time and money is better spent preparing non ferrous with the goal of a trailer load this spring and fishing/hunting. So I guess I am hoarding.

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In addition to the mileage involved you have the space to hold for a long period of time. The cost of holding the scrap steel for you is zero and like your neighbors if it stays there for thirty years its ok. As you have said many of the questions poised on the forum can be answered "it depends on you and your situation". The more I read of others ways of doing things the more options I have in my operation. 73, Mike

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Originally Posted by pascoEscraper

Just a guy who is trying to make a living. Only been doing E scrap for three years now. started out of a need for extra cash. now I'm working toward full time and going to the next levels.

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That's understandable just like the rest of us.......A little humility goes along way..........