Experienced Scrapper
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I was looking on ebay at scrap copper. I see a listing for 100 lbs scrap copper wire for $248 with
free shipping. I do the math and figure this guy will net $179, that's too low.
So I send him a message giving him a heads up that a nearby yard is paying $2 / lb cash for bare bright
and that he is loosing money selling it for $248.
He sends me back a message " And why is it your concern ? "
I try to help and he gives me shmidt ?
People suck
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Best guess it is stolen and he wants to get out of the loop.
Give back more to this world than we take.
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
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Even if the guy is paying for freight, how are you going to make any money paying $2.48 a pound for copper?? I took in some #2 this week and got $1.41 a pound. Unless its usable scrap copper...
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
Food for thought
Last edited by IamTheGreatest; 02-26-2016 at 10:37 AM.
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
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Originally Posted by IamTheGreatest
My guess is we will catch them? And sell at a loss, then troll the forum. In that order.
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Move onto the next thing to recycle. There ALWAYS is something to recycle. And really, run out of computers??? There always will be computers and other electronics with some precious metals in them. There also are plenty of other types of things in those to recycle as well. Due respect, but that is a silly statement...
Last edited by webuyselltradestuff; 02-26-2016 at 12:16 PM.
PROFIT is made when you BUY/ACQUIRE NOT when you sell
Keeper of the Cooler!
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“Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference.”
― Mark Twain
Jus' saying.
Sirscrapalot - Where's the popcorn?
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
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Ugggh ....it may be unpopular, but i think the reality of the situation is that the return on e-waste is diminishing. The consumer trend with computers has been from larger devices rich in goodies to tiny little hand held devices that you don't get that much out of.
The manufacturers have really reduced their use of PM's to lower production cost over the years.
I think that if you sought the opinion of many here the recommendation would be to focus on repair & resale. E-waste is secondary to how they are making their living.
Another factor in the mix: Steel,Copper,and Aluminum are way down from what they were a number of years ago. In order to survive many of the traditional scrappers have had to diversify into e-waste. Now there's more competition than ever for a dwindling resource and very few are actually making a profit with it.
Common sense would tell you how it's most likely to end up.
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
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$248 for 100lbs isnt a good price?.....im confused lol
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In his post he said his local yard is only paying $2/lb for bare bright (ie they are probably somewhat low). His 100 pounds at $248 is $2.48 a pound....meaning if he bought it from the guy at that price and turned it into his local $2/lb yard, he would LOSE .48/lb on the deal (assuming this scrap copper was in fact bare bright). Basically the place he sends stuff to is low balling copper pricing probably a bit and he can't understand why the guy wants more than the stuff is worth.
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Scrappah is absolutely right- when I do a pickup, here's how I look at the computers (It's similar for other items):
1. Can I sell it locally for the highest return? If so, sell it.
2. OK, I can't sell it locally. Can I sell it online for a little less? If so, do it.
3. OK, I can't sell it whole. Can I part it out for profit? If so, do it.
4. OK, nobody wants the parts. Have I needed parts for this, though. If so, hold it.
5. OK, this thing isn't desirable at all! Scrap it.
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Notice where the scrap it option is. In E-Waste, scrapping something should be your last resort, that's only used on things that have little to no value.
More than Scrap Value Shipment Tips: http://www.scrapmetalforum.com/scrap...tml#post242349
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EXACTLY Matador!
Scrapping in the LAST and lowest pricepoint you will get for ANYTHING. Try to sell for reuse or even as material for something else....the steel printer rods for example. Scrap is the LAST IN LINE. Follow that mantra and your profits should be FAR greater.
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Before scrapping, I also use some items to barter or trade out. I was able to exchange moving help when I switched offices in exchange for three nearly worthless desktops. Scrap is the bottom point- I cringe when I have to scrap something. Almost anything else is better
Experienced Scrapper
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Okay let me explain. If he sells on ebay at 2.48 he looses 15% in seller fees and paypal fees. The cheapest way he can ship 100 lbs is USPS flat rate
which is $32. Its a loss. I'm not looking to buy from him, I just told him where to net more for his copper wire. But he tells me its none of my business, not okay thanks
Experienced Scrapper
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$248 on ebay with free shipping nets the seller $179. Yard pays $200 cash. Still confused ?
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
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I'm busy with the new job so i'm pretty much out of the mix these days.
What i'm seeing at the local level:
E-waste is very much a specialized area of scrapping. You really have to be in tune with the evolution in technology and the changes in the business environment are rolling through every three to six months. You have to constantly change and adapt in order to make a profit.
This is too complicated for most of the traditional scrappers. They're not able to discern something that should re-sell from something that should go straight to scrap. They're scrapping everything and driving 60 miles to sell their green boards for 30 cents a pound.
They'll get a green board,a little wire, and a few stainless rods out of a printer but what are they getting out of it for the time invested ?
Consider that a printer is mostly plastic and that's going straight into the waste stream rather than being recycled ....
I don't want to set the e-waste specialists against the traditional scrappers but this is the reality of the situation as i see it. It might be awhile before the traditionalists figure out that the e-waste hope isn't panning out for them and lose interest.
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When prices were higher, a scrapper could "Get away" with more. RAM used to be double the prices I saw in December. You could throw everything in the scrap bucket, ship it off to a buyer, and make money. It's when those luxuries disappear that scrappers are forced to look into more than scrap value avenues.
The reality is, if they looked into those avenues when prices were high, they would have still done better.
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
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Its the 'hassle factor'....
If you sell to the scrapyard, there's no 'maybe's' involved.
You know what you have, you know what their prices are, you know that when you give it to them, they are going to say "Thankyou very much" and give you a handful of ca$h....
End of story. Ca$h in hand. Simple.
Now compare that to selling something to someone else.... Over the net or over the counter.....
You will get a little more, or a lot more.
Its going to cost you time. Its going to involve packing something up and sending it, at your cost/investment.
They may then not agree and now its a hassle...
Actually anything other than "here's the ca$h" and that's the end of it, is a hassle and its going to cost you $, time and energy.
That's why I love scrapmetal. Its a straight swap and the deals done and everyone's happy.
Anything else has too many variables and any of those variables will cost you something.
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
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Personally .... i don't bear any ill will toward any of the traditionalists. They are just out there trying to make a living like everyone else.
There's the hassle factor but they're also creatures of habit. It's their habit to sell what they scrap to the yard.
It's kind of a shame because of what we were talking about earlier in the thread. They're making a bee line to the option that pays the very least. After taking out operating expenses they may even operating at a loss.
ie: On the local level it's a 60 mile run to the scrap yard. The true cost of running a vehicle these days is roughly 50 cents a mile. Round trip is 120 miles or 60.00$.
At 30 cents a pound for green boards they would have to sell 200 lbs of boards just to break even.
That's a whole lotta printers. An awful lot of time invested and a lot of plastic waste dumped that the municipality (taxpayer) has to pay to get rid of.
Ohh well .... Not my concern. Hopefully they'll eventually figure out for themselves that it's not really working.
Last edited by Scrappah; 02-27-2016 at 03:45 PM.
Keeper of the Cooler!
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Sirscrapalot - I had a quote but a goat ate it. Blame Hobo, he was goat sitting.
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