I just lost my copper buyer

I live in Northern California. My closest real scrap yard is a 2 hour drive northeast, there is another scrap yard 2 hours south. The NE one pays pretty bad the S one pays even worse. There is a ferris only yard in town but he will not pay. Doesn't bother me when I get something to scrap I pull the good stuff and he gets the rest. That way I do not have to find a way to get rid of it and no way will I take it 80 miles to get paid $5.

I visit the NE one when I take my wife to one of her doctors. But I only sell insulated wire and cast/sheet aluminum.



I was lucky I found a yard I liked but it is 850 miles away but he paid great. With UPS I could send 40 pounds of copper for $25.00 He had good prices, even better than the two cheap places after I back out shipping. But last month he stopped doing mail shipping completely. My copper hoard is backing up. I am not in a hurry to sell I just want to find a new buyer somewhere on the west coast that pays good and will accept shipments by UPS or USPS.

So does anyone have a great scrapyard that will take mail in shipments. (that you trust?)

Originally Posted by mthomasdev

Did you try JJinLV? He is in the buyers section.

He was my buyer. For some reason he decided to stop mail in shipments. Hope it is because he has too many drive up shipments. He is very helpful and great prices.

Boardsort has a price for copper, but they're in Ohio. I would have a look to the UPS rates to see what's the actual cost difference between shipping to Vegas and shipping further East to Ohio. Some members on this forum are also selling on Ebay for buyers who want to melt the own ingots. Also, if you want to ship it to me, I can sell it up here for you and send you a Paypal or Google Pay transfer, but I am on the other side of the continent and I doubt shipping costs would make cost-efficient. I guess that you should see who's buying boards on the West Coast by mail or courier and see if they're also taking copper at a good rate. The other solution I see is piling up for a full or huge load, then go for a long ride to sell it in a major city or anywhere a good yard is located. Not a perfect solution, but there are the best solutions that came to my mind.

I dunno Dan. I think you might be barking up the wrong tree with shipping copper. There can't be much of a payout on the copper after deducting your shipping costs. You really need to be sending out gaylords of that stuff in order to have any hope of shipping it cost effectively.

I'm kind of in the same boat as you are in that i live in a remote area. The nearest yard that pays at least halfway decently is a sixty mile run. I usually hold off on selling till i've accumulated 350 - 500 lbs. I figure $ 60.00 as actual transportation cost and half a day's time as the cost to transport. That still leaves a little meat on the bone.

I could go further out for better price per pound on scrap copper but i wouldn't be any further ahead. Transportation costs would increase accordingly.

It might be better to stockpile right now anyway. Scrap prices are near their seasonal low. They're likely to be better sometime late next winter.

It's all a numbers game. Doesn't make much sense to do scrap metal recycling if you aren't making any money at it.

Originally Posted by hills

It might be better to stockpile right now anyway. Scrap prices are near their seasonal low. They're likely to be better sometime late next winter.
It's all a numbers game. Doesn't make much sense to do scrap metal recycling if you aren't making any money at it.

I agree, I am just starting my hunt now. I have a couple hundred pounds right now, most bare bright. I have shipped 40 pounds of bare bright for $14 in a medium flat rate box. copper is real bad, when it was good JJ paid $4.24 I can wait.

Originally Posted by Bashkim

Don't know if this helps you....but I'm pretty sure there's a scrap yard nearish to me that does mail shipments. They even have a website...rockaway recycling in new jersey....not sure if they'd accept your stuff or not but it couldn't hurt to ask.

The owner of Rockaway is a youtuber. Some of his videos are pretty informative. He also has a website to see prices of yards across the country. Current Scrap Metal Prices & Local Scrap Yards - scrap metal forum and on youtube scrap metal forum - YouTube

I can tell the kid is a buyer and not a scrapper by some of his suggestions and recommendations but I always learn something.

Originally Posted by JJinLV

I'm a bit overwhelmed just keeping up with the business already built. When me and the e-commerce partner find another person we like we'll start taking on new clients again and think about expanding back into less-than-freight shipping.

I had an idea something drastic happened, I didn't want to ask. You were great to work with, good luck in the future. I just had to find a replacement buyer.

As I previously said, I am probably located too far for you, but I continued to think about that. Maybe someone else on the forum can help Dan by receiving his packages and sell his copper during their own trips to a yard and cover the gap during the time JJ can't accept mail/LTL shipments.

Originally Posted by cyberdan

I agree, I am just starting my hunt now. I have a couple hundred pounds right now, most bare bright. I have shipped 40 pounds of bare bright for $14 in a medium flat rate box. copper is real bad, when it was good JJ paid $4.24 I can wait.

Based on JJiLV's response, he still does freight shipments. 300 pounds and I'd look into it. Personally have had good luck with YRC. YRC terminal in Central point OR. Probably near that northeast yard you mentioned. Assuming Schnitzer. Freight shipments are cheapest if you are dropping off at the terminal. Ran a quick rate quote. 600 pounds dropped off at terminal, delivered to commercial address in LV, $166 and change.

Have also used Govern in the past. He may be able to do better, based on the volume he does/

Originally Posted by mthomasdev

Based on JJiLV's response, he still does freight shipments. 300 pounds and I'd look into it.

YRC terminal in Central point OR. Probably near that northeast yard you mentioned.
600 pounds dropped off at terminal, delivered to commercial address in LV, $166 and change.

Yes, central point is very close to the scrap yard I have used. It is a suburb of Medford. One of my wife's doctors is in that town.
600 pounds might be to much for my SUV, but 300 should not be a problem. I will keep that in mind.

Originally Posted by CopperMiner

I guess that you should see who's buying boards on the West Coast by mail or courier and see if they're also taking copper at a good rate.

I have a good priced board buyer in Colorado. He will match Boardsort and Cash for computer scrap. Same shipping costs as for Las Vegas but they take three weeks to even open your box and do not buy copper.

Truck drivers complaint rates are low and you can also take advantage of this by using a load broker, such as uShip. They will be bid to get your business (maybe just to get some extra bucks by completing a full load while they're nearby) or you can choose your own carrier on the spot. On a smaller scale, I hear many people using Pirate Ship and Paypal Ship to get lower rates with USPS and UPS.

You've received lots of great advice so here's one more from me.

Save up the CU until you just can't stand having hundreds of pounds, perhaps thousands of pounds of then ship it or take it a buyer.

I have done the very same thing with my ewaste. I would save enough to make a pallet or two and ship it. Later I filled my pick up truck with ewaste and the wife and traveled to "ewasted" in Ohio and then stopped off in Indiana to visit my brothers. I live in coastal North Carolina.

This system has worked for me. Consider you CU pile like a piggy bank. When you sell a 1000 lbs of CU your wife if you have one will like that pile a whole lot more. 73, Mike