Today's caller telling me my business

ya My wale #1 called me yesterday to let me know the yard gave him $1.25 for mixed insulated wire after I offered him $1.20 #2 bragged about the $2400 dollar check he got. untill I reminded him I would have sorted it and paid $1.85 for the #1.

I get this all the time. People always call me and ask the most ridiculous questions. "What's a lawn mower worth?" 15-20 bucks. Then they ask why... I'm the one gutting the tires for short steel, taking off the wiring harness, cutting out the small engine, transporting it to and from. The logistics of people not realizing exactly how much things are worth when prepared properly, the whole thing astounds me.

Originally Posted by Mick

Just got another one: Go to a junk yard where I get batteries on a monthly basis - used to get 20 or so a month. Last several months he's been holding back, hoping I'd raise the price I pay. Stop in yesterday. Younger guy is glad to see me as the batteries are getting in the way. Older guy asks how much I'd pay - still $4. He wants to hold off as "somebody" offered him $10 a battery. I'm thinking to myself "Then why hasn't he sold them?". THEN - he let it slip that he almost had a "cube" (pallet worth or 48 batteries). The trick is that core buyers want at least three pallets/skids (144 batteries) at a time. At this rate, it'll take another two years to get a shipment built up. And if he thinks 40 or so batteries clutters up the place, wait till there's 144 of them laying around.

So, let me get this straight...you go to a junk yard, take batteries out, pay the junk yard, and then go get a few bucks more from the scrap yard right? If so, makes sense.

Also, what about doing it for aluminum tire rims that have no rubber on them? Would it be worth it for them, do you think?

I considered going to the junk yard and buying aluminum rims, to resell later to the scrap yard, but looking over the prices at the junk yard I don’t think I could make it work, Looks like they have them priced high enough I wouldn’t make any money.

Any Aluminum wheel is $13.98 + $10.30(core charge) =$24.28 total

I have never tried to figure the average per wheel but I’m sure at $25 it would never work for me…


They do have another price . for bad tire aluminum rims.. 13.98 + 3.05 core even then that is little over $17, and would have to pull the rims with bad tires.

I have had a few calls go like this.
Caller: You hual away metal right?
Me: Yes i do
Caller: I have some metal for you to haul off, oh and you can sell it if you want to
I have a couple callers say that i could sell what I haul off. First off why do they think i am hauling it off for and second if i haul something ff I am going to do whatever i want with it lol.

oh and you can sell it if you want to

Or you can sit on it and watch it rust,,,, lol

One way of getting rims and batteries is to start buying scrap cars. I have a pallet of batteries that way. Sadly no aluminum rims yet.

I have a backyard full of aluminum rims still on the tire from where I junk out cars sporadicly. Don't get excited, they don't weigh much. For average 15 inch tires, I usually get 50 bucks a set. That's when prices are high-norm to boost the size of my wallet. Get yourself a truck bed full and then take them in. The odd tire or two is hardly worth all the time and effort to cut into them. Get a pile, start a little fire out in the hills, and then come morning reap the benefits and get yourself close to a grand when you have enough to fill a truck bed about cab high or so.

LOL It's not that bad if you keep a hose handy. I've done the whole melt your aluminum thing on the first couple go arounds. The stuff puddles up below the tires, you can actually take in the tire belts with the rubber burned off for tin at some yards and the aluminum still sells even if you can't tell it was a rim. Try it before you snub you nose at it.

Originally Posted by TheFatMan

I have a backyard full of aluminum rims still on the tire from where I junk out cars sporadicly. Don't get excited, they don't weigh much. For average 15 inch tires, I usually get 50 bucks a set. That's when prices are high-norm to boost the size of my wallet. Get yourself a truck bed full and then take them in. The odd tire or two is hardly worth all the time and effort to cut into them. Get a pile, start a little fire out in the hills, and then come morning reap the benefits and get yourself close to a grand when you have enough to fill a truck bed about cab high or so.

If you have a small box truck filled with them, yeah perhaps a grand, but just a truck, filled up, I don't see that being 1,000. Perhaps 400 to 500 at 50 a set.

Originally Posted by Bobby

I considered going to the junk yard and buying aluminum rims, to resell later to the scrap yard, but looking over the prices at the junk yard I don’t think I could make it work, Looks like they have them priced high enough I wouldn’t make any money.

Any Aluminum wheel is $13.98 + $10.30(core charge) =$24.28 total


They do have another price . for bad tire aluminum rims.. 13.98 + 3.05 core even then that is little over $17, and would have to pull the rims with bad tires.

Bobby, The yard I work at pays .75 a pound for aluminum rims. It is less for chrome, which is .45 cents a pound. From what I have bought, I would say a set of 4 alum rims will average anywhere from 45-75 dollars. Hope this helps
I have never tried to figure the average per wheel but I’m sure at $25 it would never work for me…

I have gotten this one jaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Originally Posted by Mick

Phone rings. Caller asks if I buy metal and wants to sell me a brass radiator. I quote him a price and he tells me that the scrap yard offered him $1.80/lb. I told him to take it up there but he'd need to "prepare" it, first. I don't think he heard it all as the phone went dead.

Unprepared brass radiators are 0.75/lb.

What's that signature of Kris Kringle? Oh, yeah - you can't fix stupid.

Sorry if this is a dumb question ( I tried to look it up on the search function but didn't get anywhere) - how do you "prepare" a radiator?

Thanks