New guy second post. Where is the money? - Page 2

So let's sum this up, because in all honesty, it seems that you're expecting a full-time business right out of the gate. As most will tell you here...it's not going to happen. But if you follow a plan and do it right, meaning bringing the proverbial "right tools for the job", then you'll eventually develop a nice little business that could turn into something bigger if you want it to.

Rough Draft - Plan of Action:

1. Get a truck.
2. Get tools.
3. Get a storage unit or somewhere you can break stuff down.
4. Get business cards.
5. Get a trailer.
6. Network, network, network - let everyone know, in a non-hoosier way, that you're in the "metal recycling" business.
7. Post regularly updated Craigslist ads
8. Make friends with whomever manages or owns your local yard - I'm talking about bring them beer, doughnuts, sack of burgers...anything to make you stand out. It will pay off big-time.
9. Don't get desperate and steal ****.

I know that's quite a list, but those are the fundamentals if you want to go "full-time" with scrapping. As many of us did when starting out, we drove around small towns and alley-ways, looking for any shred of scrap. Now, like a lot of us, after word-of-mouth and all the other "work" we put in, we have people calling us daily with scrap pick-ups or leads. It just takes time. You have to chip away at it like any good business.

It's easy to get discouraged because it's easy to think, "there's no mother loads left for me...they're all taken" - which is absolutely NOT true! There is plenty of scrap out there for all of us.

I hate to throw this cliche out there...but it rings true in this game - "If you build it, they will come." Seriously.

Lol!

Yes. She did.

Man this site is pissing me off more and more everyday. Its basically come down to everyone can scrap metal and make a million dollars off it. I wish that the newbies at the end of the year would be required to post how much they made for the year so the true scrappers could laugh a little.

From August to the end of October grossed $19,000.00, now that it's known I haul scrap was given a farm clean up to do. Four combines, several swather's with miscellaneous other scrap which netted me $1700.00.

The best part is that the only finger I had to lift was my dialing finger, I cut a deal with the scrap yard, they came in with a tractor trailer and loader and took everything as is.

Sure I could have come out looking better on paper money wise but considering what I pay for oxygen, my time to prepare then load and haul then toss in the cost of fuel I think I came out alright considering the scrap was free.

From the proceeds from that farm clean up, using the funds to make an offer on this small loader.

Originally Posted by PistoneScrapProcessing

Man this site is pissing me off more and more everyday. Its basically come down to everyone can scrap metal and make a million dollars off it. I wish that the newbies at the end of the year would be required to post how much they made for the year so the true scrappers could laugh a little.

PSP, I kinda take offense to that. Call me a noob if you want seeing how I havn't been here THAT long, and i'm still learning stuff everyday (like how my landlord may be pissed about the pile of scrap on the side of my garage), but i'm pretty sure if I posted what I made last year (probably about a grand) you may laugh at me. So, because I'm not running a "business" does this make me not a true scrapper?

And to olympus, i'm going to say straight what everybody else is trying to be nice about. You're priorities are WAY out of order, and quite honestly I don't think that this is a industry/hobby/whatever that your truely going to be interested in. You get hurt, you have to do things that other people frown upon, you make people angry, and yes, you even argue/fit/spat/whatever with you loved ones over it. My girl gets on my @$$ all the time about the junk I have around, then I cash it in and come home with an extra 50-300 and she's happy again.

OK, here is my two cents.

When one starts off in any new thing like our OP, that one knows pretty much nothing about what it takes to get the job done. Scrapping is no exception. When I started thinking about scrapping computers I knew absolutely nothing about computers, or what was inside of them. I didn't know what to tear out, and what to keep. I also didn't know what to do with all of the piecesparts after I tore them apart. I didn't know what I could sell, or even where to sell it. I was the most ingorantist son-of-a-biscuit what ever drew breath about that particular subject. And...that scared me to death. And that is where our NOOB is standing right now. He has made his first attempt at digging for gold and has failed. I did the same thing. I was scared to death to take a truckload full of my stuff to the scrap yard that first time because I didn't know what they would take, and I was scared that I might look like a NOOB if I took a bunch of stuff that they wouldn't buy. Olympus is so new that he didn't even know that he could be arrested for stealing if he tried to take a bucket full of RR spikes to the scrap yard.

Believe it or not Olympus...you have passed your first exam. You acted, that is to say you formulated a plan, and carryed out that plan. You didn't know that it wasn't a very good plan. You didnt even know that your plan could very well land you in jail. But, guess what? You now know more than you did before you put your plan into action. You are learning, and you happened to have stumbled onto a great site that can really flatten out your learning curve. My advice to you is to take advantage of the search feature on this forum and read, read, read. Another thing that you should do is get your attitude under control and go back to the RR yard and speak with the yard master. Tell him that you are just a Booger Eating Moron (BEM) when it comes to scrap metal, and that you sincerely apologize for trying to take their scrap. After you have grovelled at his feet, and after he has chewed you a new one....again...ask him if there is anything that you can do to make it up to him. No matter what he says, then ask him if you can work for him as a contractor cleaning up all of his scrap metal, taking it to the scrap yard with a letter from the RR okaying the transaction, and bringing the money PLUS the receipt to him after the sale showing how much the scrap sold for and offering to do him this service for no more than 20%.

He probably will say no. But at least you will be showing him that your are trying to carry out a business transaction, and are not a thief. In the least you will gain a little respect and perhaps open the door for business in the future.

Dont quit failing, just learn from your failures.

Regards
Chris

Well stated Chris.

Olympus, Glad you made it to the website with the most free information available. Lots of good info had been posted just in this thread alone.

I am an american living in Germany, a stay-at-home-dad, and Just started this scrapping thing last year as an offshoot of taking up metal detecting as a hobby. I do it as a hobby right now but soon it will become more part-time, and soon after that, hopefully it will turn into a full time business.

Some people here Scrap as a hobby, some part-time, some full-time and some as business owners: it all depends on your personal life issues.
I use a Ford Focus wagon, the Brand Name of my tools is Budget.(Honestly) Luckily I have a garage to break stuff down and store it in, and a legal way of disposing of the waste, ie- CRT tubes and plastic.

When I first started doing this, my wife looked at me like I was crazy and asked why I couldn't take up a normal hobby like other people!?!? I told her that most other hobbies cost money and this one actually paid for itself. She didn't want to hear that of course and needed proof. Well, Money on the table after a trip to the scrap yard changes all kinds of attitude. She still thinks it is a wierd hobby, only she can change her own mind.

Well enough socializing, got 4 monitors to gut out.

Check your attitude every day and adjust upward.

one more thing. Ive only grossed around 300 dollars so far this year, but I only have to deduct gas money and the price of a Dremel so far. For me it is only a Christmas fund as of now.

For those that may have issues with spouses or neighbors, an effort to be considerate goes a long way. I have to scrap out of my home, so I actually box up as much of my scrap as possible for storage in the garage. Anything too big to box that has to stay in the back gets covered by a tarp. Boxes and tarps can help to keep some peace if you are in a residential area.

pistonscrapprocessing
im still a newbee at the game but im a quick learner im at close to 4k this year doing it part part time. with 2 loads going out saturday all short iron
should be around 9 tons.
and it looks like its going to get better for me
go ahead and laugh at us newbees one of these days i might make some real money doing it but right now i have a full time job

i agree and disagree with alot here , i dont know if im a pro or a parttimer just because im holding onto my job right now, but the best piece of advice i seen on here was from hoss and bigryan , hoss said it up top who you blow and ryan give a list and i liked number 8

8. Make friends with whomever manages or owns your local yard - I'm talking about bring them beer, doughnuts, sack of burgers...anything to make you stand out. It will pay off big-time

you cant just goto the guy without ever meeting him and expect this to work they will ask who the hell are you. take loads in every day so they get used to seeing you, how you doing ladies, thank you sir have a good day and always smile. we didnt even start with the managers we started with the girls at the pay windows and the guys that unload our stuff, sodas at random for whoever was sitting at the smoke table at the exit. we got the girls huge hershey bars for valentines day they had to open the door cause they wouldnt fit thru the pay window. anyway as soon as i got paid for the cylnders the yard manager gave me i went to see him. i asked how many empoyees he had and he said 26. on monday we are buying 13 pizzas and some 12 packs of soda and feeding the whole yard. at first he said i didnt have to do it because he appreciated what i did but he seen i really wanted to do it. even if i never get another load from them i feel it was worth it, he could have asked any scrapper that came thru the gate but he asked me. that being said i agree 99% of newbies on here will never be a problem hell some of em wouldnt load the steel in their truck if you dumped it in their yard, but there is that 1% that is me and was brought up to work, you never know who the next corycouch will be

Originally Posted by biscuit

From August to the end of October grossed $19,000.00, now that it's known I haul scrap was given a farm clean up to do. Four combines, several swather's with miscellaneous other scrap which netted me $1700.00.

The best part is that the only finger I had to lift was my dialing finger, I cut a deal with the scrap yard, they came in with a tractor trailer and loader and took everything as is.

Sure I could have come out looking better on paper money wise but considering what I pay for oxygen, my time to prepare then load and haul then toss in the cost of fuel I think I came out alright considering the scrap was free.

From the proceeds from that farm clean up, using the funds to make an offer on this small loader.

My offer $500.00 was bumped, loader is mine for $1050.00 tax's inclusive.

The loader needs a new radiator and the company retired it because they were not willing to wait 60 / 90 days for the factory to assemble a new one. They also choose not to replace it with another loader from the same manufacture over the lead time it would have taken to receive a replacement radiator.

Radiator is almost worth as much as I paid for the loader, $677.00 plus tax's and possible duty before shipping.

Haven't been on much in the last couple of weeks and come back to what feels like 5 minutes wasted on reading pity. Dude, if some junk in the yard is the only thing that gets on your wife's nerves...count your blessings...because the rambling on, and on, and on would be enough for most others.

Ok first with the wife try growing a pair forum christ sakes . I live in same town and cant find enough time to get it allaxy
If you know where kaiser off of seirra gardens is dumpster has plenty of metal
Next up see property with tons of metal knock and ask
IfSomething comes available latest at night get your butt over there now matter the time
If u see something in driveway ask if you can recyclery
for gods sake stay out of the railroad or ill come to your house and taken your stuff that I think you dont want
ThenOpen eyes but more importantly open your mind


Ps ive done this eleven days and have tripled your amount with full time school and two children

All kinds of people. lol.