Scrapping is the filthiest job I have ever worked. No suit and tie for this guy!
- what do you do with 2 to 300
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
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Scrapping is the filthiest job I have ever worked. No suit and tie for this guy!
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
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As for the keyboards and mice, try selling the creme de la creme on a yard sale site. You don't know until you try.
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Seems that there is a good market for "clean" keyboard letters and numbers for crafts. As for the mice, well I have found that when you have a lot of the same thing and it looks cool, that there are artists and craft people interested at a fair price. I have sold and traded boxes full of things like used up throw away ink pens, disposable lighters, the flexi net sacks that onions come in, blue and other color jeans/pants by the pound and the metal buttons that are on many jeans sell also. I myself have many pounds of them from raging out jeans over the years. Crafters use the material to make rugs and other craft items.
I have learned that when it comes to the arts and crafts world that most anything can be used if you have enough of it and if it has interesting colors and shape.
License plates are very popular with collectors as well as craft people that use them for making sayings with the letters to people making bird houses with them. Google license plate birdhouse pictures and I'm sure you will find some. They are interesting looking.
I do very well selling and trading odd things to artists and craft people. I learned that even tho the economy may not be doing well at the time, that there are always starving artists that are looking for materials and IDEAS for making art that they might trade for food or $$$.
If you think about how much is being bought by others because they plan on turning it into more by resale to the right people or making crafts and such to sell "if they can",
The world of arts and crafts is a area that has lots of room for possible profits.
Some say that it takes money to make money and some say that gambling at games of chance is the way to go, and yet others say, be wise in thought and honest in Life and the carrots on the ends of sticks will come to you.
Last edited by ChildhoodDream; 08-12-2015 at 11:37 AM. Reason: sitting to far away & old eyes
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
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im a litte fish but no fool. I picked up 120 or so towers from this client and paid 240.00 All of the mice, keyboards, and powercords were the gravey. I have never had such volume of any of this so I simply wanted to put it out there for the community here and see what comes of it all. To date knock on wood I have not lost money in any of my scrap purchases. Saying that I know that my time will to comeOriginally Posted by mthomasdev
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
i've seen some keyboards with so many crumbs on them i thought it was a placemat with letters on it...you could make a sandwhich
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I think some of the nastiest things to scrap are business phones, especially the handsets. The holes in the transmitter are usually full of food and the holes in the receiver are usually full of ear cheese. Oh the stories I could tell.Or do further research an it would show you, you can breakdown the keyboards for the mylar an wire. An the wire an motor in the mice if you so desire.
Or just donate them, or throw them away. Much easier then actually breaking things down an profiting.
An yes...I break my keyboards down for the mylar an wire, an I rip the wire out of the mice, as I get something for the whole mice with no wire. I no weird, but hey..someone wants to pay me, I'll take their money.
edit to add: If your worried about what folks did with their items before they came to you, it best might be to focus your efforts on something that doesn't make you squeamish. I mean your recycling others people goods, chances are your going to come across dirt, germs, dust, bugs, an all kinds of other fun yet gross things. Buy some gloves, a dust mask, or whatever an get it done.
Ain't trying to be rude but this isnt the kind of gig for "clean freaks" an "germophobes". An all the above I listed can come out of electronics of all kinds. Keyboards, towers, whatever.
Sometimes getting paid means getting dirty or putting up with conditions you normally wouldn't.
Now pardon me, according to a bunch of threads I need to go prep my doomsday shelter. The sky is falling an all that.
Sirscrapalot - Me? Sarcastic? never.
Back on topic. I don't get a lot of keyboards and mice and when I do they are pretty nasty. I save the mylars and the wire but that's about it.
Keeper of the Cooler!
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Seems I need to put my disclaimers back in my posts...
For the record..all you's an such are general unless I specifically mention your name.
Scrappah I know your not a dainty fella afraid of dirt, I should have clarified better I wasn't directing it at anyone specific but in more of a general way. I shall return to using disclaimers, don't want anyone thinking I'm targeting them when I'm not.
An yea Mike..I figured it out after! LOL.
Sirscrapalot - Agree's about business phones, an just tries not to think about what people do when on their phones, computers, etc.
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
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<gentle laughter> I think it's just me bro.We're about two months in to the tourist season here and i'm a bit on edge.Some of our summer visitors can be a bit difficult to deal with. It wears on your nerves after awhile. It will ease up by Labor day then ......Seems I need to put my disclaimers back in my posts...
For the record..all you's an such are general unless I specifically mention your name.
Scrappah I know your not a dainty fella afraid of dirt, I should have clarified better I wasn't directing it at anyone specific but in more of a general way. I shall return to using disclaimers, don't want anyone thinking I'm targeting them when I'm not.
An yea Mike..I figured it out after! LOL.
Sirscrapalot - Agree's about business phones, an just tries not to think about what people do when on their phones, computers, etc.
It will be your turn.
On a separate note: This isn't the most glamorous work but it is what it is. You gotta roll with it. The air compressor & the blow gun are my best friends. You know .... get the wind at your back and blow all that stuff out before you bring something the shop to work on it. Saves a lot of mess.
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
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On the 'Crafty' side of things. The optical 'eye' in optical mice are quite nice to look at.
I think that they can be used for jewelry, theres Gold wires in them as well as the optical chip.
I have a feeling that the optical chip will bounce light back into a camera if a photo is taken of it while using a flash. Sorta like the 'red eye' effect.
When I get them I scrap the guts out and the plastic goes to the recycling depo.
The roller ball type mice have several LED's and sensors, all with Gold wire in them' The eye has about 7 Gold wires.
Actual Gold wire is not worth much because its so thin, but in bulk its worth money. Like if you have a quart bottle full of LED's its probably worth getting the Gold out.
Its not hard to do. 'Patnors method' is whats used, no chemicals at all and its basicly the same as Gold panning.
Panning the wires out of the charcoled plastic.
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
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I was just reading an article about how many places in Africa
import used electronics for resale to the population because it's low
cost. It may take some work but export large volumes of these things
might be they way to go. We here in the US may think twice about using a 2nd
or 3rd hand mouse and keyboard but some third world countrier probably won't.
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OK, I will tell you now and you can pay me later.
List those mice and keyboards on Craig's list in lots of 10 of each. 10 mice and 10 keyboards. List them for free. Yes, I said free. You can't get rich from selling or scrapping them, but by giving them away in batches to people who need them in batches, will allow you to meet some of the guys in your area that refurbish computers for resale.
The contacts you meet from doing this can go a very long way.
"64K should be enough for anybody." - Bill Gates 1981
http://www.treasurecoastelectronicrecycling.com/
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That is actually a semi-intelligent idea. One good contact made can be worth many hundreds (or thousands) of dollars to you in the long run.
Have Fun,
Harold
I hate rules, but I love junk.
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Hey guys, whats shakin....so let me get this straight...you have 300 keyboards and 300 mice that were thrown into a tower deal, and this is a problem? I dunno - I see a lot of advice to chuck them in the shred pile, equating them to trash....I guess the hate for mice is strong here!
Hell, first off I'd sort 'em out...are the clean? functional? anything that was damaged would be broken down...mylars from keyboards, cords from both, boards outta mice. Either sell or stockpile the results.
Next, anything that was in good shape - resell. List them on ebay in lots of 10 or 25...10 used Dells sold for $30 bucks yesterday...depending on brand, you could make some good cash. Same deal with mice..make sure ya clean em up quick, list them as sanitized. Lots of 20 going for $30, again sold in the last few days. Hell, donate some for the good karma, and enjoy the cash. Even if you only sell 2/3 of each, that's a nice quick score of cash. Considering the USPS will GIVE you shipping supplies, I don't see how you can go wrong. With the crap scrap prices I've been looking into reselling everything I can...amazing the crap that's worth $$ if you research it. Good luck bro...if you're really struggling to get rid of them, hit me up - I'll issue you a call tag, you can throw 'em in a box and send them to sunny ole PA...I'll negotiate a price with ya, and we both win!
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
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I do plan on going through them and setting up some lots on craigs list and doing some sample lots on eaby soon. I only have my garage and with this load and the latest 35 towers I got for FREE i'm swamped. but this is a great thing. If I decide to just be rid of the lot for room I'll shoot you a line.
Just want to say thanks to all of you for posting here I achived my goal and got many dirrerent perspectives of what to do. Thanks guys and gals now its time to relax for a short bit b 4 I dive in head first
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I dont think enough attention has been paid to the reselling market, except for directrecycle asking his question early on in the conversation. Specifically, what type are they? Yes, there are probably a very high percentage of cheapo ones in your lot, but I have found keyboards to be a nice little side business. I'll let you guys do the research, but there is a certain type made by/for a large computer company that sells quite nicely in the $20 range + shipping. I'm not just talking USB, but P/S2 models as well (and not just the clicky type). Take the time to look and research on ebay, the worst you could get is an education.
If you find any programmable IBM clicky ones, those are MOST definitely SCRAP and should be sent to me immediately for end-of-life treatment.
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