Tantalum Caps and MLCCs- Where To Sell?

Hope everyone is having a good day so far. I have one quick question that maybe someone can shed some light on for me.



On many of the boards I get, especially on the telecom ones, I notice lots of Ta caps and sometimes even a few chunky MLCCs. Does anyone recommend pulling a few off and selling them? I actually have a small cup that is starting to accumulate some of the bigger Ta caps I have pulled off. I just don't know of a place to sell the Ta caps, or the MLCCs. Can anyone recommend a reputable place to sell both at? By both I mean both materials, not necessarily to the same buyer.

Thanks in advance, and looking forward to replies whether they are helpful or just advice.

-stargateguy1

There is a buyer for Ta caps here on the forum but for less than 20 dollars a pound I'm not going to bother. I can make a lot more doing other things.

You have to ask around, visit many different forums, and make a lot of phone calls.
I found a privet buyer over on the metal refining forums that pays based on recovery - 5 lb minumum. ( last shipment he paid me $62 /lb after a few weeks ).

It takes a while to find good buyers for exotic metals, don't give up !

Thanks for the help guys. I'll keep looking for the buyer for MLCCs, but I think I know who the Ta one is. I collect the tantalum caps because I it takes me less than a second to pop them off. Same with the large and chunky MLCCs. I have about a half pound of tantalum caps now, and I don't really pull every single one off for the possibility of devaluing the boards. I pull the ones that seem not-so-obviously-missing off and keep them.

i STILL cant tell which are tantalum caps..im sure that over the years, ive scrapped many boards that must have altogether contained a decent amount of valuable capacitors.

and since theyre so small, their weight/size to value ratio makes them feasible to ship overseas.

Thanks, TantalumRecycling! I have a small cup that is starting to accumulate tantalum caps. I really only pull them off some boards so as not to devalue them. But, any time I see them, especially the big ones, I pull them off. I'm still trying to find a buyer for MLCCs, but I think I'm just going to forget them because that'll be one more thing I have to keep a container for. Thanks everyone!

Originally Posted by jimicrk

There is a buyer for Ta caps here on the forum but for less than 20 dollars a pound I'm not going to bother. I can make a lot more doing other things.

Yep jimi - those beautiful boards on your thread are SO chucked full of the yellow bricks, they'd make a mint off you alone! Purrrrty! I'm with you on the price issue, though. Not worth it.

Currently the only boards I pull them off of are the lowest mid-grade and tiny little boards that weigh pretty much nothing anyway. That's about the only reason I pull them too. Those tiny little boards from various computers and laptops that have hardly any weight on their own are the ones I pull from. Other than that, I leave them. Unless there are lots, and they are giant. I've seen some pretty big ones in my experience, but I typically leave the small ones.

I've sold MLCC's for $50 per pound on eBay.

What size is the minimum that you take off? I know some can get pretty large, especially on older or higher grade boards, but the majority are tiny. Do you just go and depopulate them all, or just pick and choose? I am considering using the same principles that I use for tantalums on MLCCs and selling them on eBay. Thanks for the suggestion.

I pick and choose. I only mess with them when I've got the time. It probably takes me 6-8 months to save up a pound. I treat them the same as I do tantalum. I think it's fun to see how much I can accumulate.