New Idea may be crap

Decided to change up a little on how I can get scrap and advertised to do home clean-outs in exchange for all the scrap and electronics left behind. Working my first one now. Place is loaded down with trash and costs me $20 round trip. Hauled my first load out of there today. #320 tin @160/NT, #10 AL Cans@.50/LB, #9.5 2 INS CU@1.10/LB and #2.5 1 INS CU. In case you didn't do the math, $45 for the day. This weekend will be getting all the rest of the stuff out. Have to dispose of 3 couches, a recliner, queen box spring and mattress, and bags upon bags of trash and clothes. Cost about $100 a ton at the garbage place here to just drop it off. There is a decent amount of AL there and not a whole lot else. I think this deal turned out as one that I going to cost me a little.

I think most guys charge about $150 per medium/small trailer load for clean-ups (scrap metal is included as part of the charge)

I was having problems with everyone in my area flagging ads. There is quite a bit of competition in my area. As far as I know, I am the only one that takes TV's without charging so I get flagged a lot by the other scrappers. Figured I could broaden my area and see what happens. I will defiantly think more about it next time I get a call for one. Only took this one because it was on my way to relatives last night.

Take some time an look for posts by Burlyguys, I know in the past he's gone into how he makes it work for him an his crew.

Sirscrapalot - Smash, bash an rake in the cash.

Maybe let them know you will work for free for the scrap, but they have to pay the dump fees and maybe a little $ for gas.

They have companies that charge of junk removal. You could charge for removal and cut them a discount depending on the amount of scrap they have. Don't know how that would work out, but figured I would throw the idea out.

Thanks Mec

I really think that you get a lot of people that are so desperate for "work" that they will keep under cutting everyone and end up working for free. Just like the guys that will drive 20 miles to pickup a scrap fridge thinking they are making money.

I don't do clean outs but had a friend that did. He got all of his business from real estate agents. Often they manage rentals or people are selling their homes and they could suggest your service to get it ready for the market. Many times the agents are trying to sell bank owned homes and need someone to keep them in marketable condition. Once he got in good with a few agents, his phone never stopped ringing. He expanded from just doing clean outs to doing small repairs and cleaning the homes also. You would be surprised what people would spend when it isn't "their" money. They didn't blink an eye at paying 500.00 to get a house in "broom swept condition". This is on top of removing the junk. I understand that markets vary, but I don't think CL is the way to get the business you want.

On a separate note, he did not get his business from an agency, but from the agents themselves. They ended up calling him for a just crazy range of things they need done to market a home because it was just easier on them to call one person than search the phone book.

All this started because it was slow, he passed a house for sale with long grass, and he called the agent offering to cut the grass for 60.00.

I was talking to a tow truck driver that used to do cleanouts. He was describing how they just took everything to the dump. There wasn't time to mess with anything else. What if you teamed up with some cleanout people, showed up when they do, but just take the metal and recyclables out of their way and haul it off? Makes their job easier.

One last day of this crap job I started. Not loosing too much on it but not really coming out ahead either. Good thing is though, I have gained the respect of the family I helped and that may in turn have more work for me. Just next time I know what I could be getting into and things should go better.

Oh yeah. Did find a few rings in there too. One looks like its black gold with a 10k stamp on it. Going to see what that is worth sometime this week.

Holy beegezzus batman! It's Hypo!

Sirscrapalot - Punch'm in the face! - Hypoman, of SMF fame.

Checked out the jewelry today. Everything but one ring was junk. The one that is black hills gold they would give me $15 as scrap gold. That being the case, might as well just add it to my scrap gold and hold onto it myself.