Results 1 to 18 of 18

Distance limits

| General - Let's talk business
  1. #1
    skylinejack started this thread.
    skylinejack's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Baton Rouge, La.
    Posts
    827
    Thanks
    1,194
    Thanked 959 Times in 400 Posts

    Question Distance limits

    So just this morning I received a call to pick up an electric stove that is located appx. 15 miles north of me. That's a 30 mile round trip and with this gas guzzler I have that's pushing my limits for a single item. Even though there is a good chance I'll pick up more during this trip, there is still the possibility this may be the only item I'll get.



    There is a local guy around here that advertises he will go out 40 miles one way to pick up a single appliance.:eek: Way too far out for me.

    So, after reading a post by MDG this morning in which he stated he would never go 50 miles to pick up a washer or dryer (which I totally agree with) I got to wondering how far others will travel. I'm not talking about real big loads here. Just 1 or 2 appliances or a couple of batteries, or computers. You know small stuff.

    My limit is 10 to 15 miles on these types of pick ups. Does anyone else have set distance limits and if so how far? :confused:
    AMERICAN BORN, AMERICAN BRED! AND I'M PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!!!


  2. #2
    KzScrapper's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Denver Metro, CO
    Posts
    4,841
    Thanks
    7,019
    Thanked 5,792 Times in 2,417 Posts
    Good question Sky. I would never consider driving more then about 10 miles to pick up one thing but then again yesterday I drove 110 miles round trip to an auction that I figured I would be able to get some good, resellable stuff and got stiffed because people were paying way to much. So I guess it's a gut call on any given day.

    The good thing about it was a guy had called the night before that just lived a few miles from the auction wanting a chimney cap I had on Clist so that ended up being my gas money and he was glad he didn't have to come to me.
    Recyclable Material Merchant Wholesaler
    Certified Zip-Tie Mechanic
    "Give them enough so they can do something with it, but not too much that they won't do nothing."

  3. The Following User Says Thank You to KzScrapper for This Post:


  4. #3
    GeorgeB's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor

    Member since
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Manassas Park, VA
    Posts
    2,919
    Thanks
    462
    Thanked 639 Times in 432 Posts
    like skyline mentioned, it depends on the item and the client for me.

    Depends on if I go, and if I charge anything or not.
    George Beale - Founder & President - info@viprecyclingjunkremoval.com
    VIP Recycling Junk Removal LLC - Premier Scrap Metal, Junk, & Electronic Recyclers!
    http://www.viprecyclingjunkremoval.com

  5. The Following User Says Thank You to GeorgeB for This Post:


  6. #4
    newattitude's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Jun 2011
    Location
    Hinckley Ohio, home of the buzzards
    Posts
    2,163
    Thanks
    1,431
    Thanked 2,497 Times in 904 Posts
    I wouldn't drive that far. Last week I turned in a 217 lb electric stove and got $18.00. Take gas money out of that and taxes and its not worth it for me anyways to drive 30 miles round trip for.

  7. The Following User Says Thank You to newattitude for This Post:


  8. #5
    PartTimeScrapper's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor



    Member since
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Morrison, Colorado
    Posts
    3,400
    Thanks
    1,004
    Thanked 3,256 Times in 1,335 Posts
    I drove 40 mile one way to get 3 computers. Ended up making good money on resell from ebay.

  9. The Following User Says Thank You to PartTimeScrapper for This Post:


  10. #6
    SMF Badges of Honor

    Member since
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Usa
    Posts
    769
    Thanks
    67
    Thanked 312 Times in 179 Posts
    I drive anywhere, anytime. I dont care. My little Dakota gets a 100 miles per 20 bucks give or take. I always find more along the way, so it pays for itself. Even if I make 5 over that 20 it's still more than I had started with.

  11. The Following 3 Users say Thank You for This Post by ozzy214:


  12. #7
    corycouch's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Dec 2011
    Location
    jonesboro ar
    Posts
    1,405
    Thanks
    3,766
    Thanked 1,988 Times in 746 Posts
    i agree with ozzy, you never know what you will find along the way seeing roads youve never been on, even just 5 bucks or just breaking even, experience is worth more than dollars in the long run, 15 miles id agree with that for small things but ive drove over 100 once for a car paid our min and still cleared over 100

  13. The Following User Says Thank You to corycouch for This Post:


  14. #8
    Ohio Scrapper's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Jul 2011
    Location
    NW Ohio
    Posts
    336
    Thanks
    467
    Thanked 298 Times in 160 Posts
    About a week ago I got a call for a dryer 2 towns away, about 18 miles to get there or 36 miles round trip. I gave it a little thought at first but nothing else was coming in, so I decided to go get it.

    Got a call today from the same lady to go back and pick up the washer, a trash compactor, a riding mower, 5 storm windows, a storm door and 2 computers. It turns out she told her friends she found someone that would haul stuff for free so they took their stuff over to her house and dropped it off. Sometimes it does pay off!

  15. The Following User Says Thank You to Ohio Scrapper for This Post:


  16. #9
    directrecycle's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor

    Member since
    Oct 2011
    Posts
    520
    Thanks
    95
    Thanked 467 Times in 226 Posts
    Since i live out in the middle of nowhere, most good size towns areliente at least 30 miles one way. We go at least 3 times a week but we have a fairly large clientelle and can usually get a truck full and 5x8 trailer of computers and computer related equip. If someone has a single item or 2 we just ask if they can wait till we are in the area again (usually no more than a few days) most are perfectly fine with this. We also have a couple drop off points. My sister and her boyfriend live in town and can usually pick up small loads of a couple computers and i then pick up her house when i am in town.

  17. The Following User Says Thank You to directrecycle for This Post:


  18. #10
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Cincinnati, Ohio
    Posts
    286
    Thanks
    52
    Thanked 138 Times in 86 Posts
    Funny this came up, its been on my mind too. I've been working at coordinating trips - this week I "attended" 3 online live auctions, the pickup times were all today in the Dayton and Springfield area, and I had to go up anyway to get some stuff from storage.

    Didn't win much but had a pickup load of stuff to resell (bought 19 old school paper towel dispensers....why?! Oh, they were cheap LOL) and at the last pickup the auctioneer asked if I'd be willing to haul a big shop fan that a bidder forgot to take. It was right on the way home and got $20 in gas money for 10 minutes work.

    Nice fan too. I didn't tell him I was the one that bid it up so high before he won

    Set a dollar figure that your time is worth, and that is usually the best guide.

  19. The Following User Says Thank You to IronPirate for This Post:


  20. #11
    skylinejack started this thread.
    skylinejack's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Baton Rouge, La.
    Posts
    827
    Thanks
    1,194
    Thanked 959 Times in 400 Posts
    9 out of 10 times on these smaller pick-ups like this I usually do end up coming back in with more than I was originally supposed to. Either find it along the way or someone knows someone else who has something. But I still keep an eye on the gas and my time involved as it all counts towards the bottom line. And I totally agree that something is better than nothing. It's just that I'm not real hip on making a $5.00 profit for 3 or4 hours work.

    That being said I'm thinking of getting a smaller pick-up truck just for these smaller loads. Idk, maybe a lil ol Toyota, Mazda, or Nissan. That would at least solve the fuel part of the problem.

  21. The Following User Says Thank You to skylinejack for This Post:


  22. #12
    ElectricMetal's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Jan 2012
    Posts
    71
    Thanks
    84
    Thanked 48 Times in 27 Posts
    This point may have already been made elsewhere, but just in case:

    Wear and tear (depreciation of vehicle) per mile driven is very important to consider, if for no other reason, then for tax purposes.

    If you are a registered business, you can take 51 - 55 cents per mile vehicle depreciation tax deduction. That definitely adds up toward reducing your taxable business income.
    http://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools.../INF12071.html
    Last edited by ElectricMetal; 02-11-2012 at 10:37 AM.

  23. The Following User Says Thank You to ElectricMetal for This Post:


  24. #13
    skylinejack started this thread.
    skylinejack's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Baton Rouge, La.
    Posts
    827
    Thanks
    1,194
    Thanked 959 Times in 400 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by ElectricMetal View Post
    This point may have already been made elsewhere, but just in case:

    Wear and tear (depreciation of vehicle) per mile driven is very important to consider, if for no other reason, then for tax purposes.

    If you are a registered business, you can take 51 - 55 cents per mile vehicle depreciation tax deduction. That definitely adds up toward reducing your taxable business income.
    http://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools.../INF12071.html
    This I already know, but thanks anyway.

  25. #14
    SMF Badges of Honor

    Member since
    Jan 2012
    Posts
    89
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 31 Times in 18 Posts
    I agree with some of the other people above. When i get a call either from advertisements or word of mouth i will pick it up just to build a name for myself and not have people think that they wasted there time calling me.

  26. #15
    Dunemaul's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor



    Member since
    Nov 2011
    Location
    East Orlando FL
    Posts
    1,064
    Thanks
    157
    Thanked 560 Times in 301 Posts
    My range is 50 miles out, but i only go out that far for stuff like i got today. Found a garage computer repair shop on craigslist saying they had 5$ computers...... i got there kinda late ended up with 10 towers, 20 power supplies, and around 30 mobos, for a clean 100$ real fast and they tell me im gonna get a call from them every Saturday from them now. i spent 20 on gas and and got a repeat custy that is gonna have lots more to offer!!! i dont care if i make 5$ on this one ( which i wont) the drive distance is nothing compared to where i gre up and it was 70 miles to the closest Walmart or 90 miles to Cuba....

  27. #16
    submarinepainter's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor



    Member since
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Maine
    Posts
    1,025
    Thanks
    1,230
    Thanked 654 Times in 316 Posts
    I do mostly small stuff in the winter so 10 to 15 miles depending on what it is , in the summer I go 30 to 35 away , I use the trailer in the summer only
    Old dogs care about you even when you make mistakes;
    God bless little children while they're still too young to hate

  28. #17
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Indiana
    Posts
    84
    Thanks
    37
    Thanked 61 Times in 33 Posts
    i think its a preference...and how much you need. I agree that the possibility of building a clientele is important...but at the same time, how many people who want a dryer gone are going to want to get rid of the rest of their stuff immediately or pass it on word of mouth. Around here, word of mouth means someone else who scraps just got info before you. I hate it because i pass on items that are 30 min away, when deep down i know that if i had a v8 truck that got 40mpg, i'd be there. Lol. So, longwinded...my answer is 20 miles for large appliances unless i plan on going that way anyway.


  29. Similar threads on the Scrap Metal Forum

    1. distance
      By wescrapmetal in forum A Day in the Life of a Scrapper
      Replies: 7
      Last Post: 05-31-2012, 02:22 AM

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 3 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 3 guests)

 
Browse the Most Recent Threads
On SMF In THIS CATEGORY.





OR

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

The Scrap Metal Forum

    The Scrap Metal Forum is the #1 scrap metal recycling community in the world. Here we talk about the scrap metal business, making money, where we connect with other scrappers, scrap yards and more.

SMF on Facebook and Twitter

Twitter Facebook