Finally found my place in the world!

Hello,

My name is Clay and I live in Southern Oregon. Ever since I was a child I was dumpster diving and recycling with my parents, it went on into college to save money. Unfortunately, I have taken a long absence from all life due to some mental disorders that can be debilitating at times so holding down a job has not been possible. But we need money to live. So a scrappers life for me i went back to my roots as treasure hunter. No matter how small the load it is always exciting to see what your gonna get. my only problem is that I have the mentality of, "well if it works or is good and can be used as is then why scrap it? I would really appreciate someone's opinion, in your experience is it more worthwhile to scrap working appliances, electronics and furniture or should I spend the time trying to sell older electronics and appliances on craigslist? What has been your experience.

Anyways, I really enjoy working for myself and I needed almost no capital to get started, which is good because I am broke, I am borrowing a truck and have plenty of tools. The truck that I am using is tiny so I am saving up for (and looking for one free) then a bigger truck, business cards, etc. After three days of just getting free stuff on craigslist I am already turning more of a profit than I've made in years.

I can jump into things overly excited, but I can say that I believe in all honesty and keeping sensibility in mind; This is my best shot to make it in life. there is so much to learn and I am very grateful to be a part of this cmmunity.

Thank you so much and I hope to meet some friends,

-Clay

Welcome from Australia. This forum is an education gold mine. Check all the threads on electrical appliances recycling because everything is there really. Nothing for it but hours of cruisy information gathering! You are coming in at a time of low prices but don't let that get you down. Just stay legal and stay safe!

If you have the space to store large appliances then hold on and sell as working.

Originally Posted by CLRRRogue

Hello,

My name is Clay and I live in Southern Oregon. Ever since I was a child I was dumpster diving and recycling with my parents, it went on into college to save money. Unfortunately, I have taken a long absence from all life due to some mental disorders that can be debilitating at times so holding down a job has not been possible. But we need money to live. So a scrappers life for me i went back to my roots as treasure hunter. No matter how small the load it is always exciting to see what your gonna get. my only problem is that I have the mentality of, "well if it works or is good and can be used as is then why scrap it? I would really appreciate someone's opinion, in your experience is it more worthwhile to scrap working appliances, electronics and furniture or should I spend the time trying to sell older electronics and appliances on craigslist? What has been your experience.

Anyways, I really enjoy working for myself and I needed almost no capital to get started, which is good because I am broke, I am borrowing a truck and have plenty of tools. The truck that I am using is tiny so I am saving up for (and looking for one free) then a bigger truck, business cards, etc. After three days of just getting free stuff on craigslist I am already turning more of a profit than I've made in years.

I can jump into things overly excited, but I can say that I believe in all honesty and keeping sensibility in mind; This is my best shot to make it in life. there is so much to learn and I am very grateful to be a part of this cmmunity.

Thank you so much and I hope to meet some friends,

-Clay

Clay there's an old saying follow the money, the expression maybe interpreted in many ways.as a working man I'll give you my version.

During one of our recessions long ago scrap prices were as they are now rock bottom, box top stores were no longer offering credit with 12 months or more before that first payment was due. People were struggling as most of us are now doing to put food on the table, they kept the family vehicle a few extra years, called in an appliance technician to repair a refrigerator, washing machine or dryer.

It was during a similar time as we have now that I made some of the best money doing the least amount of work, I did no advertising my clients promoted me by word of mouth spreading the word. When I started repairing appliances I only sold what I had reconditioned from home,

I did not foresee what the future held for me in that my home based business was now going to dictate my life into doing in home repairs. Funny how that works, anyhow by the time the business had taken over my ;life as I knew it, I had gained experience and confidence to go along for the ride.

With our economy as it is now I see opportunity in this field..

You a are not required to have an electricians ticket to work on anything having a cord with a plug just common sense. Domestic refrigeration falls into this class, leave the commercial hard wired stuff alone and you’ll do just fine.

Welcome to the forum.

Welcome to the forum Clay. There's a lot of great information here and a lot of great people also.

Wow! thank you all so much for the warm welcoming and priceless advice and wisdom. I honestly have never felt so welcomed by an online community. I'm real excited to learn all that I can to pay it forward as well.

Silversurfer: thanks for the warm welcome from down under I put ethics above all else in this business, always leave the site cleaner than when you got there. And there is so much information here that I am rushing between reading and scrapping. It's a lot of fun.

Gabriel Services: Thanks for opening up and I'll pm you. I like scrapping as a business because a just about anyone with mental problem will tell you, a "normal" job can be real tough in a lot of ways. And scrapping offers profitable freedom.

Nutpie and Miked: thank you for passing along that advice. I truly appreciate it.

Alloy2: Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I completely know what you mean about how life can take unexpected turns or throw us some rough time but if we work hard and seize the opportunity then we will succeed. Actually I have a lot of education and experience with all thing mechanical, electrical and plumbing. Plus having worked construction before, I've already gained some helpful experience. I think that if I throw myself into it and be open minded that I will certainly find my niche where I can enjoy the work and make some cash.

jimicrk: thanks for the welcoming, I'll look around the forum for you.

I have to be up early to pick up several truck loads of appliances so good night for now y'all.

welcome from iowa

Originally Posted by alloy2

Your most welcome, with your aptitude in mechanics and class "A" personality I see a great future lays ahead for you.

Doing in home repairs, I found if a dryer, washing machine or refrigerator had to be pulled away from a wall underneath you would always find the floor covered in lint and dirt electric ranges dirt and grease.

The women of the house will show shock knowing she is living is such filth, anyhow I politely ask for the house vac then clean up the mess. The majority of women wont fight you for the vac

Another thing to be careful bout when moving an appliance that has sat in the same spot for years is that the weight of the machine has made indents in the linoleum from which the machine should be lifted free from and not dragged which would possibly cause the flooring to tear.

Meeting your customer for the first time contact is usually the customer calling you over the phone, now that you have secured the job when you greet the customer at the door say hello I'm Joe from GMA appliance the conversation is filler.

You can be a scrap man and an appliance repairman at the same time, I'm cursed in that my eyes always wander taking in everything on one job fixing a dryer I could see an old John Deere farm tractor sitting just beyond where the home owner kept the grass cut and yard tidy. If the tractor had been a car you could see it was ripe for picking, the only thing that did not compute in my mind was why such a large tractor was sitting on such a small property.as it was obvious it had not been moved in years.

Just like a magpie I wanted the tractor so I directed my conversation towards asking questions first commenting on wow what a cool tractor then is there something wrong with it ( remember first observation hasn’t moved in years ) The home owner opens up you can feel the love and sentiment pouring out in the conversation, they trucked the tractor to BC from a farm in Alberta to a larger property they owned in Langley which sold five years ago they kept the tractor moving it to the lot they now lived on but sentiment has since ebbed and they would like to see the tractor go to a good home. Jesus it's like their about to adopt out a dog to a good home and your credentials are being checked out before you can have custody.

The tractor was a John Deere model 70 with a hand clutch, front end loader I picked it up two days later kept it for years and even used it on a scrap job. I had purchased 18 electric trolley bus's, I had Rypac drop a bin at my house loaded it with tractor welder and tools then had the bin delivered to the bus site some 75 miles east of my home.

The trolley bus's were aluminum took me awhile to figure the best way to dismantle but the rewards were in the copper from the wiring, electric heaters ,electric motors, brass from the air brake system and air coolers.

Excellent tips and advice. Yes, you are the man! Great story about the tractor. Yesterday I picked up a bunch of working TV's from an older couple who were moving out to live in an RV. It was raining and my brother and I were just putting the TV's in the back of the truck. The man was getting really upset that these 20 year old TV's were getting wet. I ended up covering the truck bed in a tarp, but I removed the tarp when I found some more scrap around the corner. Having worked construction and as an apartment complex handyman, I always clean-up that grime under the old fridge or range, etc. Treating people well and leaving them with a positive experience always pays off.

Alloy2, will you be my SMF hero? Anyways thanks again friend. You've opened my eyes to the opportunity of branching out to in-home repairs or wherever this business may take me. I need to always keep my eyes open and my brain working.