New Member From PA

Hi Guys, I am new here and just wanted to introduce myself. I am staring to buy Scrap Computer's to break down and resell so I thought I Would see I you guys had any input on a load of laptops and pc's I am about to purchase. 200 Laptops and about 50 towers at .25 Cents Per pound. Is This Good?

The Laptops weigh 5 pounds each.

Welcome to the site, fellow PA guy. We mostly deal with scrap catalytic converters. I would estimate you should do ok on the laptops. The towers could be hot or miss, depends on what types.

Yes, the laptops, if not stripped you could turn around and get over $1.00 a pound for scrap and even more if they are remarketable. The desktops I would not pay more than about 15 cents an pound unless they are loaded with cards and memory
or newer ones that can be broken down for more than scrap value or remarketed - for example if they have newer memory or processor types- there are buyers here that will pay well for them. If you know the specs of them
do a little reading on the scrap buyers and sellers tab to find out if you will do OK. Sometimes you may have to pay alittle up front to establish a relationship that may pay YOU down the road- something to consider.
Good luck and Welcome to the Forum
from CT

Welcome from Mesa Az. With shred steel and most other metal prices in the tank I am considering switching to recycling computers but in my area the competition for the stuff is cutthroat. Often costing way more than could ever be recovered when recycled. My main like is repurposing things I save from the shredder. Old 50's metal cabinets and ornate architectural salvage. I find all kinds of things dumped by people as worthless scrap. The yard I sell to lets me buy by the pound. I get some cool stuff really cheap. Good luck with the computers. This site is wealth of knowledge. I am new to this site as well in the past couple of months and have learned lots and look forward to learning more.

Welcome, SheepDog, from a fellow new member, from Australia.


Electronics salvage and E-waste is an area which excites me, but as I have been advised by other forum members, you may end up sitting on a lot of plastic - I'd be looking at whether there's someone in your area which recycles plastic.


Good luck in your scrapping adventures. We look forward to hearing your stories.

Welcome to the forum! As most everyone has already said, it really depends on the generation of the computer, especially the laptop, as to whether you can resell it or if you have to scrap it. If there is any way to get the specs of the computers, or if you can see/inspect them in person, do it. I have bought stuff like this at community auctions before and it has been profitable to make an appointment and inspect the products before I bid on them.