Sure way of ALWAYS finding scrap

Ok, after this post, there should be no confusion. It's a known psychology, people are always accumulating and throwing out stuff. Also, manufactures are in the business of making money, as a result, they will make stuff only to last for not very long. One more thing, people are lazy and want convenience. No one fixes tv, fridges, and stuff like that anymore. It's cheaper to replace. With all this education in mind, seek out where people live in clusters and you are guaranteed to always come off good. One last thing, the more uninformed the people, the more they throw out. I role around in some of the low income communities and find some awesome things. It is sad, but it's a fact. The less people know or care to know, the more money a scrapper makes. Now, apply these tips to your routes and reap the benefits.

Unfortunately, there's a lot of truth - maybe more than even you realize. This isn't the place for a full examination of the principles involved, but I wonder if anyone has ever bought his own stuff back on ebay from someone who "fixed" it.

Probably the odds are with that one

Very productive month here due to the Spring Clean Up the city had...followed up by one of the best garage sales ever with much of the inventory coming from the Clean Up. Happy to be part of the vicious cycle.

gotta be honest best way to find scrap is to research and tailor your route to suit

no guarnatees someone will throw something out but if bulk pickup schedules for the county are public record i can bet i know where good stuff will be

Very true. Last washer I picked up "needed" a lid switch. Went down to the parts store, they wanted $55. No thanks and so I got to looking at the switch closer...hey, I think I can fix this one.

Switch housing had popped apart, causing it to lose contact. Appeared it was originally glued, so I dabbed some glue in there, then lightly cinched it in my vise overnight. Came back and it works like new.

Guy I got it from said it just quit working. Was about 1/2 full of water. Not sure how he got it out of the house to the driveway and I didn't ask as he was gone at time of pickup.

I took all I learned in college and put it to use as a scrapper. Psychoanalytical theories and lots of reading from Sigmund Freud is a plus. The cost of not knowing is approximately 75% higher than if you knew. Hence, validating the power of information. All you new scrapers, take the time to learn. Ask questions, read, and most of all, be patient. You will not learn it overnight.

Guess my generation grew up different. Dryer went out. I fixed it. Fridge went out. I fixed it. Wonder if that is why I have the same wife for all these years?
You are right though. People have got to the point that they do not see the value in anything.
God Bless

Disposable society

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Originally Posted by TheRecycler

I took all I learned in college and put it to use as a scrapper. Psychoanalytical theories and lots of reading from Sigmund Freud is a plus. The cost of not knowing is approximately 75% higher than if you knew. Hence, validating the power of information. All you new scrapers, take the time to learn. Ask questions, read, and most of all, be patient. You will not learn it overnight.

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College is good, but here is the truth. Most white collar workers have enough disposable cash to not need to fix anything. (Path of least resistance.) Most blue collar workers are too tired at the end of the day they just want to relax and have a beer. (not lazy just tired.)

And then there is the in between (the scrapper). I work smart, not hard. Hard work will get you a lot in a short time but a smart worker, keeps sustainability in mind. Today, most of the time scrap comes to me for free instead of having to go find them.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TheRecycler

And then there is the in between (the scrapper). I work smart, not hard. Hard work will get you a lot in a short time but a smart worker, keeps sustainability in mind. Today, most of the time scrap comes to me for free instead of having to go find them.

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Be glad when I reach that point.

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Originally Posted by IdahoScrapper

Very true. Last washer I picked up "needed" a lid switch. Went down to the parts store, they wanted $55. No thanks and so I got to looking at the switch closer...hey, I think I can fix this one.

Switch housing had popped apart, causing it to lose contact. Appeared it was originally glued, so I dabbed some glue in there, then lightly cinched it in my vise overnight. Came back and it works like new.

Guy I got it from said it just quit working. Was about 1/2 full of water. Not sure how he got it out of the house to the driveway and I didn't ask as he was gone at time of pickup.

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About 2 years ago the lid switch cracked beyond all repair on my washer. I could have gone in there and just wired it straight and let it keep going, but I was able to get to it and drill a hole in the top and mount a toggle switch. It does not shut off automatically, but I have the option to open the lid and shut off operation. Still working great. I'll post a pic in the next day or two if I remember.

:( A couple of years ago the neighborhoods by me got the carts that get picked up mechanically and scrap has been down ever since:(

Parrot, you might also have wired up a pushbutton that when the lid closed the switch made contact, called a normally open switch.

Definitely is a throw away society where things are made not to last very long and is cheaper to buy new than to repair.

A couple years ago I sold a washer for my sister who had moved interstate.. worked fine. Guy who paid for it got it because his had died, needed one for work as he owned a business cleaning holiday accommodation. Told me his died and called up a repair guy the same day, repair guy wanted something like $250 for parts and labour (it was a public holiday so was more expensive).. Washer I was selling cost him only $200.

Fridge I own I brought secondhand 5 years ago for $20. It was atleast 10 years old when I got it I would say, gave it a clean out and a lick of paint. People have made jokes to me about my old fridge.. but these same people have brought brand new fridges in the time of me having mine.. and then they have died and had to buy new ones :)

Throw away society is great for us scrappers tho, whether we are pulling apart and scrapping, or just fixing minor issues and reselling

This is true in my case as well. I very rarely drive around houses looking for scrap, only time is if it's trash day and I'm around there already. I specifically target "low income" apartment complex dumpsters etc and I do well. I don't dumpster dive but most of the time I get plenty from right around the dumpster. Another thing to add is that the appliances (stove, fridge, washer, dryer, air conditioner, ceiling fan) don't belong to them most people really don't care what condition they keep them in, one complex I frequent I found 3 electric stoves by the dumpster in a weeks time.

It's true everything is made cheap but it's available to all that way. Yeah it's sad and all, but everyone can afford items that not all that long ago were a luxury for the rich and snobby. How many people could afford a tv were they first came out ? Or a computer ? It might be hard for you all to imagine but in rural areas, like where I live, many people didn't even have electricity or a telephone till the early 70's. So it's progress or cheap depending on how you look at it, but either way it puts more items out there to be scrapped.

satellite imagery works good for identifying scrap around you also, or atleast where you need to drop off your fliers at