Will you please stop touching me!

Scrapping 101.

I know this has been discussed before but it didn't really hit home until 6 weeks ago when I was trying to sort my circuit boards.

I save up my boards for about a year and then I sell them. Shred, copper, aluminum and brass are sold monthly because I need the space.

What I've been doing lately is throwing all boards in boxes until they're full and storing them in an out of the way place to be sorted at a later date when I have the time.

Well that time came recently and at a very inconvenient time.

While sorting and boxing up my boards a few weeks ago I realized this was the second time I had handled them. The third time for some of them.

I was pissed off because I knew better.

So now the sorting is complete and everything has been hauled off to my buyers.

Clean slate, a pile of empty boxes and a garage that is already starting to get full of computers and phone systems that need to be scrapped.

Doing things different this time.

What I've scrapped this past week has been put in its proper box or container never to be touched again until its time to take it to my buyer or scrapyard.

Lesson learned.

This is true, much more efficient, less time consuming and thus more profitable, all leading to a worthy endeavor. The only problem with that, is we forget there is a "learning curve", for me anyway that has been the case.

When I first started scraping there was two categories in my limited knowledge and experience as a "scrapper". Copper and brass, very simple, but I certainly wasn't maximizing my potential to earn more and it was very wasteful. So I learned and handled things way more than I should have, but I learned to do it better.

Now I'm going through that same "learning Curve" with e-waste and handling more than once, but I'm learning and there is some value to that too!

I agree, but sometimes it is just fun to play with your money.

Play with the money? I rather play with the toys and the self indulgence the money can buy!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Patriot76

I agree, but sometimes it is just fun to play with your money.

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I'd rather cash it all in and then play with it.

My money that is.

I try as much as I can to resell parts or machines and sometimes I handle one piece 5-6 times.....Very frustrating but I still think it beats flipping burgers

Agreed with Mike. I refurbish machines and deal with a lot of computer parts. Some get handled a lot, but for scrap, it's best to keep them nice and neat.

I figure that your time is worth exactly what you could earn from doing the most profitable thing with it. Resorting is wasting time, and therefore money.

But, compared to flipping burgers, I'd rather waste my time ;)

I feel where you are coming from. When I was first getting started, I learned this lesson with TV's. Less handling, the better for me.

I don't do refurbs, or ebay, so less handling for me. Pick up, break down..that's about all my handling. Toss said parts from break down into boxes, etc.

Work smart, not hard. It's a good lesson to learn an remember.

Sirscrapalot - Night at the Museum 3...enjoyable. Hell all 3 of them are enjoyable.

I do some online sales, but I know that Sirscrapalot is well more versed than I am at them. I do handle parts more than once- I test them from their lots, then sort them, then divide them to create new lots, and sometimes re-do those lots to be something different. Then I have to photograph the item, and eventually pack it to ship. That's at least five times that I touch something.

But, I'm self-employed. To me, that's a nice perk by itself. I know that I waste time in rehandling items, and I do a lot of other things inefficiently. But, I've learned and adapted. Last week, I changed the way I wrapped some items to increase efficiency with bubble wrap. It's the little things that add up.

My tip is to set up your work station to how it fits you best. When I moved offices, I was able to reconfigure the new space. By just setting up my area differently, I know that I get more done. "Wasting time" to configure your space to enable you to profit more later is always a good move.

Folks testing parts, an the like, it's expected for you fellas to handle the various parts more then once. I mean you do need to test it, take photos of it, describe it's condition, etc.

So that's understandable..picking up a tv 5 times isn't. LOL.

An yes being self-employed has it's perks, along with a downside. Heh. Always nice to call your boss an ******* an still have a job the next day.

;)

Sirscrapalot - I done wrestled with an alligator, I done tussled with a whale; handcuffed lightning, thrown thunder in jail; only last week, I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalised a brick; I'm so mean I make medicine sick. - Muhammad Ali