Southwest Desert Newbie (ish): All Adivice 'n Support Welcome

Hey scrappers,

I'm a newbie, by about 4 / 5 months. Live in Arizona, and just recently got very disappointed to find out that many hours of stripping wire for #1...all for not in the state of AZ--typical Arizona style. Now I have a beautiful 25 lb. bucket of wire--and no buyer. I started this work to invent a side job for myself. I am a college adjunct instructor, and the pay is shameful--not to mention the painfully slim summers. So, I started stripping wire after I watched a few YouTube videos and realized how easy it would be, how much I love to recycle, and how good I am at finding things. I also scrap steel/iron, MLC aluminum, bronze/brass, computers/motherboards/#2 wire/ insulated/ and whatever else I'm hopefully about to learn from this forum. I am always researching, watching metal prices, and reading. I look forward to possibly connecting with fellow scrappers in the Southwest of Arizona.

Repurposefully yours--Aidan

Yep you need a business licence to get bare bright wire price in AZ

Aidan, welcome to the forum. I sugest you take the time to read the old treads. There's lots to learn here. In case you haven't noticed we have a buyers/sellers section. That is where memebers who buy, mostly ewaste, post their prices. Best of luck with your new adventure. Mike.

Hi Aidan. There are NO scrap yards near you??? What do you teach?

He can't sell it as is. http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument....44&DocType=ARS

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Originally Posted by hobo finds

He can't sell it as is. http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument....44&DocType=ARS

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Ouch!!

That's real BS. Time for me to get my boot's on again.
Might just have to cram the copper into a flat rate box (USPS) and ship it to one of our wire buyers.

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Originally Posted by Mechanic688

That's real BS. Time for me to get my boot's on again.
Might just have to cram the copper into a flat rate box (USPS) and ship it to one of our wire buyers.

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Or start selling it on Ebay. Where there's a will there's a way, Mike.

welcome to the forum amfine !

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Or start selling it on Ebay. Where there's a will there's a way,

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Without some decent feedback ebay might be a wash, it took me quite a while to start getting decent prices for my stuff I was selling. In the beginning I was almost giving stuff away just to get it to sell.

1. I agree and also think Ebay is too overwhelmed (supply side) and prices aren't so good.

2. I have to figure out how to make this profitable.

3. I teach college English.

4. I will definitely read as many threads as possible about this work/play...but since the laws in Arizona are different than many other states, I'm more interested in what Arizona scrappers are doing.

5. Thank you all for the welcome. I look forward to learning and sharing what I've learned and keep learning too.

6. I have lots of motherboards, daughtercards, motors (mostly all small), and steel and iron are easy to find and collect. I try to find as much small heavy metal as possible--don't want my yard to look like a junkyard--am pretty organized about the whole thing.

7. I went to "The Scrap Yard" -- once -- with a light load of a bucket of insulated, a bucket of aluminum, and some steel--and I drove away with 25 bucks...but was disappointed...do any of you know scrap yards in Tucson that are better than the others?

Thanks!

Probably the best thing regarding other yards in Tucson is to crack open a phone book or jump onto yellowpages.com and call some yards.

What were the prices you got?

Hey Idaho, I already know the other yards--was more looking to hear experiences from locals about other yards aside from the one I already went to. I got low prices -- 200 nton sheet iron / .35 mlc alum / .75 insul copper / .10 #3 insul / 1.55 #2 copper (now I can't remember what #2 copper I gave them...hmmm)...well...i had a bucket of stainless steel too...hmmm...not on receipt. Cripes...I have read reviews they lowball. Anyway...it was an easy in easy out experience and I wanted to get a feel for it. The two guys on the wire/other metals side of the yard seemed dull and lifeless, not to mention deaf. Anyway...I'm hard at work trying to figure out what the most profitable metals (easiest to collect and process) will be--and looking to hear if any locals have experiences at the other yards.

Thanks. Aidan

Hobo, thanks for your input--just to make sure I understand your answer(s) about the copper wire--are you saying I can sell it, just not stripped? I can sell it, but won't get bare bright price? Or I can't sell it period?

Aidan

The way I'm reading that law is that you couldn't sell the wire once it's stripped unless you have a business license.

And what is "lawfully burned" in AZ?

What I would do is leave it outside in the elements and over time it will loose its bright and shiney look and then get #2 copper for it. For other wire turn it in as is insulated #1 or #2. I have often thought about selling stripped wire to other members in a flat rate box...

Where is the part of this site showing buyers? I'm stumped.

Second section "Buyers & Sellers"

http://www.scrapmetalforum.com/forum...rs-amp-Sellers
http://www.scrapmetalforum.com/showt...e!!-Eastern-PA