With metal prices being so low, what are you doing now?

Back when i was a regular here, metal prices were decent. The average guy could make a living and pay bills with the average load.

I've been hanging out with IdahoScrapper lately, and have seen first hand what the prices are like. They're terrible.

So for the average scrapper, what are you doing now? Have you hit it even harder and maybe expanded? Have you down sized and focused on a specific metal type? Or ....?

Haven't been in the game for a while, so it'd be nice to see how folks are doing, and what they're doing.

Mostly CRV, some feebay, thats about it.

I make about what I did before but work 3 times as hard

wish i had some game to share with ya ---- my days of Hardcore scrapping look like they came and went --- i do everything i can to avoid the scrap yard ----

Scrap was a sideline to my diesel engine business, which was a sideline to my regular job, so the scrap was just a nice bonus, not a primary thing. I retired from the regular job last year and have been working the business full time with some modest success. An unfortunate effect of the drop in scrap prices has been a serious decline in heavy vehicles (trucks, buses, etc.) being scrapped, so pickin's at the yards have been slim lately. There has to be a lot of stuff "laying in the weeds" out there. I heard yesterday that steel prices came up a bit, which may get things moving again.

I may never have qualified as an average scrapper, maybe only a hobby scrapper. Couple of 4 figure payouts, but $50 was more the norm. With going from 9 cents to 2 cents a pound for shred steel, that $50 is now closer to $10. Not much motivation there.

I don't grab everything anymore, only the real desirable stuff that is smaller. Have told family members to not save anything for me that isn't a computer, or to just save the cord on many items. Haven't brought/sent in much of any, if any at all, of non-ferrous in nearing 2 years, but don't have too much more than I did a year ago.

I started with this as a business even if it was for only extra money at first, I made sure that the mistakes I made along the way learning in this business would be put to better planning, side lines for extra sales, working together with others to ensure better prices and faster turn around. I do work a lot more now than ever before because there is so much more money out there with people that have dropped out because a penny a pound for tin somehow does not add up in there minds.
the best part of all this is that with people passing up curbco and clist free stuff, their also passing up the goodies like copper,alu, and so forth because even with smaller amounts it adds up fast. I have been scrapping since I was a kid so I know what even lower prices are than this let alone people older than me that know it even lower. so for me its still high for prices and yards wiling to pay for steel and loads under a set rate is even more special cause a lot are not doing so.
planning a budget not only for money but also for space is a very important and not just overhead, plan your own daily budget so than any extra you can spend later but make that money first.
I do stockpile some things but only higher value items that will not loose a lot in the longer term say 1yr or longer if you wish that is more like a medium risk savings, something that's easy and you can cash out if you need to. otherwise stockpiles are for those who really have large yards and such space, getting stuff in and out fast can make you and your wallet grow.
take advantage of lower gas prices and plan good routes for curbco to make as much as you can in one trip or use your daily routes to other places and add a few streets to it to improve your scouting and cover areas more and often. money is just something as a product of what we do the best idea really is to have the fun of learning and doing what you like but of course TEARING THE CRAP OUT OF STUFF LOL

It was always a side line for me, mainly something to help keep me busy and take up some down time, it never was a main income stream for me. Nothing has changed, other than less trips to the yard, and smaller payouts. Still hoarding copper and brass.

I haven't been to the scrap yard this year because of my truck being stolen. Been out of work since last fall and have focused mainly on resale items and e-waste. I'm planning on getting back into NDE (Non-Destructive Examination) but am just waiting on a call, which should be coming in the next month or so. That will be a real game changer, although I'll be out of town for the majority of the time most likely. I plan on getting a truck at that point and stating an LLC. Since i'll most likely be laid-off during the winter, I plan on using that time to pound the pavement and lay the foundation for my business. Stay tuned....

I do not scrap as a full time job ...
I deal mostly in electronics - the prices for boards has gone down a bit, but the prices for parts is about the same.
On the scrap metal end of things, I bought junk air compressors recently - fixed one of them ( using the other's parts ), repainted it, and sold it for a nice profit. The donor I'm right now parting out.

I do not destroy items if there are parts I can sell.

the mystery wrapped in a riddle....what is better?...low gas and metal prices...or high gas and high metal prices?

I have a job so this is not my main sorce of income. But I stuck threw these bad times. Getting large volume of material I wouldnt have gotten when the prices were 250-270 a ton for shred and everyone and there mom was out scrapping. I flip my steel as it takes up to much space and hold onto copper, wire, brass and cash some in here and there when i get half a pick up bed full of cans. I gained a auto body shop as his guy stopped answering his phone. Also scored a machine shop. They keep the good stuff but i still get the steel, but some times there is some alum or brass in the mix. I never thought of the amount of appliances there were at curb. co now that everyone quit scrapping. Before it was a washer or dryer once every couple of months, and now its like 3 or 4 a week. Same with gas grills. lucky to find a few a year and one night last summer i found 5 in one area. Prices are starting to rise so ive been seeing other guys starting to go around again and the cord cutters are back at it. we all love those cord cutters.

same as usual
built the scrap gig to be as lean as possible from the start.
working less (not breaking down as much) and making more...go figure
brass, copper, wire and batteries are much more widely available for me, a lot of my maintenance shop pickups used to take it in themselves. Now it seems it's not worth their time.

Like a lot of the other goys on here I have a full time job beyond the scraping but I'm still at it in all my free time I'm making up for lower prices with a lot more junk. I have been selling non-ferrous just like always, I've sold many a pound of copper at $0.50 so these prices ain't too bad, far as shred if the yard is between pickup and home it gets sold right away, if home is closer it goes in the pile (I have plenty of room to stack junk)

less scrapping trips to the yard. more drinking.

I focus on testing and reuse/resale of computer components that can be used. When prices are low on E-Waste, it's a great time to look through what comes in to see if there are any parts that can be sold for more than scrap value.

I haven't been to the scrapyard with a load in ages. I did repair their computer last month though....

I have a regular full time job... Scrapping is mainly for extra money and to supplement paying bills. I keep on doing it but there isn't even as much out there as there used to be.... I have stopped saving steel but I kill time when I feel like it knocking apart lawn mower engines, air conditioners (that have been properly drained/recovered when I get them. and whatever else given to me... I have a regular line on lawnmowers and A/C units... I also like to buy/sell/trade on Facebook. So I am not making money like I used to but it is still coming in slowly.

Retiring towards the end of the month. Not due to low prices, but due to medical issues and the truck having given up the ghost.

I'll still be a hobby scrapper though, mostly ewaste.

When I was scrapping I was getting $50-$60 of metal a week, mostly Copper.

Now I am selling a lot less as I cannot obtain as much scrap since my source closed his ' free shred drop off yard".
I have scrapped down a lot of what's around my house, like power supply's (yay!) and still saving up plastic coated wire to sell in one sale.
There's the escrap which is getting done soon. That will give me space.
I have been getting firewood for winter too.

After edit [
I have been picking the Silver contacts of the box of switches and stuff I had put aside, mostly they are from power switches from home electrical stuff and the safety switches that open when they get too hot, clothes driers/washing mc contacts and a box of old industrial relays with smallish contacts.
I wish I knew about the big fat Silver contacts in the clothes driers years ago, never bothered with the motors as they are Aluminium windings, but its worth it to break off the Bakelite box on the motor just for the contacts.
There's a box of industrial relay parts with big fat square 'waffle' Silver contacts on them.
If I try to snap them off they break, that and the 'waffle' marking tells me they have Cadmium in them.
They will have to be gas torched off, but outside and with safety gear, Cadmiums dangerous to breath in.]

Attachment 3134Stealing people's hamburgers.

Rubble Rubble!

we have cut out a lot of our "straight scrap" pick ups allowing us to focus on more valuable items (non scrap) this process has slowly been evolving for awhile and the downturns of the market just give us more of a reason to push the issue we have also expanded into book "recycling" averaging a gaylord or so a week and looking into tripling that over the next couple of months.

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Originally Posted by directrecycle

we have cut out a lot of our "straight scrap" pick ups allowing us to focus on more valuable items (non scrap) this process has slowly been evolving for awhile and the downturns of the market just give us more of a reason to push the issue we have also expanded into book "recycling" averaging a gaylord or so a week and looking into tripling that over the next couple of months.

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What do you mean by book recycling?

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Originally Posted by andyheim

What do you mean by book recycling?

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i purchase gaylords of books from recycling centers, library sales, and thrift stores. Scan the books thru Amazon and send in the good ones to their warehouses. Better non amazon books get put in lots for sale locally thru facebook groups or on ebay by Genre, the rest go back to recycling center. Same thing with cd's, video games, and other items

Most of you may not remember the mid-90's. (When I started)
cu#2 was .65/lb, shred material was accepted free of charge, and was charged $15.00 for anything with Freon. So have some perspective.

Now I'm mostly saving until I really need the money, run low on free space or when the prices make a considerable jump.

More so now, I'm actually fixing and re-purposing items. Taking what normally would of went straight to the yard and doing my best to get more miles out of it.

I always save, nails, bolts, washers, clamps. Playing around with various motors.

The low prices are an opportunity, actually. Less people scrapping and your average Joe isn't hording. So that makes way for the "professional scrapper" to gather more stuff.

Sure there was a time when scrap was so high your Good to Average Job could not equal recycling
It was a time of freedom and adventure & it was .
But yes prices went down and the continuation of this income required More truck size
and finding 2 to 3 times more, not to mention the physical strength to lift X 3 times more
So a job in the secular world was my need for survival but scrap still is my buddy
one important dumpster moved to another location , it was an electric company it was the best finds .
I have no idea where they went ?
TV's , Vacuums are still around since that was always bottom of barrel . TV's with attrition
will end some day
I can see scrap is a generational thing , I was around during a big wave .
Will a big wave come around once more ? Maybe ?
But will I be young enough and strong enough to ride it cause that is what I remember most
lifting .

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." peeks and valleys, summer and winter. I barely scrap at all any more. No more Curbco at all unless it's blind luck. My situation changed, my "cheese" got moved. I sell used items for as much money as I make scrapping and it's so much easier too.

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Originally Posted by arb

Most of you may not remember the mid-90's. (When I started)
cu#2 was .65/lb, shred material was accepted free of charge, and was charged $15.00 for anything with Freon. So have some perspective.

Now I'm mostly saving until I really need the money, run low on free space or when the prices make a considerable jump.

More so now, I'm actually fixing and re-purposing items. Taking what normally would of went straight to the yard and doing my best to get more miles out of it.

I always save, nails, bolts, washers, clamps. Playing around with various motors.

The low prices are an opportunity, actually. Less people scrapping and your average Joe isn't hording. So that makes way for the "professional scrapper" to gather more stuff.

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It's all relative to inflation. I remember the early 90's.
A pack of Marlboro reds was $1.25, a gallon of gas was 95 cents, minimum wage was $4.25, a candy bar was 40 cents, and a new 2wd 1/2 ton pickup with a 6 cylinder and a manual transmission was $9995.