Pewter Q and A - Page 2

The thing you have to remember about pewter is it is not something comes into scrapyards at a regular rate, so they are not able to turn it around fast and that is why they likely don't pay big bucks for it. Odds are it will take most yards quite a while to fill up even one gaylord box worth of pewter to actually ship it because it is not a common item, and most scrappers don't separate it from their loads.

Also, like others have said there are several varieties of pewter with different chemistries. I don't think there will be too many yards throwing around big numbers for pewter.

Originally Posted by jghilino

I am sure they do buy it at $3-$5 thats a 150%-200% profit margin for the yard. Olddude, your yard is scamming you bad if they are paying clean aluminum price for it, time to find another yard.

I take offense to this statement. To me it seems as if you are insinuating that I am ripping off my customers. Newsflash: My company is in business to make money! I don't know how you can consider a business deal between two consenting adults, where both sides are satisfied with the deal, as being ripped off. If my customers don't like the prices that I offer, then they are more than welcome to take their scrap to another yard. I am not twisting their arm. Ripping them off would be telling them they have pot metal, zinc etc. or trying to mislead them.

Sikora is right...we sell our pewter maybe once a year. What happens if the bottom falls out of the tin market? We take a loss. Therefore, we hedge our bets and try to buy it at a wide margin so something like this doesn't happen. Show me a yard in my region that is buying pewter for $7+ a pound. You can't, because the composition varies so much that not every piece is the same. My company has been in business for 75+ years under two owners. You don't stay in business this long by cheating your customers.

Take a few business classes and come back and talk to me when you have more of a firm grasp on what "profit margin" and "overhead" is.

I dont know how you guys can thank somone for handing down insults. Shame on you. The purpose of this forum is to share info and educate.

I know how to move pewter for $7 a pound after all my costs are covered. I dont go thru a middleman/yard. I sell directly to the buyer. You couldve just asked me about that instead of coming up with some long winded statement about how you think i operate my business, without having a clue about how i run it, and that i know nothing about yards or overhead.

And you could have asked me why our margin is set where it is, instead of implying that I was in some way cheating or ripping off my customers.

You told olddude to find another yard, and then say you don't sell your pewter at a yard. I'm guessing you haven't found a yard that will match the numbers you want for your pewter? Obviously a specialized pewter buyer is going to be able to offer more money than a scrapyard for the material.

Saying a yard is scamming somebody for the prices they offer is ridiculous.

Originally Posted by jghilino

I know how to move pewter for $7 a pound after all my costs are covered. I dont go thru a middleman/yard. I sell directly to the buyer. You couldve just asked me about that instead of coming up with some long winded statement about how you think i operate my business, without having a clue about how i run it, and that i know nothing about yards or overhead.

Pewter is often used in artwork and crafts. This piece of mine has a stamp that says 90% Tin and also two other stamps, one of a symbol and one of a couple of letters that I cant really make out. I would definitely try a specialized pewter buyer if you have a good amount of it being it is a pretty rare alloy.

jghilino are you buying? If so what would your price be? If it is enough minus shipping costs you may find some sellers...

Originally Posted by hobo finds

jghilino are you buying? If so what would your price be? If it is enough minus shipping costs you may find some sellers...

I would love to answer that but i have been flamed here and any further statements i make about this would be misconstrued or be falsely reported to the moderators. I guess if i use vague terms and dont throw out any numbers i could make a comment, but im sure they would still take offense to it so im going to have to pass.

Originally Posted by olddude

my yard takes it as cast alu.

oldude's quote from the previous page, that apparently was not read

Originally Posted by mrsamsonite

Pewter is often used in artwork and crafts.

What is that piece for mrsam, and how large is it? Is that the usual color of pewter?

Originally Posted by Bear

What is that piece for mrsam, and how large is it? Is that the usual color of pewter?

I believe its a frame for a painting or a photo, its about 10 in diameter from the outer circle, and yes that is the usual color of pewter.

Thanks lots for that visual MrSam

Originally Posted by jghilino

oldude's quote from the previous page, that apparently was not read

I did read that, and I don't see how it can be interpreted as the yard scamming the customer. Olddude told the yard he has pewter, they told him they don't really buy pewter but he could throw it in with his cast aluminum. At our yard we do the same thing, except we pay brass price for it.

It doesn't sound like the yard lied to olddude about the material he had, they just told him what they were willing to offer him for it. It's on the seller to decide if they think they can find a better price. I don't see where the scam comes in.

Wow...that is quite the tirade. I suggest you develop thicker skin if you think you can dish it out but not take it. After the rebuttal below I will be the bigger man and let this thread die.

To the moderators: I apologize for starting a sh*t storm, but I will not let anyone insinuate or imply that my business ethics are subpar without getting bristled and strongly refuting them.

"Where did i imply you were ripping off your customers?"

How about right here:

"I would not sell below $7 per pound delivered or your getting taken advantage of."

or maybe here:

"I am sure they do buy it at $3-$5 thats a 150%-200% profit margin for the yard."

A price is a price take it or leave it. Welcome to the scrap industry. I am not sure about throwing insults around but specialty metals that are not common to certain yards are NEVER going to fetch the highest price and will most likely settle somewhere in the middle of the comex or LME price. Seriously what yard wants to have all there capital tied up in small amounts of material that is hard to move or takes a certain quantity to send to a buyer.

throw it in with your brass guaranteed it won't be questioned.

Originally Posted by parrothead

Anyone have any knowledge at all on pewter?

Does your yard buy it? I see a few successful sales of pewter ingots on e-bay.

I snagged a couple of pewter mugs from the garbage this morning. they are beat up and in bad shape. the bottoms are both stamped E-2 (is this a grade of peweter?), exclusively for Steiff company, made in Spain.

I called my yard and they don't buy it. I found a site online that says somewhere between 20 and 25 cents per ounce. So maybe $4 per pound? Assuming I can find a place to buy it.

I guess for now I will start another bucket just for pewter.

Any info is great as I know nothing and there is nothing on this forum that I could find regarding it.