Buying of bidding on scrap metals

Has anyone tried this method before? I've tried running ad's on craigslist for scrap but ad's get flagged all of the time due to the intense competition for scrap. This has brought me to maybe trying to buy large quantities of scrap for a heavily reduced price, then sorting it and taking it in myself. I'm thinking about the farmers with all sorts of junk still left in their fields that isn't going anywhere, or businesses that might be interested in splitting the profits without the hastle of going to the junk yard. I'm guessing most advertising is word of mouth since anyone with a tried and true method won't probably give up his secrets. Also, with gas prices super high, I don't really want to drive all over town to pick up items that are only going to get me a few bucks. If they are close by, I'm all over that stuff and save it for later. Thank you for the help.

there's a recent thread about targeting a specific area/neighborhood with flyers delivered by the post office for 14.5 cents each. I don't recall the thread title atm, but it would be cheaper than gas, especially on some country roads