poor metal prices why?

my scrap prices as of 6/29/2015 as follows

non magnetic stainless 0.15/lb 17lb 2.55

aluminum cans 0.23/lb 35lb 8.05

I told the guy it was magnetic stainless but he put it as mis. steel 120.00/ton 18lb 1.08

I had cast aluminum to but he lumped it together}aluminum sheet 0.23/lb 47lb 10.81

#2 copper wire 1.75/lb 8lb 14.00

#2 insulated copper wire 0.40/lb 2lb 0.80



yellow brass 1.10/lb 7lb 7.70

unclean yellow brass 0.50/lb 1lb 0.50

total 45.49

why are they so low? and also what is tare wt. do the prices go back up speraticly? say I wait 2 months would they go up or fall farther down?

Tare weight is also your bucket or container that you bring your stuff in with. At one yard they were screwing around with tare weight I felt they were cheating me on the weight as they did not reweigh the empty container so next time I dumped out all my buckets on the scale, guy was not too happy as the buckets make it easier to unload. Now I have the weight marked on most of my buckets and totes and not much of a problem anymore. I know if they are trying to screw me.

Originally Posted by mike1

my scrap prices as of 6/29/2015 as follows

non magnetic stainless 0.15/lb 17lb 2.55

aluminum cans 0.23/lb 35lb 8.05

I told the guy it was magnetic stainless but he put it as mis. steel 120.00/ton 18lb 1.08

I had cast aluminum to but he lumped it together}aluminum sheet 0.23/lb 47lb 10.81

#2 copper wire 1.75/lb 8lb 14.00

#2 insulated copper wire 0.40/lb 2lb 0.80

yellow brass 1.10/lb 7lb 7.70

unclean yellow brass 0.50/lb 1lb 0.50

total 45.49

why are they so low? and also what is tare wt. do the prices go back up speraticly? say I wait 2 months would they go up or fall farther down?

Many yards don't have a seperate category for magnetic stainless, thus why he paid misc steel. Cast and sheet aluminum are usally pretty close in price. They may have been the same and that was why they where lumped togethet.

I would have paid $76 for this lot, with free home pickup

Wow been a member since 2011!

Took a load and went to the guy with the best price in town and even his prices were almost half what they were last week. Only thing holding he said was copper and clean clean aluminum but who ahs the time to clean that crap.

Been scrapping for about 3 years now in Buffalo,NY, when I started sheet iron was around 250 a ton, now down to 105. Aluminum and stainless .40/lb each. Lead acid batteries .25/lb. Thought this was terrible but looking at some of these posts I guess its not that bad. Good thing I have room to sit on my iron, hopefully prices go up soon, definitely tough times though.

China is fake everything, they copy and have stolen just about everything they have. There cities have exact copies of even buildings hear in the western world. They are facades, just like in the movies, made to look like the "real deal", but fake. Made to appear like thriving cities, this is done for external and internal reasons. Mostly for internal effect, they want their people to think they have been successful and their society is thriving. All deception, built on wants and not needs! China is going to implode.

Originally Posted by bigburtchino

China is fake everything, they copy and have stolen just about everything they have. There cities have exact copies of even buildings hear in the western world. They are facades, just like in the movies, made to look like the "real deal", but fake. Made to appear like thriving cities, this is done for external and internal reasons. Mostly for internal effect, they want their people to think they have been successful and their society is thriving. All deception, built on wants and not needs! China is going to implode.

I visited China once, more specifically I went to Xi'an, Shanghai and Beijing. I didn't get that impression at all. The air quality was a bit bad and the traffic was crazy, but other things were pretty good.

A bit off topic & perhaps a bit daffy:

China seems to be more of a hive mind. Something like a an ant or bee colony. It comes across as being a well ordered society under authoritarian rule. Their strength is in their workforce. They have a strong capacity for logic. Authoritarians of all kinds are pretty strict about managing the finances responsibly. That means building their economy in a step by step methodical way starting from a solid foundation.

It's hard to feature them being in economic distress. Their economy has grown at a phenomenal pace and it's nearly equal in size to our own now. Chinese growth might slow but it's not likely to fall backwards (recession).

Their main weakness is that they don't seem to have the ability for creative thought and innovation.

That's why they have to copycat everything.

That's why we have abandoned manufacturing in favor of innovation & high tech development as the engine of our economy.

Again ... just an opinion.

I only bring up China in regard to scrap metal prices, as they are partially the reason for weak prices now! Many factors at play, a strong dollar, down economy in southern Europe, slumping oil prices and economic uncertainty all contributing factors.

China was buying a lot of our scrap metal and now they are buying much less. Why were they buying so much before? Like a addict, uncontrolled and out of control they were on a "Building Bender". Especially leading up to the Beijing Olympics and even for years after, as they tried to keep a "false economy" going. Some examples of fake building with no real plan or purpose:

Hallstatt in Guangdong - The fake version of the UNESCO World Heritage Site is complete with an artificial lake, imported doves and of course, the houses which were the same as the ones in the Alpine Village that it made the real Hallstatt locals surprised and upset.

Shanghai Minhang People's Court - A morphing of the White House and Capitol Building of the United States, the Shanghai Minhang People's Court is clearly referencing the legal system of the United States. Combing the White House and the Capitol Building, choosing to create a government building in the shape of two of the most emblematic buildings of the United States seems odd (less than half occupied).

Paris in Tianducheng - Unfortunately, this luxury real estate development is a ghost town due to its inconvenient location surrounded by farmlands.

There are many examples of fake buildings and structures in China, Skyscrapers totally empty, Apartments with painted on windows and exact copies of structures with no purpose (Dutch windmills). Visiting China for just a "visit" would be like a kid in a candy store, "Sensory Overload" and would play a trick on anyones mind. The fact of unchecked pollution should be a warning to all. Just as a canary deep into a mine, barely able to sustain it's life, must be reality for those that live there!

China - Economic Powerhouse, Elephant in the Room, Paper Tiger or just a "Wanna-be" (all of the above). China's construction boom has been one of the biggest drivers of economic growth in the past few years.

I just want stability with stable prosperity for all!