Results 1 to 18 of 18

A bit of advice for the newer people here

| Scrap Metal Tips and Advice
  1. #1
    BRASSCATCHER started this thread.
    BRASSCATCHER's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Feb 2012
    Posts
    2,476
    Thanks
    3,436
    Thanked 3,965 Times in 1,383 Posts

    A bit of advice for the newer people here

    My brother and I made a run today to scrap yard. He called up to check pricing before we left. Got quoted: sealed units-.16, mtrs-.20,insul wire-1.10,dirty alum-.55. Got a name we spoke with, wrote down prices and off we went. Get to scale put sealed units on and ask the guy how much today? Says .12# it's light iron....Then I ask about mtrs he says .15#:confused: At that point I tell him what I got quoted a half hr ago and who quoted the price. He asked again who I spoke to, told him again and asked to speak with this person. Scale guy called office and person my brother spoke with came to scale. Explained what was going on and showed him the quoted prices and his name on the paper. He honored the prices I was quoted no questions asked and told the scale guy to pull up pricing before giving a quote to a customer. Lesson is ALWAYS call to get current prices and ALWAYS get a name.

    I won't be wronged. I won't be insulted. I won't be laid a-hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them.” John Wayne-- The Shootist

    NEWBS READ THIS THREAD ABOUT REFINING!!!!
    http://www.scrapmetalforum.com/off-t...ning-read.html



  2. #2
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Dec 2010
    Posts
    11
    Thanks
    8
    Thanked 13 Times in 3 Posts
    Brasscatcher,

    I have found that to be absolutely the case, too, at the yard I go to in Rockville, Maryland. Scale prices or "prices in the computer" are always lower than the prices quoted over the phone. With the yard I go to, the per pound price is never on the ticket only the weight and total. A year ago, even after I showed the prices that "Johnny" quoted me over the phone, the guy at the scale still gave me the computer price. I figured out as I was driving out of the yard, turned around, parked the car, walked through the yard and called him out. It was only a $15 difference, but hey every bit counts. The manager apologized to me, but I it didn't ring true. Now I check the ticket more carefully before I leave. I wonder how much I've lost because of my lack of vigilence.

    KW

  3. #3
    gustavus is offline Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
    gustavus's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    1,209
    Thanks
    1,351
    Thanked 920 Times in 425 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by BRASSCATCHER View Post
    My brother and I made a run today to scrap yard. He called up to check pricing before we left. Got quoted: sealed units-.16, mtrs-.20,insul wire-1.10,dirty alum-.55. Got a name we spoke with, wrote down prices and off we went. Get to scale put sealed units on and ask the guy how much today? Says .12# it's light iron....Then I ask about mtrs he says .15#:confused: At that point I tell him what I got quoted a half hr ago and who quoted the price. He asked again who I spoke to, told him again and asked to speak with this person. Scale guy called office and person my brother spoke with came to scale. Explained what was going on and showed him the quoted prices and his name on the paper. He honored the prices I was quoted no questions asked and told the scale guy to pull up pricing before giving a quote to a customer. Lesson is ALWAYS call to get current prices and ALWAYS get a name.

    You put that scale man on the spot - your business ethics could use some polishing.


    You could have avoided this and said that you had previously spoken to such and such and these are the prices he quoted over the phone. Instead you choose the role similar to being the Village idiot. Don't feel bad I've been there many times myself.

    When asking for a quote over the phone you might also ask if that price will hold for the day. I agree always ask for a name to whom your speaking with then make a note on it. Next time you call ask for that person by name.

    I deal with one yard in Winnipeg where the father and son both have an interest in the business, from personal experience I have always found the father more generous while the son is on the proving ground showing dad that he is able to make the company profit. Yes profits at my expense.

    I avoid dealing with the kid and always ask for the father who will always give me a fair price. The last time I was there the father was not in and the kid tried telling me that my copper wire had 25 percent moisture in it because it had rained on the way into the yard. Needless to say Adam lost out on $8,000.00 worth of clean copper wire, which would have netted the company a substantial profit.

    By having Adam trying to reduce my load by 25% also told me that the company is possibly in financial trouble.

    I would have liked to have been the fly on the wall when his father was having words with him over the loss of that sale.
    Last edited by gustavus; 05-11-2012 at 06:46 PM.

  4. The Following User Says Thank You to gustavus for This Post:


  5. #4
    happyscraper's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Feb 2012
    Location
    spring hill,fl
    Posts
    2,864
    Thanks
    350
    Thanked 1,371 Times in 847 Posts
    I would not deal with yards like that. I wonder how many people get ripped off every day.

  6. #5
    ScrapperNJ26's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Clementon NJ
    Posts
    512
    Thanks
    537
    Thanked 148 Times in 89 Posts
    Am I glad I don't have any issues at my yard like you guys have.

  7. #6
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Dec 2010
    Posts
    11
    Thanks
    8
    Thanked 13 Times in 3 Posts
    A name always helps.
    Last edited by kittywitty; 05-11-2012 at 08:52 PM.

  8. #7
    BRASSCATCHER started this thread.
    BRASSCATCHER's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Feb 2012
    Posts
    2,476
    Thanks
    3,436
    Thanked 3,965 Times in 1,383 Posts
    Gus- my business ethics are just fine thank you. Its the yards that needs the polishing. If people are calling ahead to get pricing don't you think that someone should tell the scale guy to be giving proper pricing at the scale? I only use this yard when I dump my scrap and use another for my non-ferrous. The only reason we went is because time was an issue with other things going on yesterday. The other place I go to I always call ahead, price is what I get quoted when I get there. When my brother called yesterday at 0900 we were there at 0930, so why wouldn't price hold for a half hour? The only Village Idiots, your words not mine, I see are the ones that let these yards get away with this garbage.
    What's the matter Gus a little sour there are no hockey teams from Canada left In the playoffs?
    Last edited by BRASSCATCHER; 05-12-2012 at 08:31 AM.

  9. #8
    BRASSCATCHER started this thread.
    BRASSCATCHER's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Feb 2012
    Posts
    2,476
    Thanks
    3,436
    Thanked 3,965 Times in 1,383 Posts
    Kitty- they should also be putting a tare weight on the ticket if you are putting things in their containers when it gets weighed.

  10. #9
    Otto's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Ottawa, Ontario
    Posts
    335
    Thanks
    494
    Thanked 322 Times in 166 Posts
    What's the matter Gus a little sour there are no hockey teams from Canada left In the playoffs?
    You just had to bring that up. I was only now getting over it. Oh my..... the tears are back.

  11. #10
    KzScrapper's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Denver Metro, CO
    Posts
    4,841
    Thanks
    7,019
    Thanked 5,792 Times in 2,417 Posts
    Keep in mind that all yards are different in many ways. Some are much more high tech then others and pricing can be changed per individual that calls in so that it is automatic. If they are low tech don't count on that guy running down to the scale after every call to relay what he just told someone on the phone. If you called give the scale guy a heads up that this is what you are expecting before you even pull the goods out. Communication goes a long way instead of second guessing each other.
    Recyclable Material Merchant Wholesaler
    Certified Zip-Tie Mechanic
    "Give them enough so they can do something with it, but not too much that they won't do nothing."

  12. The Following User Says Thank You to KzScrapper for This Post:


  13. #11
    BRASSCATCHER started this thread.
    BRASSCATCHER's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Feb 2012
    Posts
    2,476
    Thanks
    3,436
    Thanked 3,965 Times in 1,383 Posts
    Point taken KZ, but they are all computerized so if they are all on same system that the office is on then there shouldn't be a discrepancy.

  14. #12
    BRASSCATCHER started this thread.
    BRASSCATCHER's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Feb 2012
    Posts
    2,476
    Thanks
    3,436
    Thanked 3,965 Times in 1,383 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by Otto View Post
    You just had to bring that up. I was only now getting over it. Oh my..... the tears are back.
    Sorry Otto, I take it then you are pulling for the Caps tonight....LET'S GO RANGERS!!!!!!! Man I love this game!!!

  15. #13
    happyscraper's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Feb 2012
    Location
    spring hill,fl
    Posts
    2,864
    Thanks
    350
    Thanked 1,371 Times in 847 Posts
    I don't deal with a yard that doesn't post the prices they are paying either on their web site or at the pay window. 1 yard I called to find out how much they were paying for low grade boards. They would not give a price over the phone, said they had to see them first. I'm thinking that I would get there and the price would be very low then I would have to bring them back home and find someone else to sell to, a lot of extra work.

  16. #14
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Indiana
    Posts
    273
    Thanks
    177
    Thanked 154 Times in 87 Posts
    I'm telling you guys, my wife Always gets good prices when she takes in my stuff. I never take it in anymore, lol

  17. The Following User Says Thank You to Ace for This Post:


  18. #15
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Denver
    Posts
    343
    Thanks
    5
    Thanked 366 Times in 147 Posts
    A word to the wise...If you are getting your wife/girlfriend to call make sure you give them ALL the specifics. I get a dozen calls a day from women wanting to know the price for wire/aluminum/copper but not knowing what exactly they have. How am I supposed to grade your insulated copper wire over the phone and give you a fair price if your wife/girlfriend doesn't know if it is Christmas lights or Thhn wire? Or if your aluminum is cast or extruded?

  19. The Following User Says Thank You to BohemianLush for This Post:


  20. #16
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Indiana
    Posts
    273
    Thanks
    177
    Thanked 154 Times in 87 Posts
    Yeah thats always good to know. I strip everything so she doesn't have to worry. But so far it's worked out in my favor.

  21. #17
    basicmetals1's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor

    Member since
    May 2012
    Location
    Michigan
    Posts
    2
    Thanks
    1
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts

    Thanks

    one must always be aware of the current scrap prices before selling them to scrap yard. There are many sources to keep yourself updated with the pricing. You can subscribe for text or email notifications on many sites out there on Internet.

  22. #18
    NHscrapman's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Jan 2013
    Location
    new hampshire
    Posts
    1,582
    Thanks
    4,076
    Thanked 2,176 Times in 941 Posts
    This still rings true just the other day i was quoted .40/# on ali extrude but checking my ticket before i even left the pay window it said .37 i had to point it out had a lot of aluminum that trip and wasn't backing down from the questions. nice try cathy maybe next time
    There ain't nothing wrong with an honest days work. Anyone who says otherwise is a fool.- Old Man

  23. The Following User Says Thank You to NHscrapman for This Post:



  24. Similar threads on the Scrap Metal Forum

    1. Bit of advice for the newer people here pt2
      By BRASSCATCHER in forum Scrap Metal Tips and Advice
      Replies: 7
      Last Post: 07-15-2012, 03:02 AM
    2. For the newer folks like me WHAT EVER YOU DO, DON'T TURN IT DOWN !
      By drewan in forum Scrap Metal Tips and Advice
      Replies: 16
      Last Post: 07-10-2012, 04:25 PM
    3. Keyboard Breakdown (Newer Dell model)
      By Ticonderoga in forum Dismantling, Breaking Down & Maximizing Scrap
      Replies: 5
      Last Post: 12-30-2011, 10:19 AM
    4. newer box type TV little value !
      By EcoSafe in forum Scrap Metal Tips and Advice
      Replies: 9
      Last Post: 10-30-2011, 11:06 PM
    5. Hello, Newer scrapper- New to the forum
      By utahscrapper in forum Introduce yourself
      Replies: 4
      Last Post: 09-27-2011, 09:57 PM

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

 
Browse the Most Recent Threads
On SMF In THIS CATEGORY.





OR

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

The Scrap Metal Forum

    The Scrap Metal Forum is the #1 scrap metal recycling community in the world. Here we talk about the scrap metal business, making money, where we connect with other scrappers, scrap yards and more.

SMF on Facebook and Twitter

Twitter Facebook