So where are you in your scrapping career?

[BurlyGuys]

So I got into scrapping accidentally, as a by-product of my junk removal business. I almost prefer dealing with straight shred, as I just load it up and go to the yard. (In other words, I don't have to store it and double-handle it.) Of course, I have learned the value of breaking stuff down on this forum.

It seems I am always on a learning curve. My time is best spent drumming up new junk removal business, because it is a straight transaction, I perform a service and they pay me on the spot. But I have a warehouse for storage and in it I break stuff down. Or more accurately, my employees break stuff down. It can be a challenge to educate them on what is worth the time and what is not, because they know that they get paid by the hour, whatever they do. However, they are eager to learn and are very trainable. I have begun creating laminated documents hung on the wall instructing them on what to do with each type of item we come across, and we try to break down things we have have enough (towers, monitors, etc.) to make it worthwhile.

Having the warehouse more than pays for itself, the challenge is keeping it EMPTY, not keeping it FULL! In fact I may outgrow the space in the spring.



I have begun dabbling in cars, my current challenge is not having a tow truck. I was considering a tow dolly, but it looks like a trailer makes more sense, as I can take off aluminum wheels on the trailer and take it to my yard where they will unload with a forklift. I have a good size boat trailer I am considering converting to a car hauler, but it may be cheaper and more advantageous to simply buy an inexpensive one on CL. When I get a trailer I will begin seriously pushing car scrapping.

My favorite seems to be e-waste, but I'll scrap anything I can get my hands on. Love the value in those boards and chips.

Another advantage of the warehouse is storing stuff to sell. I get a lot of better than scrap value items, and have been developing some venues to sell them. I am now working with two consignment shops and two auction houses selling my stuff. Nice getting those checks, especially since my cost of goods was zero, in fact I was paid to take the items away.

Some recent sold items: pool table, air hockey table, bikes, centrifuges, treadmills, barbells, massage chair, autoclave, vintage adding machines, typewriters, overhead projector, silver serving set, sewing machines, sculptures, gas range, washer and dryer, gun cases, pool cues, IronRite, and the list goes on...

I am considering dealing in furniture, but it takes a lot of real estate and I'm not ready for that yet.

I am working on developing a contractor in the Tampa/Sarasota area to do junk removal under the Burly Guys brand. I can't yet meet the requirements to actually sell franchises, but I can certainly do marketing in that area and refer business for a percentage. If that goes well I will look seriously at franchising and expanding. Baby steps, but I can look back at this now and see how much progress I have made.

Anybody else got a story to tell?

[CarolinaEwaste]

Yep heres my story and I'm stickin to it. Short and sweet.

One man operation at the moment but that has to change and soon. As soon as I finish analyzing what is worth paying people to break down and what is not. I just cant keep up doing everything myself. From advertising, keeping record of purchases expenses and profit, answering phones, buying, selling and breaking down. Its too much for one man when you start getting 100+ computers a week.
Also Have no choice but to move to a warehouse with more space. Right now I've got boxes stacked on top of boxes. Gonna need to rent a roll off dumpster or 2 for cases and plastic. Also later down the road will be looking for one of the big flatbed trucks with a forklift on the back used by Sheetrock and other building and material companies.

This hopefully all taking place within the next 6 months to a year. Trying to stretch my time and money as far as I can before I add on all the extra expenses.

[Arkansaw]

A good sideline for me,probably all it will ever be. I have my job,plus commercial fish,and scrap on the side.It keeps me busy,But i enjoy it. Scrapping really helped out,been on med leave after my heart attack. That pile in the yard really helped keep groceries on the table,I'm back to the job tomorrow been a long two months.

[Jeremiah]

Side biz. I consider it winter income when I'm not doing lawns

[corycouch]

ill try to shorten this anyone interested can read my other post as i tend to ramble. i to started by accident, tearing down a house last year and took in the pipes from the bathroom the rest is history. we mainly do cars and i get them from several places, wrecker services, bailbondsmen, repo guys, and individuals. i get fire extinguishers from three different companies, not looking for anymore at the moment because the cars seem plentiful but we still take all we can get from the companies we already use. we still get a few computers now and then, we got 3 last week probably have 100 or so stacked up probably do them in the spring. so far in a little over a year 300 plus cars, 1000s of extinguishers and i sold $2000plus to easy early this year. we no longer do cleanups tho when we see a washer or dryer when we buy a car we always make a $5 offer. we have hired a guy to pull core parts and ebay items off of cars, he also covers when we have to work at our real jobs. eventually we want to get into appliances again probably monday pickups, im guessing appliances are weekend purchases, as well as computers a little more, maybe a pull it yard, a used tire business, we have so many ideas but notenough hours. its hard to find people to hire that have basic mechanical skills that you can trust with your money. future dream purchases include the rolloff trailers from texas pride, another 4x4 cummins, hydraulic tilt car hauler, a shop with a lift or two and electric hoists. the hard part is growing without getting overwhelmed. we try to balance growth out by taking a little a time. anyway short as i could make it LOTS more details but thats the compressed version

[Russell]

My main back round is in the moving/ trucking industry. I have over 17 years of experience dealing with top celebrities all the way down to people who are being kicked out of their homes. I face jobs where people had died in the home and their relatives are distraught all the way down to young happy couples buying their first home. I've cleaned out buildings of closed down offices all the way down to moving a mom and pop store into a larger space. I've been in places you only see on tv down to places that resemble hell.

Scrap metal and resale have been a byproduct for me for a long time. I've taken a whole semi load home from commercial cleanouts, stuffing my garage full of file cabts and servers. I get old electronics, furniture, odds n ends off of jobs constantly. When the economy tanked, I started roadside picking to keep myself afloat. With only a car I couldn't grab much. I decided to buy a pickup truck with scrap money I had made. I then purchased a trailer, took on a partner.

In 2008 I tried to start a junk removal co. After being in the moving industry for so long I thought it would be a logical move. I did not have the time to hold down a full time job and run a company, it was too much. I jumped with both feet in and realized I knew less about running a business than I thought.

Forward to today. In 2013 after much pre planning and research, I am looking to start not so much a junk removal but clean out co. By that I mean more estate removals, becoming a commercial vendor for store closures etc... I think all my prior experience will allow.me to.be successful, this time around.

[BurlyGuys]

Forgot to add that I will occasionally shop at Curbco, but the results are so mixed that I don't make a habit of it. One good score makes me want to start up again, then it dries up and I get pissed off and quit.

[mikeinreco]

Still wanting to retire at 40 (I'm 35 now).....LOL

[BurlyGuys]

Ha! Also still wanting to retire at 40! (I'm 55 now.)

[GeorgeB]

I got started in scrapping just metal at first. It was not long after my wife and I had gotten married. When my investment business came to a slow stop due to most investors branching off into other areas, and me learning those areas to stay in the business, I went to work for a subcontractor for Cox Communications. That job lasted for roughly 2 months (the President and Founder of the company made a bad financial decision and over 1/2 the company got laid off permanently). 2 week later, I met up with a friend of mine as he and his wife was walking down the street...we got to talking and he was telling me about him doing scrapping for the last 4 or so years. Sounded interesting and told him, that I be interesting in doing that. He said, that if I had a truck, he would definitely show me the ropes. I pointed in the back to my father in law's dually with long bed. His eyes got real big.

The next day, we went out and made $100 a piece. The next day we both made $360 a piece, and from there I have just been worked. Now, I do more junk removal than scrapping, but when I get the request and they pay, I go! I am also getting more and more into escrap, and very soon refining, and buying escrap and silver, and jewelry as well. Also, learning from a few guys on making good money from buying from Goodwills and selling on ebay. Right now, I just been selling hard drives on there.

I have been looking to expand as much as possible lately (like when I get back into RE investing either in February or March, Refining, etc) as my wife and I will be working towards a new addition to our little family!

2 things I am looking to add my recycling arsenal in the next 6 months or so, is a box truck and tow truck.

While working and planning stuff for the new addition to our family, I have been doing a lot of creative advertising on Facebook and Craigslist and it is starting to pay off some.

Take care everyone!! I am off to go see Santa and have a bonfire and a few other things.

[Dunemaul]

plans still in motion to retire by 33

[GeorgeB]

plans still in motion to retire by 33

How old are you now?

[greytruck]

when I was a kid, My family saved alum cans for extra money. Back in 2009 i realized that I hate working for a hourly wage so i thought that i could bring in more than cans. I guess it started when the guy across the street threw out a pile of air ducts, pipies and a fuse box. I was like thats mine, forget the other guys that would take it. Found a few other things that next garbage night. went to the yard and had only 180lbs of shred. Man i thought that was alot but now nothing under 1000 lbs go at a time. I also remember the first time i cut a cord off for copper wire, 3 blocks down and it was a cord from a stand up space heater. boy o boy i thought i was good. I got sick of useing a car because they are too small. bought my 2010 toyota tacoma. Then thought that the truck was too new to keep bringing it to the yard so the next spring of 2011 i saved up and used some money from scrapping and bought a used truck with it. 83 chevy c10. I need to step down at work from 40hours to 32 hours a week. That would help with my limited break down time. Would love to quit my employer paying job to be a fulltime scrapper but I need insurance when i almost cut a finger(s) off.

[jghilino]

I got into scrapping when i was 10 i run around with my dad picking up and selling scrap on the weekends. Now that i have a full part time job as a union boilermaker, i have about 6 months a year down time to make side money. Primarily we part out cars. But i also break down alot of computers, and process escrap.

Ill have enough hours for a full pension at my real job by the time im 45. So another 15 years. Have to wait till 57 before i can start drawing it. Already have over 100k in the annuity and 200k in the pension account. The plan is to work till 56 to get the highest monthly amount possible then take a layoff so i can claim unemloyment for a full year before the pension kicks in. Or if inflation kicks in big time i can just sell off my metals, walk away from my debts in the usa and retire in mexico right now. Money has never been an issue for me. The jobs and the money is out there people, if you have skills and are willing to travel and willing to give 110% every single day.

Scrapping is great for supplemental income, but unless you own scrapyards your not going to make millions, even then its a risky business. Just stating the facts.

[mikeinreco]

Scrapping does give me the flexibility to take a day off like yesterday when I was sick

[PistoneScrapProcessing]

Mike whats a day off? Its Sunday and you are on here typing about scrap and dreaming about retirement. There are no days off even sick days are filled with work.

[Russell]

Ditto on the age and retirement age for me, mikeinrico.

[jghilino]

i am 30, plan on retiring at 56 from my paid job, earlier if possible As far as hoarding/scrapping never going to quit doing that.

[KzScrapper]

When I was a general contractor I had any where from 10-20 employees depending how busy we were. Had a great core of guys but grew tired of babysitting the others.

Recycling was a byproduct of inventory I purchased to resell but the roles have reversed and recycling takes the bulk of my time now.

I don't ever want to retire.

[mikeinreco]

Mike whats a day off? Its Sunday and you are on here typing about scrap and dreaming about retirement. There are no days off even sick days are filled with work.

Yeah I worried myself to death all day about the work i needed to be doing