Making it during current pricing???

[carolinajunkman]

Are you full time guys making it right now? If not, how are you supplementing? Was considering full time a few years ago. At the moment, I'm still selling all of my steel and aluminum but hoarding the rest. Good luck guys.

[ryanw]

Like it better with prices down. Thing is, I'm buying almost everything I get. I'm paying less money out of pocket for the same margins. I can even go higher than other people for things that I sell parts out of. I've been buying microwaves from a scrap yard at 0.10/lb and doing well with that. Total scrap value doesn't reach 0.10/lb but even with the most smashed up unit, I can pull a few things out of it to sell.

The only downside is dealing with tin. I fill up a 6x12x6 trailer every week and it doesn't even reach a ton most of the time. At $45/ton it's a pain. A roll-off service would be nice but I don't have anywhere for it to go. Too big to put inside and block my door, and outside isn't an option.

Even hms isn't so bad - 1800 lbs filled about 1/3 of my truck bed.

[Patriot76]

I am a full time scrapper that returned to school at SMF when prices dropped. Learning how to break things down allows the ability to stockpile non ferrous. During good times I saved enough to sustain my meager needs for awhile.

I am blessed because living below my means has provided freedom of lifestyle.

[spinroch]

That's the idea. Keep finding "up" thoughts in the down market. The opportunities to make money occur in good times and bad. You just have to keep adapting to the market.

[gabrielservices]

I'm doing ok. I'm full time with a part time job of trash hauling 2 days week. I'm lucky enough to have a steady supply of water coolers, SS coffee makers, microwaves and A/C units. That's pretty much all I'm working on these days. Soon to be added to the list is gas pumps(modern ones). I also buy random things that come in to the local guy who buys scrap. Stuff that I can tear down more or resell. Theres buyers out there for everything you just have to find them.

[webuyselltradestuff]

always have multiple streams of income...and the passive ones are the BEST BY FAR. Get those in place and market volatility is not NEARLY as bad for you.

[dsroten]

When I was full time in the auto salvage business, I tried to view the scrap as the byproduct and not the main income stream. Sometimes the scrap was what got me through, but as we all know, more than scrap value is where the money is, and boy howdy cars might the extreme on that one. One little fist sized part could easily be worth more than the whole dang car for scrap. But as was mentioned, diversification is key. I had a rollback to pick up junk cars, so I got into towing, specialty hauling (gunsafes and such) heavy things that were hard for most folks to unload off the back of a pickup - people think its so cool to tilt the bed down to the ground, and repo work (hated that though). Started moving those little storage sheds to, theyre a pain but I charge nicely for that service so its worth the aggravation I guess.

I'm no longer full time, I converted to the dark side and went to work for the local gub-ment, but I just see that as further diversification.