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1 Posts |
 Posted - 03/02/2008 : 21:22:12
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Here's a website I put up a little while ago. Recycling is a great incentive to make some extra cash, while protecting our environment.
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MormonMetal
Penny Pincher Member
USA
150 Posts |
Posted - 03/03/2008 : 00:44:01
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| Welcome to the forum, glad to see another scrapper joining. A lot of our members, including myself, are into scrap metal. We're all looking for ways to pick up some extra money along with helping the earth out. Once again, welcome to Realcent, and I hope that you enjoy it as much as I have. |
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Know Common Cents
Penny Pincher Member
195 Posts |
Posted - 03/03/2008 : 22:34:15
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| Always pleased to meet another junker. Welcome. Do you have a larger vehicle (pickup truck, etc.) to transport the treasure? I feel limited in what I'm able to do as there's not much room for vast amounts of metal in the trunk of a Toyota. |
Here in Wisconsin, we have some of the highest property and gasoline taxes in the US. We're squeezed so much, I have to make my daughter wear penny boxes for shoes. At least she has an endless supply. |
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HoardCopperByTheTon
Administrator
USA
6807 Posts |
Posted - 03/03/2008 : 23:59:43
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| You would be surprised at the amount of metal pennies I can get in the trunk of a Toyota (Camry). |
If your percentages are low.. just sort more. If your percentages are high.. just sort more.
Now selling Copper pennies. 1.6x plus shipping. Limited amounts available. |
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12 Posts |
Posted - 03/04/2008 : 16:40:14
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| Nice site. Its nice to see there are other people out there doing this as well. We made approx 20,000 last year by scrappi part time. We dont limit ourselves to scrap metal though. We also sell scrap paper/cardboard, wood and plastic pallets, circuit boards, ink cartridges and many other items. |
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double dot
Penny Sorter Member
USA
55 Posts |
Posted - 03/05/2008 : 00:07:21
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quote:
Originally posted by clwp4973
Nice site. Its nice to see there are other people out there doing this as well. We made approx 20,000 last year by scrappi part time. We dont limit ourselves to scrap metal though. We also sell scrap paper/cardboard, wood and plastic pallets, circuit boards, ink cartridges and many other items.
Our homeschooling family would love to hear more about how you do this. We found supplies for home schooling by hitting the school dumpsters next to the playgrounds off hours especially at the start and end of the school year. We found huge amounts of new books, reams of legal sized paper labelled mimeograph but really just regular printer paper and multiple paper cutters. We also found metal and wood furniture, old technologies like phonographs and film strip projectors and all sorts of chemistry kits, microscopes, it just goes on and on.
I'm thinking about your sources of items for scrap metal. Here in upstate NY there is the snow banks and not much metal on the curbs with the trash. Some tempting free stuff on craigslist. Then I got to thinking. The libraries dump most of their donated books for lack of space right into the dumpster. Check your local library to see this. Some libraries lock their dumpsters so you can"t see this going on.
Coming out of the thrift store I had a scrap metal epiphany. Why wouldn't the thrift store be like the library? A quick check round back at the dumpster after hours confirmed good clean stuff being dumped for lack of space. Metal floor lsmps, desks, and nonmetal toys, clothes, electronics all working in good and clean condition.
clwp4973 tell us more about where you get your stuff and how do you convert to cash? |
Crouching Teller, Hiding Copper |
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12 Posts |
Posted - 03/05/2008 : 18:31:50
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this will be a multiple part series since there is a lot of info to write.
scrap metal - I rarely have to look for metal, most of the time someone calls and says come get it. I have verbal commitments with a few hotels, schools, repair shops, and anykind of place you can think of. I just let people know what I am doing. Several people have let me kknow that I have saved them hundreds of dollars by not having to rent dumpsters.
I also write letters to computer repair shops, schools, and large business, offering to to buy old computers and other electrical items. I offer 100 dollars per ton. I dont accept monitors unless they pay me a disposal fee. Metal around here is going for 200 per ton. I automatically double my money on all purchases and many times quadruple it. I also charge a small fee if they would like me to remove and destroy harddrive. Many of the computers work and can have the harddrive cleaned and resold for around 100 dollars, others i scrap out and sell cases for steel, wires for insulated copper, circuitboard for scrap god recovery, cpu for scrap gold and so on. I get ridiculous amount of stuff for next to nothing. Power cords and nonworking laptops on ebay for parts. Remember it cost money to make money. When you get printers take the ink cartridges out and sell them to used ink sellers in your area for a buck or two apiece. Need any specific metal or electronic questions please ask |
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12 Posts |
Posted - 03/05/2008 : 18:48:51
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Paper
look in phone book for recycling center that pays for paper
white office paper gets around 120/ton colored around 50/ton
baled cardboard around 70/ton
around here schools and business have to go to recycle center and drop their stuff off...so when i offer free pickup they save time and dont have to pay employ to drive up and do it and employee can do something else instead
check out grocery stores for baled cardboard..ask what they get payed for it and offer a couple dollars more..i get around 25-28 per bale so i usually offer around 15 dollars per bale.
i get all my gaylord boxes for free from the people i sell my paper to..have the people you collect from do the sorting before you get there.
this does take up some space though so make sure you have plenty of room |
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12 Posts |
Posted - 03/05/2008 : 18:53:53
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pallets
wood and plastic shipping pallets can bring in good money.
look in phone book for pallets call and see if they buy used pallets
each yard will buy standard grocery pallet 48 x 40
each yard will buy other sizes depending on what they have a market for. I get between 1-4 dollars per pallet. I also drive a delivery truck and get them all free from my customers throughout the day and drop off in the afternoon on a daily basis
just get a truck and look behind businesses next to dumpsters |
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double dot
Penny Sorter Member
USA
55 Posts |
Posted - 03/06/2008 : 11:31:54
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quote:
Originally posted by clwp4973
around here schools and business have to go to recycle center and drop their stuff off...so when i offer free pickup they save time and dont have to pay employee to drive up and do it and employee can do something else instead
Thank you for the info. On the topic of time, this must require hours of hard work probably at rates below minimum wage. Last night the kids and I took apart broken stuff for electric motors, stripped insulation off wires, and checked with magnets abandoned bicycles we buy at thrift stores for $2 in the Winter. We also took the broken razor scooters ( aluminum ) apart. We learned how to take things apart the hard way and had lots of exercise with tools. We are tired but had a lot of fun with no injuries.
What do you do with the electric motors, break them apart for the windings or scrap them out as is?
I'm going on a research trip to the scrap metal buyers Saturday with the kids. Main question is there a minimum amount needed. I know gas for car have to keep trips minimized. |
Crouching Teller, Hiding Copper |
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5 Posts |
Posted - 03/06/2008 : 18:01:54
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| my yard does not have a minimum but the might lower the price a little |
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12 Posts |
Posted - 03/06/2008 : 19:27:58
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I have a pretty decent system down and only spend minimum time on things. usually avg about 10-12 dollars/hr.
First you have to be organized. Every seperate item needs its own box or pail. Dont handle things multiple times if you dont have to.
I have to trailers. 1 for picking up and 1 for steel as i sort. when the trailer is full i take it in. This happens about every 7-10 days. Less in the winter more in the summer. I take it in after work so i dont make a seperate trip. My yard i use unloads it wit a magnet. I am in and out in 20-30 minutes.
I dont strip my wire and currently get 1.20/pound. Stripping takes time and you lose weight so it balances out.
I do the majority of the pallets when i am in the work truck on work time and work gas. Todays load 89 pallets avg 1.70 apiece. about the same as my days wages.
small stuff can get done at the table after the kids goto bed as i watch tv. like pulling aluminum off circuit boards
dont worry about being neat. Iff you taking lawn chairs apart, grab the sawz all and cut on each side of the rivet. 2 clean pieces and 1 small piece of dirty aluminum. Old bolts on a screen door giving you problems, cut off with sawz all and have just a little dirty, lots of clean, and little time.
more helpful tips later, kids are screaming
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12 Posts |
Posted - 03/06/2008 : 20:18:59
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time
most of the stuff i pick up is on the route to and from work
i do drive 40 miles one way so that can be alot of places
if i stop and pick upa washing machine, which weighs approx 200 pounds, and scrap is at 200/ton (.10/puond) 10 minutes to load for 20 dollars. Find it on craigslist and its on the way home. see a couple bikes for free along road and i have 25-35 pounds in a matter of a few minutes.
motors i take apart depending on their ease of doing so. Some you can some you cant.
having a truck or trailer is the best way
each yard veries on minimum load or not
call around for best prices they can vary greatly
i drive 25 miles or more 1 way to goto the scrap yard so i make sure i make at lesat 150 or so per trip
find the easy way use saws all and grinders and drills with screw driver bits |
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double dot
Penny Sorter Member
USA
55 Posts |
Posted - 03/07/2008 : 11:33:26
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quote:
Originally posted by clwp4973
I get ridiculous amount of stuff for next to nothing. Power cords and nonworking laptops on ebay for parts.... Need any specific metal or electronic questions please ask
Thank you clwp4973, many good ideas in what you write. Are those plug in the wall power supply cubes usually plastic coated worth anything? I assume they are small transformers and diodes w/ capacitor but they may be a new technology like zener diode/SCR technolgy and not worth as much. Also, who pays for old circuit boards and how do you strip aluminum/gold off them? |
Crouching Teller, Hiding Copper |
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12 Posts |
Posted - 03/07/2008 : 18:31:09
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Power supply boxes within the power cord i just leave on there. I have never opened one up
Circuit boards can be sold at some scrap yards, or on ebay
go to ebay and search for scrap circuit boards, scrap cpu chips, scrap gold fingers, scrap memory and you will be absolutey shocked at the prices these can bring
if you want to process the gold be carefull it involves acid. I dont like to do this personall because i have kids and dont want the acid around. but check out goldrefiningforum.com for tons of great info
aluminum pieces are jus soldered on at a couple points, pry off woth screwdriver and use pliers to removee metalic piece connecting aluminum and circuit board
In Michigan we have a list on the state DEQ site with a list of scrap yards and what they take This list is not complete but it very informative.
check out scrapindex.com to get an idea of what is valuable
check out ebay. somethings sell better on ebay than the scrap yard. Lead is this way. People who use it for fishing weights and gun reloading will pay more than the scrap yard will |
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Art Tatum
Penny Collector Member
USA
400 Posts |
Posted - 03/26/2008 : 23:35:40
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I purchased this with money from collecting cans-
You must be logged in to see this link.
Here is How I compiled this all time finest known 1884* card set plus a massive amount of 1975 mini sets~ I have about $200k invested in the Kimballs set that now would realize about 4350 in a major auction! :) i am thankful for recycling~
Owner's Comments:
My close friend from early high school and I read in the August 1974 "Grandslam" magazine of the Topps smaller regional test sets that were going to be produced and sold in our area in 75.We were able to buy them from the local Lucky's Grocery store for 12 cents per pack when they retailed for 15 cents! We felt we got a great deal and spent the entire summer collecting aluminum cans and bottles from "swinging" singles apartment complexes in our town. We could hardly wait for the delivery truck to pull in to the back of Lucky's every Tuesday and we would buy all the boxes they had delivered for the week. We built tons of sets. I sold mine to pay for my college loans and am rebuilding a high certified set to feel connected with what I had so much affection for in 1975*. The A's were still on top I lived 35 miles from Oakland Coliseum and listened and went to many games! I love this mini set and the memories it brings~ I put over 1600 sets together complete but had to sell them to pay for college courses.Too bad as ironically I would have more money now then the education has afforded me! |
my machine is running! |
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Recycling For Cash
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