[quote name='JediKiller24']I've been hauling scrap metal to the scrap yard for a long time. I started with collecting aluminum cans. scrap metal prices fluctuate all the time. here are some prices from my last scrap run:
aluminum (this goes for cans, aluminum sheet, poles, etc) .52/lb (aluminum is up right now, so grab all the cans you see
)
electric motors (for example you can pull motors out of ceiling and floor fans, anything like that) .16/lb (that was a little lower then it has been)
my local scrap place takes batteries (car/marine, etc) at .12/lb
and then anything that is ferrous is labeled white goods at 11.05/hundred weight (so you get $11.05 for every hundred pounds) In this category you have stuff like refridgerators, washing machines, dryers, microwaves, water heaters, basically any appliance, anything that a magnet sticks to little bits of metal, nails, screw, anything. This is the sort of stuff that I just load up the back of my pick up truck with as much as I can pile on. They have a scale to drive over, they weigh the truck, then you unload it, and go over the scale again.
copper and brass, deffinately worht more then all the above, but I haven't taken a load of copper in a while so I don't have a current price. I tend to get copper pipes in small pieces, so I keep it in a 5 gal bucket until I get a full bucket and have a nice payday from that. Another good source of copper is electrical wires. When you scrap a fridge or any kind of electrical gadget, cut the cord off and keep that seperate. The downside of that is in order to get the most $ for it, you have to get the insulation off, and that is a lot of work. I have yet to find a good way to that, short of cutting a bit at the top, then pulling with 2 pliers. (yeah, you can burn it off, but that changes the color of the copper, so they know you did that, and since burning that stuff goes against pollution laws in most places, it is greatly frowned upon)
so anyway, it's a bit of work, sorting out the metals and what not, but if you have a place to stockpile it until you have a truck load, then it's worth it.
One tip I have for a want-to-be scrapper is to watch the free section on craigslist, or check for a freecycle yahoo group for your city. I find a lot of people that have used, often not working appliances that they are willing to give away to anyone that will come take them. I always respond to those ads and have picked up lots of appliances and taken them straight to the scrap yard. for a full size fridge I usually get between $23 and $30, so it's some quick gas money for the truck. (it's very convenient that there is a gas station on the corner right next to the scrap yard here!)
anyway, yeah, my business model is to get a few lockers at a time, fill my garage, sort through the stuff and sell it off as quick as possible. I have the benefit of living in FL where we have yard sales all year. The big stuff gets listed on craigslit, collectibles and small stuff gets listed on ebay, general items get put out at a yardsale, and I watch what people look at. If there's stuff at the yard sale that no one looks and it gets no attention, then that's the stuff I dump for free. if it's relatively good stuff that I think someone could use, then it goes to Goodwill (for a receipt for tax deductions!) and stuff that's a little more worn gets advertised on freecycle. Never had a problem getting someone to take away a load of yardsale leftovers on freecycle...it goes real quick when you put that ad up.
I did keep 3 plastic totes of stuff that I thought was worth saving for another yard sale. For example, one of the units I got last week had a lot of christmas stuff. some was junk to me...tangled lights etc. but there was some really nice stuff, some stuff that was new in box, and more collectible type stuff. I packed one tote full of good stuff to keep for a yardsale in november when it will sell better. there was some smaller stuff that didn't sell at the yardsale (some glass figurines, etc) that I will try listing on ebay.
Another key part of the business plan is dumpster rentals. There is always a lot of trash, and where I live there is a limit on curb side trash collection, so a dumpster rental works well for me
always happy to talk storage auctions, scrapping, whatever...going from doing this as a hobby to full time so I can keep my schedule open to take care of my dad as he needs more and more doctor visits and help at home.[/QUOTE]
Some great insight here; and I have a tip for you to help boost your copper accumulation. Check older tvs that have been curbed; the yokes at the back of the picture tubes contain a substantial amount of copper. My pop used to run a radio and tv repair business so he was always stripping cords and yokes for the eventual scrap run.
yeah! I had both of those when I was a kid, might still have them packed away somewhere. I had lots of fun with those. The Armed Force was probably the most popular so you might be able to get a nice price for those.
