What avenues are best?

I am fairly certain that car parts like rotors and rims have their own currency in cleveland.

No auto mechanic will sell rotors for less than a dollar a piece, and you only seem to get around $1.70 to $2.00.

I have been to 25 shops since I decided to begin buying the scrap and only one guy has actually sold me scrap. I profited well off of that purchase at least.



Not many of the guys want to sell their stuff to me.

Besides that, I have really only had luck purchasing appliances, big ones like fridges and stoves.

I only have a 6x4ft. bed.

Besides e-scrap, what are your other preferred items that you all seem to profit on??
12 volt batteries? Aluminum rims, wire, machine shops?

I also really to know what else to keep an eye out for. I want to know what else I can buy and sell besides car scrap and computers.

Well yea, no doubt about that. Certainly agreed. But I was just looking for a push in the right direction, I am looking into computers, but wondering what other items to go after. What are other people's favorites?

Propane fired grills (alot of cast aluminum in those), Desk top, Servers, Sink and Bathroom water fixtures (mostly all brass), certain vehicle parts; like batteries, starters, aluminum transmissions, Cat Converters, Wiring, Vehicle Tires ( if in a good condition ), Wooden Shipping Pallets, Cloth, Books, Office Paper, News Print, Cardboard. Air Conditioners, Appliances; (lots of electric motors, wiring, timers, etc.) Yeah Industrial Machines are nice too. Especially if you can get your hands on newer models, that are completely computer controlled. Like Robot welders.

I mean, there are sooooo many things out there to watch for. Cordless power tools are another good venue for cash. The Litium ion Batteries that power them are a good money maker, not to mention the electric motors that they contain.

Me personally. I watch for the old "boom boxes" , Adding Machines, Office Telephones. All three of those contain nice electrical transformers. Blenders, Vacuums, Food Processors, personal\office printers (these all contain decent electric motors).

I mean the list goes on and on.

Sorry, time for bed for me. Been scrapping and processing for a few days, with little to no sleep , plus working 50+ hours per week.

Have Fun and Be Safe !!!

wow, thanks! I couldnt have asked for a better response. Its funny because I had boxes of old office phones and a few other items here, but I never thought that it would have been worth my time to break them down, I threw them in with the shred...oops. But now I know, so Thank you!

Some e-wast buyers will buy all telephones but you need to find someone close to you because they are not worth shipping unless they are cell phones. Some of the hand held home phones have mid grade boards in them.

I been on the piano kick ...a lot of cast ...and some good amount of brass

Artdart, have you found a market for the ivory off the keys?

Gibby, I think people gravitate to things they know or have experience with, then hit the books (or SMF) to learn about more. I hit garage sales and pick up anything that catches my eye that i can get for next to nothing. In the last couple weeks i've learned to peek past the tables and clothes racks and into the back of the garages. Seems everyone has a dusty old tower sitting on a shelf, and i can usually talk them out of it for a couple bucks. Also found out a few of the people are in IT, so i drop them a business card and ask them to call me.

Another guy gave me a big box of computer peripherals that he was gonna trash. Just today i drove past one sale and they had a big ole copier outside with $25 on it. They had just closed their business and the copier needed a new drum. I told her that i dont pay for stuff like that but would be happy to take it off her hands. She didnt hesitate to take the offer and its sitting in my garage now (dropping it off the back of my truck should help it come apart easier lol). Anyway, my point is that you need to talk to people out there and take a chance on things. If I waste 3 hours on that copier I wont count it a loss as i gained useful experience.

I also look for items at sales, stores, etc that are appealing and can be resold on ebay. I picked up 6 old Star Trek toys for $1 and I have them on ebay now for $110...with 4 people watching them and one guy made an offer. Sometimes its just silly stuff like that gives me a drive to get outside my comfort box. My guess from your original post is that you bought from one guy at your price, and made a nice profit. Maybe you should go back to the other guys and offer a bit more. It will make your nice profit into a "ok" profit...but profit is profit, eh? If you dont make money then the next time they call tell them you cant do it at the price and chances are they will meet you in the middle.

ouch KZ...$20 will buy you a big bottle of Advil for all your efforts!

Originally Posted by shendog

Gibby, I think people gravitate to things they know or have experience with, then hit the books (or SMF) to learn about more. I hit garage sales and pick up anything that catches my eye that i can get for next to nothing. In the last couple weeks i've learned to peek past the tables and clothes racks and into the back of the garages. Seems everyone has a dusty old tower sitting on a shelf, and i can usually talk them out of it for a couple bucks. Also found out a few of the people are in IT, so i drop them a business card and ask them to call me.

Another guy gave me a big box of computer peripherals that he was gonna trash. Just today i drove past one sale and they had a big ole copier outside with $25 on it. They had just closed their business and the copier needed a new drum. I told her that i dont pay for stuff like that but would be happy to take it off her hands. She didnt hesitate to take the offer and its sitting in my garage now (dropping it off the back of my truck should help it come apart easier lol). Anyway, my point is that you need to talk to people out there and take a chance on things. If I waste 3 hours on that copier I wont count it a loss as i gained useful experience.

I also look for items at sales, stores, etc that are appealing and can be resold on ebay. I picked up 6 old Star Trek toys for $1 and I have them on ebay now for $110...with 4 people watching them and one guy made an offer. Sometimes its just silly stuff like that gives me a drive to get outside my comfort box. My guess from your original post is that you bought from one guy at your price, and made a nice profit. Maybe you should go back to the other guys and offer a bit more. It will make your nice profit into a "ok" profit...but profit is profit, eh? If you dont make money then the next time they call tell them you cant do it at the price and chances are they will meet you in the middle.

Shendog, your are right. I have worked on cars for the most part of my adult life. Computers are completely new to me but I am always interested in learning new things.

I am only 26 years old, I have scrapped for the last three years very casually, but I had an oppurtunity to learn about identifying other metals.

Today, I went to two people's houses that called me from craigslist ads, I spent about 33 dollars today and filled my truck up almost twice. Both people were very happy with me buying their junk and we seemed to get along just like friends.

I also went to a garage sale and just like you said, tried to buy everything beyond the tables; old appliances, jumper cables, and old batteries that werent actually for sale. didn't have much luck, but did talk the owner of an exercise machine down from 10$ to 3$. I will only really make a dollar on it, but I think it was an excellent experience of negotiating. I have only been scrapping hardcore for a month, and have profited a little over a grand...so I think I am in the right direction.

I have lately been to 20-25 different auto garages trying to buy scrap. Only one has sold scrap to me, but I have been making small profits. Other people have sold me appliances, mostly people from the country. they all seem to really want to get rid of a lot of things.

I have learned that homeowners are great, but business's can be a continuous source of scrap. the real key is in building a business relationship. I buy cigars for the guys at the scrapyard, and it really pays off man. they pay me more for my metals and are eager to help me grow my business with tips and advice.

Basically, thanks for your post, it gives me the inspiration to keep moving forwards.
Today was a great experience, my girlfriend even got to play with the chickens and peacocks on the farm while I was making money collecting items for the scrap yard.

I want to talk about all of my other experiences this weekened, but I know no one cares. I just want to thank everyone on this forum. Everyone here has given me to courage and inspiration to move forwards with my business venture, and I have already learned more about recycling in 1.5 weeks from this site, than I have learned on my own in the last 3 years. Thank you shendog, the electronrecycler, and mikeinreco, and EVERYONE ELSE. I appreciate all of you guys!

Couple thoughts, gibby...

First, you are ONLY 26...i'm 46 and the last 20 years went by too fast. You can learn so much just by trying and failing (and eventually succeeding) and you have the benefit of youth. You will find your niche and be wise beyond your years before you know it.
Second, we (I) do care about how you did. I'm sorta doing this on my own while waiting for construction industry to pick back up. But i love it and like to be encouraged by the others on this forum. My wife and kids are supportive, but she is busy homeschooling them to really get involved. I'm at the point where I will be taking this business up a couple notches but never would have considered it without the help of people here.
Third, you figured out the trick to this whole thing....be personable! Strike up conversations and be honest and sincere about your business intentions. People love to help others get started and succeed if they sense your passion and integrity. It will put you through doors that you couldnt imagine!

Anyway, keep us posted on how things go. The next big load is just around the corner but you have to go get it

Buy what you know and know what you buy. But to learn sometimes I buy to learn. Try the ten times rule instead of making a hundred on a transaction do ten transactions for $10 still make a $100.

Gibby,
I used to live in Cleveland. You have some great opportunities out there. First, each town has its own dump and most of them do not collect electronics except for a once a year drive. See if some of them will let you put in a collection bin. In addition, east of Cleveland (out near Chardon), there is a giant auction the first Saturday of every month. Anything that does not sell just gets tossed in the dumpster. Maybe you can get some of that or buy some of the stuff super cheap as scrap. As for automotive, our automotive group has about 20 collectors stop by each day and drop off several thousand dollars worth of auto parts. They buy not only from mechanics, but also from salvage yards, dealerships, etc. Find a good buyer for things like catalytics, water pumps, rack and pinions, etc. Then you can pay far more than scrap. One of my friends got a contract with Firestone to take all the rotors from every Firestone store in MD, northern VA and Eastern PA. Best of all, they pay at the end of the month so cash flow is sweet. Just keep working and talking to people. With automotive, it is usually the mechanics who sell the scrap not the managers or owners.

Gibby from experience mot shops get tah becuase that"s wht the other scrappers are giving i pick up shops on a route all day long and i mek like $.16 cents on a average rotor but because it"s a dedicated route i may end up with 1000 of them on top of the transmissions, engine, a freames body parts etc. the other scrappers going to the same garage will dictate at what price the rotors will be sold for

Gibby it was\is an honor to be able to help some one. I am glad that I was able to help, just by typing a few keys on this old dusty machine. Any time I can help a fellow scrapper, I will do so.

Also, one other venue to remember is the electronics plastics. If you can find a buyer of mixed plastics in your area you can make between $.06 and $.09 per pound selling the plastic pieces from all of your electronics break downs.


Hope this helps and Happy Scrapping to you !!!