I'm working on a model for scrapping and need some imput

I'm trying to build a model for the maximum amount you can make a week (on average of course) scrapping if you already work a full time job. I can't promise anything productive from this exercise but it may allow you to play with some numbers. I need to know your opinion on a few questions

1) The average you make per hour scrapping and by scrapping I mean at your shop taking apart things (I know that you can land a huge haul and sell a few things online and make a lot, but I want to know the average. I will be adjusting for the hauling later. Let's just pretend that after an hour of working in your shop you immediately get paid, adjusting for shipping etc, for what you produce.
2) How many miles to you typically drive per week (including to the post office, scrap yard, pickups, etc)


If you don't feel comfortable answering these questions online you can pm me or skip over the question. No hard feelings. As i said, I'm a math-guy and I like playing with numbers.

1. Depends, there are so many variables. Like what type of scrap you are processing and how high grade it is. You can make $20 hour collecting sorting and hauling shred, $20 hour taking apart crt's, $50 hour taking apart cars for parts, $100 hour breaking down computer towers, $150 hour sorting and processing high grade escrap. And it goes on and on.

2. depends, if im doing escrap about 20 miles a week. Collecting and hauling shred 300 miles a week.

"1. Depends, there are so many variables. Like what type of scrap you are processing and how high grade it is. You can make $20 hour collecting sorting and hauling shred, $20 hour taking apart crt's, $50 hour taking apart cars for parts, $100 hour breaking down computer towers, $150 hour sorting and processing high grade escrap. And it goes on and on."

Agreed. My concern is the average value, not the high-end value. For example, you can certainly make $100 an hour parting out computers. But I want to adjust for the time you use making leads, making calls, stocking shelves, etc, etc. For example, I've made about $650 this past week but I need to adjust that for the amount of hours I work.

For example, I parted out 8 computers in about 45mins and listed the parts on eBay, craigslist in about an hour. If I only look at that small interval I can say I'm making $400 an hour. However, later I spent 30mins trying to get a high-grade board out of a printer. That's about $1 per hour. Thus, I'm trying to get a real picture of hourly rates.

it's simple to get an hourly rate.

time / money made = $/h

If you want to know more you need to factor in other items.

Internt, electricity, heating, gas, wear and tear on car, tools, and 100's of other veriables to see what you are truly making.

I myself have a spreadsheet with about 40 different expenses on it that i fill in each month. My time doesn't matter to me because i know it will vary greatly and i dont need a spreadsheet to track what items are worth braking down. Most are common sense.

Peoples hourly rates are generally much less than they tend to think. This is of course from my point of view based in reading previous posts. Again, the topic should probably labeled good book keeping. Or optimizing your time etc.

I've read a lot of things on this forum; some people try to fool others, or themselves. It just ends up making themselves the fools. Accurate assessments would be great. I would be willing to participate in an honest fashion. I'm always looking to be more efficient today than I was yesterday.

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Originally Posted by Russell

Peoples hourly rates are generally much less than they tend to think. This is of course from my point of view based in reading previous posts. Again, the topic should probably labeled good book keeping. Or optimizing your time etc.

I've read a lot of things on this forum; some people try to fool others, or themselves. It just ends up making themselves the fools. Accurate assessments would be great. I would be willing to participate in an honest fashion. I'm always looking to be more efficient today than I was yesterday.

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Well said! I want everyone to succeed but a true assessment of my time scrapping is something like $20 an hour and this rate is up drastically from what it was months ago. For example, i no longer recycle shred metal (instead i give it to another recycler in exchange for computers and hauling away plastic). I also never try to open transformers or electric motors or strip wire. These things cut my hours back tremendiously but only cut back my payout slightly.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Russell

Again, the topic should probably labeled good book keeping. Or optimizing your time etc.

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That's why I was looking for an older version of Quicken that would work for XP. Unable to find a free version through Freecycle, and not wanting to pay $99.00 for an outdated version, I searched around and downloaded GnuCash for XP for free. This month will conclude my first year of scrapping and all I did was keep track of income. I decided last month to keep better records next year so I can have a better gauge of how I'm doing and where I need to improve. Spreadsheets are nice, but being able to enter transactions as they occur and then being able to easily get custom reports is best for me.

Now I have to work on the other part you mentioned.

To the OP: I'm wondering what you mean by a model. Does that factor in the various scrap prices across the country? How far each of us, on average, breaks down an item? For instance, in my hometown the scrap prices tend to be lower than what I see others post in other cities. So based on that alone, my pay rate per hour would be lower as well. I guess the concept of developing a model kind of boggles my mind since there are so many variables.