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Prices on buying scrap metal?

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    kcscrapper started this thread.
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    Prices on buying scrap metal?

    So I am moving into a house next month and I'm trying to get my prices all together since everyone is broke. It $135 a ton how much should I change per pound if they waNt to sell there scrap.



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    i was going to move into a house once, but the house moved

    hek, i was going to sympathize with your 135, but after i figured what it was here last week, was 120
    Last edited by Bear; 07-24-2012 at 01:21 AM.

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    Scrapcrazy's Avatar
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    Bear, $120? we're in the same state but the prices are drastically different. It's at least $160 here in Tulsa.

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    well, for $40 i couldn't even haul it one way

    a little realized fact is that tulsa is also a port city (the most inland port city in USA, but a port city just the same)
    Last edited by Bear; 07-24-2012 at 01:25 AM.

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    kcscrapper started this thread.
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    Looks like no one read the question

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    We'll say roughly it's 120/ton try and offer 50 as an open bid and try to explain the gas factor, time, wear on truck, etc I've also found it useful by offering to take away so e of their trash for free.heck whatever works for you

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    You are the only one who can answer your question. How much work is involved in getting the material. How are you going to determine the weight before going to the yard or you can basicly do a percentage but some don't want to wait to get paid. This leaves you with an eyeball estimate of what the customer has to sell. Experience will tell you what to pay for and how much to pay. The variables are too many for anyone to answer your question with any accuracy. I expect that is why you got answers that seemed unhelpful. Mike.
    "Profit begins when you buy NOT when you sell." {quote passed down to me from a wise man}

    Now go beat the copper out of something, Miked

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    At these prices how can you offer to pay for it at all? If it takes you all day to clean up and load the stuff, and you barely make a hundred dollars at the scale, and you give them half, subtract $20 for gas and other expenses, so you've made $30. So... they've got $50 and a clean back yard, and you've maybe got a flat on your trailer and more miles on your truck, and $30 to show for it.

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    I pay 50% of the shred price. So right now I would pay $90. Then I sort, clean and prepare and make a lot more

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    Quote Originally Posted by Bear View Post
    At these prices how can you offer to pay for it at all? If it takes you all day to clean up and load the stuff, and you barely make a hundred dollars at the scale, and you give them half, subtract $20 for gas and other expenses, so you've made $30. So... they've got $50 and a clean back yard, and you've maybe got a flat on your trailer and more miles on your truck, and $30 to show for it.
    How long have you been in the scrap business? When I started I was selling shred for $60.00/ton. But I still paid something for what I picked up.

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    I was selling it for .04-.05 a pound around 04 and 05, now it's .06 a pound here. Not a real big payday but this last job I did take one free load of old wood and trash that I can put on the brush piles and burn when the drought lets up, but did have to say any loads to the dump I'd have to charge (but would only charge them $50 a load, and from the consensus I've seen here on some posts an average going rate is $125+ for smaller loads than I carry), and they pay the dump fee. When it gets to the point where I have to pay them to clean up their back yard and sheds, guessing I'll just stay at the house (it's where I'm at most of the time anyway lol)

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    Quote Originally Posted by kcscrapper View Post
    So I am moving into a house next month and I'm trying to get my prices all together since everyone is broke. It $135 a ton how much should I change per pound if they waNt to sell there scrap.
    Reading your post it is hard to even figure out what you’re asking.

    From what I gather you are trying to figure out what to pay whomever you pick up scrap from. But your question could also be taken as how much you should charge someone to pick up their scrap but you misspelled "charge" and wrote "change".

    In this day of high scrap price you will be lucky to charge someone to haul away their scrap metal if that is what you are thinking. There is another guy just around the corner that is willing to haul someone’s scrap metal for free or even pay for it.

    If it a case of trying to figure out how much to pay for someone scrap, you will just have to test the waters. If there was no competition (the other guys scrapping) in your area then you can pretty much set your prices low or not even pay for scrap at all. If you have a competitor that is paying for scrap than you will need to see how much they are will to pay for certain items. The easiest way to that is to call your competitors and ask what they are paying to clean up a garage full of scrap or to haul away some trash. See if they will pay for metal and how they go about doing it. Some scrappers will pay halves on what they make, some will pay per pile and some will pay so much a ton.

    Good luck.

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    Charge them.
    George Beale - Founder & President - info@viprecyclingjunkremoval.com
    VIP Recycling Junk Removal LLC - Premier Scrap Metal, Junk, & Electronic Recyclers!
    http://www.viprecyclingjunkremoval.com

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    Quote Originally Posted by GeorgeB View Post
    Charge them.
    Are you for real ? Less there's not much or its all tin, free iron is dam near impossible to find. Even when I was haulint $80/ton iron still never found much for free aside from a few old bicycles and grills, free iron or paid to haul off iron is a urban legend
    Alvord iron and salvage
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    Quote Originally Posted by taterjuice View Post
    Are you for real ? Less there's not much or its all tin, free iron is dam near impossible to find. Even when I was haulint $80/ton iron still never found much for free aside from a few old bicycles and grills, free iron or paid to haul off iron is a urban legend
    Not here, our scrappers stay busy all the time, heck I just took a load of small case material (bits and pieces) CD cases, misc small steel in the car and they paid me $ 220.nt for it. I get all mine free but I do buy computers/parts only.
    P & M Recycling - Specializing in E-Waste Recycling.
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    The only thing I pay for are computer towers and high grade computer boards, and sometimes the towers are free. I will not pay for any steel, too much free stuff out there.

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    I prefer heavy stuff ie grain trucks, combines, plows, tractors, cultivators. You know the good stuff, don't find any of that stuff for free, maybe a junk car every now and again for free that's bout it.


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