why would you assume a buyer was automatically a refiner. did you assume every scrap metal buyer or scrap yard was a smelter?

Just an assumption. Didn't really mean anything by it other than I assumed they were refiners not middlemen. I have dealt mostly with refiners. That's all. why does it matter?

umicore, xstrata ( non u.s. facility) and hanawa are ewaste refiners. ecs, specialty metal, oh so accurate, envirochem, are all processors. if you are looking to write a book on the refined return rates of ewaste or the return rates averaged by processors, i would suggest you try them. i would think a good writer would have researched the subject and then gone straight to the source. there are several well known refiners and processors in the states. i am curious why you did not start there. tho i imagine they all told you it is confidential and proprietary information.

I started here rather than there because I thought this was a friendly forum and I could get some ballpark info for people that I help with salvage. I may do more research in the future, but I thought this was a good starting place. I don't think getting the percentage of spot price paid is proprietary. You obviously know more about refining nowadays than I. Thanks for this tips. That's why I came to the forum.

it is interesting how you have used innocence, guile, shame and guilt in the pursuit of an answer to your questions.



I asked a really simple question and was looking for a straightforward answer. You see more in it than that? Oh well.

most of what you are seeking is available on the internet. the rest can be found in your larger library's. you simply have to know enough about the subject to know what to search for.

Right, of course, but like I said before I thought this was a helpful place - a good place to start to get help for myself and others. Isn't that what this forum is all about?