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  1. #1
    aph started this thread.
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    This is why there is a LOT of money in scrapping/ recycling etc....

    I haven't been on here for a few months.



    But lately I have been baffled by some people in the area, so I figured I tell you what is going on.

    We were working with appliances mostly and tried to get into e-waste.
    Picked it all up together and things looked good.

    My e-waste partner who is a different guy than my appliance partner had family issues so we kinda put that on the back burner.

    Anyhow.... the appliance business has been taking off like crazy. TONS of free appliances to fix, sell or scrap. MANY work just fine.
    So I let go of the e-waste for the time being.
    However, the little that came through was SUPER profitable. Picking up stuff that can be sold for 50-100 and more ALL DAY LONG. Have a vintage portable computer here still that works. Sells on ebay for $300+. My buddy sold ONE part non-working as we could not test it for $600 within a week of listing.
    And so on and on and on.

    So back to the appliance part. We got so busy that we made a deal with a fellow scrapper to trade us 1-2 working or non-working appliances a week for ALL our scrap metal. We don't even separate the non-ferrous/wires etc. Probably $300+ a week in just tin value, more if he separates.

    All additional appliances we will buy at $10 a piece. That's a little low, but in difference to other appliance places we will take 98% of the appliances, even the ones that others absolutely avoid.

    Worked for a few months then he turned unreliable. Scrap was sitting outside for days, big old mess. Also not bringing any appliances any more. Finally we told him the deal is off. Besides his cursing and insults at us *******s it was laughable how he reacted.

    Since then we have gone through 2 or 3 other scrappers with the same results. Mostly totally unreliable in picking up.
    Right now we give it to anybody just for the asking.

    We will get a 2nd large trailer just for scrap and will make our own money. Thanks for forcing us to make an extra $300+ a week!

    Long story short. People are lazy. I mean getting entire truckloads one at a time isn't that a scrapper dream??????
    If you apply yourself, do your homework, learn the trade and make the right connections there is a ton of money to be made.
    Even in this slow time of the industry.

    Enough venting. On to making money!
    Happy scrapping all!!!!
    Time is Money - Crunch the Numbers - It's a Numbers Game!

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  3. #2
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    It's often been said more money is made in a down economy.
    Alvord iron and salvage
    3rd generation scrapper and dam proud of it

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  5. #3
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    I'm starting to find that out myself started off just collecting the odd bits and bobs of scrap and it just grows from there.

    There was at one point three full time scrappers around my area but with the low price they are not bothering any more good news for me as I've now got a car garage that called me up once a month.

    Was at a birthday party with my 3 year old the other day party was held on a farm, well this place is a scrappers wet dream it's like an episode of American pickers, got talking the the owner and there regular scrap guy has just vanished into thin air so naturally I had to step in and help them out.

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  7. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by aph View Post
    Long story short. People are lazy. I mean getting entire truckloads one at a time isn't that a scrapper dream??????
    If you apply yourself, do your homework, learn the trade and make the right connections there is a ton of money to be made.
    Even in this slow time of the industry.
    It depends on your area - in a large city appliances are all over the place. Come on out to my area, were you will be faced with low population density and a ton of competition ( most folks are poor ).
    Out here, you will *NEVER* get your hands on much unless you pay more than than the other guys.

    As far as E-waste ... it's not profitable to drive hundreds of miles a week just to pick up junk that has low and mid grade boards! ( again low population density ). In my own experience, after paying very high shipping, I average a profit of $3 a week ( both scrap and Ebay ). [*1]
    Also ... do you have an EPA 608 certification? In my state it's illegal to handle anything with refrigerant in it unless you have it.

    *1 - HERE is my current price list ... if I pay more, I lose money !
    Last edited by RLS0812; 06-27-2016 at 06:12 PM.

  8. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by RLS0812 View Post
    *1 - HERE is my current price list ... if I pay more, I lose money !
    Hey RLS, just curious ... does this type of advertising work for you? I was thinking of doing something similar in my area. Thanks.

  9. #6
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    I live in a rural area as well. The trick to any small time scrapping biz appears to be 2 things from what i have learned in 4 years. You must have the ability to work harder than you probably have ever before, and learn the importance of a well used, short period of rest. And second, you must be able to learn your trade, the bottom line, maximize the volume of material you accept, and re-invent yourself constantly, until it makes dollars, and sense.....throw in a smack upside the head(self inflicted) very often, and you have a sustainable small business that could make it further with the aforementioned abilities. The trick to Non -Metropolitan E-waste success, IS LOCATE AND PURCHASE MATERIAL IN LOTS! This is where you flourish, or die. It provides you a controlled purchase, and concentrates your time, money and energy in a positive direction. Craigslist, anything similar, your lifesblood in a small, single owner/operator situation. 1 trip, 1time load, unload. The ability to plan ahead for real results. My 4 years has been ridiculous on the body and soul. Almost lost everything I love trying to get more for those things I love. Now i see the light, and can feel it warming my face. I may just reaxh my goals soon. I almost quit 10 or more times, but I remembered, This is mine. Noone can decide when i am fired, noone can manipulte me or treat me like an unimportant piece of **** for fun. I start and stop when i say so, and i get the big check as a result, plain and simple. The building trade offered none of those things in 20 years. I am a happy man. Best of luck to each and every one of you scrappers of any kind, striving to make a better life for you and yours. Cheers to yours Health and ability to overcome the odds.

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  11. #7
    ScrappinRed's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by aph View Post
    I haven't been on here for a few months.

    But lately I have been baffled by some people in the area, so I figured I tell you what is going on.

    We were working with appliances mostly and tried to get into e-waste.
    Picked it all up together and things looked good.

    My e-waste partner who is a different guy than my appliance partner had family issues so we kinda put that on the back burner.

    Anyhow.... the appliance business has been taking off like crazy. TONS of free appliances to fix, sell or scrap. MANY work just fine.
    So I let go of the e-waste for the time being.
    However, the little that came through was SUPER profitable. Picking up stuff that can be sold for 50-100 and more ALL DAY LONG. Have a vintage portable computer here still that works. Sells on ebay for $300+. My buddy sold ONE part non-working as we could not test it for $600 within a week of listing.
    And so on and on and on.

    So back to the appliance part. We got so busy that we made a deal with a fellow scrapper to trade us 1-2 working or non-working appliances a week for ALL our scrap metal. We don't even separate the non-ferrous/wires etc. Probably $300+ a week in just tin value, more if he separates.

    All additional appliances we will buy at $10 a piece. That's a little low, but in difference to other appliance places we will take 98% of the appliances, even the ones that others absolutely avoid.

    Worked for a few months then he turned unreliable. Scrap was sitting outside for days, big old mess. Also not bringing any appliances any more. Finally we told him the deal is off. Besides his cursing and insults at us *******s it was laughable how he reacted.

    Since then we have gone through 2 or 3 other scrappers with the same results. Mostly totally unreliable in picking up.
    Right now we give it to anybody just for the asking.

    We will get a 2nd large trailer just for scrap and will make our own money. Thanks for forcing us to make an extra $300+ a week!

    Long story short. People are lazy. I mean getting entire truckloads one at a time isn't that a scrapper dream??????
    If you apply yourself, do your homework, learn the trade and make the right connections there is a ton of money to be made.
    Even in this slow time of the industry.

    Enough venting. On to making money!
    Happy scrapping all!!!!
    Where are you located, if you don't mind...?
    ~You have to start somewhere to get anywhere~

  12. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by HipoGear View Post
    Hey RLS, just curious ... does this type of advertising work for you? I was thinking of doing something similar in my area. Thanks.
    I do "shotgun" advertisement on Facebook Groups, Craigslist, and a few other sites. A couple folks contact me from time to time, and according to the page counter, 1,700 folks looked at the site in the last month !
    Neocities ( the site i use because it's free ) does require some knowledge of HTML.
    Last edited by RLS0812; 06-28-2016 at 04:17 AM.

  13. #9
    travistemple202020's Avatar
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    man do I wish I could do appliances, I do charge to pick them up and drop them off for free so I make some money but here we also have to have a dismantling license let alone separate for Freon but if I could just get paid to take in the white goods man I would make 20-30percents extra a year.

  14. #10
    Scrappah's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by chilibean View Post
    I live in a rural area as well. The trick to any small time scrapping biz appears to be 2 things from what i have learned in 4 years. You must have the ability to work harder than you probably have ever before, and learn the importance of a well used, short period of rest. And second, you must be able to learn your trade, the bottom line, maximize the volume of material you accept, and re-invent yourself constantly, until it makes dollars, and sense.....throw in a smack upside the head(self inflicted) very often, and you have a sustainable small business that could make it further with the aforementioned abilities. The trick to Non -Metropolitan E-waste success, IS LOCATE AND PURCHASE MATERIAL IN LOTS! This is where you flourish, or die. It provides you a controlled purchase, and concentrates your time, money and energy in a positive direction. Craigslist, anything similar, your lifesblood in a small, single owner/operator situation. 1 trip, 1time load, unload. The ability to plan ahead for real results. My 4 years has been ridiculous on the body and soul. Almost lost everything I love trying to get more for those things I love. Now i see the light, and can feel it warming my face. I may just reaxh my goals soon. I almost quit 10 or more times, but I remembered, This is mine. Noone can decide when i am fired, noone can manipulte me or treat me like an unimportant piece of **** for fun. I start and stop when i say so, and i get the big check as a result, plain and simple. The building trade offered none of those things in 20 years. I am a happy man. Best of luck to each and every one of you scrappers of any kind, striving to make a better life for you and yours. Cheers to yours Health and ability to overcome the odds.
    Twenty years of pounding nails ... i can understand Bro. Can't blame you for walking away.

    You did your time and earned your stripes. Did you ever give any thought to maybe going out on your own ? Granted ... the customers are more difficult to deal with now than in years past but the money isn't bad. It's not easy for a fulla that's primarily good at working with materials to shift gears and work well with people but if you can crack that nut you're on the fast track to success.

    Just look around where you are and at the people you know. There are self employed tradesmen & business owners all over the place. Some are doing better than others. What's the difference between those who are doing well and those who are just getting by ?

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  16. #11
    ocerecycling's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by chilibean View Post
    I live in a rural area as well. The trick to any small time scrapping biz appears to be 2 things from what i have learned in 4 years. You must have the ability to work harder than you probably have ever before, and learn the importance of a well used, short period of rest. And second, you must be able to learn your trade, the bottom line, maximize the volume of material you accept, and re-invent yourself constantly, until it makes dollars, and sense.....throw in a smack upside the head(self inflicted) very often, and you have a sustainable small business that could make it further with the aforementioned abilities. The trick to Non -Metropolitan E-waste success, IS LOCATE AND PURCHASE MATERIAL IN LOTS! This is where you flourish, or die. It provides you a controlled purchase, and concentrates your time, money and energy in a positive direction. Craigslist, anything similar, your lifesblood in a small, single owner/operator situation. 1 trip, 1time load, unload. The ability to plan ahead for real results. My 4 years has been ridiculous on the body and soul. Almost lost everything I love trying to get more for those things I love. Now i see the light, and can feel it warming my face. I may just reaxh my goals soon. I almost quit 10 or more times, but I remembered, This is mine. Noone can decide when i am fired, noone can manipulte me or treat me like an unimportant piece of **** for fun. I start and stop when i say so, and i get the big check as a result, plain and simple. The building trade offered none of those things in 20 years. I am a happy man. Best of luck to each and every one of you scrappers of any kind, striving to make a better life for you and yours. Cheers to yours Health and ability to overcome the odds.
    Just wanted to say that your words are very wise. I have only recently began scrapping and am nowhere near my dreams but if there is one thing I have learned it is that you just have to keep at it and want it.

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