Escrap buyer that does NOT provide a pricing list

So, I have a local escrap buyer near me. The company itself is well known, been around for several years.

However, the one thing that I don't care a lot for, is that they have no pricing lists. I know for some, this list changes 24/7, but still.

If I were to work with them, I would need to know their prices, so if I went to PC shops, or to anyone, I would know what to charge so I could still make me a profit.

In general speaking, what is your opinion regarding doing business with an escrap buyer that does not have price lists. They are happy to give you a price if you ask them, but I much rather have a list to look at myself.

Only reason I am considering them for some stuff, instead of a buyer on here, is because this company takes EVERYTHING electronic, and not just PC's.

The real good stuff, I would sell to the highest bidder, but some stuff, I don't see being worthy of shipping unless I had a gaylord full of it!

Talk to management. I'm sure if you can demonstrate you'd be bringing them a lot, they would be happy to email you a price list daily.

I would use someone here for best prices and use them for the other stuff

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Originally Posted by submarinepainter

I would use someone here for best prices and use them for the other stuff

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I agree with Submarinepainter.

My local yard will not provide prices either, GeorgeB. When I asked management they told me there were "hundreds" of categories of ewaste and they didn't have time blah, blah, blah...

Daily price changes are a big part of why I won't give out price sheets except to a few of my largest customers. Another reason is people tend to show our competitors these sheets when they are trying to get a better price out of them. Yet another reason is that I have had one of my customers that I was working on a really tight margin with show another one of my customers that we were paying him $.10 lb. more for a certain commodity and it started a s**t storm.

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Originally Posted by submarinepainter

I would use someone here for best prices and use them for the other stuff

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Yes, that is what I was meaning...I would use them for stuff that is not worth shipping, and then PC components I would ship to a buyer from here.

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Originally Posted by GeorgeB

So, I have a local escrap buyer near me. The company itself is well known, been around for several years.

However, the one thing that I don't care a lot for, is that they have no pricing lists. I know for some, this list changes 24/7, but still.

If I were to work with them, I would need to know their prices, so if I went to PC shops, or to anyone, I would know what to charge so I could still make me a profit.

In general speaking, what is your opinion regarding doing business with an escrap buyer that does not have price lists. They are happy to give you a price if you ask them, but I much rather have a list to look at myself.

Only reason I am considering them for some stuff, instead of a buyer on here, is because this company takes EVERYTHING electronic, and not just PC's.

The real good stuff, I would sell to the highest bidder, but some stuff, I don't see being worthy of shipping unless I had a gaylord full of it!

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try it from a different view point. if the company in question takes everything how would you be able to compete with them. if they accept crts, tvs, printers, etc., as part of the entire lot they receive from a vendor, what can you offer the vendor that is better.

if you made the same offer to take everything and the vendor only brought you the low grade junk, would you still be profitable. would you still accept it. would you be required to charge to accept those items.

you always have to look at the perspective vendor, your customer, thru their eyes. what do they require. then you have to determine if you can meet those requirements.

most company's that generate what all of us call profitable scrap, see this material as an unwanted liability when it reaches its end of life. they want it gone. as painless as possible.

which leads to the real question. can you compete with the company you want to sell to. obviously they are getting better returns than you. or you would be taking market share away from them.

perhaps you should locate more profitable end users to sell to first?

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Originally Posted by rbrooks715

try it from a different view point. if the company in question takes everything how would you be able to compete with them. if they accept crts, tvs, printers, etc., as part of the entire lot they receive from a vendor, what can you offer the vendor that is better.

if you made the same offer to take everything and the vendor only brought you the low grade junk, would you still be profitable. would you still accept it. would you be required to charge to accept those items.

you always have to look at the perspective vendor, your customer, thru their eyes. what do they require. then you have to determine if you can meet those requirements.

most company's that generate what all of us call profitable scrap, see this material as an unwanted liability when it reaches its end of life. they want it gone. as painless as possible.

which leads to the real question. can you compete with the company you want to sell to. obviously they are getting better returns than you. or you would be taking market share away from them.

perhaps you should locate more profitable end users to sell to first?

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What one company charges, and one of their competitor charges is only a small bearing when it comes to competing with one another.

While most customers want a great price, they want superior customer service, people that know what they are doing, come right away once they are contacted, will work with them diligently to resolve any given issue, etc.

The only thing that the local company would be getting, is stuff that is NOT profitable for me to sell to someone like ewaste, pts, or easyrecycle. Not that they couldn't pay well, but shipping would be out rageous, and so forth. Plus, these guys only take PC related stuff for the most part.

The guys I am referring to that is local, take EVERYTHING that can be plugged into an electrical outlet.

My post was just asking in General if people would do business with anyone (local or abroad) that could not provide some sort of pricing sheet.

Most of the people on here, will give you price list and update them all the time.

It's pretty much like the local yards here, most of them no longer even post prices on a public board. I was at one yesterday that did have a board inside the office, but I believe it was there for their benefit and not ours. Here you pretty much have to call and ask, or wait and see.
If I am shopping for something, I certainly expect to see prices posted, because I always pursue the "biggest bang for the buck" avenue, and definitely need that information to decide. I think it disgusting to find prices not posted, and many times have just left, rather than standing there having to ask for each individual price

Would you go to a grocery store that didn't let you know prices until you checked out? Same principle. As far as competitors, etc, arguments - that's not valid. You give customers receipts when you pay them, don't you?

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Originally Posted by GeorgeB

So, I have a local escrap buyer near me. The company itself is well known, been around for several years.

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George, is it Potomac Metals? You might want consider ARCOA in Columbia. I know they are a lot farther form you but their prices seem to be significantly higher.

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Originally Posted by ilyaz

George, is it Potomac Metals? You might want consider ARCOA in Columbia. I know they are a lot farther form you but their prices seem to be significantly higher.

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Yeah, it is Potomac Escrap. They are like 15 minutes from me.

I know of ARCOA, but don't know a lot about them.

Will look into them as well.

George, I'm not a huge fan of Potomac. The workers are not very knowledgable of e-waste nor are they professional. I've been quoted prices that drastically change when I arrive.

I will not sell to any buyer that dose not post a price list. It can be a sheet handed to me or a list on thiere web site or posted in thiere office. No price list, no sale.

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Originally Posted by Jeremiah

George, I'm not a huge fan of Potomac. The workers are not very knowledgable of e-waste nor are they professional. I've been quoted prices that drastically change when I arrive.

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One of the higher ups of the actual scrap metal plant of theirs called me for like 4 months trying to get me to sell my scrap to them.

I told them, that regardless of what they offered, I knew that they sold their metal to my buyer, so why would I sell to them and loose money?

They finally stopped calling lol.

So, it took almost 2 days, but I finally heard back from Potomac E-Scrap. Below is the prices on just 3 things that I asked them about.

Needless to say, they will not be getting my business. It will either be a trip to ARCOA or just ship it off.

Motherboards 2.00
gold memory 7.50
finger boards 2.50

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Originally Posted by GeorgeB

So, it took almost 2 days, but I finally heard back from Potomac E-Scrap. Below is the prices on just 3 things that I asked them about.

Needless to say, they will not be getting my business. It will either be a trip to ARCOA or just ship it off.

Motherboards 2.00
gold memory 7.50
finger boards 2.50

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Yep, and once you get there they will find all sorts of problems with whatever you bring and the pricing they quote always has some implicit weight requirements that are subject to the whim of whatever young kid is working that day .

I was quoted .15 on low grades, .15 on floppies and .28 on power supplies and .15 on fans. Once I got there, they were only willing to pay .28 on the 250lbs of power supplies. They wanted to pay .05 on everything else. Even though I had over 150lbs of low grade, and close to 50lbs of the everything else. I will never go back to them. I have a buyer in Winchester whose prices are better. PM me if you want their contact information.

dang, they quoted me .15cent for PC power supplies...guess it would be worse than that now lol.

If you don't mind Jeremiah, could you email me at georgebeale@viprecycling.com. It is a long story, but I can no longer PM...

That's why I won't sell to someone that dose not post a price list someware that I can veriffy that I got what I was supposed to get. You load up your truck waste the gas to get there and they want to lowball ya. I won't play that game.