Whole Computers Verses Motherboards

Hello, I would like to get some input from people on a ad i have for e-waste. Here is the quote from someone in a reply to my ad.

Whole computers .20 cents a pound
But just the mother board fetches 2.00 # ?? Sounds a little off to me
And CRT monitors are what everyone wants to get rid of

Now on the comment on crt monitors, i would tell them that they are not easy to dispose of. . Also some recyclers charge a fee to take them, that should answer that. In my ad i had put not taking crt monitors.

Now here is the question on the whole computers- motherboard Q. What would be the best way to respond to this? Would appreciate any comments and advice Thank You.

can you post the text of your ad? hard to determine the context of the reply

The price difference is because steel is heavy and not worth much per pound. The majority of the weight in a computer is the case. You have lots of reading to do :)

If your position is going to be that you wont take the monitors, you are not going to get very far. You will have to come up with something, as people will want you to take everything.

I pay for my ewaste and normally I have quit taking monitors unless they are a good customer..........If your paying for ewaste it is easier to pick and choose what you want

I would be happy at $0.20lb for complete towers. The problem I have is carrying around a scale unless you are willing to pick up one and two. I prefer buying for a set price $2-$5/ tower. This makes adding up for 10+ towers at a time. On the crt's I have problems locally getting rid of them so would only take one for a price or if there were a lot of towers and one or two crt's then would take for free. I have to pay the landfill $5 for each crt/tv and drive 10+ miles one way to get there. So I'm thinking at $15 I would not loose money.

I have done Craig's List ads and stated "up to $5 per tower and $3 per laptop" and have gotten calls wanting $100+ for their "great" computer/laptop. You just get used to the silly people who call on Craig's List ads. Mike.

@volvoscrapper i just put my ad in the order as whole computers .20/lb, motherboards 2.00/lb, then just said i was not taking crt monitors at this time. Now i will take monitors if the deal involves a computer or computers, parts etc. Figured i would do it this way to stay away from a lot of reply's for just taking monitors, wich seems to be common lately with nothing else to offer. So i will try this route for now to see how it goes, or might have to make some changes later. Thanks for the tips everyone.

Auburn hit the nail on the head. Much of the weight is in the steel, and at 20+ pds apiece that is $4+ for a computer, half of which is in the motherboard (that would be my response). Miked is also correct...lots of loonies on CL that dont read or understand the written English language. Personally I would give a short reply, such as "Thanks so much for your interest in my ad! The prices you stated are correct...please let me know how I can help you". Chances are the guy is a troll, but if not it might stimulate him to think about the ad more thoroughly before sending you a note. No matter how clearly you state your "want", some people just wont understand.

you need to do a little more in depth business research. I know people don't like to hear that, but scrapping is a business like any other and to be successful (profitable) you have to treat it as such.

.20 per lb most of which is actually worth .08 you have to deduct the cost of that loss from the profit in the good stuff. go pick up one tower 10 miles away, deduct fuel cost and maintenance. and so on and so on. to make a living at e scrap takes volume. there is no other way.

you also have to know what you are buying for .20. a year ago people were paying me to haul them off. now I see people paying .40+ for them.

in fact the value of the content in a comp is dropping rapidly while the gold value is going up. reason is cheep Chinese and other manufacturing cut backs.

if you dont learn the ins and outs of ewaste you Will go out of business and in the process deplete the available product for others. all the info is here, study it ask the right questions and hundreds here will help make you a success.

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Originally Posted by shendog

Auburn hit the nail on the head. Much of the weight is in the steel, and at 20+ pds apiece that is $4+ for a computer, half of which is in the motherboard (that would be my response). Miked is also correct...lots of loonies on CL that dont read or understand the written English language. Personally I would give a short reply, such as "Thanks so much for your interest in my ad! The prices you stated are correct...please let me know how I can help you". Chances are the guy is a troll, but if not it might stimulate him to think about the ad more thoroughly before sending you a note. No matter how clearly you state your "want", some people just wont understand.

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I know what you mean, I was at a yard sale last weekend and I asked the lady if the computer she had out was functional. She said it was and was selling it for $40. So I told her I was looking to buy non-functional or outdated computers/electronics for recycling (hoping that maybe she had some broken stuff still in the garage) and her reply was "Why would you want to buy a non-functional computer when you can get this one that works for only 40 bucks?". I told her that it would be best if her computer was sold to someone who could actually use it and that I was looking for stuff to recycle. Her reply "But you could buy this one and it works just fine!". I left empty handed.

you need to have atleast 2 different prices offered for motherboards, green and rainbow otherwise you are gonna get screwed when somone brings you a load of colored motherboards

Jghillno brings up a great point on grading/pricing motherboards...but it HEAVILLY depends on your buyer. Here's why:

Almost everyone now differentiates between #1 and #2 mother boards, the issue is how they make that distinction. Many buyers adopt the "green board" vs "rainbow board" approach else other sort based on the processor (p3 and older vs. p4 and newer). Which method is correct? Unless you have the ability to send a full container load to a smelter, you will never know.

As someone who sells motherboards rather than refines them, this gives you an opportunity to actually sell three grades of motherboards:

P3 and older, all colors
P4 and newer, green
P4 and newer, rainbow

My yard subscribes to the socket size method, both for buying and selling.