What is going on with some of the new buyers recently?

No prices listed, have to email or call for pricing, no responses to pm or even posts on the forum. Seems like they want to get their names out on a large site that is viewed by many people, members and lurkers,figuring the exposure that they get is worth 10 fold what they pay to join and pay to be a buyer on SMF. They put up an email or a phone number to contact them in the hopes of gaining new business without being transparent about how or even where they conduct business. I am not trying to tell the Admin or anyone else how to run this site but maybe a condition of being a buyer should be that they have to post prices of what they are buying. If I am out of line to suggest this I apologize in advance, it just seems that here has been more than a few people who are members here who have been getting the run around and are getting frustrated.

NO PRICES NO SALE. BUT .THAT'S JUST ME.. Those that do post their prices are sure of their service, prices, and plan. Just my .02

I stick with what I know (mainly Ewasted) and a few others Rok, Parttime, Philly....Usually those new buyers like that I just throw out huge numbers at em to mess with em.....Although I do have over 200 computers mostly pentium 4 and up probably alot of good parts if someone is interested in picking them all up and just paying me cash......If not I will continue to break down and ship to buyers here I trust

Everybody wants more buyers. But I can see how some people don't want to deal with the sellers out here. Scrimping and saving for nickel. I actually look at prices second. I would take a 25 percent hit just to have easy access some good service. But that's just me.

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Originally Posted by Gangel

Everybody wants more buyers. But I can see how some people don't want to deal with the sellers out here. Scrimping and saving for nickel. I actually look at prices second. I would take a 25 percent hit just to have easy access some good service. But that's just me.

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I'm not sure about taking a 25% hit, but some people step over a dollar to pick up a dime. I see the same thing with metal. People will drive an extra 10 miles because one yard is paying .05 more a pound for copper only having 20-30 pounds.

+1 to Mikeinreco's sellers

I do sympathize with the buyers though....I am one of the biggest buyers of ewaste here locally and it is a constant struggle........I always have thousands of dollars floating around somewhere.....To get better pricing I am willing to ship my material and wait on my money.....The average scrapper just breaks it down and brings it to someone like me and collects their cash and goes home.....I take the risk vs. the reward.....The bigger buyers here on the forum take even bigger risks and should be commended for it.........My ten thousand I have tied up in e-waste might be like one hundred thousand or more to one of our major buyer (Ewasted for example)......He probably receives 100 to 1 what I get here locally because he is being shipped to from the entire nation...........I could only imagine the figures going around in his head.........As far as the pricing goes I also will take a little less on certain things just for the convenience factor and using the ones I trust....That also goes for scrap metal, aluminum, copper, etc.........Anyways I will get off my soap box and get back to work

You nailed it on the head Gangel.... I have a business philosophy that would very much go against what Old Dude and a few others believe in terms of posting prices. I will never post my price list and that is why I do not offer my services in the buyers section. I like to personalise my relationship with each of my customers and I believe that most of them will back me up in the statement that I do that and try to look out for them as best as possible outside a pricelist... This being said I do realise that places such as EWASTED are much bigger and has adapted a business plan that not only helps him achieve his sucess but benefits the majority of the sellers on here. My prices are strong and my service is good but it isnt for everybody.

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Originally Posted by Gangel

Everybody wants more buyers. But I can see how some people don't want to deal with the sellers out here. Scrimping and saving for nickel. I actually look at prices second. I would take a 25 percent hit just to have easy access some good service. But that's just me.

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Originally Posted by URBANERECYCLING

You nailed it on the head Gangel.... I have a business philosophy that would very much go against what Old Dude and a few others believe in terms of posting prices. I will never post my price list and that is why I do not offer my services in the buyers section. I like to personalise my relationship with each of my customers and I believe that most of them will back me up in the statement that I do that and try to look out for them as best as possible outside a pricelist... This being said I do realise that places such as EWASTED are much bigger and has adapted a business plan that not only helps him achieve his sucess but benefits the majority of the sellers on here. My prices are strong and my service is good but it isnt for everybody.

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to each his own
its your business you run it your way. I, in turn, will run mine my way,.

I'm just a small independent scrapper t6rying to make a living. I don,t have time to call those who don,t post prices and negotiate over a few cents a lb. so i,m apparently too small for your business any way so it is a moot point.

no offense but your post sounded a little arrogant considering there are many sss ( survival, supplemental, scrappers) out there. I clearly stated twice in that post ,it was just my choice and my opinion,

It comes down to simple fact.... a pound of boards is X price. We all know what that ultimate price is. If Someone is paying that X amount.... How are they making money? If someone is paying above that amount how are they making money? It's kind of like the Pawn Stars TV show when someone comes in with an ounce of gold and expects full price for it. Somehow someway somebody has to make money on it if they are going to stick around to be there for tomorrow. And if your life and income are expected to be provided by a business where the market is so volatile this might not be the business for you.

What I find rather odd, is that some buyers, WILL post prices, which is nice, yet they omit to give a FULL shipping address. A zip code on its own, is of no use if one wants to calculate shipping using UPS and probably other shipping companys also.

So, either a PM (box usually full v:) or e-mail just to get simple details of where to ship stuff to.

end of rant :D

I am currently in a situation where I am not purchasing scrap unless it falls under certain conditions because I am growing my business and doing work that must be done before I can process in my new location. Considering the volatile nature of precious metals, the value rising and falling, it would not serve me well to purchase scrap and sit on it for the next 30 days while I get my business in order. The prices could drop below a point where it would make the material profitable to process. For example, if I purchase gold bearing scrap at 90% of it's value, and gold drops 10% in price, I now have to wait until gold goes back up to make it profitable to process and sell.

If I might be so bold as to suggest another option, I would like also to see people selling scrap posting sell prices so that buyers can shop sellers as well. It might be that a seller could attract buyers by posting the prices they would sell their scrap for. This might attract more buyers to the forum, or cause people that purchase more dynamically to be more interested in purchasing. It could also be that someone may be willing to pay more for material closer to their location because of the savings in travel or shipping costs.

In any case, I feel some people probably have reasons for not posting prices, but I also believe if they are not posting prices they should at least explain why, and when they will be able to do so I can just imagine how frustrating it must be for a scrapper to be sitting on something, and looking for someone to sell to, and not getting any straight answers from people who claim they want to purchase material. Since I have learned how to update my own buying thread (Thanks Admin) I have been doing so.

Scott

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Originally Posted by URBANERECYCLING

My prices are strong and my service is good but it isnt for everybody.

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I agree with olddude. No matter what the commodity, I would be be a skeptic of any business deal where someone was playing "I have a secret" and going in not knowing what the prices are. The only reason I can think of not to post prices is if you are offering considerably less than everyone else is, or have some other sinister motive.

If your prices are strong and service is good, why wouldn't it be for everybody???? Again, that makes no sense at all. Maybe it's just me, but there are 3 things I look for in a buyer.

1. Price

2. Service

3. Location

These are not in any certain order, but each plays a large part of my decision. I certainly would take LESS money to use a buyer that has good service and is closer (it costs money to ship). I would also take LESS money if I was in a position that I didn't have to ship the material and could just drop it off and get paid something reasonable (locally I get 2.50 for green MBs and telecom, it goes down from there).

Maybe a seller that doesn't post prices can list a reason why so we don't have to speculate, but for me the first thing that comes to mind is it is easier to take advantage of less educated/experienced sellers.

You can actually get a full detailed quote from Fedex and USPS with just the destination zip code.

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Originally Posted by Phantoms001

Maybe a seller that doesn't post prices can list a reason why so we don't have to speculate, but for me the first thing that comes to mind is it is easier to take advantage of less educated/experienced sellers.

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I gave a reason why I don't currently have prices posted above:

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Originally Posted by NobleMetalWorks

I am currently in a situation where I am not purchasing scrap unless it falls under certain conditions because I am growing my business and doing work that must be done before I can process in my new location.

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Everyone who doesn't post prices has some reason why they are not doing so, we just don't know what that reason is unless they say so. Some people might think that their reasons are more personal, or that it's their business, and might not feel that it's anyone's business. Or it might be something embarrassing or harmful to their business. But I think if someone has put themselves out there as a buyer, that they should also state clearly that they are not buying at this time, or are.

There is this BBQ place not far from where I live. When they have BBQ available, they have flags they fly so people know and won't wait in line for 30 min for no reason. When they are out of whatever, they lower that flag. Perhaps we can have badges with flags we can change so it's easier for sellers to see who is currently buying instead of having to go through each persons profile.

Also as I suggest above, it might be a good idea for sellers to post what they are selling, so buyers also have the option to shop sellers.

You know now that I think about it, I think if sellers expect buyers to post prices, that they should also in turn be willing to post their prices they are willing to sell for, tit for tat. Why is all the burden on the buyer and not equally shared between buyer and seller?

If you want a specific price, then post the price you want to sell your material for.

Scott

I think the big thing is transparency. If you are asking someone over the internet to send hundreds or possibly even thousands of dollars of anything to you and await payment, there has to be some kind of trust and understanding. When sellers have a price list, address, phone number, email, ect.. everything is easy to understand and it is a very transparent transaction. If you have a question, it is simple to get an answer. It's a good, professional way to do business, and these are the highly recommended buyers on the forum.

I don't think it's that important to post prices(but it is nice) I think if someone post that they are buying something and someone has a question than that buyer should answer thiere question. I've had people send me pm's and asking me questions because the buyers on this forum where not answering thiere question via pm or e-mail.

I appreciate the transparent prices, HOWEVER all this does is create a price war between competitors. Competing on price is NOT a long term competitive advantage sooner or later someone is willing to pay more or make less....In the end everyone makes less money. I day job in a business where I instill a sense of urgency for the best price. If your buying before your walk out the door I'm going to do the best I can do but still make sure I can keep the doors open so you can come back in the future. Our business has been around for 19 years and our competitor moved in less than 1/10 of a mile down the road. What happens is people will go back and forth getting price quotes beat until no one makes money. My boss would rather make nothing than have it go in the competitors pocket.....I don't make a comission however I don't remember the last time I got a raise, health care costs have gone up, and benefits have been lost such as xmas bonus, free lunch, so forth.

In the end consumers have very interesting reasons why they chose to do business where they do. We are all a result of our perceptions of life and the world around us....That perception is unique to us even though the service product or so forth being offered is homogenous. Let these guys do business however they wish. I don't want to spend the time emailing, or asking for prices and so forth. I'm in the scrap business because of the transparency of market prices and I get to spend as little time dealing with people as possible which I prefer. It is a pleasure dealing with the few people I do in the scrap industry though:))

While having posted prices is nice, to me it's not vital. While it makes it easier to quickly check something, I prefer a quick phone call or email, as it allows for negotiation. It's the same with scrap metal. If I get a large amount of a certain product, I'll phone-shop around the various yards to check prices. If I pick up material in another town, I'll check local prices there. If what I have for sale is my usual daily or weekly amount, I'll haul it to my usual buyer. While I probably could make a couple extra $$ by checking prices on every amount of every material, to me it's simply not worth it.

Bottom line, when I find a buyer I like dealing with, I'll deal with them on a regular basis. If I run across an unusual deal, be it in material, amount, location, or whatever, I'll shop around with any buyer that might fit suit my needs. Ignoring -any- possible buyer because of a reason like they simply lack a public price list, is not at all smart (and that's being a lot more polite than what I'm actually thinking).

ETA. Am I the only person who finds the new bumping/ranking system in the Buyers/Sellers section extremely annoying?

Good discussion, should benefit some of the buyers here.

If some buyers choose not to provide their prospects enough information to make a commitment, their loss. Its unfortunate because the exposure, at the price, is invaluable and long term.

As long as they meet the guidelines we'll approve it. Buyers can edit their threads at any time if they decide to update prices, reply, etc.

Honestly, anyone who posts a thread as a buyer here should treat that opportunity like gold.

I think the main problem is some people post an ad here do so before theyre actually ready for it.

@noble, sellers can post in that section as well the same way buyers can.

I started this thread to get a good discussion going and to hopefully get the perspective of the buyers as to why they would not post prices if they are a buyer. Thanks Scott for giving your reasoning and I do believe since day one you stated that you were undergoing some business changes and when you were up you would have prices posted. Thanks also to Urbanrecycling for you perspective as well. You also outed yourself as a buyer, so maybe someone in your area who didnt know this or a few lurkers may be increasing your bottom line with some new business for yourself. I really wanted to hear from, without naming anyone specific, a few of the newest buyers who are already getting some negative feedback from the members here for not answering questions concerning what they are buying and and where they are located.