Answering CL ads

I'm taking the first step of getting scrap from strangers. Going to pick up a tv listed on CL.
I finally ran out of stuff to tear up for scrap from my home and daughters home so......off I go tomorrow. Being a chick scrapping alone, any safety tips ?
I am actually not concerned about tomorrow as I know the neighborhood I am going to.
I prefer smaller items but hey gotta start somewhere and I am literally scraping the bottom of the bowl. Have to borrow against my house to even pay to get the grass cut.
Thanks for any tips and safety advice. ( how should I go about asking if they may have other items now or in the future that I can take off their hands and not sound like a beggar )

Tip - Have a card to hand out. Make statements - "Let me know if you've got other stuff that you want me to take" (buy, etc), rather than being tentative or asking questions - "Do you have anything else I can have?". Be assertive & confident without being abrasive.

Safety - Don't go into houses. I don't go in houses, either, but for liability reasons. If they want an appliance removed, it'll be at least in the garage or on the front porch. It too easy to do accidental damage to floors, walls and doorways.

Good luck with the pickup. I know it's only a tv, but like mentioned above ask if they have anything else, and give them ideas, old sweeper, lawn mower, lamp, etc. I like to do this to get them thinking, usually I end up getting something else out of it. Last time I scored 2 motorcycle batteries.

Sorry that you are experiencing hard times. Do you curb shop on garbage nights? That's how I get 75 percent of my scrap. Also if I'm on a big pickup I'll try to do a small service for them. One time I cut up a shower stall so the customer could put it in garbage bags to put on the curb. While it only took me 10 minutes to rip through it with the sawzall it earned me a call back for more scrap.

Good luck and stay safe.

No, I have not ventured out on trash nights. Might have to take a little walk around the neighborhood tonight.

You don't need to ask them for anything. Tell them! haha, it isn't really like telling them, I mean like in the conversation, just add to the fact that you not only recycle this or that, but like "yes, I also recycle old car batteries" or scrap metal, computers. Tell them that, let them know. If you're picking up a computer, tell them you also recycle old washing machines, etc etc. If you say it with a bit of excitement it sounds even better ; )

My Wife fixed me up a flyer that lists the stuff I will take and of course the "If you don't see it ask" thing. I just thank them and hand over the flyer and say. "here is a guideline for the kinds of things I will pick up. Feel free to give me a call if I can help you out. Have ended up with a few more goodies several times.

Might be a good idea to let someone know where you are going and agree you will call 'em when arrive and again you are safely away from the pick-up?

Keep your phone on you . Just a FYI . You can dial 911 on a inactivated cell phone . Also hitting 9 send on a vzw phone will also reach the police . When I pick up In shady parts I take a friend . Be safe

Well Good Luck to you, as far as Craig's list calls go they can be verry good , you have to be able to during you phone call identify if it pays to do the pick up, you might want to say something like this well we appetite the you calling us and I would also like you to know that we also recycle any old cell phones or anything that plugs into a electric outlet, or even any old garden tools or equipment. Now after talking to the customer you will get a feel if they we have more than just a tv. If all they have is the TV, I would tell them that when I will be in your area I will give you a call it should be a couple of days or so. Some scrapers on here will disagree with me on this but you can not spend the time and gas money doing a pick up to wind up losing money, especially in the beginning. As far as safety goes I agree we do not go into people's houses the garage is as far as we go, to many damage claims. When you can have a couple of magnetic signs made put them on the car or truck, some of the neibiors might have some goodies for you when they see you are picking up scrap from there neiborhood.best of luck to you..

If you do pick up a TV, make sure it has not been plugged in for awhile or you could get a nasty shock. There is ways
to safely discharge a TV, we've had a few discussions about it. And I know a couple of members once said "it won't happen to me", and guess what, it did.

This thread is like a year old :)

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Originally Posted by scrapping4ever

This thread is like a year old :)

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Yes, we recycled it,,,

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Originally Posted by Mechanic688

Yes, we recycled it,,,

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Much better than scrapping it! ;)

Since this thread is like a CRT TV (Won't Die!), I'll offer a little advice if somebody else reads this:

We do pickups from both businesses and individuals (Computers & Accessories only). The businesses/schools/governments are almost always safe for us. Individuals we don't know about. We go in pairs. It makes the driving easier, it's safer, and we can load quicker!

We call a family member when we head out, and call/text before and after pickups. It's never been needed, but...

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We hand out cards and flyers, too. It's worked well in some cases. I have about 60 hard drives coming in off of a man who bought a power supply from me. I got money for a PSU that came in with a free computer, and get free hard drives! Just make sure people know about you. I run a computer repair store. A lot of my stuff comes in from people who get a repair or buy a computer...

"If you advertise yourself, they will come". -It was in a movie in Iowa or something...

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"If you advertise yourself, they will come". -It was in a movie in Iowa or something...

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They were referring to your business, "If you build it, they will come".

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Originally Posted by Mechanic688

They were referring to your business, "If you build it, they will come".

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For the computer sales/service business, maybe.

But, that can't be true for my computer recycling business. I don't build stuff. I take stuff apart! ;)