Printable View
theres a local yard that I can buy anything at . I buy wire weekly and flip it . there a small yard and don't have a shredder , they often have a lot of AC units , Appliances and other copper rich items in the pile. I know this has come up , but would you buy copper rich items like window ac units for 0.16 cents a pound ? If so what else would you buy if you were in my situation ?
computer towers
especially if your were spending the fuel anyway, or there are quite a fewQuote:
Originally Posted by mikeinreco
thanks guys just getting into e waste. how bout AC UNits and microwaves ? im selling used microwave turntables to if that helps. help defray cost
I wouldn't buy the whole microwave just for the turntable considering most of it is shred, see if you can just buy the turntable. I would steer away from appliances also as they're mostly steel. I would buy A/C's though, but I have a feeling your yard isn't going to let those go cheap. I know my yard would charge an arm and a leg because they scrap out fridges and A/C's themselves. If you can get Towers for .16 a LB, I would jump on that as fast as you could.Quote:
Originally Posted by redcrossnj
I think you meant .16 and not .60, .60 at 30lb would be a $18.00 computer.Quote:
If you can get Towers for .60 a LB, I would jump on that as fast as you could.
yes its 0.16 cents a pound. and its a small operation they have 5-6 guys maybe less , they have one guy who breaks stuff down , but hes not there every day because they do demolition jobs, I feel like they like to flip stuff fast. so ill prob get it for .16 a pound I hope. if I can get it to scale its all mine lol just gotta bring hand truck. So AC units and computer towers are the general consensus
Any High grade electronics that don't have a lot of weight due to steel, but you would have to know what to look for. Off the top of my head I would look for: server pieces that can be pulled, server arrays, some switch boxes, fire system boxes, alarm system boxes, digital keypads, and of course communication boxes.
Or even easier and something I have wanted to do that would be fast, just walk around with some side cutters and cut all the power cords you can find.
And cord you can see...obvious wire and anything that has alot of non ferrous on it... (brass fitting or tubing)...and heres a tip...get a small hand turn pipe cutter to pull off say copper or softer pipes from sinks ect. ANY computer tower or higher end electronic like flat monitors....regular electronics wpuld not be profitable generally at that price once labor is factored in. Of and things like the hoses, ends and container on nicer vacumns for ebay like those glass turntables in microwaves....same with trays on printers....they can be sold for several dollars all the way to $10-20 for the set.
Chainsaws are a good thing to pick up at .16. I got a Husqvarna a couple of months ago for $5 and had a carb kit put in for $61 and it runs great.
Keep a magnet so you can check for stainless. Lots of folks toss it in with steel and you will do well getting it cheap.
dyson vacuums and keurig / other name brand coffee makers, dyson vacuums can be easily repaired for about $15 and resold for $100, coffee makers are worth about $30-$50 broken / parts
cell phones / laptops / portable electronics would be worth pulling from the pile
christmas lights, pull the bulbs out and sell them on ebay, then scrap the wire, the bulbs are worth far more than the wire is
I am "assuming" you don't have a lot of experience breaking things down. I suggest you can't go wrong buying almost anything you are unsure of and seeing what's inside. At $0.16/lb I would get at least $0.10/lb if it had no greater value when broken down and I would have learned something by trying it out. So I think this could be a very quick and inexpensive education for you.
Keep very quiet about what your are doing locally, to include the employees and owners of the yard. You don't need to educated these guys and get them started as your competition. Mike
thanks guys . and miked I have broken down a lot of things .I just don't have a lot of experience buying scrap. I know from previous threads you guys do.
just got back from the yard , they wont sell acs or stuff like that . but they will sell straight up metal. I tried to get some aluminum out of the pile but there scale guy is sharp lol. I might be able to find stainless steel in the pile , as pnutfarmer said rookies toss it in the steel pile
I used to pull computers out of the shred pile and pay back weight at shred price before the yard bought them as electronics. Those days are gone unfortunately, as the yard caught on. I cant think of too many non ferrous items that wouldn't be worth paying $0.16 for.
There is the key. Play around and experiment, and don't tell anyone what is going on. Milk it for as long as you can.Quote:
Originally Posted by miked
If they will only let you buy metal, look for stuff you can resale, depending on where you are in central jersey, there are a lot of people there with more money than brains and a lot of scrappers that are looking for the quick buck. I lived in East Brunswick and picked up so much good usable items for resale it was pitiful. One day I picked up 13 all metal patio chairs, all from the 1950's, I kept 8 and sold 5 for $600. Look up mid century modern metal chairs, if you see anything like it on the curb or in the yard, get it to resell.
thanks guys , I always see stuff that can be flipped. and thanks Brandon I will keep that in mind , I will also continue to look for non ferrous items in the pile. and Russell this yard doesn't deal in or know about ewaste ( im going to keep it that way) because there's also a tower in the pile here and there.
Sounds like you just became their sorter.. for free. Not trying to slight you in any way, shape or form.. just sounds underhanded on their part. If you spend an hour cutting off cords and they say "Whoa.. nope nope.. sorry- give me those" that is a complete bunch of B.S.!Quote:
Originally Posted by redcrossnj