Buying scrap copper at low prices?

My dad and I went around the neighborhood to see who could give us their scrap.

What we found out:

1. Pretty much every business around my location does not give away their scrap metals or coppers for free.

When my dad I asked the managers, they all said they sell their scrap.

Businesses are getting smarter nowadays and will not give you your free money for nothing.

2. Trip to the garage sale - yes they were selling scrap copper, however they were pricing them pretty high.
At the minimum - a small light piece of copper would cost 3 dollars. Too expensive? By the time you went to your scrap yard, you would have a loss instead of a gain. The margins here are just really low.

But still, I see people getting $200 worth of copper, but I don't know how they get all that for dirt cheap.

3. Curb shopping - mehhhh... Not a great source of copper here. Most of it's just regular steel, electronics, and aluminum. You can pick up small bits of brass or copper, but it's nothing profitable.


How do you get around it, and get lower prices for scrap?

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3. Curb shopping - mehhhh... Not a great source of copper here. Most of it's just regular steel, electronics, and aluminum. You can pick up small bits of brass or copper, but it's nothing profitable.

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Here lately I have been doing a smaller load each week and not all just copper and brass. I also do appliances, steel/tin, chain link, and electronics.
If it's recyclable then I grab it.

I know copper sells for a higher price but its good to have your hand in many cookie jars. If one dries up you will have the others to fall back on. I work for a company that has about 60lbs of copper wire a week in scrap. I pay them what yard gives them. Its all types mixed so they get paid lowest price for all. I match price, separate and strip what I can. Perhaps offer matching what they get per pound and see if its worth doing the same. Might work out for you.