Starting an e-scrap operation?

Hey guys,

First time poster, this forum seems awesome and I feel like I will get a lot of use out of it. Right now I work on a scrap yard that strictly deals in scrap metal handling/recycling (ferrous and non-ferrous); I was interested in seeing if you guys have any advice on the what I would need to do to start an e-scrap operation at my yard. I already have a lot of essential equipment (scales, forklifts, etc), and have possible storage room, but I have not looked heavily into it yet. I am just curious about the basics; I have a background in scrap metal recycling, so I have a pretty good idea of how the market works and general business goes. There seems like there could be a lot of money in e-scrap, and with having a recycling business already I feel like this could be my next step. Let me know if you guys have any advice or ideas!

-RQ

Welcome,
Read lots and lots of posts
Identify knowledgeable people who seem like a good fit for your personality
Make friends
Pick their brains

This knowledge comes from a lot of hard works. Some people may share it privately, but the good stuff is very rarely shared publicly

Also talk to some of the buyers on here you may want to work with. If they feel you are serious, they will probably help you. Good business people know their clients need to make money in order to stay in business, and in turn make money for them.

Also look into what permits you may need

What the guy in the Hat said.

An I'll also add...Read everything here you can. If you leave here still not knowing about ewaste..you did it wrong. ;)

Good luck,

Sirscrapalot - Take the attitude of a student, never be too big to ask questions, never know too much to learn something new. - Og Mandino

Honest opinion, your best bet is to find someone local, possibly also a SMF member who has been doing this for a few years and consult with him/her on the subject and be prepared to compensate them for their time. You may gain a good contact out of the deal too. The other option is to setup with a buyer that's reasonably close to you who can essentially walk you through the basics and help you not get burned on purchasing.

There was areally good post a week or more ago about escrap.
It was a 'wall of text' post but he put down some really good points.

Like that any flatscreen that had a intact screen was shipped overseas to be made into a new flatscreen.
Imagine that, the flatscreen you paid $1000 for is reconditioned and sold to someone else as reconditioned, for $100....

That certain production runs of circuit boards had lots more Gold in them than other production runs.
The point here was to be able to search thru the manufacturers specifications to figure out what runs they were. As the parts look exactly the same. But the Gold return isn't.

That some certain parts have more Gold in them than most people think. (I think they are the contacts on printer cartridges and their mylar).
And certain mylar have more Gold in them too, Im thinking the mylar on flatscreens.

He did say that if a flatscreen is undamaged they tape them up face to face, without the stands, into a shipping container to go overseas.

But yeah. Theres soo much info here its hard to put it all in one place. I learn something every time I log in here at SMF.
(it reminds me, I got a debt card to get membership here last month. Gotta do it soon.)

My, 'one off' escrap buyer, sells to malaysia or around this area. They buy cars and scrap them and send the parts overseas.
When they can they pallet up escrap and chuck it into a container with car parts. When it gets there, they unload the escrap and send it on to the processor.
I expect to find out the company name in Asia when I sell my escrap.
I dunno where you are based. If you are in America, theres members here that will help you out.
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I remembered this later on. It was the clincher in the walloftext post.
Knowing exactly what you have in your hand, what the item is and what it can be used for.
I read about this in a national geographic about escrap, in my good Doctors waiting room.
In the artical they sent out a reporter to Asia to see what its about.
So before he e
leaves for Asia he gets a box of old cellphones to see what they are worth.
The first guy looks thru them and offers to buy several, "for reconditioning, its a popular model here"
The guy also picked out several others and offered $10 for one cellphone.
This got the reporter interested. $10 for a free cellphoe thats years old. "Why?" he asks.

"I know someone who will buy this cellphone for $20 -$30"
"$30!!! Why?" the reporter asks.
"Because this model, of this year only. Uses a certain chip for its texting function. When they first included texting in cellphones they didn't have enough time to design the IC chip for it. So they used a 'off the shelf' chip that they brought in bulk, for cheap, to do this function".
"Now this chip can be taken out and put into another circuitboard, along with recycled LED's, a fixed up recycled power supply and a new board we designed. And its made into a 'Scrolling' sign"

You know the sort of sign, LED sign with scrolling words programmed to run aross the sign.
This sign. They probably sell for hundreds of dollars. = mucho profit, many jobs and possible future industry.
later I relised that these signs are probably for their own market. But, that gets them a 'foot in the door' for real cheap, to set up a manufacturing plant making these signs for the export maket, but from brand new components.
Knowing exactly whats in your hand can turn it from a 50cent item,into $30. Someone has to make this money. Either in Asia, or America. Its all about knowing what you have, sorting, and selling in bulk.

Im based right outside Philly and can use all the help I can get!