I'm over paying for my towers...

I have a source for computer towers and laptops. I have been paying $5 per. HOWEVER... 95% have no hard drive or RAM! I just picked up 5 towers from him 2 days ago and tore them apart and did the math. They were all P4's (small socket).

based on ewaste price sheet and assuming $.50/lb shipping. Also includes removing wire from power supply and getting shred price for rest.

ewaste value per: $4.59
scrap yard value per: $2.19

Total of $6.78 per tower. Now I'm all for doing a little work to make a $1, but this doesn't make sense for my time and gas. I will offer him $3/tower and laptop. If he doesn't like it he can find a new buyer. I will let him know that I will add $.25 per stick of RAM and $.50 per hard drive included. So max price is around $4 for average machine.

Amen

yep fair is fair...just add a new price to your sheet for INCOMPLETE tower/laptop and SPOT check....ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS spot check to keep them honest. Even put that in the contract that you spot check all pickup loads....I mean what other business would not check stuff he sent them or was getting paid for? They would INVENTORY the shipment and hi him with any discrepancies. Just treat it like a business deal BECAUSE YOU ARE IN BUSINESS....and that is the way business is done. :)

I offer $5 per tower and deduct a $1 for every missing part. So if missing hard drive and ram I would only pay $3. Laptops I only pay $1 for unless they are core2 or better.

Was that $5. a deal made back when prices were higher, then just explain that gold had dropped 400-500 dollars since then and so the computers aren't worth as much.

No, I've only been buying since March. My price was too high to start. I sent new lower pricing and he acted ok with it, but we will see if he contacts me again for pick-up.

My free time has a value, and I need to stick to my guns about exceeding that value to make a scrapping job worth it. I'm not going to scrap every night till bed after work to make an extra $20-40 profit a week.

Its tough to lower prices. I have been living with it for the last year. I still get questions from my regular customers on pricing. Mike.

My price was always listed as $4 for incomplete but I didn't have the guts to offer lower price. However, I need to stand firm. He called me because he had no other buyer. He can accept the price change or look for new guy. I can't control what he does, only what I do. Best quote on here is that profit starts when you buy, not sell. Taking that to heart! He seems ok with change, but we will see if he contacts me again...

Like PTS...I pay 5 bucks a tower. Missing any goodies...ram, hd, boards, etc I deduct a buck for each.

Needless to say..all my towers come complete. An I still do just fine. ;)

Sirscrapalot - The rules of navigation never navigated a ship. The rules of architecture never built a house. - Thomas Reid

Very good, young Jedi

this entire post subject and thread is in the archives many times. Not studying your craft constantly and doing proper research is always costly. consider it a penalty for not doing so.

There are thousands of "E scrappers" out there getting their info from you tube gurus and sudo experts, i.e. 4 minute vids on how to get rich scrapping computers costing them and us money. I personally am sick of it. IF IT ISNT FOUND HERE IN THE ARCHIVES, DON'T BELIEVE IT.

Olddude said it best.

Now I know some of the youtubers do it to teach..but in my experience..most don't give a rats booty for you making money. An only care about how many views they gets, an which sponsor will pay them more. There are a couple good ones out there, but few an far between in my experience with Youtube an scrappers.

The majority of the stuff in the archives has been seconded, thirded, etc. Not just taking some dude in a video's word for it that you'll find a oz of gold in every computer..;) I can scroll through the archives an see things proven, or not. New ways get the same treatment here. People do try what you say here, an if it doesn't work for them, they share the results.

I'm always leery of things that sound to good to be true, an whether folks like it or not..that's how I see most of those Youtube videos. I'm just glad I don't refine. I'd be dead after seeing some of those youtube videos that make it sound as easy as 1 2 3.

Just like the TV question...most the answers are already here. Sure we get new ones now an then, but a lot has been hashed, an rehashed to the point of just being silly at times.

Your all grown folk, you can rely on the youtubers, me..I'll continue to consult with the forum an it's members that I know actually do these things beyond a 5 minute video.

Sirscrapalot - Ain't drinking the kool-aid.

I lost money for the first time on a scrap purchase I made last week. The last time I sold ewaste locally, I only had to sort motherboards by colored and green-green. I bought motherboards like this for $1.00 a lb (I still was selling P4 boards for 2.20 a LB the time before). I go to sell the boards and surprise, now all P4 boards go with the colored ones for a whopping .95 a lb. Plus all of the other boards prices have dropped and half of the stuff I bought I paid too much by like .50 a LB. Thankfully I only bought $30 worth of stuff. They keep changing their grading catagories.

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Originally Posted by Gravitar

I lost money for the first time on a scrap purchase I made last week. The last time I sold ewaste locally, I only had to sort motherboards by colored and green-green. I bought motherboards like this for $1.00 a lb (I still was selling P4 boards for 2.20 a LB the time before). I go to sell the boards and surprise, now all P4 boards go with the colored ones for a whopping .95 a lb. Plus all of the other boards prices have dropped and half of the stuff I bought I paid too much by like .50 a LB. Thankfully I only bought $30 worth of stuff. They keep changing their grading catagories.

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Why don't you sell to the buyers on this forum? Mike

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Originally Posted by miked

Why don't you sell to the buyers on this forum? Mike

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Most of the stuff I get is mid grade and motherboards. I was getting 2.20 for green green motherboards and around 1.70 - 2.00 for mid and high grade boards. I would be getting the same price with the buyers on the forum after I factor in my buying price and shipping as I would if I drove to my local buyer.

ya I think your doing something wrong or live in a bad area for prices or something if your getting less than $5tower even for p4's

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Originally Posted by Gravitar

I lost money for the first time on a scrap purchase I made last week. The last time I sold ewaste locally, I only had to sort motherboards by colored and green-green. I bought motherboards like this for $1.00 a lb (I still was selling P4 boards for 2.20 a LB the time before). I go to sell the boards and surprise, now all P4 boards go with the colored ones for a whopping .95 a lb. Plus all of the other boards prices have dropped and half of the stuff I bought I paid too much by like .50 a LB. Thankfully I only bought $30 worth of stuff. They keep changing their grading catagories.

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It's 300 miles round trip from where you are to HLH&R in Waxahactchie. If best price in all of Austin metro on P4s is .95, then you start buying them for $1. Get a couple gaylords full & tote them up there on a lazy Sunday. (Yes, HLH&R is open on Sunday.)

LAST TIME I CHECKED I AM A PAID SUBSCRIBER TO THIS FORUM. I WILL NOT BE CHIDED FOR CREATING A POST BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN DISCUSSED ALREADY. SIMPLY PASS OVER MY POST NEXT TIME. I AM NOT ASKING ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COPPER AND ALUMINUM... THE PRICE OF SCRAP CHANGES AND I WAS SAYING I'M OVER PAYING BY A DOLLAR OR TWO... I like this forum and people are generally nice. I have made some good contacts through here, and I learn constantly. I work my butt off at my day job and there is not enough money to cover the bills so I got into scrapping copper wire from work. That lead to me finding this website and learning about e-waste. I will do WHATEVER I have to support my family. I learn more and more every day and I will keep on moving forward. Sorry if someone already said something like to this before...

Don't feel bad, I think we all have overpaid at one time or another, just as long as it wasn't budget crippling.

This is a good post, first you did the work, then ran the numbers, identified a problem and came up with a solution. That is how you get it done. You guys who have to buy in the major metropolitan areas have much smaller margins. Your hustle is a tough one because you have to compete with the big buyers who can operate with even smaller margins and those you tube yahoos who don't know what one is. The hardest part of business for me is talking money with customers, especially changing deals. Its always been one of my weaknesses.

Agreed when gold was 1600 an OZ a blind monkey could make money doing ewaste...........I have lowered my prices accordingly and still seem to be making money....I am getting more particular every day about what parts are removed from the computer and pay accordingly.........Good Post and keep up the good work and realizing you were getting the shaft

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Originally Posted by jiffy117

LAST TIME I CHECKED I AM A PAID SUBSCRIBER TO THIS FORUM. I WILL NOT BE CHIDED FOR CREATING A POST BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN DISCUSSED ALREADY. SIMPLY PASS OVER MY POST NEXT TIME. I AM NOT ASKING ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COPPER AND ALUMINUM... THE PRICE OF SCRAP CHANGES AND I WAS SAYING I'M OVER PAYING BY A DOLLAR OR TWO... I like this forum and people are generally nice. I have made some good contacts through here, and I learn constantly. I work my butt off at my day job and there is not enough money to cover the bills so I got into scrapping copper wire from work. That lead to me finding this website and learning about e-waste. I will do WHATEVER I have to support my family. I learn more and more every day and I will keep on moving forward. Sorry if someone already said something like to this before...

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since i was a kid i have always been told the only stupid question is the one you did not ask...or something like that....my point is i agree with what you posted above...i love this forum , but ive never understood the need to jump all over folks who ask questions...i dont see any benefit in trying to run off potential future members.... everyone has to start somewhere...no one knows everything out of the gate.....
i am not very good with computers and im sure there are folks that are less educated on them than i am.. until i started scraping ewaste all i could do on a pc was youtube and facebook...and my step daughter used to have to help me with those all the time....when someone asks a question that has been discussed before it does not bother me at all...heck maybe they do not know how to use the search feature yet...
my biggest problem in the beginning was, i could find tons of info on every subject i wanted to ask questions about...(sometimes to much it seemed) but i could not always find a post that exactly answered my specific question.....
this awesome forum has been created , with tons and tons of valuable knowledge free to the world. and id hate to think that a potential new member ( especially a younger scrapper just starting) discovered this place..only to read some posts and see that the last 5 people who asked questions got jumped all over for it and then decide to just pass the forum up and never join....

how do we know that this new member who asked a question is not going to take the answer given to them and use that to grow and become a better more profitable junk hauler who may someday grow to discover new ideas that we could learn and benefit from...this is just my 2 cents

Most posts like this are asking how much to pay, or asking if they are paying too much. You did the math, and shamelessly posted your mistake for others to learn from.