Originally Posted by
happyscraper
I was scrapping in 2008 and never saw anything like that happen. Prices did come down a littel but nothing like what 1956 explained.
In June '08 car bodies were at $220 a ton here. By mid-late July and then August, if your cars were completely prepped, -and- you were a regular supplier of theirs, the single yard that was still taking cars would allow you to drop them for free. If you didn't already haul there, or your cars weren't totally prepped, you got CHARGED $20-$40 per ton to drop. Oversized (farm equipment in my case) you had to pay $60 a ton to drop. Copper bearing material like motors, starters, alternators went for $.06-$0.12 per lb. Number one copper went down to $0.60 per lb. Prices stayed that way for a couple months and then started slowly rising.
2008 was freakin' brutal. It was -exactly- as 1956 described.
ETA; through 2010, it was far easier than today to make really good money scrapping. Even though prices were lower, there was very little competition around. Sadly, all good things must end.
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