Marshalltown, IA

**4barrel** · 09-04-2013, 06:24 PM

Just got back from the yard in Marshalltown -

Computer wire - .35/lb
Auto batteries - .20/lb
AC Adaptor - .18/lb
Transformers - .10/lb
Power Supplies - .13/lb
Mixed floppy/CD drives - .13/lb
Computer fans - .03/lb

Some of the prices may be low - I had talked with their e-scrap buyer multiple times and had settled on $2.85/lb for high grade motherboards. I showed up with my standard mix of motherboards like I have for the last 2 years - after weighing everything I see on my inventory sheet that they have marked all my boards as low grade.

I ask the guy who grades things why they are marked low grade and he says that they have changed the way they rate their boards, and if I wanted to discuss it to talk to the e-scrap buyer in the office. Off I go to the office and am informed that any boards that a) don't have a large square processor socket b) have ANY colored plastic on them and c) don't have ISA connectors are now considered low grade ($1.90/lb).

I had a few problems with this considering that I had spoken with him twice in the last couple weeks to get settled on a good price. He never mentioned their new grading system so I had no way to know that the load of motherboards was going to be worth a heck of a lot less than I assumed. I was trying to clarify how exactly the new grading system works and he was very specific on the fact that if the board had one single blue IDE socket, it was instantly downgraded to low grade. I had plenty of 'high grade' boards in the batch but they automatically downgraded everything to low grade.

I told him I can do a heck of a lot better than that online and told him I would head back to the other side of the yard and would be taking all the motherboards back with me.

Thankfully since I noticed the grading on the original sheet I was able to tell the staff to hold onto the boards before they threw them in the pile - gonna get these together and get them sent to Ewasted. I highly doubt I will ever go back to this place, it was a rotten trip and not the first time they've jacked me around!

**numbers** · 09-04-2013, 08:36 PM

When I save up enough to send 1500 pounds in a pallet/gaylord from Kansas to, say, Ohio, I end up paying less than 20 cents per pound freight. At a price of 70 cents for computer wire, even after the shipping I make at least 50 cents per pound. It doesn't take long to fill up the bottom of a gaylord with power supplies to get the weight. I don't know how many pounds you gather in a month, but it might be something to think about.

I am noticing more posts about scrap yards that seem to not be educated enough to understand e-waste. Or is it that they want to have a greater margin on something that they don't quite understand? Only time will tell. Those of us that study the information on this forum are the ones that have the best education.

**directrecycle** · 09-04-2013, 08:42 PM

Those prices are awful

I got .68 for computer wire today
.33 for batteries
.33 for transformers/motors
.20 for computer fans

power supplies you should be able to get twice that amount for

**BRASSCATCHER** · 09-04-2013, 10:25 PM

I am starting to have the same problem here with grading. If one ide socket is blue then it is down graded. I usually take them back as well and put them in a box to save enough weight to ship out. I think the yards are selling to a buyer whose prices are usually low for boards and its trickling down to us.
Its funny that your yard grades like mine and I bet I know who they sell to. No one here but they are well known in ewaste circles on the net. I bet their name starts with a B and ends in a T.

**4barrel** · 09-04-2013, 11:40 PM

Our facility doesn't have a door that allows a pallet through, so we haven't been able to move up to shipping by the gaylord yet (trust me I'm going to try and get an upgrade!). I think he docked all my prices in half because I got pissed about the boards and complained. Oh well they have lost this customer so that's what they get for being rude.

I've learned a lot on here and have always turned stuff in at the local yard since it was easy - I shipped my first load off to Ewasted today so I'll just adjust my processes and work with you guys from now on.

BrassCatcher, I'll have to figure out who that processor is, from the chatter I got from the guys in the warehouse, it sounds like they took a huge loss on escrap recently and so they're buying low to make their money back.

Thanks for the info!

**EcoSafe** · 09-05-2013, 09:47 AM

in any new venture (com scrap) there will be yards that will bend their rules to their benifit, just as there are some scrappers who will bend their morality to gain advantage. It is just the world we have built. we have yards here still paying $15 for cats to the un educated.

Thank God we have this forum to educate us.