I turned in 85# of insulated #2 copper wire (soft wire) last week and got 25 cents a pound for it. Frankly, this was disappointing- recently I got 40-45 cents/lb. With all the work snipping ends and removing impediments, it was a lot of work for little money. This is in an area where there are 3-4 yards nearby and the one I dealt with offered the best pricing.
Fast forward to today. I checked another part of town that is ~8-10 miles further away. I was in line with a guy behind me who appeared to be homeless (he had a grocery cart with clothing on it and no vehicle). When I was at the cashier, he was again right behind me. He asked how much I got- I told him I got $47 and he said he got about double that with just what was in his shopping cart. I drive an SUV.
I was curious and we struck up a conversation. He said he once made $5k in a week, which sounded beyond believable. He said he knew of a business and when their fiscal year ended they threw out a bunch of brass. I wonder if he struck up a deal with someone else to use their truck or something. Who knows.
I asked about other places he goes and the prices he gets and he referred me to a couple that were out of my way, but offered much better prices than what I've gotten.
Here is the whopper... I found a place that will give me 70 cents a pound for the soft insulated #2 wire that I was getting 25 cents a pound for. AND THERE IS NO NEED TO STRIP OFF THE ENDS/PLUGS! Almost triple the money and I will save hundreds of hours of labor and my poor aching hands. I am absolutely floored that I got such a deal.
If I hadn't struck up a conversation with the homeless guy, this may have never happened. I wish I had bought him dinner. I may never see him again. Oh well...
My dad says things happen for a reason. Perhaps the time spent snipping with little return was to get me to appreciate how good scrapping can be. I thought I appreciated it before. Now I really do!!!
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