christmas tree lights

**johnyor29** · 03-31-2014, 05:22 AM

I have been busy on my short 10 minute breaks at work with christmas tree lights. I have to pull the bulbs out of them for yard. I have like 40 pounds or more lol. Gonna take a while to get done i take a bag at a time and work on them when i can. I am about to put them in an old pillow case or bed sheet and put old plywood over that and run over them

**wadarbr549** · 03-31-2014, 05:43 AM

wow, that sounds awful time consuming...they just go with insulated wire around here....are insulated wire is only 50 cents per pound though..i believe it is higher a lot of places

**NHscrapman** · 03-31-2014, 05:53 AM

I'ts called shop wire here. .45/lb
And i agree put them in a sack and start pounding on them with what evers heavy to get the majority of them buggers or some people pull and sell the bulbs on ebay the choice is yours.

**Russell** · 03-31-2014, 06:22 AM

Find a new yard. You should be able to sell them" as is" , most yards will categorization them by themselves with their own special price.

**johnyor29** · 03-31-2014, 06:26 AM

yeah they are strick it is nuts i will just pound them

**Sirscrapalot** · 03-31-2014, 06:43 AM

If your pulling out the bulbs, an already sell on ebay, your passing up money. If your crushing the bulbs..more power to you I reckon.

I save my Christmas lights for slow/lazy days, an sit out on the deck an pull'm out while enjoying the sun an the cooler. Like most things, once you do them enough it goes quick. Assuming you don't get a run on stubborn ones.

Yea yea, time is money, but when I'm not doing anything...I'm not making money. It's a nice activity to save for a slow/lazy/bored while watching tv day.

YMMV

Sirscrapalot - I judge a restaurant by the bread and by the coffee. - Burt Lancaster

**johnyor29** · 03-31-2014, 09:48 AM

thats what i have been doin scrapalot but last bag i scavanged has been crazy stubborn where should i start the bid on the lights if sellin on ebay how much you let them go for. right now just takeing off on slow boreing days and breaks at work

**travistemple202020** · 03-31-2014, 11:51 AM

there is a few buyers i remember reading that buy the bulbs on here but you will have to look at the buyers as i do not know the name of them but yes a small flat rate box full of multi color bulbs I sell for $10 its a low price but faster for sales since I build the boxes and just fill them as I go, close them and stack them and here and there sell a few but around sep it picks up real well for all the hard core lighters that take months to put them up

**hobo finds** · 04-01-2014, 10:35 AM

If I cut off the bulbs and plastic bulb holders I get #2 Ins wire price $1.00 a pound. If I leave them as is its only $.15 a pound. So I cut and cut again

**MommaMechanic** · 06-07-2014, 12:30 PM

Forgive me for resurrecting an old thread but it seemed somewhat relevant as I just picked up a whole bunch of Christmas lights myself. I can understand pulling the bulbs out but are you guys also cutting off the sockets? Should these be kept separate?

**jw7783** · 06-07-2014, 12:41 PM

Originally Posted by MommaMechanic

Forgive me for resurrecting an old thread but it seemed somewhat relevant as I just picked up a whole bunch of Christmas lights myself. I can understand pulling the bulbs out but are you guys also cutting off the sockets? Should these be kept separate?

The yards want the wire, with the copper, the sockets are mainly plastic.

**NHscrapman** · 06-07-2014, 03:20 PM

What's your yard's prices for light strands. If it's anything like hobo at .15/lb then it is probably worth the effort, if prices are around the range i get then prices are pretty much the same if i cut them off or leave them on. If you only had to smash bulbs to get a better price the, bag and whack technique should work well to quicken the process.

**auminer** · 06-08-2014, 03:53 AM

My yard pays .20/# right now, down from 35 just a couple months ago. But even at that price, I really can't see the ROI in lopping off the sockets & bulbs just to make .60/# as LGC insulated #2.

Here's a screenshot of my spreadsheet filtered to just show xmas lights, date, weight, & price:

**jw7783** · 06-08-2014, 07:52 AM

i like that layout, may have to change mine up a little, I just do it by trip

**thekeith** · 06-21-2014, 10:47 AM

Just took in 75 lbs. got $.40/lb. not bad for just pick up and sell. Sometimes if there are long pieces of just wire I will cut that out and set aside. I got a few of those wire reindeer lawn decorations with the lights attached, it's like a shred bonus but a pita when loading.

**newattitude** · 06-21-2014, 12:26 PM

I am not required to remove the bulbs. Once, I sat and cut the wire to throw in my number 2 bucket but was left with the sockets and can't sell those as anything. its like my yard guy says, you cut that wire and lose the weight of the sockets.

**Sirscrapalot** · 06-21-2014, 03:41 PM

I just got two big brown shopping bags of Christmas lights for .10 lol. I'll be pulling bulbs while grilling later, an enjoying some beverages.

Hanging out by the grill with some cold beverages a hunk of red meat grilling an smoking away, while enjoying the dying rays of the sunlight is a good way to strip Christmas lights. Or take apart keyboards, etc.

Sirscrapalot - finds a way to enjoy things, even boring things like stripping Christmas lights of their bulbs.

**Soobthang** · 06-23-2014, 04:43 PM

Don't forget the brass in the sockets and plugs.

**ChildhoodDream** · 03-12-2015, 05:30 AM

Last fall I sold over 100 pounds of the mini bulbs I pulled from strings of mini lights to a man that is into model rail roading. They prefer the mini incandescent bulbs over the LED's as the lighting is more natural and they have been using them for many years before the LED lights became popular.

Why did he buy so many? Because he has a outlet for selling them. I'm trying to get another batch of them ready for him for later this year. It takes A LOT of those tiny bulbs to make 100 pounds.

The buyers of these bulbs are NOT interested in the sockets that the bulbs were pulled from. But they do prefer that the plastic part of the bulb is left on. They take them apart further if they choose.

I have always liked anything that had lights and wires so over the years I ended up with many strings of the mini lights. I like taking them apart out on my patio or I will sit on the steps outside my door and just putz with them as I drink a beer and relax and see what's going on around my little personal world.

I have been collecting the older BIG bulb light strings and the bulbs as I have always liked them since I was young.

Here is a little secret treat for those that may find it interesting.

Of the many personal collections I have my favorite one is collecting the baby/toddler toy keys on rings. I have been collecting them for about 36 years now. I find it VERY weird and odd that they are VERY hard to find for sale. I get most of mine from sales, thrifts and friends keep a eye out for them for me. I have a reason that I collect them that goes back to when I was 6.

I do enjoy collecting my toys.

christmas tree lights

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