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2 Questions.

| Scrap Metal Tips and Advice
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    Zooyork21 started this thread.
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    2 Questions.

    Hey there all. Im new to the forum and fairly new to the industry. If I could get a couple answers thatd be great!

    1- Should I be cutting the ends off of wires/cables (such as the prongs off a power cord or connecters off computer wires) before bringing them in ?

    2- Ive heard that breaking down laptops is a waste of time and I may even LOSE money in the end. Should I not be breaking them down?



  2. #2
    NHscrapman's Avatar
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    two answers
    1:depends on your time and situation
    2:depends on your time and situation

    I make money breaking down laptops
    I loose money cutting ends

    could be different for you, I'm not sure what your yard pay's, what your ewaste buyer pays, what your overhead is, how much time you have on your hands, or what value you put on that time.
    Last edited by NHscrapman; 12-07-2015 at 09:51 AM.
    There ain't nothing wrong with an honest days work. Anyone who says otherwise is a fool.- Old Man

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  4. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Zooyork21 View Post
    Hey there all. Im new to the forum and fairly new to the industry. If I could get a couple answers thatd be great!

    1- Should I be cutting the ends off of wires/cables (such as the prongs off a power cord or connecters off computer wires) before bringing them in ?

    2- Ive heard that breaking down laptops is a waste of time and I may even LOSE money in the end. Should I not be breaking them down?
    I'm old school, the more preparation that I put into my scrap was rewarded with higher payments, but In today's highly mechanised world copper wire is recovered from the shredder. Ask your yard how they prefer to receive cords containing copper.

    For the beginner cutting may not be a bad idea as not all cords have copper wire some have aluminium wire, cutting would help you identify the type of wire used.

    As for laptops headed for e-waste disassembly is a waste of time, on some of the high end stuff you ,might be able to sell keyboards, ram and monitors as replacements on ebay.

  5. #4
    greytruck's Avatar
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    At the yard I frequent, Cords need to have the plugs removed or else they are bought as communication wire.

  6. #5
    hobo finds's Avatar
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    Cord ends depend on your yard. Call and ask. One yard here buys the cut ends as copper content.

    What I do is
    #2 ins wire ends off gets me $.60 lb If on they pay you $.45 lb
    I remove the brass prongs twist tem or snip them off $1.24 lb
    and the ends get me $.13 lb as copper content

    And yes I also save the gold ends in hopes the price will go up and I can ship them out with my ewaste.
    Last edited by hobo finds; 12-08-2015 at 10:44 AM.

  7. #6
    matador's Avatar
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    Ask the yard. I do for some cords, and not others. Most cords don't make a difference at our yards, but I cut the dryer cords that I take in (Though my small amount probably wouldn't make much of a difference)
    More than Scrap Value Shipment Tips: http://www.scrapmetalforum.com/scrap...tml#post242349

  8. #7
    Mechanic688's Avatar
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    I would clip the gold ends and throw them into your OMG bucket. Your yard wants the wire a certain way so check with them.



    ** For you younger members that may not know, the OMG bucket stands for "Oh MY God it's Gold" bucket. That's where all your gold connector ends should go.
    P & M Recycling - Specializing in E-Waste Recycling.
    If you enjoy your freedom, thank a vet.

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  10. #8
    AuburnEwaste's Avatar
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    Some ends are worth cutting and some are not. It depends on your buyer, but generally you will get a better price cutting the ends off of power cords. On computer wire you are probably wasting time but again that depends on your buyer. I do not cut ends off computer wire because I do not get a better price this way, and the ends are only worth a few cents more per pound than the wire anyway.

    As for the laptops, we have a buyer here who is paying 6.50 each on laptops with good screens. There is no way you will get this much per unit if you take them apart, regardless of what you are getting for the scrap.

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  12. #9
    Zooyork21 started this thread.
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    Awesome, thanks guys.
    I wont drop any names but my local yard is well known for under paying, not being very friendly and not being upfront with how they want things so they can pay less.
    Im considering making the drive to another yard from now on.

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    *cough* OMG IT"S GOLD BUCKET!™ *cough*


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