Hard drive value: complete vs. commodity

[takenbyvultures]

Hello all, I have a quick question: Do scrappers typically pay higher prices for complete hard drives or should I disassemble and distribute in commodity bins?
Thank you very much, this is a great forum!

[Mechanic688]

If you have quite a few, then break them down for max value, but if you only have a few you might just sell them to an escrapper or buyer of escrap.
The circuit boards are worth $10-11 per lb, and the tops are usually stainless and the bottoms are cast alum. There is even buyers for the super magnets.
The going rate is around .85 lb. for whole ones.

[Ballymoss]

My local yard pays 20p per Kilo whole or 70p per Kilo broken apart.

[PartTimeScrapper]

IF they are 80GB or more then are worth more if you sell them on ebay.

[takenbyvultures]

Thanks for the tips, I actually sell on ebay primarily. Even HD's less than 80GB will sell for good money. 2.5" IDE's are making a huge comeback lately. I have adapters to test each hard drive, if they work then they are listed on ebay, but I have some bad HD's piling up. So say I have 50 laptop hard drives, (weigh approx 5oz each), would it be worth more to sell them complete or pull the logic boards and sell separately, then divide the remaining commodities. Thanks again to everyone.

[PartTimeScrapper]

You always make more the more you seperate. In most cases anyway. best thing to do is tear one down and weigh it out and see for yourself then you will know.

[takenbyvultures]

I actually don't have a buyer for scrap yet, that's why I was wondering how much I should break it down. After the first haul, I should have a better idea.

[Mechanic688]

http://www.scrapmetalforum.com/forum...rs-amp-Sellers

There's some ewaste buyer's listed here, a few post regularly, and some have their pricesheets listed. You can go back thru some posts and find some recommendations for some of the buyers.

[takenbyvultures]

Thanks a lot for the link, I'm hoping to do a lot more scrapping soon. I just picked up a Dodge 3500 Cargo Van to load up.

[parrothead]

Thanks for the tips, I actually sell on ebay primarily. Even HD's less than 80GB will sell for good money. 2.5" IDE's are making a huge comeback lately. I have adapters to test each hard drive, if they work then they are listed on ebay, but I have some bad HD's piling up. So say I have 50 laptop hard drives, (weigh approx 5oz each), would it be worth more to sell them complete or pull the logic boards and sell separately, then divide the remaining commodities. Thanks again to everyone.

Question for you if I may. I just snagged a mess of hard drives that I am tearing down. I pulled a few that I would rather sell than break down. What exactly do you have to test these with? I pulled a WD 80 gig, a WD 160 gig and a WD caviar green 500 gig that I want to test. I figure I can just sell them as is, but would rather say that I tested them and erased them or something along those lines.

Thanks in advance.

[takenbyvultures]

The easiest way is to pick up a USB hard drive adapter from ebay or frys. They will connect to 2.5 SATA, 3.5 SATA. 2.5 IDE, and 3.5 IDE which are basically all of the basic hard drives that come in consumer electronics. You wont be able to use it with SCSI, Fibre Channel, or SAS from servers and such. You basically hook the hard drive up to the adapter then plug the usb into the computer you're using, if the hard drive spools up thats a good sign, then your computer should recognize the hardware connected and it'll pop up in "my computer" as a storage device. You can right click and select format and reformat the drive so it can be reused. This will wipe just fine, not to DOD standards or anything. If the hard drive makes a buzzing noise, you hear the arm clicking on the platter or it doesn't spool up, then chances are the drive is bad and should be scrapped. Just search "usb hard drive adapter" on ebay and find a kit. Hope this helps.

[parrothead]

It helps a bunch! Thanks!. I just bought this.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/300582905564...84.m1497.l2649

[Ewasted]

Keep in mind there is a chance the hard drive could be failing and still read via that device. Only for sure method is to run a full hard drive diagnostic. There may be some free software available online, never really looked.

[parrothead]

Yeah, I want to do that as well. I plan on offering a gaurantee of some sort like I have seen on some of the hard drive auctions I saw.

[takenbyvultures]

Also, I've come across a lot that won't pop up when connected to adapter so they appear to be bad, but I went through disk management and they had lots of partitions and volumes on the drive so for some reason they won't be recognized. On windows 7 just go to start and in the search bar type disk management and it will open, then you can right click and delete volumes/partitions, the create new volume and click through the steps and I've fixed lots of HD's that way that appear bad at first glance.

[PartTimeScrapper]

It helps a bunch! Thanks!. I just bought this.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/300582905564...84.m1497.l2649

Thats the one I use. as far as checking the drives I download the drive tools from manufactures website and run the system test for the drives.

[PartTimeScrapper]

Also, I've come across a lot that won't pop up when connected to adapter so they appear to be bad, but I went through disk management and they had lots of partitions and volumes on the drive so for some reason they won't be recognized. On windows 7 just go to start and in the search bar type disk management and it will open, then you can right click and delete volumes/partitions, the create new volume and click through the steps and I've fixed lots of HD's that way that appear bad at first glance.

I always use disk management first to do exactly that as well. Delete all partitions make a new single one do a format then a diognostic.

[parrothead]

Great information here guys! Thanks!

[Mechanic688]

http://www.scrapmetalforum.com/showt...ar-suggestions Have you read this yet, I'd like to know a little more before I start selling.