# Don't you just love free stuff?



## samuel-a (Jan 14, 2010)

back here it's not that common to find privte people with awareness to e-scrap recycling.
came across that guy, he was saving a few office computers upgrades... and just gave it away to me knowing it will be recycled.



- few dozen of different kinds of cards
- whole lot of flat cables




- 30 motherboard
- 27 CD ROM some DVD
- 13 floppy's
- 10 hard drives




- 12 CPU's (low grade)




plus, had also 15 power supplies which i still do know what to do with
allredy accumulated 40 or 50 power supplies ...

nice score... hell, even the drive was free... :mrgreen:


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## silversaddle1 (Jan 14, 2010)

Call your local scrap yard, we get .10-15 cents a pound for whole power supplies around here.


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## samuel-a (Jan 25, 2010)

> Call your local scrap yard, we get .10-15 cents a pound for whole power supplies around here.




thanks man, they gave me 0.18 per pound... i guess it's ok.

they also paied the same for scrap wire and transformers.. is this ok?

i still have IDE flat cables, that i don't know how much i shuld sell for a pound...


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## Barren Realms 007 (Jan 25, 2010)

samuel-a said:


> thanks man, they gave me 0.18 per pound... i guess it's ok.
> 
> they also paied the same for scrap wire and transformers.. is this ok?
> 
> i still have IDE flat cables, that i don't know how much i shuld sell for a pound...



Take a sample in with you and ask them they might tell you to throw it in with the rest of the wire you take in to them. I guess you are taking the ends off and processing them?

.18/lb on the power supplies sounds like a fair price. What did they give you on the wire and the transformers?


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## samuel-a (Jan 25, 2010)

> Take a sample in with you and ask them they might tell you to throw it in with the rest of the wire you take in to them. I guess you are taking the ends off and processing them?
> 
> .18/lb on the power supplies sounds like a fair price. What did they give you on the wire and the transformers?



yes, i'm processing the ends in a crockpot...

on the wire and the transformers they gave me the same - 0.18 per lb = good/bad?


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## jimdoc (Jan 25, 2010)

Last time I sold wire I got 0.82 per lb. That was for power cords and all the cut cords from power supplies and ribbon cables.
You should be able to do better with your wire prices.
Jim


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## samuel-a (Jan 25, 2010)

thank you Jim.

duly noted. this was actually the first time i even went in a scrap yard...


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## jimdoc (Jan 25, 2010)

Shop around. I have a few places I can deal with, and chose the one I like best. There are others I would never go back to, because of their honesty problems. Some scrap yards may pay higher for wire if they have a way to process it themselves. Most pay for wire by thickness of the wire, so if you keep the ticker cables separate from the thinner cables they may pay you more. Very thick wires are best to strip yourself to get #1 copper price, the thinner wires aren't worth the hassle.
Jim


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## samuel-a (Jan 25, 2010)

thank you, i'll shop around...

what do you get for aluminum? (heat sinks, hard drives, floppy 1.44 drives)

i see the spot price today is around 1.1$ per lb


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## Barren Realms 007 (Jan 25, 2010)

samuel-a said:


> thank you, i'll shop around...
> 
> what do you get for aluminum? (heat sinks, hard drives, floppy 1.44 drives)
> 
> i see the spot price today is around 1.1$ per lb




Kitco shows .99/lb on Alluminum.
http://www.kitcometals.com/

I think you can do better on the cables too.


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## jimdoc (Jan 25, 2010)

Aluminum I got around 0.33 lb, that seems low compared to the Kitco prices. The copper prices seem more fair compared to the Kitco prices.
Jim


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## Barren Realms 007 (Jan 25, 2010)

jimdoc said:


> Aluminum I got around 0.33 lb, that seems low compared to the Kitco prices. The copper prices seem more fair compared to the Kitco prices.
> Jim



I think Aluminum will be lower in percentage because more waste is allowed with it than with copper. .33 does sound a little low tho. I have to take some stuff in in a few days and I will see what I can find out about prices around here.


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## rfd298 (Jan 26, 2010)

I got .45 a pound last week for Aluminum heat sinks and such. I also got 25 cents a pound for aluminum wire (ide and different data cables). Every little bit adds up.


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## samuel-a (Jan 26, 2010)

humm... good price, that's around 45% off spot for your Aluminum.

i didn't know that IDE cables are Aluminum, thank you for the info.

tommorow i'll go back to the scrap yard to sell some more scrap metal... i hope this time i'll get paid right...


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## Barren Realms 007 (Jan 26, 2010)

Best thing to do is learn how to seperate it the way they want it to maximize your profits. And also to make the determination on how you will break things down. It's like transformers. Most people will sell them whole for .18-.25/lb.. But if you remove the copper windings you can possibly get #2 copper price. That is because there is a schilac on the copper if you burn it you can get #1 copper price. And if you want to take it a step further you can take a sprayer and spray dilute vinigar on it and let it shine the copper up for you and then rinse it off. The difference adds up if your labor is cheap. We will chase pennies here for gold. Why not for the less precious metals? Is it because we see that glittering of gold rather than the soft dull glow of copper? In electronics recyceling use your base metals to fund your work and your precious metals to make your nest egg.

Not exact price just comparrison:

transformer cores: .18-.25/lb
#2 Copper: 1.85/lb
#1 Copper: 2.25/lb

Do you realize that is over a 21% diffrence between #1 & #2!

Would anyone here sell $1,100 gold for 880?


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## qst42know (Jan 26, 2010)

Check your local scrap yard policies. 

Here any burnt copper goes for #2 regardless of the gauge.

I can't burn wire where I am anyway but it's good to know what your buyer expects.


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## trashmaster (Jan 26, 2010)

Here in Jonesboro, Ark. It does not matter if you strip off the plastic or burn it off the copper it pays the same.

Copper #1 bare 
)$2.65lb (The size of an pencil lead,, Striped clean or burnt ,, no difference 
C
Copper #1 Insulated $1.30lb

Copper #2 bare $2.55lb (less than pencil lead size , single or braded ))
Copper #2 insulated $1.00lb

Copper 30% insulated $ .50lb (very small wire , if you bend it it will spring back up ,, to much plastic... )

Transformers $ .22lb (electric motor's )

paul


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## Barren Realms 007 (Jan 26, 2010)

trashmaster said:


> Here in Jonesboro, Ark. It does not matter if you strip off the plastic or burn it off the copper it pays the same.
> 
> Copper #1 bare
> )$2.65lb (The size of an pencil lead,, Striped clean or burnt ,, no difference
> ...




Hi there trashmaster. Last time I was at the yard in Marion there was a tall skinny guy there that was from one of the yards there in Jonesboro. Not sure how many you have there. Nice guy too. The one in Marion is part of the same company from what I understand so we should be getting close to the same price on stuff.


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## trashmaster (Jan 29, 2010)

We only have one scrap yard here and they are owned by TRG in Little Rock.. They also buy Circut boards but don't pay much.

paul


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## Barren Realms 007 (Jan 29, 2010)

It should be the same company then. What are they giving you for the circuit boards? I figured they were owned by one of the Memphis companies.


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## trashmaster (Jan 29, 2010)

You really don't want to know,, :x They are tooooo cheap:::: O.K. I will tell you 

$ .15 for low grade ( any type of circuit board )
$ .85 for high grade ( only mother boards,backframes, or boards with finger 's )


See I told you that you did not want to know:::::


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## Barren Realms 007 (Jan 29, 2010)

That's with all the components removed, and finger's removed?


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## steveonmars (Jan 29, 2010)

Can someone be more specific on what the size is for #1 copper vs #2? Also the very fine copper is another price, isn't it? How small does it have to be before it isn't #2 anymore? I've been collecting wire, both stripped and unstripped for quite some time now and I'm finally getting to the point where I want to turn it in so I want to get the best price I can, especially if it's only a matter of seperating it the right way.

I also have buckets full of windings of all different types and sizes, I guess those can be seperated by wire size too, or doesn't that matter?

thanks a lot,

Steve


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## steveonmars (Jan 29, 2010)

One more quick question. Some wires are either red or green colored, does that make any difference or is it just the size that matters? 

Thanks,

Steve


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## Barren Realms 007 (Jan 30, 2010)

steveonmars said:


> Can someone be more specific on what the size is for #1 copper vs #2? Also the very fine copper is another price, isn't it? How small does it have to be before it isn't #2 anymore? I've been collecting wire, both stripped and unstripped for quite some time now and I'm finally getting to the point where I want to turn it in so I want to get the best price I can, especially if it's only a matter of seperating it the right way.
> 
> I also have buckets full of windings of all different types and sizes, I guess those can be seperated by wire size too, or doesn't that matter?
> 
> ...



Your copper wire without insulation will be #1. Except for the motor windings that is because they have a covering on them it will be greaded #2 wire unless you remove this cover on the wire and then it will possibly be graded #1, it will depend on your buyer. 

You insulated wire will be graded by copper to insulation percentage by some buyers (thickness of insulation). I think anything under #112 or #14 will be graded lower.


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## trashmaster (Jan 30, 2010)

Yes that is $ .15 lb even if the boards are sheared flush,, Sound,Vidio, and other cards are High grade with fingers $ .85 lb,,, If you remove the fingers they are then LOW grade. :evil:


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## Barren Realms 007 (Jan 30, 2010)

Now you see that just ain't right, that is just taking advantage of a good old southern boy.


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## escrap (Jan 30, 2010)

What are you guys usually getting for your boards down in that region. Trashmaster, the price that that recycling company way to low. We are looking to grab some accounts in that area because we have a few places we pick up from down there. But as you guys know, the more the better.


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## Barren Realms 007 (Jan 30, 2010)

escrap said:


> What are you guys usually getting for your boards down in that region. Trashmaster, the price that that recycling company way to low. We are looking to grab some accounts in that area because we have a few places we pick up from down there. But as you guys know, the more the better.



You would probably end up in Memphis,TN or Little Rock,AR. Trashmaster is in between these two. I am next to Memphis.

I contacted a company in Memphis that had an add on Alibaba the other day about some computers they had for sale. When I talked to the guy he acted like I was crazy. He said he was buying stuff not selling. 

His direct quote: You are doing the same thing I am. So there must be someone in Memphis doing this that I was not aware of.

What do you think your company might offer if you come down to this area?


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## escrap (Jan 30, 2010)

Well for boards we would pay 2.00-2.35 if the quantity is enough. We usually make up runs where we hit a few different accounts at the same time to really give us some quantities. But then we also pay around .75 for mixed computer wire and .35 for harddrives. Plus we come to you and pay cash.


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## Barren Realms 007 (Jan 30, 2010)

escrap said:


> Well for boards we would pay 2.00-2.35 if the quantity is enough. We usually make up runs where we hit a few different accounts at the same time to really give us some quantities. But then we also pay around .75 for mixed computer wire and .35 for harddrives. Plus we come to you and pay cash.



The price on your boards looks good for around here from what Trasmaster posted. I think you might need to come up on your copper prices. I take my hards drives apart. But I also realize you are making a trip.

I don't know who else around here is doing this with E-scrap. I haven't run acroos anyone around here that does what I do except for the guy that I mentioned in the earlier post.

For me this is just a hobby for now. I have my main buisness I have to tend to first. But that is not to say I will not expand this endevour. If there was somone close to deal with at a resonable price I would expand this endevour but I haven't been successful at this point in finding a supplier of whole computers.


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## escrap (Jan 31, 2010)

Yeah we are actually a newer company but are looking to start expanding. Around here our copper prices are fair, for the flat wire and computer wire the most you can get is about .55/lb. For many people this is a hobby. That is what it started out for me. Until I started receiving more than i could handle. Then it turned into a full time job.


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## Anonymous (Dec 26, 2010)

For any kind of cable ,flat or not ,you should get $1.05-$1.15/lb at your local scrab yards, that what we pay!!!


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## rbramsey (Dec 27, 2010)

Most scrap yards we've done business with calls #2 copper any clean copper <16 gauge. 16 gauge and larger clean is #1. There can be no insulation, green, or solder on it. If you leave the insulation on the wire you will get dinged hard for it. Clean your copper before selling.

Several years a go my father used to clean motors from washing machines to some that weighed more than 26,000 lbs. He would get them by the dump truck load. At the time he was paying $0.10/lb for motors. He would have them broke down and cleaned in a few days. He sold the #2 copper for $0.60, #1 copper for $0.80, and steel for $0.04. He should have wrote a book on it. 

Richard


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