# Help determining value



## goob (Oct 11, 2011)

This board came out of a Panasonic "mobile telephone unit" model eb-2502. I see them in thrift stores fairly regularly and just wondering if they are worth getting and how much I should be willing to pay for them. Sorry for the blurry picture, it's the best I could get with my cell phone.







People in my area won't give anything away, so I will have to buy pretty much everything I am scrapping. Several times people have actually taken things from the garbage back into their house after I asked them if it was okay for me to take it. Just trying not to miss any opportunities. Thanks in advance.


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## patnor1011 (Oct 11, 2011)

I dont know. I would not pay for that. You will do better to buy karat gold. Electronics are good to process if you pay next to nothing or get them free. Also you need to think about volumes if you want to get gold from electronic scrap.


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## goob (Oct 12, 2011)

patnor1011 said:


> I dont know. I would not pay for that. You will do better to buy karat gold. Electronics are good to process if you pay next to nothing or get them free. Also you need to think about volumes if you want to get gold from electronic scrap.



I already buy any karat gold I can get for less than spot. It's not an either or scenario, I just don't want to pass on something that could be worth getting. I paid $1.50 for the entire unit, so it's not expensive and I see them pretty regularly. The board is worth something for sure, I just don't have enough experience to trust my own judgment on this. To me it seems to be better than normal motherboards or pc expansion cards, I'm not really sure how to estimate value on this type of thing though. 

I will hardly ever get anything free, and I don't intend to process my own electronic scrap for some time, I'm also not trying to get rich. I specifically am interested in electronic scrap, because I like to take apart old electronics. If I were only trying to make some money, I would do something a lot easier.


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## patnor1011 (Oct 12, 2011)

Well if you do it as hobby then money are not that important you invest what you can afford to keep yourself happy. I only said that PM recovery from electronics is not profitable for any backyard hobbyist refiner. It is profitable only for big boys doing huge volumes and having proper set up and hardware. Therefore I dont think you can make money even if you get that board for 50c
I cant see any extra value on that piece. No fingers not a lot of plated items....


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## goob (Oct 13, 2011)

patnor1011 said:


> Well if you do it as hobby then money are not that important you invest what you can afford to keep yourself happy. I only said that PM recovery from electronics is not profitable for any backyard hobbyist refiner. It is profitable only for big boys doing huge volumes and having proper set up and hardware. Therefore I dont think you can make money even if you get that board for 50c
> I cant see any extra value on that piece. No fingers not a lot of plated items....



Being a hobby does not mean the money is not important. In any other hobby I don't buy something just because I can afford it. I do research and ask other people that know more about it than myself before I decide if it is worth getting. There isn't much information available on determining precise value of generic e-waste so I asked here. All I can find is that more chips or more gold plating makes things more valuable. I could ask someone that buys the stuff, but I wanted to get opinions from people that don't stand to make money off of me

I know the boards from those early 80's mobile phones contain some amount of silver and gold, so it is worth something to e-scrap refiners. I could probably throw some of those in with a load of motherboards and slot cards and sell them to a local place for $2/lb. It also had an IC chip I can sell for $5/lb with a bunch of other chips I have. So, there is a small amount of profit even at those prices. Selling to one of the places online would make it a little better.

All I want to know is a relative value. Is it worth the same as motherboards or is it better or not as good?


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## RESET (Oct 13, 2011)

If I had to guess what the board buyers would group that with, I would say that it was motherboard grade. Go to Boardsort.com and send a pic and weight to them asking what they would pay for it.


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## patnor1011 (Oct 13, 2011)

patnor1011 said:


> I cant see any extra value on that piece. No fingers not a lot of plated items....



I guess that was the answer you waited for. Maybe you don't want to see it that way. As I said I would not pay even 50c for that unit if I would think I want to make profit or at least return of investment.


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## goob (Oct 17, 2011)

patnor1011 said:


> patnor1011 said:
> 
> 
> > I cant see any extra value on that piece. No fingers not a lot of plated items....
> ...



I'm not trying to process any of the boards myself, so I don't care about it being profitable to process them. I don't even know how to go about doing it. I am going to sell most everything to boardsort.com keeping only the things that are said to be easier to process for a hobbyist until I know enough to attempt processing that. I don't care about making a profit from the things I will eventually process myself, but I don't want to lose money on things that I'm selling as scrap because I didn't ask about the value.

If that board would be accepted as motherboard grade, then I'm happy. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't worth more than that because I don't know about this kind of stuff.


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## philddreamer (Oct 17, 2011)

Hi Goob!
I would take them to a recycler & ask them. Tyr 2 or 3 in your area so you get their prices to compare & then decide. 

Take care!

Phil


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## Ocean (Oct 17, 2011)

My business, Relectrocycle, used to be located in Belleview.

We moved a few months ago up Baseline Road across from the Marion County Landfill.

Give me a call and we can talk shop.

Jack Ostteen
352-804-0068
Relectrocycle, LLC
http://www.Relectrocycle.com

edited for spelllling


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## goob (Oct 17, 2011)

Ocean said:


> My business, Relectrocycle, used to be located in Belleview.
> 
> We moved a few months ago up Baseline Road across from the Marion County Landfill.
> 
> ...



Will do.


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## texan (Oct 19, 2011)

There is gold in that unit but you are going to have to crack open some of the components to find it. The power module at the bottom of the photo will have gold on it...the amount will be determined by the vintage and model. Scrape off the coating very carefully. The flat packs will have some gold...some of those old 80's vintage chips are composites of 2 or 3 other chips/modules in one package...I have been pleasently surprised at times. One of them had a .25 inch side brazed xtal chip and other goodies underneath the black casing. I will see if I can find it and shoot a photo.

Texan


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## joem (Oct 23, 2011)

Ocean said:


> My business, Relectrocycle, used to be located in Belleview.
> 
> We moved a few months ago up Baseline Road



Ocean , That's funny
my recycler is also on baseline road.

hi goob
check out my free advertising thread in the link in my signature
do not pay for anything unless it's alot of green printed circuit boards and you can resell them for more than you paid. My usual rate is 25 cents a geen board, I tell people to gather up 100 items and they seem to be happy with 25 dollars, or offer free recycling services - but hey it's all in my thread.


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## goob (Oct 25, 2011)

joem said:


> Ocean said:
> 
> 
> > My business, Relectrocycle, used to be located in Belleview.
> ...



I don't think I am far enough along to warrant any advertising. Right now, I am just working on getting a few people I know that have a garage full of old computers to sell them to me. I even told this one guy I'd pay him $5 each for 15 or so windows '95 era pc's he has been using to take up space in his shed for years but he still doesn't seem too keen on getting rid of them.


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## glondor (Oct 26, 2011)

5 dollars each is too much. Margins are slim if you get them for free once you account for the work breaking them down. Unless they can be sold as working units. Finding buyers who would be happy with windows 95 would be tough. Maybe your friend thinks each one has several hundred dollars worth of gold inside! Common misconception. Save your $$$ and pass on them.


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## loserx69 (Oct 26, 2011)

I wish I could buy or have a steady stream of towers available to me for $5 a head. Around SE Wisconsin its $6-$7 and up depending on vintage. Luckily for me I have no overhead other than my fuel and a little electricity for two clip-on lights and a battery charger. Tearing apart 8-12 towers and hour, gets me in the $20-$25 an hour range when it's all said and done.


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## goob (Oct 26, 2011)

I've worked on tons of old computers so I have a pretty good idea of what is inside them, and based on current prices those early to mid 90's boxes are worth paying a couple extra dollars. I might even pay $5 for 98 and Me boxes if i could get them consistently.


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## MMFJ (Oct 31, 2011)

I've taken the truly 'lazy' route about pricing computers and parts, etc. for those that want me to actually buy them. I just wrote a program that reads my buyer's website (boardsort, for now...) and then drops the price to X less. When someone asks if I buy them, I refer them to that page and tell them "it is connected directly to the MARKET PRICE for computers and parts" and that we pay CASH at that rate for everything delivered to us.

The user can put in their own weight(s) and then see what I would pay for the computer and/or parts (based on the ACTUAL, 'live' data from the buyer - yeah, kinda cool and even Chris likes it.... 

You can check it out yourself at http://tcoa.com/escrap.html (you will have to put in some data [ANYTHING...] in the 'name' and 'drivers license' area, but it is only for printing purposes - nothing is retained at this time, though that is a future development)

I'd be interested in knowing what others think of this method - we have seen pretty good success with it and have done some craigslist ads that are bringing in a few computers here/there (we are paying about $2 each - yesterday I bought 4 pre-Win2000s and two laptops for $11 - the breakdown, selling to boardsort, totals $29.68 - plus the $7 or so we'll get for the carcasses, aluminum, etc. at the scrap yard). Have even gotten a few calls from other scrapper folks for some BIG lots - we'll see how those turn out soon.

The totals are there (double your money, but you have to put in some time), though you really need a bigger lot to make it worthwhile.

However, this type of *PAYING FOR used computers* has side-benefits as well - the guy we bought the 4 computers/2 laptops from had a brand new box of R-22 refrigerant and an A/C reclaim unit which are worth about $450 that I got from him for $160, plus he told me he has some 1800s-ish silverware and various other item he wants me to look at - all of which he is ready to sell at reasonable pricing and/or split the profits if I sell them for him on fleaBay......

The key here is - never stop asking and looking! Also, be willing to pay _something _to get your foot in the door - it often leads to many, many more deals than you will ever see otherwise!


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## gold4mike (Nov 1, 2011)

I'm doing a manual method of your idea. 

I took the prices from Boardsort, knocked off 30% and started passing out pricing sheets to anyone who seems interested. The local scrap yards have been giving my name to anyone who asks them about computer scrap.


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## MMFJ (Nov 1, 2011)

gold4mike said:


> I'm doing a manual method of your idea.
> 
> I took the prices from Boardsort, knocked off 30% and started passing out pricing sheets to anyone who seems interested. The local scrap yards have been giving my name to anyone who asks them about computer scrap.



Great idea, though IMHO you are too high on your buying price (remember, you have to handle, store and pay shipping...). 30% off may make you some profit, but not worth the effort, I think. 

My page calculates it at

```
$buyprice = $sellprice * .3264;
```
 (that's about 30%, but near 60% OFF boardsort price) for now - considering variations for 'special buyers' (like bulk lots, etc.), just need to get those coming in and it makes it simple enough to learn what numbers work. I think it would be simple enough to just add 'X' cents for each part count (like

```
$buyprice = ($sellprice * .3264) + ('X' * $item_count * $sellprice * .3264);
```
 <== where 'X' is still TBD!) Thinking of simply trying 1% of the count to see how that goes = i.e., if you sell me just 1 (lots of handling, time and effort to mess with) you get that (32.64% of what I can sell it for), but if you bring me 100 of them (basically, all I need to do is put them in a box and collect my money!), you'd get ~100% more per pound ($0.6495). Of course, there would have to be a max on there just in case someone brought in too many pieces that my shipping cost would make me pay to take the stuff!


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## goob (Nov 8, 2011)

I haven't had much luck offering to buy boards and such. Generally once I express interest in buying their junk, they decide to keep it because it must be worth a lot more if I am willing to give them a $20 bill. But, this whole area is a bunch of scumbags trying to rip everyone off. I'm actually sort of stuck with ~$200 of old cb radio equipment and components I don't know anything about because of what should have been a straight forward deal falling through because the guy just wants to rob me blind. I was going to give him a really good deal too. I picked the stuff up pretty cheap and I knew he only paid $4 for the things I wanted to trade it for. Anyway, back on topic, sort of....

This weekend I picked up 10 computers from a guy at a flea market for $35. Half were hp e-pc's and the other half were dell optiplex's. It took me about an hour to break them down and I ended up with 14 lbs of motherboard grade that got me $60 when I brought them to Jack from relectrocycle on monday. The chassis were $11 at the scrap yard and after adding in the power supplies, hard drives + 1.4 lbs hd boards, floppy drives, .5 lbs ram, processors and whatnot I still have, it will be close to $100 for 10 less than average computers.

I'd have payed $5 each for those computers if I had to and it would have still been well worth my time. With the price of e-scrap now, it's insanely profitable for how little work is involved. Way better $/hr than anything else I do for sure. But, it really seems like most everyone on the internet is trying to make it sound hard and barely profitable. The real problem seems to be getting people to sell you their junk, and I'm normally pretty good at that because of my sales background.


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## MMFJ (Nov 9, 2011)

goob said:


> I haven't had much luck offering to buy boards and such. Generally once I express interest in buying their junk, they decide to keep it because it must be worth a lot more if I am willing to give them a $20 bill.



So, don't offer them anything but the chance to get it out of their site (or sight! - both are correct in this instance....). Even offer to sweep the place up afterwards as a 'bonus' (this is what I've done tons and tons of times - amazing how different the attitude is both on the fact that you 'hope to break even after hauling it all off', though then also the fact that you will make sure there is no mess left, which is ACTUALLY what most of the folks seem to think they need 'money' for - to make it worth their while to have you go in there and they'll have to clean up when you pull all that junk out....)



goob said:


> But, this whole area is a bunch of scumbags trying to rip everyone off. I'm actually sort of stuck with ~$200 of old cb radio equipment and components I don't know anything about because of what should have been a straight forward deal falling through because the guy just wants to rob me blind. I was going to give him a really good deal too. I picked the stuff up pretty cheap and I knew he only paid $4 for the things I wanted to trade it for.


Sounds like some pent-up frustration there! Too bad we all have no idea what you are talking about (but, hey, it looks like you at least got it off your chest! 

This weekend I picked up 10 computers from a guy at a flea market for $35. Half were hp e-pc's and the other half were dell optiplex's. It took me about an hour to break them down and I ended up with 14 lbs of motherboard grade that got me $60 when I brought them to Jack from relectrocycle on monday. The chassis were $11 at the scrap yard and after adding in the power supplies, hard drives + 1.4 lbs hd boards, floppy drives, .5 lbs ram, processors and whatnot I still have, it will be close to $100 for 10 less than average computers.

I'd have payed $5 each for those computers if I had to and it would have still been well worth my time. With the price of e-scrap now, it's insanely profitable for how little work is involved. Way better $/hr than anything else I do for sure. But, it really seems like most everyone on the internet is trying to make it sound hard and barely profitable. The real problem seems to be getting people to sell you their junk, and I'm normally pretty good at that because of my sales background.[/quote]
SEE??? Just what we've been talking about - it CAN (and DOES) happen like that, all the time. As for what many say about computers, etc., I think you will see that e-scrap has gotten very much more interesting to lots of people (including myself....) lately. For at least 12 years now, I have BLATANTLY avoided anything to do with computers - until a few months ago, when I saw just what you are seeing. Oh, it is not the most money I've ever made, nor certainly not the easiest, but then, those opportunities aren't staring me in the face right now either (btw, real estate was the simplest money I ever made - until about two years ago, when I went back to Making Money From JUNK!....) 

I say CONGRATS on getting that load - even as a paid one. 

Keep looking, you will find many more that are FREE as well - you just have to ask, and be ready for the answer to be YES! 

Oddly, most people aren't ready for that answer so they never ask the question! I was just doing some private coaching today with a long-time student and all of a sudden realized that he had changed not only his vocabulary (he recently began speaking in "lack" instead of "plenty" terms - a sure sign of soon-to-be poverty!) which we'd been working on, but in our session today it came out that he really doesn't understand the VALUE he can provide to others and the trade-off is that he gets stuff for "FREE" (no money out of his pocket - which is very, very different than "something for nothing"!). Now that it has come out that this is really his 'hidden' issue, we'll get to work on that ASAP because this is the CORE of all this JUNK business!

Keep up the good work, and let us know how you are progressing!


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## goob (Nov 9, 2011)

MMFJ said:


> ...


 You weren't meant to know what I was talking about with the radio equipment  There is a whole back story that would explain everything, but it's not important. And, I call the people around here scumbags on their better days. If I was frustrated I think I could come up with some other things to call them :lol: Really, it's just bad people in this area. They live by the motto "do unto others before they do unto you."

As far as scrap computers, I don't generally start with offering money for old computers. Mostly I use a "save them from the landfill" type thing, as an opening line, and then they tell me they always throw that stuff out right away or they are a hoarder and I'll get it when I pry it from their cold dead hands.


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## joem (Nov 13, 2011)

goob said:


> MMFJ said:
> 
> 
> > ...
> ...



You would be surprised how many people hoard stuff like this, thinking they would be worth something. Once they see the work involved in getting the cash that want they usually give up quick. I deal with these people by empasizing the amount of difficulty involved in recovering gold ( acids and fumes) or the space and travel time needed to work this business, then I offer them part of my profits and let them know I offer a completly free service ( if it's a business) because I have the contacts and the time. About half take up on the offer because I know they really don't have the time and resources to do it all.


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## MMFJ (Nov 13, 2011)

Had my first encounter with a 'hoarder' yesterday - he had responded to my ad for buying used computers/parts and told me the only reason he would sell is because "my wife and I need the money"....

After buying the THREE computers he brought (only a few bucks, but he was happy - so was I as one of them had a 200GB hard drive in it!!), he told me he has OVER ONE HUNDRED COMPUTERS that are sitting in a storage room - where he is paying $197 per month! (No wonder he needs money!)

I was able to convince him (of course, he was ready to listen - 99.999% of the 'convincing' part!) that it was costing him a fortune to keep them and that, depending on the condition, etc., I would pay him up to one of his unit month's rent for the lot - at least recapping a bit of his "investment".

We have an appointment to chat on Tuesday to finalize a time for us to take the truck there Wed morning (I explained that I was renting a truck to pick up another load on Tuesday and he was very willing to work with me to keep my costs down!).

Before he left, he even told me of a friend of his that has "about 300 computers" along with "buckets of processors, ram and cards" mixed in/around "stacks of motherboards" - yeah, I didn't sleep very well last night...... :shock: He wants me to keep the truck handy for Friday as he believes she will be ready by then (unfortunately, she has stage 4 cancer, so she knows she needs to clear stuff out, but can't lift anything herself) - "computers in her bedrooms and all through the house, in/around her hot tub and outside storage..." 

She has been 'collecting' for about 15 years, so who knows just what we might find in there!

It will be an adventure and I'll keep you informed!


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