That's definitely copper nitrate solution. Pretty concentrated by the look of it. You didn't get sterling spoons, you got plated ones. Never buy pieces of silver or gold-containing items, because scammers cut off the part where it says it's just plate. If you can't see the entire item, AND the maker's marks and precious metal content, do NOT be tempted. It's a scam, guaranteed.
Also familiarize yourself with the various marks. For instance, 'IS' is inlaid silver. It's basically extra-thick plating. Again, don't buy that from Ebay. Even if you get it dirt-cheap, the shipping will erase any profit. Find inlaid silver at yard sales and flea markets, get each piece for 25-50 cents, and you might make some money IF it's VERY OLD inlaid silver, made in the 1890's or around then. Newer stuff is very thin on the silver, practically as thin as old types of electroplate. I was lucky to grab a full set of inlaid silver tableware for $20 some years ago. In fact, it's so old and fairly ornate I may end up reselling it as antique silverware rather than processing it.
Don't trust easily with sellers on Ebay hawking scrap just because the deal looks good. You can't check the material, so you have no idea if it's legit or not. You have to research the seller's ratings and reviews to see if you should give them a chance. Don't trust any of them if they have a lower than 95% favorable rating, AND don't trust new sellers! Lots of 'new' sellers are actually old con artists who just keep making new accounts after they get banned. Using VPNs and multiple credit cards makes this very easy to do for scammers. Ebay is supposed to verify banking info now, but scammers still get on the site, probably by using those online banks which often don't do their due diligence. Go for the ones that have at least several hundred ratings, and are 95-100% positive on feedback.
I HAVE gotten some VERY good material from Ebay (the decommissioned nuclear launch control boards I mentioned in other threads came from Ebay), but I had to search very obscure terms to find the goodies. Anyone listing 'electronics scrap' or 'e-waste' already knows what the market is, and you'll either pay a high price for very little return, OR you'll get conned.
I also used Ebay to find a local seller I could meet up with for the delivery and later buy from directly, getting him a better price for his scrap and me saving a couple hundred dollars on shipping the total of 300 pounds of boards I got from him.
Also familiarize yourself with the various marks. For instance, 'IS' is inlaid silver. It's basically extra-thick plating. Again, don't buy that from Ebay. Even if you get it dirt-cheap, the shipping will erase any profit. Find inlaid silver at yard sales and flea markets, get each piece for 25-50 cents, and you might make some money IF it's VERY OLD inlaid silver, made in the 1890's or around then. Newer stuff is very thin on the silver, practically as thin as old types of electroplate. I was lucky to grab a full set of inlaid silver tableware for $20 some years ago. In fact, it's so old and fairly ornate I may end up reselling it as antique silverware rather than processing it.
Don't trust easily with sellers on Ebay hawking scrap just because the deal looks good. You can't check the material, so you have no idea if it's legit or not. You have to research the seller's ratings and reviews to see if you should give them a chance. Don't trust any of them if they have a lower than 95% favorable rating, AND don't trust new sellers! Lots of 'new' sellers are actually old con artists who just keep making new accounts after they get banned. Using VPNs and multiple credit cards makes this very easy to do for scammers. Ebay is supposed to verify banking info now, but scammers still get on the site, probably by using those online banks which often don't do their due diligence. Go for the ones that have at least several hundred ratings, and are 95-100% positive on feedback.
I HAVE gotten some VERY good material from Ebay (the decommissioned nuclear launch control boards I mentioned in other threads came from Ebay), but I had to search very obscure terms to find the goodies. Anyone listing 'electronics scrap' or 'e-waste' already knows what the market is, and you'll either pay a high price for very little return, OR you'll get conned.
I also used Ebay to find a local seller I could meet up with for the delivery and later buy from directly, getting him a better price for his scrap and me saving a couple hundred dollars on shipping the total of 300 pounds of boards I got from him.
