Seriously Ebay

[Pikachu2000]

It's mainly just the process that differs. In an auction, the price goes from low to high until it gets to a point where only one person is left willing to pay that amount. In conventional sales, the price starts high, and comes down until the customer is finally willing pay that amount. It really isn't all that much different when you get to thinking about it.

An item becomes a ripoff *to you* when it reaches a certain price. Cases of blatant misrepresentation/fraud aside, If someone willingly offers to pay a certain amount for something and it's value doesn't meet the cost, then the buyer has nobody to blame but themselves. I wouldn't pay a dime for the best bottle of Scotch in the world, but I used to gladly pay $15.00 for a shot of ultra-premium tequila. Value is a matter of perception, and different people perceive the values of things differently.

 

[ritehere]

Now i agree fully that buying scrap on ebay is just carzy for the hobbiest that wants to make a profit. But yes withe the prices that are asked there, the profit is gone and it then becomes a long term investment in the stuff. I own and operate a towing service and find a wide variety of items (scrap and other) in the vehicles that I purchase from customers.
One of course is the catalytic converter. I used to sell them to the local scrap yard, but have changed and sell them all on ebay now. The reason for this is simple, the money. The local yard here was paying between $7 and $65 per cat (depending on the kind). And the buyers on ebay are paying between $50 to $400 for the same models (doesn't take a rocket scientist here).
Last year alone I cleared $51,000 plus (just on cat sells alone) on ebay.
Now I wouldn'y buy scarp on ebay myself, but selling it there is the way to go.

 

[chaseonbase]

I couldnt agree more on this topic. The prices people pay on this stuff makes me want to puke! I really wish I could remember the ad, but seeing some people pay close to 2000 dollars for 10lbs of cpu's is just ridiculous. I remember a few years ago. When I worked auto body before I even knew about e scrap. I worked for an extremly large dealership that had close to 12 storage bins loaded with nothing but pc towers and really old printers . Work was slow so we were told to clean them out. Take them to the land fill. We were even told if we wanted any we could have them. I took one and built a computer for my co worker. My intial thought was these things are old dinosaurs with a 200mhz processor this stuff is junk! Here I was collecting the Al from old radiators and wheels off wrecked cars getting 75$ for 2 truck loads. Ever since I started reading into this trade I almost lose sleep at night. I think I need a tissue...

 

[Toochi84]

Been doing a fair amount of research and have been able to come up with what I think is a fair assessment of scrap price just based off gold fingers on ram. Not including IC or MLCC scrap PM. Ive been using my assessment price as my max to pay for an item.... that being said ivebeen shocked at almost all of the auctions I have lost. Most recently I assessed a value of an item to be no more than $10 after refining the fingers.... my max bid was $7 shipping included in hopes to make approx 50% profit. I lost to someone that bid $157!! Ouchies for that person.... lol

 

[NobleMetalWorks]

I think a lot of people purchase items off ebay, that contain precious metals for a few reasons, and often not for refining.

It's easy to fake a gold bar for example, and many people sell gold drops that have a very low percentage of gold in them, and I imagine many people have fallen for these scams. But it's very difficult to fake a CPU that has gold in and on it, or MLCCs for example.

Because they purchase them as an investment, they hold their own values not relative to the amount of precious metals that they contain, but rather because of their perceived values. In other words, people do not purchase them to refine, they purchase them because of their perceived value, and the fact that they can put them up at any time that gold is going up, and make money off them. They are their own commodity, outside the value of gold.

However we that refine view those materials, the people who buy, sell and trade them see them as a way of either securing monetary value, or taking profit by buying, then selling them. It's a totally different mentality, but for some on ebay seems to be doing very well for them. I see the same lots being bought and sold on a fairly regular basis, specially large lots of Pentium Pros.

Scott

 

[AndyWilliams]

I think a lot of people purchase items off ebay, that contain precious metals for a few reasons, and often not for refining.

It's easy to fake a gold bar for example, and many people sell gold drops that have a very low percentage of gold in them, and I imagine many people have fallen for these scams. But it's very difficult to fake a CPU that has gold in and on it, or MLCCs for example.

Because they purchase them as an investment, they hold their own values not relative to the amount of precious metals that they contain, but rather because of their perceived values. In other words, people do not purchase them to refine, they purchase them because of their perceived value, and the fact that they can put them up at any time that gold is going up, and make money off them. They are their own commodity, outside the value of gold.

However we that refine view those materials, the people who buy, sell and trade them see them as a way of either securing monetary value, or taking profit by buying, then selling them. It's a totally different mentality, but for some on ebay seems to be doing very well for them. I see the same lots being bought and sold on a fairly regular basis, specially large lots of Pentium Pros.

Scott

I think Scott hit the point precisely. We view the items from a recovery basis, others don't. Escrap does provide easy liquidity for the owner, but it also acts as coins do, being somewhat of a guarantee for the PM's contained. If I had a pound of Pentium Pros, and a pound of Morgans, in both cases I would have a relatively known quantity of precious metals. Granted, the coins are something more standard. But to the layman, those Pentium Pros are also representative of some number of PM's. And though there are those on this board with the expertise and experience to differ on the actual content, the people who buy them do so as an investment that is easy to hold. I do know folks, incidentally, who prefer to have escrap around, rather than the refined PM. They buy for the investment value, not the current value.

 

[Tipton444]

First, I gotta say, I completely agree with many of ebay's prices being outrageous. When I was learning scrap value, I overpaid many times. But, at the time it was worth it (to me) to learn.

On the other hand... Everyone has been saying it's impossible to buy something under scrap and make a profit, but I completely disagree. Yes, people are overpaying like crazy, but I still find ridiculous deals all the time. I set my limits, like other people, but I also have ebay send me multiple emails of my search preferences, and I quickly browse through new items, as well as the items that are just about to end. I place a TON of bids, and try not to go over my set amount where I wouldn't be able to make a profit. One of my major successes with ebay, is other's stupidity. Many people don't know what they have, or list an item improperly, so over time you know what to look for. For example, many gold filled service award pins have a solid gold front that is not marked, and people don't put it in the description. I'm sure you know all this, but you still do find them. I can't tell you how many times I've clicked a listing with multiple items to go through all the pictures, and find something of value unmentioned. Another way I make huge profits, is by paying close attention to what is in scrap lots. I buy a lot of gold filled, and this last batch, there was a watch chain with a 10k slide - over 100 grams total that I paid $40 for. The chain alone can reach over $100 at resale, on ebay. Sometimes you can't see everything, but you can tell it's decent quality. The completed listings have become a great friend of mine, I look up everything. I'm still new to e-scrap, but the high prices definitely trump GF, silver, and gold. Ebay's selling prices can get out of control, but if you are smart about it, you can make a ton of money.

 

[mls26cwru]

gotta know what to look for sometimes... i picked this up the other day... first time i ever spent $50 on a single electronics board

http://www.ebay.com/itm/scrap-circuit-board-for-gold-recovery-plated-ic-chips-eproms-finger-board-/290964465013?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT&nma=true&si=hA8v0RgUiMNLMdaeE0lumevjaCg%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

 

[goldsilverpro]

Good luck, mls! I can't see it being there.

 

[mls26cwru]

Good luck, mls! I can't see it being there.

maybe i screwed up the link or something... but one of the chips on the board i bought was an Intel C8080a.... worth about $75-$100 to chip collectors. It was intel's first microprocessor.

 

[niteliteone]

Good luck, mls! I can't see it being there.

maybe i screwed up the link or something... but one of the chips on the board i bought was an Intel C8080a.... worth about $75-$100 to chip collectors. It was intel's first microprocessor.

But not in the well used condition of the one pictured. Other sellers have that same chip listed (buy it now) for $39 up to $949 and theirs look more in mint condition and never used than the one you have. 2 things collectors desire, but you can claim neither.
You have 4 gold top chips that you "might" be able to sell (with plenty of time) in order to recoup your total cost, but if you decide to recover and refine ALL values contained in that board you will find you lost a few dollars.

But you gained knowledge and that's what this is all about, isn't it :?:

 

[pinwheel]

This is a great thread. There is a premium that many seem not to be considering here. There is a large and growing segment of the public that fully believe TSIGTHTF. The **** is going to hit the fan... economically speaking. I understand this mentality from many points of view. You have to understand the history of money to see it clearly.

You will find that there is a premium on known gold content e-waste simply because governments do not regulate it, they don't understand it and as far as I can tell this stuff is entirely operating in the grey or black markets. Except for some basic bullarwallkee like R2 and Rios etc where large companies are trying to move more materials over to the IN club.

Did you know you were only legally able to own gold since 1974? IF YOU TAKE A MOMENT TO CONSIDER YOUR LIFE IN RELATION TO THIS LINK: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Order_6102 You may start to understand what I am talking about.

If smart people are trading pentium one chips as a commodity then that is great news.

Right now gold is as about as cheap as you can get it. The prices are very low considering the ridiculous nature of the fiat dollar and the fiat government.

People with millions and more to protect will always pay a premium for holding something of value and they will also pay an extra premium for an unregulated commodity. If the dollar collapses and you absolutely have to protect your wealth would you rather have a regulated gold coin or an unregulated pentium 1 chip?

 

[pinwheel]

gotta know what to look for sometimes... i picked this up the other day... first time i ever spent $50 on a single electronics board

http://www.ebay.com/itm/scrap-circuit-b ... true&rt=nc

==========

I have better boards than that and would be happy to sell them to you. ;-)

 

[ritehere]

Well I cannot say bad things about Ebay in this instance. I sell a great deal of catalytic converters on ebay, and I must say that the prices that they go for is well lets say (great). Last year alone I sold 1200 catalytic converters on ebay and the average price per unit sold was a very nice $50.00 (for a total of 60K). That makes me smile.
Now with a new program on Natgeo channel called (Meltdown) I see that there are even more materials (for pgm's recovery) that I never thought of. Like sparkplugs, maf sensors, and O2 senser's (which I am collecting to sell on ebay as well). Now I do have several tantalum capacitors, flatpacks, and mlcc capacitors that I am looking into as well.
The business that I am in allows me a wide variety of things to scrap so my feelers are always out there looking for new opportunities to discover.

 

[macfixer01]

Well I cannot say bad things about Ebay in this instance. I sell a great deal of catalytic converters on ebay, and I must say that the prices that they go for is well lets say (great). Last year alone I sold 1200 catalytic converters on ebay and the average price per unit sold was a very nice $50.00 (for a total of 60K). That makes me smile.
Now with a new program on Natgeo channel called (Meltdown) I see that there are even more materials (for pgm's recovery) that I never thought of. Like sparkplugs, maf sensors, and O2 senser's (which I am collecting to sell on ebay as well). Now I do have several tantalum capacitors, flatpacks, and mlcc capacitors that I am looking into as well.
The business that I am in allows me a wide variety of things to scrap so my feelers are always out there looking for new opportunities to discover.

You know it's funny you mentioned the spark plugs. I saw one of those short teaser videos on the Meltdown show website where Diego is using a carbide saw to cut open spark plugs. I don't think that segment is actually in any of the six shows that have aired so far though is it? The Fume Hoods, Plane Frustration, and Cell Phone Payday clips don't look familiar either. Maybe those four are all from future episodes? I read someplace there only 6 shows in this first season, but I don't know if that's true or not?

 

[Plasmajunkie]

I have been buying some old laptops with 24K mousepad's.I just lucked up finding one and they sell for $10 on ebay.Working Models for $10, they originally went for $4,000.00.No base metal's in the Pad.All of the pin's and other outdated hardware are also high Karat Gold.

 

[goldsilverpro]

I have been buying some old laptops with 24K mousepad's.I just lucked up finding one and they sell for $10 on ebay.Working Models for $10, they originally went for $4,000.00.No base metal's in the Pad.All of the pin's and other outdated hardware are also high Karat Gold.

Whatever you have, none of it is solid gold unless, maybe, it was one-of-a-kind made for some Sheik. It is all plated, including the pins. Were the laptops Mac's? Can you provide a photo or an eBay link?

 

[butcher]

What comes to mind is a young miner carrying a 50 pound rock for three days to get this heavy golden rock out of the mountains, with the rock he found, He is so excited about recently becoming rich, with his new found gold mine, he barely notices the weight of this rock, but had to throw away his camping gear, because he could not carry his gear or his food, and the rock too, after getting to town excited by his thoughts of his new found riches, is very saddened to find out he has become sick with gold fever, and to know that he had been carrying fools gold struggling those three days with that pretty golden rock.

 

[phxdale]

There are some good deals but getting harder and harder to find.
I figure I lose 95% or more of the auctions I bid on. And thats ok. Some I get sniped at the very end, that is a great fun for some people even if they bid too high its the WIN. On the other side no one wants to LOSE.
Everyone wants to be a WINNER and no one wants to be a LOSER.

My last buy on scrap, I even had $10 to spare on that one.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/131051083385?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649#ht_78wt_954

Seems like most of the best deals now involve buying at least $200-300 worth of silver scrap or several hundred for karat gold.

 

[heliman4141]

The days of easy fat Ebay deals are long gone.
Its a sellers market for escrap not a buyers market usually there. I have occasionally gotten a decent deal but am usually outbid by.................. you guessed it, a newbee with Gold fever.
Lots of sellers have a low min. bid that is VERY enticing but, then you look at the shipping charges & you have to look to see if its in your State also, as a State sales tax is added on in State sales.
One can really get screwed if they impulse buy anything there without researching the add carefully from all angles.
Adds placed in the wrong area are the things that get overlooked by the majority. That is where a deal is to be had.
The garage sales idea is a good one, im self employed so while im tooling down the Citys rds. I keep my eye peeled for yardsales. The clock stops while im searching one, then I start the clock again if im heading to a job etc...Works out pretty good since its only my time wasted there & I don't have to drive to any particular sale wasting my fuel either.
I also now have a deal going with a gent I work for who owns & oversees over 50 apartments now also, when I showed him my refined Gold he told me he used to just throw out anything in an apt. left when a tennant moved out but I could look it over first now as he has no interest at all in refining, he buys Gold & Silver in coins & bars only.. YAY! Time will tell but he told me he threw out a LOT of electronics including PCs. If you can't get the escrap for free or almost free its simply not worth it as this is a dangerious hobby to mess with & is extremely time consuming. As is, Ill probably spend all my Summer evenings after work fiddling with either setting up a batch to refine in Nitric or be filtering something. Either way it chains me down at that moment & I enjoy shooting at the range in my spare time so have to time things on good weather days carefully. lll be lucky to end up with no more then a few ounces after consuming my exisiting scrap probably so if I can't get my hands easily on free scrap Ill probably fade out when my 4 gallons of Nitric is used up. Low K 14-18 Gold is easy enough but high K over 18 & beyond is the number that tests your patience due to multiple refining.
Avoid Ebay unless your selling & even then be sure to add shipping & a min. starting bid or you could end up selling too cheaply also. Been dealing with Ebay from day one so believe me when I say ive seen it all. Once last yr. a fellow with perfect feedback in the 150 feedback range said he had inherited hundreds of Gold ounces, we are talking hundreds now so we all know what that would be worth. That was back when Gold was around $1,500 an ounce take or give. He was offering it at around $500 an ounce. I had just received an inheritance myself & was SERIOUSLY considering buying a hoard for investment, so after looking his site over very carefully I almost placed a bid of $40,000.00 on a serious hoard. Just one clk away........ One thing struck me odd tho in the add & that was pics of Gold from other sources NOT his hoard, so I attempted multiple times to contact for live pics since we are talking serious money here. He never returned my PMs so I relunctly obstained from any bidding.
In the end he had placed 3 major adds & all 3 received major bids that were way, way under spot, I was almost in tears but decided id wait & see what the feedback was after the buyers received their Gold correct? Well............long story short immediatly the next day the seller was banned & the adds were terminated, you couldn't even bring them up. I contacted Ebay about it & the quick short was sorry we cannot discuss it other then to say it was a scam & if you won a bid to stop pmt. immediatly via Paypal as that was the pmt.option. Maybe he just turned bad & desperate from a divorce or something Ill never know, but whatever turned him it was sinister.
I know Ebay now has the buyer protection plan & it has saved me on 2 occasions from scammer sellers tho still I felt better knowing it was too good to be true. It would have really stung if the bidding was honest & I lost out on the deal of a lifetime. So im feeling better now having dumped $40,000.00 on my mortgage instead. Funny how the mortgage Co. immediatly sold my contract debt in under 30 days once they could no longer make serious interest on me, its almost all principal now with just 2 yrs. to go verses 26.
Did anyone else see that Ebay scam last yr?
Dave