Is your scrap yard honest?

[chukers]

I am not a noob at this kind of thing but my local scrap yard had done a few things to make me wonder their honesty...

They get to choose what my scrap rates as...probably like all scrap yards do... I have a lot of copper and it seems my opinion of what #1 copper is and what #2 copper is differs from what they think...

what is your experience with honest scrap yards and what is a sure fire way of arguing back with them about the quality of your copper?


Chukers

 

[DemonWolfe]

I can tell you that my local scrap yard isnt honest by any means, he has two guys working for him, you ask them about anything, and they have no idea, youll have to ask the boss is all they ever say, he has no prices posted, and if you ask him he always says oh its around this per pound, I took in 920 lbs of steel, and got 35 dollars for it, that would make a ton around 75 dollars, but thats what he wants, I mean are you really going to tell the guy no, and go through a pile of mixed up crap to pull your stuff back out, stuff likethat are the onlyreason hes still in buissness

 

[diggummup]

I'm glad there are several to choose from down here within 20 minutes drive. The one I go to is honest and posts prices on the internet. For the most part he pays what the rest of them are paying locally.

Copper Bare Bright $3.40
Copper #1 $3.10
Copper #2 $2.90
MCM Insulated $2.60
THHN Insulated $2.20
#2 Insulated $1.10
Data Cable $1.05
Yellow Brass $1.60
Red Brass $2.00
A/C Coils Cu/Al $1.10
Compressors $0.10
Steel/Tin/Shred $0.05
Batteries $0.24
Extrusion Aluminum $0.70
Painted Sheet Al $0.55
Clean Sheet Al $0.60
Aluminum Rims $0.65

 

[chukers]

I'm glad there are several to choose from down here within 20 minutes drive. The one I go to is honest and posts prices on the internet. For the most part he pays what the rest of them are paying locally.

Copper Bare Bright $3.40
Copper #1 $3.10
Copper #2 $2.90

whats the difference between theses three?

 

[minton7]

all scrap yards are dishonest by nature... I mean I take it 3 pounds 15.9oz of brass and tehy only pay me for 3 pounds.. keeping the other 15.9 oz.. and the scrap yard weighs in 20 pounds increments only...so yeah I would say all are dishonest by nature

 

[diggummup]

I'm glad there are several to choose from down here within 20 minutes drive. The one I go to is honest and posts prices on the internet. For the most part he pays what the rest of them are paying locally.

Copper Bare Bright $3.40
Copper #1 $3.10
Copper #2 $2.90

whats the difference between theses three?

Well, you might get a few different answers on this one but for the most part it's as follows-
Bare bright is self explanatory, it's freshly stripped wire that hasn't been sitting around for years oxidizing. The guys I deal with define #1 as clean shiny copper pipe with no signs of solder or paint on it anywhere, also includes unstripped wire of larger diameters. #2 is wire that hasn't been stripped that is a smaller diameter, and copper pipe that may have some solder or paint on it. Some places break it down into more catagories breaking up #1 and #2 to also include #1 insulated and #2 insulated, thereby seperating the pipe from the wire. Depends on who your dealing with.

 

[chukers]

I'm glad there are several to choose from down here within 20 minutes drive. The one I go to is honest and posts prices on the internet. For the most part he pays what the rest of them are paying locally.

Copper Bare Bright $3.40
Copper #1 $3.10
Copper #2 $2.90

whats the difference between theses three?

Well, you might get a few different answers on this one but for the most part it's as follows-
Bare bright is self explanatory, it's freshly stripped wire that hasn't been sitting around for years oxidizing. The guys I deal with define #1 as clean shiny copper pipe with no signs of solder or paint on it anywhere, also includes unstripped wire of larger diameters. #2 is wire that hasn't been stripped that is a smaller diameter, and copper pipe that may have some solder or paint on it. Some places break it down into more catagories breaking up #1 and #2 to also include #1 insulated and #2 insulated, thereby seperating the pipe from the wire. Depends on who your dealing with.

Thanks you for going into detail...

 

[clovis97]

Yes, I am blessed to have an honest yard.

Our yard pays to the nearest half pound. If you have 10 pounds 7 ounces, you only get 10 pounds. If you have 10 pounds 9 ounces, you get 11 pounds.

Sometimes it is super easy to forget that when the light is flickering between 16 and 17, they always pay 17. It is easy to forget that it all comes out in the wash...especially when you are hoping for a nice paying ticket, and it comes out light.

My scrap yard has been very good to me over the years, and I appreciate that very much. They are super helpful, whether I have questions, or need a hand trying to figure out how to clean them the best. Once, when fairly new to scrapping, I had a bushel basket full of aluminum pistons, the owner actually helped me knock the wrist pins out of them so I could sell them for a higher price!!!! How is that for service?

 

[sniffer]

around here you have three classes of copper
bright, which has no insulation
#1, which has insulation
#2, which is copper pipe
before I take my copper wire in, I burn all the insulation off and then they will pay me bright price.
most be a good co.

 

[hobo finds]

Good info on types of copper here... http://planet-metals.com/copper_recycling/

 

[cyberdan]

Not sure about my scrap yard. Their plastic trash cans have tare weight on them but the cans are old and worn on the bottom. I am sure they weigh less than the tare.

They are very helpful, all I have to do is drive up and some one is at my tailgate ready to unload it and sort.

somebody I know reccommended another yard much closer to where I live. I think I will try them next.

 

[azlegends]

I'm glad there are several to choose from down here within 20 minutes drive. The one I go to is honest and posts prices on the internet. For the most part he pays what the rest of them are paying locally.

Copper Bare Bright $3.40
Copper #1 $3.10
Copper #2 $2.90

whats the difference between theses three?

Well, you might get a few different answers on this one but for the most part it's as follows-
Bare bright is self explanatory, it's freshly stripped wire that hasn't been sitting around for years oxidizing. The guys I deal with define #1 as clean shiny copper pipe with no signs of solder or paint on it anywhere, also includes unstripped wire of larger diameters. #2 is wire that hasn't been stripped that is a smaller diameter, and copper pipe that may have some solder or paint on it. Some places break it down into more catagories breaking up #1 and #2 to also include #1 insulated and #2 insulated, thereby seperating the pipe from the wire. Depends on who your dealing with.

Very good explanation, but oxidation really shouldnt lower the grade of your copper, unless its really green and nasty. Its a common misconception, that while working in the industry I've noticed is even believed by some scrap yards. Its too early in the morning, but I will try to find a link later where they explain some industry standards for identification/classification. The standards are really good for insulated wire, as it give proportions(by weight%) for each grade of wire, so you can just strip a very small piece of wire, weigh it and the plastic and bam your done.

 

[azlegends]

Oh and another good way to check your scrap yards, is to either ask who they send their metals to, or do your homework and find out the top 2 or 3 companies in your state and call them and ask what their grading standards are.

 

[bjybjy]

they robb me every chance they get .LIKEWISE i get them to i fill the frigs with glass from storm windows and concrete and shingles .then weld the door shut .PAYBACK....LOL...$$$$$$$ in winter time let the hose run into cars and truck.Ice is very heavy fill gas tank to with hose

And because of people like you the yards make less profit, which means they pay everyone less overall. The people that get hurt are the honest folks like me, because folks like you try to steal from the yards.

Good work

 

[Chug And Red]

I have been taking My scrap to a local Place here In Vancouver The Fist few Loads Payed Off Good!!!! Then I went in and Dropped A Larger load And Only got 27.50 OK i thought Maybe the Prices Went Down Not The next week i took a Small Load in And The weights were Wrong It only weighed 100 or Less They had the weight at over 300!!!!! Payed 27.50 again The next load was No more than 50 pounds Verified By a Co worker that Save For Me Same Damn thing 27.50 OK I thought One More try Lets See Took a stove in looked up the Weight On line 85.65 pounds Nothing Else Same Weight And Price 27.50!!!! Are they Honest Hell No

The last load that I took to Oregon To Metro Metals Was My largest load In awhile 58.00 Sweet for 1 hour work The Vancouver Yard Is only Going to be Used If i have A small Load And Need Gas Money Or Until the Local Paper Works Up the Story!!!!

 

[zincmaster]

most scrap yards will screw you in a minute, here lately ive been using psc metals , so far they have been good on the weights, most scrpyards around here call a ton 2250 lbs psc is the only one i know that has a ton a 2000 lbs , i took in one scrap motor tuesday and got $108 . they paid $405 a ton on that. i wnt to a place called cyclemet with a little over 600 lbs when i went to get paid she said i only had 340 lbs, now ive been doing this for a while and can usually guess the weight within 50 lbs, so i brought it to another workers attention that she got my weight wrong and before we got back to the window she says oh wait i found another 100 lbs on his ticket. well they gave me another 20 bucks and i questioned why she was the onlly person who can see the scales, and why was there no readout where i could see what i weighed comming in and going out, and they had no answer, every other place i have dealt with had a visible scale so you can see what you weigh comming and going. ill never use them again. right now im getting about $245 per ton on sheet and try to get atleast $100 each time i go. i remember when you could find scrap just about anywhere you looked, now so many people do it its hard to get a load at all anymore. i just got lucky tho, a guy i know who is a plumber called me will about 200 lbs of bracc and copper he been saving, al;l i have to do is seperate it all and take it in and i get half. should be a few hundred anyway... woohoo also picked up one of those big pop coolers it weighs about five hundred lbs. should be a good day tomorrow, may even get the at pro out and hit some parks. may you all have lots of scrap metal in ur futures

 

[Bum Luck]

Ya gotta watch it, all right.

I had a yard in Madison screw me over on weight once, for 180 pounds of aluminum. As I recall, about $70 at the time. Ouch!

I switched yards to Maurie Heifitz', and stayed there every since.

Look around.

 

[Produce Guy]

I use only 1 scrap yard now,the old scrap yard wasn't always paying me right.I took 50 lbs. of aluminum cans there and they told me I only had 25 lbs.I called the Weights and Measures Dept. and they said they had allot of complaints on this scrap yard.Plus the old guys usually paid 10 to 25 cents less per pound on several different metals.

 

[diggummup]

they robb me every chance they get .LIKEWISE i get them to i fill the frigs with glass from storm windows and concrete and shingles .then weld the door shut .PAYBACK....LOL...$$$$$$$ in winter time let the hose run into cars and truck.Ice is very heavy fill gas tank to with hose

And because of people like you the yards make less profit, which means they pay everyone less overall. The people that get hurt are the honest folks like me, because folks like you try to steal from the yards.

Good work

I wonder why "dingdong" deleted his post. Well, at least his username fits him. I'm glad you quoted him before it got deleted. Sounds like a teenager.

 

[chukers]

they robb me every chance they get .LIKEWISE i get them to i fill the frigs with glass from storm windows and concrete and shingles .then weld the door shut .PAYBACK....LOL...$$$$$$$ in winter time let the hose run into cars and truck.Ice is very heavy fill gas tank to with hose

And because of people like you the yards make less profit, which means they pay everyone less overall. The people that get hurt are the honest folks like me, because folks like you try to steal from the yards.

Good work

I wonder why "dingdong" deleted his post. Well, at least his username fits him. I'm glad you quoted him before it got deleted. Sounds like a teenager.

people that are dishonest... always get caught eventually... don't matter how long it takes... its just not worth it.