Pallets of Door Hinges

[trdhrdr007]

I was on Facebook yesterday morning before lunch and noticed an ad from one of the local thrift stores. Recently posted it said they had pallets of hinges for $50. I immediately headed that way to check it out. Turns out they had 44 pallets each one with a single brand and model number. I bought the only 2 pallets that looked like they were brass. The one that had polished brass hinges on it turned out to be plated steel. It may take forever but I should be able to sell those in lots on eBay. The hinges on the other pallet had an antique brass finish and were labeled brass on the boxes. When I got them home I did a magnet test and filed away the finish in a couple spots. Turns out they are solid brass with a pallet weight of 2000 lbs. Although I'm not sure what the scrap value of brass with a finish (#2 brass) on it is I'm positive it's a great score. I'm going back today to see if I can cut a deal for the rest of the pallets that all had steel hinges. I'm not a scrap guy but think there's some money there even if they go direct to the scrap yard.

 

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[Rookster]

The last I sold (yellow brass) sold for 47 cents a pound but the price will fluxuwait with the market. I'd wait to find a high point. Find a recycler and call every couple of days.Congrats

 

[trdhrdr007]

Just went to scrapmonster.com Don't know how their prices compare to local yard but they show brass starting at $1.15 for radiators and going up from there. They also show "brass radiator/FE" at .52 and "brass radiator ends" at .30. No idea what those things are.

 

[buzzhead]

Yellow brass is normally $1.10-1.25 a pound. In 08 it was $1.75ish

 

[trdhrdr007]

Talked with a buddy of mine yesterday that had just been to the local scrap yard. He said they paid him $1.21/lb.

 

[RTR]

You need some more ? lol Beach find, a foot down, a few years ago.

 

[SnakemanBill]

Took a load of brass in last week. got $1.50 a lb. sounds like you did great!

 

[trdhrdr007]

I took a small load to the scrap yard today and they paid $1.40/lb. This will definitely be a good deal for me. Unfortunately the pallet weighed somewhat less than the pallet sticker showed and the packaging (individual boxes for each hinge & outer boxes) took some weight off also.

I also did some research on scrapping the remaining pallets of steel hinges. IF I had the right equipment I could make a decent payday for a couple days work. I'd need a truck and trailer rig that could haul 10,000 lbs minimum to make it worthwhile. That's not happening with my 15 year old 4 cylinder Ford Ranger. I'll probably buy 2-4 pallets that will reasonably fit into my basement, move them in several small trips, and sell the hinges in small batches. I should make a good profit even if it takes a couple years. I tried to negotiate a lower price on all the pallets to make the deal work for me thinking I could rent equipment. The store manager said he could call the scrap yard to come pick up the hinges and make at least what he's asking. I'm just happy he wasn't thinking about brass scrapping at a higher rate when he sold the 2 pallets to me.

 

[randazzo1]

Let us know what you end up getting for them. I’m super curious about this business.

 

[trdhrdr007]

Let us know what you end up getting for them. I’m super curious about this business.

I'm going to scrap all the brass hinges for the quick nickel. That leaves me with over 1300 Hager polished brass spring (over steel) door hinges in individual packaging that I hope to sell.

I talked with a friend of mine yesterday that rents space from the thrift that has the hinges. While talking with the manager the hinges came up.....My friend mentioned he knows me.....and the manager said he'd cut a deal if I bought all the pallets. I'll be checking the pallets one more time for weight & contents on Monday. If the numbers work and I can get the manager to agree to letting me move them over a few weeks I'm going to pull the trigger.

The hinges are packaged two different ways. They are all boxed up in lots of 50-100 hinges. Some are in individual retail packaging and some are bulk packed. My plan is to keep all/most of the hinges that are individually packaged and scrap the rest. The challenge is going to be moving the hinges, getting enough storage space, & figuring out how to sell them. Even though eBay is my go to outlet I think it will take forever. I've considered selling on Amazon through their FBA program but don't have an account yet. I could also wholesale some if I can find the right buyer.

 

[HistoryTeacher]

I love your creative thinking. Scrapping the brass ones should get you the quick bucks. Selling the others will take some time and hustle. I would think about using multiple platforms to move them or seeking out contractors who hang a lot of doors. I don't do much scrapping, but pick up brass, copper, and sometimes aluminum. I when I see it. I just picked up three nearly full 500' spools of #12 solid copper wire for $1 each.

 

[trdhrdr007]

I ended up cutting a deal for all the pallets yesterday & have until the end of August to move over 50,000 lbs of hinges. Managed to borrow a truck from one friend and a trailer from another. With the combined rig I should be able to easily move two 5,000 lb loads a day. I still have to decide how much to keep with an eye towards resale and how much to scrap. If my math is right I should be able to clear $375-400/day for whatever I scrap. It's tempting to scrap it all, take the quick nickel, & not have to worry about storage or resale. On the other hand there are at least 50,000 hinges with a retail value of $2-10 each...…..

 

[Drmad7]

I’d find a buyer to buy it all at $30K+...Good Luck! You are already a winner in this deal!

 

[Plumbata]

Excellent score, but it seems a shame to just scrap them, would it be worthwhile to jam-pack Priority Flat Rate boxes and sell the more desirable ones in bulk on eBay? Maybe Craigslist? Facebook woodworking groups?

I bet a bunch of folk here (myself included) could use a box-o-hinges too, heh.

 

[trdhrdr007]

I'd love to sell them as one huge lot but don't see that happening. I'd have to move them all to storage and sell them from there. That has me moving them twice if I end up having to scrap them. I will sell whatever bulk lots fit in flat rate boxes on eBay. I have to say I'm not sure how many people can use a box-o-hinges. I was a contractor for several years, owned rental properties, and rehabbed houses for resale before I got a contractors license. Over a 15+ year time period I don't think I used a half dozen door hinges. If they were cabinet hinges I could see it.

 

[trdhrdr007]

I spent Tuesday-Thursday last week moving about half of the pallets to storage. Over Tues-Thurs this week I hauled the other half to the scrap yard. I made enough from scrap to recoup my initial investment, pay all my expenses including making the guys I borrowed the truck/trailer from happy, & cleared just under $16/hr for my time. That's not great money for working like a dog 6 days but I still have half the hinges. If I decide to scrap those it will take another 2-3 days and would pay enough to bump that $16/hr up to almost $50. On the other hand, if I'm able to sell them as hinges I could make a LOT more cash. These are in boxes of 80-100 individually packaged hinges and I have over 700 boxes. Retail prices on these range from $1 to $20 per hinge. Even at a fraction of retail I'm looking at a good chunk of change.

 

[randazzo1]

Very cool result. I had two thoughts for what they’re worth: 1. Could you sell them back to the manufacturer? 2. Maybe approach a contractor who’s refitting a public housing project. Lots of doors and hinges on those projects and they look for deals (at least here where I am.

 

[trdhrdr007]

The manufacturer donated these to the thrift. Some of the boxes are date stamped from the 2002 to 2004 time period. I'm reasonably sure they were models/finishes that are no longer made and/or the quantities were too small for the manufacturer to market so they donated for the tax benefit.

 

[dejapooh]

I've considered selling on Amazon through their FBA program but don't have an account yet. I could also wholesale some if I can find the right buyer.

Amazon generally has higher prices than ebay, and much much higher fees. I find that for NEW stuff, electronics, and books, Amazon is MUCH better than Ebay.

It sounds to me you may do better going to a construction company in the big city and seeing if you can make a package deal on the boxed sets. Scrapping should be the last option tried.

Keep us up to date on your deal!

 

[trdhrdr007]

Contractors rarely buy door hinges. By the time the hinges are shot the doors aren't any good either. Much easier to remove the door unit trim and all, get a new unit, & install it. The likely buyers of bulk hinges would be mill works (companiess that make window/door units for resale), hardware stores, and people remodeling that want to change hinges to match new door hardware.