Where to sell scrap metal might mean the difference in hundreds if not possibly thousands of dollars to your bottom line at the end of the year…and it’s also a personal choice. It’s not like choosing your favorite restaurant or car to drive. A scrap metal vendor to work with on a regular (or even irregular) basis should be decide on these three main factors, in no order of importance, that’s personal as well.
Pricing
Of course, the bottom line price you will get for your product will ultimately determine at the end of the day if it has been all worth it or not. Take plumbing brass for example. You could be a home demolition crew, given the rights to all components or residual left by the demo of the home. the average home has about 190 lbs. of plumbing bras installed. That’s a great haul, at current prices (roughly 1.00 lb) you might be looking at $200 per haul. If you excavate 4 homes a month, that’s $800 before expenses that are mainly absorbed by the fee to demolish the home in the first place. Over a year, that’s $9,600…now it’s starting to get interesting. So, using the closest, easiest because he’s a buddy scrap yard, might only bring .85 per lb. Whats the difference, it’s only .15 cents a lb. Your yearly income just dropped to about $8,160. that’s $1,440 out of your pocket for not shopping around and checking for prices.
Location
As in real estate, it’s all about location, location, location. Why? Fuel and time, both have a value connected to them. Just the same as the scrap metal you are hauling. think about it, if your a regular scrapper, you probably have a route you like to work or at least a radius or at the minimum a few towns you stick with. Why not scour the earth looking for scrap? It’s easy, time and fuel. Your time is the most valuable asset you have, and fuel has a cost that diminishes every minute you drive. Keep your time, and always have a radius to work in, you’ll find incorporating a philosophy of time and fuel will keep your pockets full.
Personality/Facility
This goes back once again to personal preference. Most scrappers we know, like us and more importantly like our facility. Are you treated with respect as a customer? Do employees know you? Do they help you unload, or separate if need be? How does they’re scale work? Remember, some of this goes back to time. Spending needless time at the scrap yard waiting to be served or even worse waiting on an antiquated weighing system, is costing you something.
Ultimately, it’s all about personal opinion and what your needs assessment is. The bottom line is money, it’s your primary reason for scrapping and should be the main factor in your decision.