If you want to get the best bang for your buck when scrapping metal, then you can’t be making these common mistakes. Click here for 4 mistakes to avoid when scrapping metal.
In the US, with 56 million tons of scrap steel and iron alone being collected by scrapyards, the industry is booming. Lots of new people are getting into the field because scrapping metal is so lucrative, it’s easy to raise the funds for your business, and there’s so much to scrap. The only problem for scrapyards is having to do the work of teaching these newbies how it works.
Follow these 4 steps before you dump your metal on the scale and you’ll be in good shape.
1. Separate Your Metals
When you’re dealing with a scrap yard, they’re going to point you toward the door if you dump a pile of random metal onto their scale. Most scrap yards will want to know the weight of what you’re offering and if you haven’t separated things, they can’t tell you how much they can pay you.
Other customers will need to come in and will be organized while you’re taking up their time and making them wait. Scrapyards need to keep things running smoothly, so make sure you organize ahead of time.
You wouldn’t ask your grocer to weigh potatoes and tomatoes together, so don’t ask your scrapyard to weigh copper and steel together.
2. Choose a Trustworthy Scrapyard
Not every scrapyard owner is as reliable as the next one. If you feel like you’re not getting a good price, you shouldn’t be cowed out of going somewhere else.
If you know other people in the scrapping industry, ask who they sell their scraps to. After a while of asking around, you’ll start to pick up on which scrap yards have a bad reputation. Take your business elsewhere if no one has anything nice to say about the scrapyard you go to.
3. Prep Your Materials
If you show up to a scrapyard with metals that aren’t prepared for the scrapping process, your scrapyard won’t see a pile of raw material. They’ll see the material as the invitation to do a whole lot of work that can’t afford to do. It lowers the value of the material and will make your scrapyard reluctant to work with you.
Make it easier on them and you’ll quickly become a valued customer.
4. Know The Prices
You need to know a thing or two about prices before you go. Knowing the scrap copper prices per pound will help you understand the ins and outs and not feel cheated.
When you get to feeling like you don’t trust your scrapyard, you can put a bad vibe in the air and make your scrapyard reluctant to work with you again.
Scrapping Metal is a Booming Sustainable Business
Scrapping metal is ecologically sustainable because it’s great for the environment and it’s financially sustainable because there’s no shortage of work. If you’ve decided to get into the scrapping business, you’re sure to have a lot of great work ahead of you for years. Follow the above tips and you’ll become a favored client of your local yard.
If you want to make sure you’re constantly investing in yourself as well as your business, check out our guide.