Sell or hold out.

1-tonmudder

Doin my part to stir the pot.
Joined
Apr 17, 2005
Location
Greeneville TN
I’ve been gathering/collecting/hoarding back stuff for a while waiting on the price of metal to go back up, specifically alum,copper and brass.About 2 months ago cars/steel hit $9/100 but that only lasted for one week. I assume everybody like me that’s held on for the price to go up flooded the market.Currently it’s back down to $7/100. I’m not to worried about steel prices rather the alum, copper and brass. I probably have 2000# of clean alum,70-80#’s of clean brass,50 ish #’s of clean copper and maybe 100#’s of dirty copper wire.Been thinking about cashing out. I don’t “need” the money. We can still live just fine if I don’t sell but it would be nice to have it out of the way.Does anybody have any insight as to what the metal market is gonna do,@mcutler maybe?? I feel like it’s just gonna keep goin up (to a point) but have no hard proof to back that feeling up.So take the money and run or hold out??

Here’s the current prices at the recycler.I haven’t price shopped but he usually pays the most.
79C8CB61-8354-4E65-AC1B-B84001DB1302.png
 
The stock market & economy is really soaring up, & expected to have a record year. Fed's have said they are holding the current interest rates, for the foreseeable time. One would think, scrap would go up as well, but I have no crystal ball.
 
The stock market & economy is really soaring up, & expected to have a record year. Fed's have said they are holding the current interest rates, for the foreseeable time. One would think, scrap would go up as well, but I have no crystal ball.
Do you have cats??? Have you tried to find canned cat food?? It’s damn near impossible to find certain brands/flavors of canned cat food.According to the googles it’s because theirs a shortage of alum cans and based on the .60/# for alum cans I’d say that’s probably right.Cans were .30/# this time last year.
 
Never been one to really play the scrapping market...but I have two mid-2000’s vehicles I was planning on scrapping. By weight...looks like I’d get $300ish out of each...but the catalytic converters on both of them if purchased new is about $1000/ea. So cut them off, scrap the cars, then tell them I have the cats from those vehicles too, and see if I can get another $2-300/ea?
 
If you scrap the cats you need a license, the only way for a "regular joe" to sell a cat is to one of the middlemen frequently advertising on craigslist and marketplace. They buy in bulk from shops and sell them by the container load.

If you go that route, shop the cats around, some offer significantly better prices than others.
 
Never been one to really play the scrapping market...but I have two mid-2000’s vehicles I was planning on scrapping. By weight...looks like I’d get $300ish out of each...but the catalytic converters on both of them if purchased new is about $1000/ea. So cut them off, scrap the cars, then tell them I have the cats from those vehicles too, and see if I can get another $2-300/ea?
Yeah cats is where it’s at now.
 
If you scrap the cats you need a license, the only way for a "regular joe" to sell a cat is to one of the middlemen frequently advertising on craigslist and marketplace. They buy in bulk from shops and sell them by the container load.

If you go that route, shop the cats around, some offer significantly better prices than others.
Or go outta state. Our work vehicles got hit last weekend they took every cat that was easy to get to
 
Having a license for catalytics is incorrect, but often said by law enforcement. I've never had a license. been in operation of 16 years. The actual state law is if you own a brick and mortar business where you advertise buying non-ferrous metals, which includes converters, is you must follow a many guidelines for identification of the seller. The loophole I fall into is no brick and mortar- therefore I'm classified as mobile/wholesale.... and I have consulted with LEO on many occasions, from Raleigh to Asheville, concerning stolen converters, with nary a question of my business licensing. Most recycling yards just don't know enough about them nor want the hassle to figure them out. They want to buy your entire car with the converter/wheels/batteries included.

I've sold steel for $11/100lb in the last two weeks. Those copper prices pictured above are terrible. Morristown is a feeder yard, higher margin.

@1-tonmudder

Today, I can pay ;
Bare bright #1- 3.80
#1- 3.65
#2- 3.55
clean yellow brass- 2.20
clean brass radiators-1.90
aluminum wheels- 15.50 per rim, regardless of clean/dirty, chrome or clad. NO TIRES
lead batteries- $10 ea, or .27/lb.
Insulated copper- too many grades to list, but a damn sight better than pictured above!

Catalytic Converters are purchased by their respective part number. Every make/manufacturer has a part number stamped somewhere on the converter, with the exception of Honda, some Nissan, and some Mitsubishi- these are graded by photo ID of said cat. I have a digital catalog with over 10,000 part numbers with corresponding prices that is updated daily. Do not call and ask for a price by make and model. It's impossible for me to know which part number is on every converter. Send me the part number and a pic of the converter, and If you cannot find the part number I can tell you where to look for it on the body of the cat. My most recent 500 piece contracted sell was around $300 avg per, not including the aftermarket cats.

Many FB, Marketplace, Craigslists buyers/sellers are less than trustworthy. They jump in when the market is hot but do not know how to survive in a falling market. They were not around in 2008... Record platinum group metals pricing, record steel pricing, record coppers...Republican established market that Obama killed mid 2008... I keep telling people who are holding, today is near identical. Now even higher record Platinum group metals, record coppers as well. It might not be long before the Dem administration does it again... but I'm just a fabrimacator who buys and sells scrap (successfully for 16+ yrs), what do I know.
 
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Bumping this up. Got somebody wanting to buy the exhaust off the GMC Savana van I'm parting out. I'm guessing they want the cats and are hoping I'll sell it all cheap. @mcutler if I got you a pic and a number would you be able to look them up for me?
 
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