Says I Created a Recycling Monster!

Here's another inspiring email. I have to say too that it's very gratifying to get these emails from folks and know that I have helped them in some way. Mike B purchased How to Make Money in the Home Based Salvage and Recycling Business ebook in October of 2010. In just over a year, Mike has come a long way. Congrats Mike! Here's his email to me. - Mike Meuser

On Mon, Dec 26, 2011 at 1:33 PM, Mike B wrote:
Hello Mike, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year to you,

I really enjoy all your articles and e-mails I've been getting all year. Thank you and keep up all the great work,
This past year I started my own business doing clean outs, junk removal, and alot of scrapping.

It all started with the scrapping metals, just goin' round town with my truck, on garbage nite, from street to street searching for metals.

I didn't care at first what type or kind of metal, but within time I've became a kinda of a pro, lol
separating my coppers, aluminums, brass, car batteries, p.c towers, air conditioners, etc....

I've learned to separate different metals, take apart appliances for their motors, gutting out air cond for their condensers and copper, circuit boards and other stuff from p.c towers.

Either it came from the street, craigslist, word of mouth, my work, or from friends and family. Learned alot from you Mike, and from other scrappers, and the guys at the recycling yard.

I make my own hours, quote my own prices for jobs, gain lots of useful knowledge, I also found alot of stuff I have resold or auctioned from my clean out jobs. My girl friend also got into it and we enjoy our time together.

You created a recycling monster Mike, and just wanted to say keep up the great work and thank you.

Michael B

www.RecyclingSecrets.com for Free Home Based Salvage and Recycling Information Including: Metals, Deconstruction and Used Building Materials, Gold and Precious Metals and E-Waste. Check out: How to Make Money in the Home Based Salvage and Recycling Business

Free and Cheap Wood Stove Recycling and Reuse

Hi - I should have told you about this a few months ago, but I've been so busy with my own salvage work I've been a bit slow on the posts. I'll try to post more frequently.

At any rate, it looks like it's going to be a long cold winter in many parts of the U.S. Heating fuel prices are very high. Around here heating oil is $1 a gallon more than it was last year - same with propane. Natural gas is higher as well.

At the same time, scrap iron prices are high. I've seen many loads waiting in lines at the scrap yards with wood stoves in them. Sure a 300 pound woodstove is worth $30 or $40 in scrap but it is worth so much more as a working wood stove.

Over the last months I've picked up 6 wood stoves. Two were free, one I paid $60 for and the other two I bought for scrap prices off of trucks on their way to the scrap yard. The free ones I picked up with a wanted listing in Craigslist. Seems that once someone remodels and changes heating modes or upgrades their wood stove the old one often ends up in the back yard or garage. They're too heavy for most folks to handle, but they can be handled quite easily by one person.

I can handle them and I'm 66 years old. Any stove that I've run into I can tip on its side onto a 4 wheel dolly. Then it's quite easy to roll it onto my Harbor Freight tilt bed trailer.

With heating costs so high, woodstoves are coming back in vogue and there's a ready market for them. The last free one I got is a really nice LOPI. It retails for $1800. This one was in a back yard and the door and air control were all frozen up and it was very rusty. Some soaking with WD-40 and some high heat paint was all it took to get it working properly. As I type this I'm looking across my living room at the flames through the glass door of this little LOPI gem.

The other 5 plus the one I replaced with the LOPI are sold or will be sold soon. Depending on the year and model I can get anywhere from $250 to $1000 for a wood stove and I haven't run into one that I couldn't refurbish for $25 or less. Just be sure to stick to the welded steel plate ones. Some of the older cast iron types leak and/or have cracks.

So, try running a wanted ad in your local Craigslist, tell people you deal with, keep an eye out for old stoves in yards. If you start looking for them, you'll find them.

I'm still hunting for more and will continue to do so all year as I believe good used wood stoves is a growing market.

Good Luck

Mike

www.RecyclingSecrets.com for Free Home Based Salvage and Recycling Information Including: Metals, Deconstruction and Used Building Materials, Gold and Precious Metals and E-Waste. Check out: How to Make Money in the Home Based Salvage and Recycling Business

Getting into Home Based Salvage & Recycling with Little Cash, Promoting Your Businss...

Hi - Just a headsup. Wondering how to get started in salvage and recycling with little cash? How to promote your business? I've been working on an article over the weekend. Includes information about the above plus how a local website may help you. I'll post a message here when it is completed.

Best to you in your endeavors

Mike
Recycling Secrets
How to Make Money in the Home Based Salvage and Recycling Business

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Advice on Starting Small in the Salvage and Recycling Business

A recent message that I think is of interest.

Mike, I am very interested in the salvage business but I want to start small and put off getting involved in heavy metals, construction waste, and goods that are space and labor intensive. What do you recommend?

My response:

Hi ____ - One of the first things I did was go around to local businesses and see what sort of things they might be interested in. I found a rebuilder of valves - water, oil, gas, etc. - who would buy old valves from me right away.

Also in winter, keeping in touch with insurance agents helps. I've gotten tons of free aluminum from torn up awnings and mobile home porches. The aluminum is easily scrapped - no storage involved.

When I've done deconstruction I've almost always been able to sell the stuff before I took the building apart so no space required there and there are all sorts of sizes of buildings.

The electronics end is going to take space and time to sort, determine what's of value, etc. so probably not best to begin with if you don't have the space to work on stuff. Good winter time work though.

Every community is different. I'd just get your name out there as THE salvage guy and see what happens. I'd stay away from beccoming the hauling guy. That's a different deal and folks will look at you differently if you charge to haul stuff away. Put up flyers, cheap ads, and talk to folks and then pick and choose.

I've run into barrels full of valves at times that I could buy at pennies on the dollars that I would get and turn them over the same day.

Some really big things like a water tank on an 80 foot tower I got for free and resold in a few days and never ever touched it. you just never know.

More examples in the manual.

Good luck and keep me posted on your progress.

Mike
www.RecyclingSecrets.com

How I Write eBooks and Earn a Fulltime Income with Adsense

Frequently I get emails from folks asking me how I get my ideas and write my ebooks. Others write to ask how I make money with adsense. I'm writing an ebook right now that covers both topics and more. In this new ebook I talk about how I developed my first ebook, Home Based Salvage and Recycling Business Manual and the website, Recycling Secrets, and blog, Recycling Secrets Blog that goes along with it.

I also talk about my other website, MapCruzin.com. MapCruzin.com pays me a fulltime income that is totally provided by adsense income. I tell how I let my passion build the content and the traffic and about the various strategies I used to grow it from making a few hundred dollars per month a few years ago to several thousand dollars per month now. If you signup for updates I'll let you know when this new ebook is completed. Or just keep checking back. It shouldn't be long now.

In the meantime I thought I should share a few of the resources that I have used to grow my online home based business.
I hope they are as helpful to you as they have been to me.

Adsense is Back - I've bought quite a few adsense books and they've helped me grow my adsense income from a few hundred a month to several thousand per month in a few short years. Tony's book goes at the top of the stack. He is no "guru" - no guarantees, no hype - just good plain uncommonsense strategies that work to increase adsense revenues...More

How to Write your eBook in 7 Days - This is the information you need to make that breakthrough and finally finish your ebook. I had been thinking about mine and intending to write my first one for 20 years! (of course it wasn't originally going to be an ebook). This ebook was one of the few that really helped me get started and FINISH. Give it a try...More

Think, Write & RETIRE! - It took me quite awhile to get past writer's block and really dig into creating my ebooks. Mani offers a very straightforward approach to organizing, writing and marketing your ebooks. He is really good at helping you to develop your own unique ebooks based on your interests and passion...More

Blog Mastermind - Dont' let the title make you skip this one. Yaro is the real deal. He has learned the hard way how to create and grow blogs. He'll walk you through the same system that he has developed for himself - a system that earns him a substantial fulltime income...More

P.S. Yes, I do earn a commission from the sales of these. Thank you for looking and helping to support my work.

Make Money: Aluminum Recycling & Salvage - Winter Storms Bring Recycling Profits

Winter storms and extreme weather make a lot of aluminum available for recycling and reuse. Mobile home and trailer awnings are particularly susceptible to damage beyond repair. I found that many folks are very happy to just get the damaged material out their yards. Some will want to be paid a bit for the scrap.

I placed ads in freebie newspapers in the area and also posted signs on bulleting boards saying that I wanted damaged or unwanted used awnings and trailer skirting. I also contacted all the insurance companies in the area and left them a little handout saying the same. Nowadays, also postings on your local Craigslist and Freecycle makes sense.

Note that even though the awnings are damaged beyond repair in the eyes of those giving up the material, it doesn't mean that it's useless. Some of the larger parts of the frame are made of nice aluminum extrusions that are useful for other applications and easily resold for more than their scrap value. Same goes for some of the apparatus associated with the awnings.

This is NOT the sort of material that you want to take to the local recycler that normally deals in cans and plastics. My experience is that they will either not take it at all or offer you little or no money for it.

This is the sort of material that you want to hang onto until you have a trailer or pickup load. The best place to sell this scrap is to large metal salvage yards in big cities. But there's work to do before you haul it in or you'll get less than the best price. Sorting and cleaning is what it's all about.

There are different prices for different types of aluminum including...

Click here for complete article

This is part of an ongoing series documenting my experience in and thoughts about the future of the recycling and salvage business.

Visit RecyclingSecrets.com and the Recycling Secrets Blog for more information about recycling, reuse and salvage.

Mike Meuser
2010 is our year!!

Home Based Recycling and Salvage 101: Bootsrap Yourself out of the Recession

I began in the recycling and salvage business in the early 1980s. Like today, but not as bad, there was a housing boom and bust that made making a living and maintaining a home difficult for many.

I was inspired to get into the recycling and salvage business after reading a little booklet titled, "Surplus and Salvage." I was amazed that everything I needed to improve my conditions and make a decent income were right in front of me - most everywhere I looked.

Without the insights in that little booklet I would have never dug myself out of the hole I was in. My hope is that this little article will help you see what is out there and how you might change your life for the better once you do.

Recycling and salvage is much more than collecting cans, cardboard, paper, etc. and taking them to a recycling center. This works, but to a very limited degree. For me, recycling and salvage takes some creativity.

In my mind, one of the reasons that our economy is failing is that "find a need and fill it" has become "create a need and fill it." Our economy is driven by greed and over-consumption instead of need. With enough money for advertising ANY need (e.g. desire) can be created. Recycling and salvage brings us back to a solid economic foundation based on need not greed.

In this work we are really operating at the ground level of needs and fulfillment. When I started out I first went from business to business and asked them, "what is it that you need?" Just a few days of doing this produced a long list of things that I should be on the lookout for. It included: old brass valves for rebuilding, auto parts for rebuilding, electric motors and generators for rebuilding, wooden shelving, steel shelving, desks, chairs, file cabinets, hand tools, power tools, plumbing supplies, glass ... The list went on and on.

So, now I had a list of things to keep my eye out for and ...

Read the entire article at RecyclingSecrets.com

Home-Based Recycling Business Profits: Sell Used Tech Gadgets for Cash

January 5, 2010

Update October 29, 2010: The new Home Based Salvage and Recycling Business Manual is available for download. Check here for more information

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Used working and, in many cases, broken PDAs, SmartPhones, iPODs, Cell Phones, Desktop PCs, Laptops, Game Consoles, Video Games and other gadgets can be sold for cash. I haven't sold to any of these companies yet, but their reviews are good. When working with anyone new to you, it pays to be cautious and send them a small quantity first to see how it works out. It also pays to compare prices between the various buyers. This list is not exhaustive, but is representative of what is out there.

I'm sure that you'll think of more ideas, but this is one I thought of. This seems like the near perfect way to raise money for non-profits and yourself as well. You could approach non-profits and churches and tell them that you'd help them setup a fundraising drive to collect old cell phones and other gadgets. You could take care of the business end and split the profits with them.

Here are some of the online buyers of used gadgets that I am aware of:

Pace Butler buys cell phones. They say, "PaceButler Corporation contributes to the local and worldwide community by providing top quality products and service. We are dedicated to customer satisfaction through constant improvement of systems and procedures. When our customers profit, we profit, resulting in a win/win situation."

CERecycle.com buys cell phones, PDAs, iPODs, and SmartPhones. They say, "AX Micro Solutions founded CERecycle.com, which is the world's leader in providing 3rd party repairs & service for PDA's, SmartPhones & iPOD units. We have helped individuals and corporations repair 1000's of Consumer Electronic Devices. We were getting many requests from customers to send us their used, old, broken or outdated Pda's, Cell Phones, iPOD's and smartphones. In the past we had no way of taking those units but that has changed. We have teamed up with several local and national corporations to recycle your Electronic items."

Capital Asset buys used desktop and laptop computers, working or not. They say, "Our aim, from day one, has been to offer our customers, whether a private party or a business , the fastest quality service as well as the best cash value . Quotes that our customers receive online instantly are a result of scrupulous research of the current market in the laptop retail industry and guarantee that you will get a competitive market value for your laptop."

Gazelle.com buys cell phones, PDAs desktops, camera lenses, projectors, LCD monitors, gaming consoles, laptops, digital cameras, GPS devices, satellite radios, streaming
media, home audio, calculators, movies, MP3
players, video games, camcorders, external
drives, Blu-Ray players. They say, "Gazelle believes that electronics recycling starts with reuse. After we buy electronics and gadgets, we evaluate their condition. When we receive items that are still in working condition, we extend their lives by removing all personal data from them, and selling the electronics through a variety of retail and wholesale outlets. Items without market value are recycled responsibly."

BuyMyTronics.com buys cell pnones, MP3 player, apple accessories,
iPODs, digital cameras, ebook readers. The say, "BuyMyTronics.com is here to give you an eco-friendly avenue to get rid of electronics while pocketing some extra cash. We offer a fast, simple and green way to get money for your gadgets—free shipping included. We currently purchase cell phones, Apple iPods, iPhones, laptops and desktops, plus most smart phones and PDAs (Blackberry, Treo, Nokia, HTC, LG, Motorola, etc.) Zunes, MP3 players and game consoles (Playstation, Xbox, Nintendo Wii). We don't care about the condition—we will take it broken or used. Get top dollar for your gadgets while keeping your eWaste out of the landfill!"

If you want to focus on cell phones, check this

Over a billion cell phones were sold in 2007. More in the last years. According to Park Associates there are over 4.5 billion cell phone users on the planet. If you are looking to focus on cell phone recycling, you might want to check out this guide by Scott Andrews. Scott has been in the precious metal recycling business for 30 years and his manuals helped me get started in the business back in the early 1980s. Check out Scott's Cell Phone Recycling Profit manual for high-profit recycling opportunities and insiders secrets to recycling cell phones. This manual is based on Scott Andrew's 30 years experience in the business.

by Michael Meuser
RecyclingSecrets.com

Update October 29, 2010: The new Home Based Salvage and Recycling Business Manual is available for download. Check here for more information

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Michael Meuser bootstrapped his way into the salvage and recycling business in the early 1980s. He began with building deconstruction and scrap metals and then moved into electronics, computer and telecommunications scrap where he learned to recover gold and other precious metal. Michael tells his story, provides resources and offers his advice at his website, RecyclingSecrets.com, and his blog, Recycling Secrets Blog. Also, you can follow Michael on Twitter.

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Free Guide For Setting Up an Electronics Recycling Business

Here's a free guide from the Northeast Recycling Council. Download the guide to setting up an electronics recycling business here.