Free Guide to Starting Up In Scrap Metal, Scrap Electronics, E-Scrap, Salvage and Recycling

Hi - I've just created a new resource especially for newbies (newb, newby, newbys, noob). I'll be updating it frequently and I'd love to hear from you if you have questions, comments or - anything at all. Check out the New Guide to Starting Up In the Home-Based Scrap Metal, Scrap Electronics, E-Scrap, Salvage and Recycling.

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

Is How to Make Money in the Home Based Salvage and Recycling Business right for you?

Every once in awhile. I get a request for a refund only hours (sometimes minutes) after someone has purchased the ebook. Usually the story goes something like - This is just your story and not... (fill in the blank). Well, this is true. How to Make Money in the Home Based Salvage and Recycling Business is my story. I wonder, "how could it be anything else?" All I know, all that has gotten me from reading that little surplus and salvage book in the early 1980s and saying "I can do that" to now is my story.

Many purchasers of the ebook have been inspired and are learning the business and are having varying degrees of success - some are doing very very well in a short period of time.

I try to be very clear on the sales page that the ebook is not a blue print, not a step-by-step plan to recycling and salvage riches or anything like that. Rather it is the story of my successes and failures over 30 years in the business. I don't profess to be a gigantic success. In fact, I'm still mostly a one person operation, but I have over the years made a lot of money, learned a lot and have ended up quite well.

My hope in writing the ebook was that you could learn from my failures, avoid them and capitalize on my successes getting up to speed much faster than I did.

I certainly don't make a ton of money off of the ebook. In fact my real payment is in the satisfaction I get when someone emails me and tells me about their successes. I also learn from folks who have really gone for it and succeeded in new areas.

So, to reiterate what is on the sales page:

If you are looking for:

• A blueprint that you can follow step by step with little or no creative action on your part.
  
• A business that takes little to no effort - a business made for lazy people.
  
• A business that will make you rich overnight.
  

Then this is not for you. All I can do is wish you good luck in finding something that fits. But, if you:

• Are not afraid of hard work.
  
• Can see my story as just that "my story" not a blueprint, not a step-by-step plan (unfortunately internet and get-rich schemes have convinced many that these something-for-almost-nothing schemes are real - come on!), but an opportunity to be inspired by my successes and learn from my mistakes.
  
• Are not afraid to ask me questions.
  
• And you are ready to get real and put all the get-rich-quick pie-in-the-sky make-a-million-with-no-work-and-an-investment-of=little-money behind you.
  

Then stick with me and read on... I also want to be very clear. The ebook is just the beginning. If you have questions I am always here to answer them as best I can. If I don't have the answer, I'll do my best to find one for you and I'll also ask your question to the growing number of previous purchasers of the ebook. To repeat... the ebook is not an end to itself, it is a beginning. The blog, website and emails to me will be useful to you as long as you need them to be. I hope to hear from you soon. Good luck in your endeavors, 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

Salvage and Recycling Success Story

The following is an email from a young woman who purchased the eBook in October. I include it here hoping that it will inspire those of you who have purchsed the eBook but can't quite get going yet and also to encourage those that have not yet purchased the eBook to do so and get out there and begin making some money. My responses to LM are in italics.

On Fri, Dec 2, 2011 at 10:29 AM, LM wrote:

HI again, I’ve been working on a few things and had a progress report and some more questions, if you don’t mind. ;)

Glad to hear from you! I'm amazed that very few people actually correspond with me at all after buying the ebook. It's good to hear from someone who has actually gotten something out of it.

I got a truck. It’s a Dakota. It was listed for $1200 but had been sitting. I got it for $700 because I noticed it was leaking gas and I knew it need lots of work. I put $700 worth of repairs and it runs like a top. And when I’m looking to upgrade I know I could re-sell and make more because it only has 75,000 miles and I cleaned it up nice.

What a great deal!

I got my first load of electronics free from a computer place. 35 each monitors and cases. I scraped the cases and metal and got $150 right off. I have the motherboards and PCI cards set aside for a place I found that buys them. I’m waiting for a large enough amount to make it worth my while. I found a local place that will take monitors for free after I scrap out the copper. I just have to drop them off. I’m pretty excited. My dad is helping me out with the dismantling because I still work and can only do this on nights and weekends.

Amazing. You are really going for it.

I’ve been reading online forums and such to learn how to get the best out of the scrap I get. I’ve come up with a few questions maybe you could answer?

Sure.

Everyone says they leave their business card. That’s cool and I can make one up without a problem. I’m stuck on the wording. I’m thinking my name and Salvage/Recycling and contact info. Do you think that would be enough? They can always contact me for more correct? Should I put more like ‘free pickup’ or something to get their attention?

I say almost exactly what you have. Just my name on one line and the Free PIckup of Salvage and Recyclables on the next. I'm careful to never do or say "hauling" because people tend to see haulers as something different and I don't want to be put in the category of hauling trash for pay.

Lots of people talk about putting up flyers. Do you find this works? Do you use several different flyers advertising different things?

I use simple flyers at grocery stores and other places in towns nearby. I keep it simple using the same text as on the card.

I recently found a post about asking the local auto repair and parts places if I could put a plastic drum there for them to dump their old wires and parts into for me to pickup rather than them putting the stuff in the dumpster. Have you done anything like that? I’m thinking you’d need to label the drum with your business name or whatever but it wouldn’t hurt to ask right?

That's a very good idea. I do keep in touch with several different businesses for their scrap - auto repair, auto supply, hardware, thrift, etc. Usually not enough around here to warrant dedicating a barrel, but sounds like it will work for you.

BTW I just scored dozens of used steel barrels from an auto repair place. Enough oil left in them to do changes for my cars and trucks for years to come. I'm using them for passive solar on side of my home and inside a greenhouse. This might be a free source of barrels for you to use for your clients. You would have to cut the tops off though.

I liked your post about the free wood. I live in an apt so that wouldn’t work for me but I know people who do burn so I’m going to look into that.

I really appreciate your information. I probably told you I am a website designer by trade. I’d be more than happy to make you a cool banner or header for your Blog for free to say thanks for your useful input. If you ever want to update it that is. J

I'd love that if you have the time.

A favor. This email is a real inspiration to me. It's great to find out I'm actually helping someone. Can I post this email on the blog? I'll just use your initials, not your name. Let me know because I think it would help inspire others to get going.

Well I’m off to meet with a client so I’ll talk with you again later.

Thanks so much!
LM

You're doing great. Hope you do well enough to go at it full time soon. You're on your way.

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

Estate Sale Cleanups Equal Big Profits

There never seems to be an end to new opportunities in this business. Recently a friend came over and said "you gotta get over there." He had gone to an estate sale the previous weekend and went back the Monday after to pickup a few things he had purchased. The people had 3 days left to dispose of all the stuff that didn't sell. So my friend told them about me. I drove over right away and was amazed - lumber of all sorts, plumbing and electrical supplies, firewood, large timbers, an old railroad trestle in parts, irrigation pipe and tubing, drip systems, fencing, roofing, gas cans full of gas, railroad rails... on and on. As usual, I said "I can do it."

I did "do it." Working 20 hours a day, I made 14 trips with my pickup and 12 foot trailer (I borrowed the trailer from a friend). Retail value of what I collected has to be in the $20,000 range. I'll end up using about 1/2 of it and expect to sell the rest for around $5,000 cash or similar value in trade for things I need or can sell.

The above is not that unusual for me although I'd never cleaned up an estate sale before. I've been in this community for just a bit over a year and already folks are seeing me as the "salvage guy." it's all word of mouth and reputation. Do a great job for someone and they'll find more deals for you.

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

How I Afford to Bid on Scrap Metal, Electronic Scrap and Salvage Material

Word-Of-Mouth and Bootstrapping are Keys to Success

Recently a fellow emailed me asking how I could afford to bid on electronic and telecommunication scrap. The short answer is that I did some creative bootstrapping. Here are more details.

This fellow was referring to a discussion in my eBook, How to Make Money in the Home Based Salvage and Recycling Business. In the eBook I describe my adventures in electronic salvage, scrap metal and deconstruction.

First off, there's bidding and then there's auctions. Starting off I had no cash at all so auctions were out of the question. Even now I stay away from auctions because things usually get bid up way too high and the lots are often too large. In my experience the ones who bid and win have seemingly unlimited cash and they "flip" things almost immediately. Even if they only gain 10% in a couple of days, 10% of say, $10,000, is $1000 profit - not bad pay. Problem is most of us, including me, don't have that sort of cash laying around.

So, I bid on things. Through word-of-mouth I hear about things that are available. Often they are free. If not, I'm usually asked how much I pay, I "bid" and if acceptable, I get the material. Unless my bid is a small amount I explain to the seller that I need X number of days to pay after I pickup the goods. If this is unacceptable, I go on my merry way looking for the right deal that fits my circumstances and finances.

I've found over the years that word-of-mouth referrals is gold. I don't spin my wheels attending auctions, watching craigslist and freecycle listings and the like. Just too time consuming for the meager return. One of my best deals ever came directly from sitting in a rural coffee shop each morning and getting to know the folks who come in. One thing led to another and I ended up with a year's worth of very profitable electronic salvage work.

Recent examples include a word of mouth referral to a person wanting a 100 year old house torn down. I got the call and ended up with 1000s of board feet of beautiful old growth lumber for free. I'm using some and selling the rest.

Another example is a call I got about an old farm. I could have whatever I wanted for free. Note that I said, "have whatever I wanted." In this case, if I had to take all of it, I would have passed or offered a small amount for the stuff I wanted - just too much junk I didn't want so this worked out well. In a couple of hours I collected about 300 pounds of used aluminum roofing, some corrugated steel roofing in very good shape, about 200 pounds of copper wire, a working wood lathe, riding lawnmower, all sorts of miscellaneous tools, hardware, plumbing and electrical supplies, fencing material... Enough to load my Nissan pickup and 8 foot trailer to the brim.

My contact is going to get in touch with the absentee owner of the farm to see if I can have other items as well that he was unsure of at the time. Things I have my eye on are a canoe, a small Kubota diesel tractor (needs work), several 100 feet of irrigation pipe, doors in casings, and the old barn itself. He's pretty sure these are unwanted items as well. I'll keep my fingers crossed :)

A word about Craigslist - I said above that I don't spin my wheels searching craigslist all the time. I've found it to be mostly too unprofitable, but once in awhile it pays off. I check maybe once every couple of weeks. This morning I saw a listing for a very nice woodstove fireplace insert with variable speed blower. I called and found it was just a couple of years old. The folks bought the house with it in it and decided to heat with propane. Woodstoves are too heavy for most people to move around and they just want them out of there - thus free! If you run into these, ask too if they have any firewood. Most people seem to forget this. This morning if I hadn't asked, I would have missed out on a cord of nicely seasoned oak firewood.

A tip - Woodstoves typically way between 250 and 350 pounds. I can load and unload these woodstoves myself (and I'm 65 years old) using the following method. I have a small 8 foot utility trailer I bought as a kit from Harbor Freight. It's the heavy duty 5 lug model with a tilting bed. I can easily tilt the stove up on end and flip it back down on a 4 wheel dolly. Then I roll it to the edge of tilted down bed of the trailer and roll it on. You'll need a small piece of heavy plywood to fill the gap between the edge of the trailer and the ground - a steel plate works even better. Once on the trailer it's relatively easy to roll it in place and take it off the dolly.

In my pessimistic view of the economy, I think woodstoves and firewood are going to be gold (among other things). I may keep this one and use it. Whichever extra one I end up with, I'll probably trade it for a wood splitter or something else useful.

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