8 Oct
2005
8 Oct
'05
2:34 p.m.
Jay West wrote:
This does bring up a question I've been wondering
as to the mindset of a
scrapper/surplus dealer (in general, not a specific one), perhaps
someone here can posit an explanation. I've seen a fair number of
situations where a dealer/scrapper offers an item (not necessarily on
ebay) for a price far above the going price. You offer them an amount
above going prices, and far above scrap value... but even that is
significantly less than their initial price. They refuse, and the item
goes to the melting pot. I know for a fact that they are getting much
less money in the melting pot than I was offering.
Yep, I've known it to happen more than once too. My theory is that the
mindset of the scrapper is that they know their own business whilst we
don't, so to them either their idea of fair value is right, or the item
is totally worthless and so their best bet is to destroy it for scrap
value.
Trying to offer them more than scrap value but less than their idea of
fair price goes in one ear and out the other, even when the price you
offer them would be more than they'd get otherwise.
I believe my local scrapper/recycler back home has some sort of deal
with his preferred scrappers (who take metal, boards with gold on,
plastics etc.) whereby they only pick up a load once a month. Presumably
the scrapper/recycler holds out until the very last second hoping that
someone will be silly enough to pay their prices for an item, and when
that doesn't happen they have a very short space of time in which to
break it for bits to make that month's outgoing junk shipment.
Sad state of affairs, really. Same thing happens with junkyards though I
guess - to the owners they're just moving metal around, with no care as
to what exactly the items are.
cheers
Jules