From Picking to Payday: How to Sell Scrap Metal in Westport

Scrap metal is all around us. It is in basements, garages, attics and under crawl spaces. It can be found in homes, at businesses and sometimes just lying alongside the road. If you want to learn about collecting scrap metal or would like to know how to sell scrap metal for a profit right here in Southeastern Massachusetts, then you have come to the right place. Millions of tons of unused and unwanted scrap is just sitting there, ready for the taking. Most people don’t even know what to do with their personal scrap metal collection, but in the right hands and with a bit of knowledge and earned experience, a good picker can make a living at it.

Tip #1 – Knowledge is Power

Collecting scrap metal and taking it to sell at the local scrap metal recycling facility can either be a profitable experience or time wasted. When it comes right down to it, it’s about what you know and how you can use that knowledge to your advantage. Taking time to read up on and gain some hands-on experience with various types of metal, learning how to identify ferrous and non-ferrous metals within your scrap metal collection, knowing what has more value and what will take more time to earn a profit, is what separates the amateurs from the professionals. Whether you decide to sell scrap iron and steel, or your goal is to specialize in more costly metals, such as copper and brass, will help to shape the way that you collect and sell scrap metal in Westport or anywhere in Southeastern Massachusetts.

Tip #2 – Have Reliable Transportation

One of the key elements in learning about collecting scrap metal is to have a reliable way to transport your finds to Mid City Scrap Iron & Salvage to sell them for cold, hard cash. While just about any type of vehicle can be used to haul scrap metal to the scrap metal collection facility, you need to be practical. The best way to make the biggest profit from your trip down to sell scrap metal in Westport is to use a sturdy pickup truck with an open bed that will allow for easy loading and unloading. A pickup will also allow you to gather larger materials than you could ever possibly haul in an SUV, covered truck or other type of vehicle.

Tip #3 – Pick Your Poison

Once you know your way around the differences between ferrous and non-ferrous metals, and you know which type fetches the best price for collecting scrap metal, it’s time to decide what type of metal you are going to focus on in your efforts. While a good picker will take all types of metals, store and collect them, learn what the best price is and sell them for top dollar at the local scrap yard, there are some pickers who specialize and only collect one or two types of metals. You should decide early on what you are willing to pick up, if you want to specialize or if you want to branch out into dismantling appliances and other finds to get a better price when you sell scrap metal in Westport. Your decision will depend on how much time you have, your knowledge of the business, your ability to separate and store materials, as well as any other personal factors that might affect your ability to turn this into a full time job or if it needs to remain a part-time effort.

Tip #4 – Learn the Market

Identifying metals and knowing what will fetch the best price is one thing, but it is also important to keep track of the market rate. You can do this in a couple of ways, check the news for the stock market value of the various metals that you collect or by calling Mid City Scrap Iron & Salvage to find out what the local pay rate is for the metal in your haul. They will let you know the going rate so you can determine whether you want to bring your scrap metal in to sell or if you want to hold onto it until the price gets in the range that you desire. While prices fluctuate, there are certain metals that are currently at the top of the scale. For example, brass can yield as much as $1-2 a pound in the higher end of market values, while copper can yield as much as $2-4 a pound or more, depending on the demand. Other metals will have a higher per-pound payout, but are more plentiful and are easier to find, sometimes making it worth your while to focus on the larger supply, while still keeping an eye out for the more valuable metals as a bonus.

Tip #5 – Find a Scrapyard You Can Trust

This is important. Sure, you could take your finds to the closest scrap yard or you could even take your stuff to the local recycle facility, but you won’t get as much as you will get if you learn how to sell scrap metal with a professional scrap metal recycling center, such as Mid City Scrap. When you come to sell scrap metal in Westport, Massachusetts to Mid City, you will be dealing with a multiple-generation, family owned and operated scrap metal recycling yard that has been serving Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island residents for nearly 80 years. Visit the website at www.midcityscrap.com for tips on how to separate your metals and an overview on the entire process for first-time visitors so you’ll know what to expect when you get there.