Scrap Yards Near Me: Finding The Best Yards With Big Payouts
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Are you looking to get rid of some unwanted junk? A scrap yard may be the perfect solution! Scrap yards will take just about anything off your hands – from metal scraps to old car parts – and pay you handsomely. But with so many scrap yards out there, how do you know which one to choose? You have a few options available to find a scrapyard near you.
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The 6 Best ways to find scrap yards near you are below!
Table of Contents
- Key Takeaways
- Finding Scrap Yards Near Me
- Related Questions
Key Takeaways
- There are a few factors that you should consider when finding a scrapyard. Essential factors are location, price, and reputation.
- When looking for a scrap yard, remember to check for reviews online. This will give you a good indication of the quality of the yard and the payouts they offer.
- One of the simplest ways to find a scrap yard is to ask around. Speak to your friends, family, and co-workers to see if they have any recommendations. Once you find a few scrap yards that you like, compare prices and choose the one that offers the best payout.
Finding Scrap Yards Near Me
If it is your first time finding scrap dealers around you who will buy your unwanted junk but don’t know how to do so, I will provide you with some helpful ways to find the highest-paying scrap dealers nearest to you.
1. Speak To Friends, Neighbors, And Family
One of the most often overlooked ways to find information about anything is speaking to friends, family, and neighbors. So, before you begin to use any of the methods listed below, speak to your family and colleagues. A friend or colleague would certainly know of a reputable scrap dealer or even the scrap dealers you should avoid.
2. Using Zip Code, City, Address
When performing a Google Map search for scrap yards near you, use your zip code to find scrap dealers within your zip code.
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3. Using Scrap Yards Near Me
The second and most accurate way to find scrap dealers near you is to use the search term scrap yards near me when doing a Google search. This is always guaranteed to find the best scrap yards nearest to you. When your search results appear, you will also get a star rating based on other people’s experiences with those scrap dealers.
A scrap dealer with a 4-star to a 5-star rating and good reviews should be the ones that you must target. I have had some mediocre experience with scrap dealers with a 3-star rating and inferior customer service from dealers with a 1-star to 2-star rating.
4. Yellow Pages Online
The Yellow Pages website is guaranteed to help you find scrap dealers within your vicinity. It is easy to use; type in the words scrap yard and choose the city you reside in. The search results will display all the scrap dealers that are closest to you.
5. Craigslist
Craigslist is a site that is used for finding services as well as for listing items for sale. If you live in an area with no scrap dealers, listing your scrap items for sale on Craigslist might help get rid of that unwanted scrap.
Furthermore, if you have large items to move about, Craigslist might be helpful to find a moving service that will move the items for you. But, beware of scammers and research the company thoroughly before you use them.
You might also find adverts on Craigslist for people getting rid of old appliances or vehicles, sometimes at no cost. If you have the means to pick up those items yourself, then you can take them to a scrap dealer and make some extra cash from those items.
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6. iScrap Website And Mobile App
The iScrap app and website are excellent to help you find scrap dealers and scrap yards nearest to you. They are an extensive database of scrap dealers and provide you with market-related information about the latest scrap prices.
The creators of the iScrap app advise that scrap yards do not abide by the scrap prices listed on their website. It is recommended that you call the scrap dealer ahead of time to get the updated scrap prices. Download the iScrap mobile app from the respective App store to get started with finding scrap yards closest to you.
Related Questions
If it is your first time getting rid of your unwanted junk at a scrapyard, you probably have numerous questions that you need answers to. I have compiled a list of some of the most common questions and answers to get started with selling your scrap to a scrap yard.
Which Scrap Yard Is Paying The Most?
It’s essential to consider a few crucial factors for finding the best scrap yards near you. First and foremost, look for a yard that offers competitive pay rates. You’ll want to get the most you can for your junk – after all, you don’t want to spend hours driving around looking for a yard that won’t give you a good deal.
Another key factor to consider is the yard’s size. You don’t want to waste your time driving to a yard that’s too small – you’ll only spend more time sorting through the junk and getting nowhere. Finally, consider the yard’s accessibility. You wouldn’t want to drive to a faraway yard or one that is difficult to get to.
What Pays The Most At A Scrapyard?
When you are sorting out unwanted items to send to a scrap dealer, some items are in higher demand than others. And it is these items that you can expect bigger payouts. I have taken the time to compile a select list of items that are worth selling to a scrap dealer.
1. Aluminum
One of the most profitable items for which scrap dealers will pay considerable cash is aluminum. Aluminum is used almost everywhere; in window frames, gutters, doors, cars, food cans, and soda cans.
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The multiple uses for aluminum and its availability make it in high demand. Any forms of scrap aluminum that you can collect from around your home might be worth its weight in gold.
2. Copper
Copper is possibly one of the most valuable metals you can sell for scrap, which you can quickly gather from around your home. It is always in high demand, so you can make extra cash from selling your scrap copper.
Copper is found in pipes, kitchen sinks, wires, and light fixtures. For those renovating your homes and have some scrap copper laying around, you could make extra cash by selling your unwanted copper to a scrap dealer.
3. Brass
Brass isn’t an item that you would typically have around your home. However, it is still a great item you can sell to your scrap dealer if you do have any around your home. Brass is found in several places, including door locks, hinges, candlesticks, trophies, and bedsprings.
Brass is sometimes mixed with other metals like aluminum and steel, so you should take some time to sort those out before selling them for scrap.
4. Lead
Lead is one of those materials that are rare to find. It is not so commonly used in newer items, but you will find it in old jewelry, lamp fixtures, children’s toys, ceiling fans, and old paint cans that might be lying around.
But this heavy metal is often mixed with items like copper or brass and can be hard to find on its own. You can make a chunk of change when you find pure lead by selling it to a scrap dealer.
5. Stainless Steel
Stainless steel is an everyday item that you will find in scrap yards. It is found in cutlery, old microwaves, cars, refrigerators, etc. Stainless steel is commonly found almost everywhere and is not as highly valued as the other metals listed above.
Make sure to clean out your stainless steel before sending it off to a scrap dealer, or you will likely get less money for it.
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6. Second-hand Appliances and Computer Parts
When considering items for scrapping, don’t forget those old appliances and computer parts. Depending on what these appliances are made from, each could be one of the most valuable items to scrap.
Fridges, stoves, washers, and dryers are all items that can be sold off to a scrap dealer. Some of these appliances are heavy to move around, so be sure that you have someone to help you move the appliances or use your scrapping companies moving vehicles to help you move them.
Furthermore, your old computer is also valuable equipment for which a scrap dealer would be happy to pay cash. You can make more money from taking the computer apart and selling off the individual parts of the computer.
Your scrap dealer would also buy any old cables and wiring no longer used from within the computer. The cables and wiring are just as valuable as the computer itself!
7. Used Tools
Tools have a high value, depending on what they are made from. But before you send them off to the scrapyard, take the time to clean them first. If you have old tools gathering dust around your garage or tool shed, you can sell them off for scrap instead of throwing them away.
How Do I Get The Highest Payouts For Scrap?
The scrapyard game is highly competitive, with many people looking to make a few extra dollars for their scrap items. So, you need to up your game if you want to get the best from selling your scrap.
Below are four simple tips to help you get the most from selling your scrap.
1. Disassembling Scrap Metal Works
Many valuable items like machinery and tools might be hiding within many of your household items. In addition, many of your electronics contain copper and other metals.
Before selling any wiring and cabling, strip off the insulation and leave the copper bare. The bare copper wire is worth more than the insulated wiring.
So, it might be a good idea to strip each of these items individually and send them to the scrap yard.
2. Separating And Organizing Metals
You might be paid based on the lowest valued price if you take a bulk load of mixed metals to the scrap yard. For example, if you take brass, copper, and aluminum all bundled together, you might only get paid the aluminum price instead of the copper or brass.
So, separating and organizing the various metals into separate piles might be helpful for you to get the highest price for your scrap.
3. Cleaning Your Metals
Cleaning your metals doesn’t necessarily mean scrubbing them with soap and water. Instead, you can separate the metals from other non-useful parts and strip off any paint that might affect the value of the metal. Copper prices are usually subject to price fluctuations based on the presentability of the metal.
4. Separate Non-Ferrous Metals From Ferrous Metals
Knowing the distinction between non-ferrous and ferrous metals is essential when selling your scrap to the scrap yard.
Ferrous metals contain a mix of other alloys like iron, which non-ferrous metals do not contain. Non-ferrous metals like aluminum, brass, copper and stainless tell will fetch you higher prices than ferrous metals.
An easy method to distinguish between the two is to use a magnet. If the magnet sticks to the metal, it is a non-ferrous metal, but if the magnet doesn’t stick, it is a ferrous metal and would not be worth much.
5. Contacting Your Local Manufacturing Companies
Manufacturing companies may be gold mines for scrap metal and unwanted parts. It might be worth it to contact a local manufacturing company to check whether they might be willing to get rid of their scrap metal.
This might work for smaller manufacturing companies, not larger ones, as they usually have scrap dealers that directly buy the metal from the company.
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