Selling scrap metal after plumbing job

mrcheez

Got new boiler setup recently and I made sure to keep all the scrap metal... Copper cylinder, old steel pipes, rads, etc

Recommend a place in north dublin that'll give me a good price?

Joey the lips

Because of the amount you have and the fact you wont be a regular i would go to the nearest place to you. However bring your driving licence. There is now regulations about ID due. i am not too sure if the industry is working it already.

TBH and just my opinion. i would have left it to the plumber to take away. But each to there own i suppose.

mrcheez

Joey the lips wrote: »

TBH and just my opinion. i would have left it to the plumber to take away. But each to there own i suppose.

Well it's not taking up space and i'm sure there's a few bob in it, so definitely worth keeping

Know anything about O'Reilly Scrap Metal Recycling? http://www.scrap-metal.ie/

doctorchopper

its well worth selling, i did the same recently, cylinder and some pipes and got 200 euro for it. took it to a scrap yard in harolds cross south dublin right by the canal

mrcheez

Finally got around to doing this, the total weight came up as around 3.2 stone (approx 20 kg to the rest of us) for copper and a bit of brass. Got 90 euro for it after hagglin a bit, probably wouldn't have got more than 95 if I'd kept pushing. Reckon that price was reasonable?

I was chuffed with the 90 anyway. That'll go toward some garden plants

sullzz

mrcheez wrote: »

Finally got around to doing this, the total weight came up as around 3.2 stone (approx 20 kg to the rest of us) for copper and a bit of brass. Got 90 euro for it after hagglin a bit, probably wouldn't have got more than 95 if I'd kept pushing. Reckon that price was reasonable?

I was chuffed with the 90 anyway. That'll go toward some garden plants

A couple of things here ..... you dont haggle with the scrap yard , if you used them before you would know this , its a fixed price , you wouldnt haggle over a pint of milk in the shop , but the main thing I would say is ..I cant believe you took the scrap from the plumber , I would be shocked if a customer asked me to leave the scrap behind , it would leave a very sour taste.

stephendevlin

sullzz wrote: »

I would be shocked if a customer asked me to leave the scrap behind , it would leave a very sour taste.

Why? because the plumber can profit from it and not the owner of the materials?

sullzz

stephendevlin wrote: »

Why? because the plumber can profit from it and not the owner of the materials?

Its just my opinion , you dont have to like it , whatever about the cylinder , but the pipe and fittings

bhamsteve

sullzz wrote: »

A couple of things here ..... you dont haggle with the scrap yard , if you used them before you would know this , its a fixed price , you wouldnt haggle over a pint of milk in the shop , but the main thing I would say is ..I cant believe you took the scrap from the plumber , I would be shocked if a customer asked me to leave the scrap behind , it would leave a very sour taste.

??? Maybe he doesn't want to give the plumber a €90 tip, or maybe he needs the money. I'm sure it would leave a sour taste if you are used to €90 cash in hand after every job.

stephendevlin

sullzz wrote: »

Its just my opinion , you dont have to like it , whatever about the cylinder , but the pipe and fittings

So you would have a bad taste in your mouth because you would be entitled to this persons left over property?

sullzz

stephendevlin wrote: »

So you would have a bad taste in your mouth because you would be entitled to this persons left over property?

Yes thats it exactly !!

stephendevlin

sullzz wrote: »

Yes thats it exactly !!

Thought thats what your problem was.

sullzz

But still if I was to remove an old bathroom or including tiles , or a galvanised storage tank etc , they would expect me to dump them for free.

stephendevlin

sullzz wrote: »

But still if I was to remove an old bathroom or including tiles , or a galvanised storage tank etc , they would expect me to dump them for free.

Why would you need to worry about that when you are entitled to them?

sullzz

stephendevlin wrote: »

Why would you need to worry about that when you are entitled to them?

Its swings and roundabouts .

bhamsteve

sullzz wrote: »

But still if I was to remove an old bathroom or including tiles , or a galvanised storage tank etc , they would expect me to dump them for free.

That would be included in the quote, would it not?

stephendevlin

sullzz wrote: »

Its swings and roundabouts .

Sure they have scrap value too

sullzz

bhamsteve wrote: »

That would be included in the quote, would it not?

No

sullzz

stephendevlin wrote: »

Sure they have scrap value too

Lol

bhamsteve

sullzz wrote: »

No

Then it should be. Do you not agree at the outset what the job entails?

sullzz

bhamsteve wrote: »

Then it should be. Do you not agree at the outset what the job entails?

As I said you some jobs you get the likes of a cylinder to take away , others your left to take away an old suite or the likes ,
As I also said its just my opinion .

bhamsteve

sullzz wrote: »

As I said you some jobs you get the likes of a cylinder to take away , others your left to take away an old suite or the likes ,
As I also said its just my opinion .

That's fair enough, and I wouldn't begrudge you any perks but you seem to be demanding them. Time's have changed, people are more frugal now, often because they need to be

sullzz

bhamsteve wrote: »

That's fair enough, and I wouldn't begrudge you any perks but you seem to be demanding them. Time's have changed, people are more frugal now, often because they need to be

I absolutely never demand anything , if a customer asked me to leave a cylinder or anything behind I would do so with a smile , I dont take it for granted that I am getting it , when removed I ask them what they want me to do with it , its just 99.9% of the time they leave it for me to take away , the same goes for the rubbish on a job like old suites, I understand that times have changed, my prices have dropped drastically with the times , im not a big bad plumber out to rip anyone off and steal their property like what was said about me.

stephendevlin

sullzz wrote: »

rip anyone off and steal their property like what was said about me.

You came across as demanding as said before and now your coming across as defensive.

Nobody said you ripped anyone off or stole anything

bhamsteve

sullzz wrote: »

I absolutely never demand anything , if a customer asked me to leave a cylinder or anything behind I would do so with a smile , I dont take it for granted that I am getting it , when removed I ask them what they want me to do with it , its just 99.9% of the time they leave it for me to take away , the same goes for the rubbish on a job like old suites, I understand that times have changed, my prices have dropped drastically with the times , im not a big bad plumber out to rip anyone off and steal their property like what was said about me.

I'm not sure anyone implied you are ripping people off, it was just the 'sour taste' comment that didn't go down too well. Anyway, good luck with business

sullzz

stephendevlin wrote: »

You came across as demanding as said before and now your coming across as defensive.

Nobody said you ripped anyone off or stole anything

Nobody said but YOU implied

sullzz

bhamsteve wrote: »

I'm not sure anyone implied you are ripping people off, it was just the 'sour taste' comment that didn't go down too well. Anyway, good luck with business

I suppose I could have picked betfer words:o ah well the can of worms are open now

stephendevlin

sullzz wrote: »

Nobody said but YOU implied

Exactly where now. Only thing I implied is that your not entitled to take anything and its not a given that you get to take the scrap with you. I nowhere stated that you take it without the owners permission.

ZETOR_IS_BETTER

sullzz wrote: »

Nobody said but YOU implied

To be honest you came across as if you had a right to take the scrap.
As another poster said why dont you price it into the job where you take scrap or dont take it so you and the customer know where ye both stand?

sullzz

stephendevlin wrote: »

Why? because the plumber can profit from it and not the owner of the materials?

Sounds like your calling me a rip off to me .
Also read your other posts plenty of rip off refferences in them too.
Whats your problem anyway , did someone take a cylinder on you , or have you just got something against plumbers , or mabey just me

mrcheez

This thread is hilarious

The cylinder and pipes are my property, not the plumbers. The plumbers job is to manipulate existing or add new pipes, not to take my property and profit from it.

stephendevlin

sullzz wrote: »

Sounds like your calling me a rip off to me .
Also read your other posts plenty of rip off refferences in them too.
Whats your problem anyway , did someone take a cylinder on you , or have you just got something against plumbers , or mabey just me

That was a question and not an accusation, still didnt imply that you were stealing!

mrcheez

sullzz wrote: »

A couple of things here ..... you dont haggle with the scrap yard , if you used them before you would know this , its a fixed price ,

apparently not. I was given several different quotes for my copper from different places I rang. So seems price is not fixed, and the dealer was more than willing to haggle.

RoundyMooney

Sense of entitlement among some trades is still out there, sadly.

The amount of people who've told me how hard it is to get tradespeople (who aren't moonlighting down the welfare office, and pricing out the good guys) would back that up.

It's pretty effing simple-if disposal is an element of the job, price it in. This tall tale that one customer's copper is recompense for another one's old jacks is bollocks.

sullzz

RoundyMooney wrote: »

Sense of entitlement among some trades is still out there, sadly.

The amount of people who've told me how hard it is to get tradespeople (who aren't moonlighting down the welfare office, and pricing out the good guys) would back that up.

It's pretty effing simple-if disposal is an element of the job, price it in. This tall tale that one customer's copper is recompense for another one's old jacks is bollocks.

Calm down now

RoundyMooney

Perfectly calm, thanks.

I'm actually quite happy to read from the replies here that people are wise to this kind of thing by now.

sullzz

RoundyMooney wrote: »

Perfectly calm, thanks.

I'm actually quite happy to read from the replies here that people are wise to this kind of thing by now.

Yeah we are just like the mafia being exposed :rolleyes:

JohnnieK

I've no problem with customers keeping the scrap, but they also have to keep the rubble, packaging and all the other crap that's involved with the job too.

RoundyMooney

JohnnieK wrote: »

I've no problem with customers keeping the scrap, but they also have to keep the rubble, packaging and all the other crap that's involved with the job too.

Or just build it into the price and scope before the job starts.

JohnnieK

The options are given beforehand.

And most would say they are not paying extra for rubbish removal.

RoundyMooney

JohnnieK wrote: »

The options are given beforehand.

And most would say they are not paying extra for rubbish removal.

Then the copper scrap is also theirs to keep in that case IMO, not the tradesman's to weigh in for extra coin.

Tbh, for most run of the mill work, I'm guessing that there wouldn't be much anyway.

JohnnieK

RoundyMooney wrote: »

Then the copper scrap is also theirs to keep in that case IMO, not the tradesman's to weigh in for extra coin.

Tbh, for most run of the mill work, I'm guessing that there wouldn't be much anyway.

There wouldn't be a major amount, and to be honest most customers tell me to take the cylinder so I would take the rubbish too.

Mr.Fred

JohnnieK wrote: »

I've no problem with customers keeping the scrap, but they also have to keep the rubble, packaging and all the other crap that's involved with the job too.

Never heard such nonsense. If you didn't remove rubble or unwanted materials from a job you did for me you wouldn't be paid end of never mind getting to keep some scrap copper.

I always laugh at plumbers hanging onto copper like Fagin.. If the customer chooses to keep the suite or the copper that's up to him. If the trades man can't price a job properly without incl his secret stash of swag then that's the trades mans problem.

A tradesman with that attitude won't last long.

JohnnieK

Mr.Fred wrote: »

Never heard such nonsense. If you didn't remove rubble or unwanted materials from a job you did for me you wouldn't be paid end of never mind getting to keep some scrap copper.

I always laugh at plumbers hanging onto copper like Fagin.. If the customer chooses to keep the suite or the copper that's up to him. If the trades man can't price a job properly without incl his secret stash of swag then that's the trades mans problem.

A tradesman with that attitude won't last long.

Prices are given with rubbish removal state on the quote, If they choose to shave money of the quote by removing this, then the rubbish is there's.

Mr.Fred

Copper clearly isn't rubbish..

I see plenty of scrap copper in my trade I don't assume I have entitlement to any of it.

if you take on a job you clean up after yourself if the customer want's to remove any items be it wood stones dirt or whatever then that's up to them.

You wouldn't be complaining if they removed a load of blocks from your scrap pile.

JohnnieK

Mr.Fred wrote: »

Copper clearly isn't rubbish..

I see plenty of scrap copper in my trade I don't assume I have entitlement to any of it.

if you take on a job you clean up after yourself if the customer want's to remove any items be it would stones dirt or whatever then that's up to them.

You wouldn't be complaining if they removed a load of blocks from your scrap pile.

They can keep there scrap if they want, I don't care. If I have to get a tonne bag or skip then it will be factored into the price. I have had customers tell me to take the skip off the price, I can tell you now that I will not cover that expense and they can keep and deal with the rubbish. If they want to give me the scrap I will take it, enough said on the matter.

Tails142

If you were being upfront and honest about it you would just say when pricing the job that the job will cost 50 quid less if you take away the old cylinder.

Do you pay income tax on the money you make off selling the cylinder and other copper?

JohnnieK

Tails142 wrote: »

If you were being upfront and honest about it you would just say when pricing the job that the job will cost 50 quid less if you take away the old cylinder.

Do you pay income tax on the money you make off selling the cylinder and other copper?

It's all on the quote.

Does anyone?

mrcheez

RoundyMooney wrote: »

Sense of entitlement among some trades is still out there, sadly.

It's the first I've heard of it actually. In any trade, ever.

And if the plumber had any problem with me requesting to keep my metal, he'd be one customer short in a split second.

QBE

I am new to this site and just read this post.

I wouldn't bother judging these kind of customers. I'd just finish the work and get paid for it. However I would stay away from working for them again. Outside the fitters the only others I know that take the scrap are the penurious type.

If your working for a client like this. Experience tells me. Your in for further grief from them and most likely payment issues.

ID AVOID AT ALL COSTS. YOU CAN NEARLY SNIFF THESE KIND OF CLIENTS OUT ON THE INITIAL CONSULTATION , ASSESSMENT AND QUOTATION OF THE JOB.

I personally wouldn't take on a job without a contract with a detail contract/estimate. I think removal of all waste materials . sums up the scrap copper.

What next. A discount at the end for using the place of works electric supply? its pathetic. No wonder there is the amount of incompetent work and standards (especially) in the domestic end of the area. Penny pinching on the clients behalf and the incompetent bargain priced service.

hiluxman

i think QBE is on the ball,its like in my trade i prefer to supply the parts myself, as i pay trade and sell them a retail, its a little sweetner for doing the job, if the customer supplys the parts themselves i loose out a little bit and in general this type of customer is a hassley person to deal with due to the fact they have a slight bit of knowlege and think they know it all and that your only trying to cod them out of something.
its the same with the scrap parts left over at the end, I collect them and when i have enough ill way the scrap in