metal scrapping

[TallAdam85]

my family are pack rats and I am sick of having alot of my own junk. Now I have 2-3 old bikes some baseball bats and 2 sets of golf clubs as well as some other random metal junk. Was wondering how do i scrap do they take the items as is or do i have take them apart. and how much does metal scrap go for ball park?

 

[Kacey]

Rather than scrap them, have you considered donating them? Many police departments have programs that take old bikes, fix them up, and give them to kids; so do some schools - either would be happy to write a letter for tax purposes. Schools and community recreation centers would be happy to write you a letter for tax purposes for the bats and the golf clubs.

Or, you could try selling them on Craig's List.

 

[TallAdam85]

If I donate them to a thrift store would I be able to take them off my Business or Personal tax return?

 

[Kacey]

If I donate them to a thrift store would I be able to take them off my Business or Personal tax return?

I would talk to a tax accountant - but mine has always taken personal donations off my personal taxes. I've never made donations from a business, so I can't say - but I do know that when I donate items to Goodwill, they give me a form to fill out where I can list the items and their value, and I give that to my tax accountant; he takes it from there.

 

[jks9199]

Rather than scrap them, have you considered donating them? Many police departments have programs that take old bikes, fix them up, and give them to kids; so do some schools - either would be happy to write a letter for tax purposes. Schools and community recreation centers would be happy to write you a letter for tax purposes for the bats and the golf clubs.

Or, you could try selling them on Craig's List.

The PD may not... or may only as a byproduct of needing something to do with all the found bicycles.

Check local bike stores. You might also check Trips For Kids; at least one of their programs (they have programs in many states) does some recycling.

 

[stickarts]

We have donated items from our business and its very rewarding to put the stuff to good use.

 

[ArmorOfGod]

In my area, scrap metal goes for nothing, unless it is copper. About 5 years back, I took down a pool in my backyard, which filled my truck up a few feet over the top of my cab. I took it to the scrapyard and got $2.85 With the price of gas 5 years go, it cost me money to drop that stuff off.
If I were you, I would put it up on Freecycle to get rid of it.

AoG

 

[arnisador]

I'm afraid "metal scrapping" has a bad rep. where I live as stealing copper and other metals from AC units, etc. is being done for cash at pretty high rates. A food bank lost hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of food marked for charity when thieves stole copper from the refrigerating unit. They got much less than $1000 worth, it was figured. Not long ago near us someone stole about $30 worth of copper from a church, causing $1500 in damage.

From this morning's paper:
Police: Man crushed trying to steal car parts

A man apparently trying to steal parts from cars was fatally crushed when the jack he was using to lift a car failed and the vehicle fell on him, police said.

The devices contain small amounts of the precious metals platinum and palladium, which command high prices on metal commodity markets.

This too is growing, and you can even buy braces to help prtect against it. Once again, the thieves get perhaps a tenth of what it costs to repair and replace the item.

Sorry, but it's so prevalent here that this is what your post calls to mind!

 

[Rich Parsons]

If I donate them to a thrift store would I be able to take them off my Business or Personal tax return?

Talk to a tax person for your official information.

But in recent years the Federal has required receipts for the donations. So, if you just drive up and drop off and then claim it you will most likely be audited based upon the information provided to me. But, ask a profession in the business for the information as well.

 

[Big Don]

I used to work for one of my cousins at $8 an hour. For five weeks one summer, whenever I wasn't doing something else, I was loading a 10yard dump truck with scrap metal, from the large pile of crap that had accumulated over the years, BY HAND.
Finally, I was done, it was finally full enough to take to the scrap yard.
Net result: 5 weeks of work, about 30 hours a week at $8 an hour ($1200 in wages) $547 in scrap...
You get better prices for scrap if you have it sorted! The scrap yard will guesstimate how much tin (anything other than steel, but, they say tin...) is in your load and give you a percentage of the scrap steel price based on their guesstimation. Unless you are taking a whole lot of stuff (Weight-wise) don't expect much of a cash return.