E-Scrap: Basics of Electronic Scrap

What is E-scrap?

E-scrap, or electronic scrap, is the waste from computers, TVs, office equipment, and other electronics that have been discarded. But why should you care about e-scrap? Well to quote the European Commissioner for the Environment Janez Potocnik from an interview with BBC, "There's gold in waste - literally. It takes a ton of ore to get 1g of gold. But you can get the same amount from recycling the materials in 41 mobile phones." As most of us also know, gold is valuable. Currently it is hovering between $1,500 and $2,000 an ounce. Throw in the mix of other valuable metals like copper, rare earth metals, platinum and palladium; suddenly your electronic waste will start looking like dollar bills. 

My E-scrap is valuable. So what do I do with it?

A very fair question to ask. Luckily, there are several fairly easy options to profit from your e-scrap. 

Ebay

Ebay is always a simple option if you really want to stay at home and not have to lug around your materials. Gold yielding material is the most prevalent item but there are buyers of every kind of e-scrap out there. Research on pricing and shipping costs will be the largest investment of time(and maybe money) but the profit potential is there.

Scrap Yards

Your go-to scrap yard could also be a buyer of your e-scrap too. In some areas, such as mine, this entails a long drive to take my scrap material to an e-scrap buyer as they are not close by but others could be fortunate enough to have one just down the street. Pricing for e-scrap is available online(one example site is here).  All the same scrap metal principles apply to e-scrap. Know what you got, know the rates, and get paid right. 

Vendors

Online vendors are another great place to sell your e-scrap. The one major disadvantage is they frequently have minimum weight or unit requirements to sell to them, although some yards may have the same deal. The upside is you can just ship it out and not have to drive, much like the Ebay option. Their rates are frequently competitive as well. A quick example vendor can be found here. Again, research the market rates and know what you have and how much. 

More than trash.

E-scrap is a lot more than plastic covered in little transistors and wiring. With a discerning eye, a little know-how and some leg work, e-scrap can turn out to be a very profitable mix into your scrapping or recycling plans.