Buying PC's for Scrap Is it Worth It?

Scrap computers are low value at best but especially when some of the good bits have been removed so probably not worth buying these days unless very cheap.
Still have to take into account the time spent getting them and scrapping them out so best to be careful when buying them, make sure they have the main parts like ram, cpu & hard drives.
But it's still a bit more stock for me to work on and would compliment the 99% of stuff like this I get free if I can get the price down a bit.
Keep scrapping & Have fun!
Scrapping tools, safety gear, wire strippers, metal melting furnaces, crucibles and ingot moulds that I use or recommend.. www.amazon.com/shop/ewasteben
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To contact me by email: [e-mail]
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Victoria 3013
Australia

[@adalmartinez2340]

15 cents per kilo should be the right number if he wants all the pcs gone since you waste gas time and work

[@joselbazcom4221]

Thanks a lot eWaste Ben, as always you make excellent videos with plenty of information. May you and your loved ones, all of Australia and the world be blessed with wellness and safety.

[@krisbennett9852]

I love this style of video. Thank you and keep up the great work. Stay healthy my friend

[@Timothy--vb7rr]

Your always busy Ben. Thanks for the video. Good Day!

[@introverttechnologist8899]

I've thought of doing this exact thing on random items to see the scrap value of each. Thanks for doing a video like this

[@lynnanir]

Good learning video. Watching you take those apart reminds me of what my son just did which is built his first PC. Ordered the parts online. Went to assemble it and he had forgotten to order a mother board. I LOL's at him and so did he. He's all set for gaming now.

[@TheOldRogue]

Totally not worth it at all, free would be the only viable option after taking time and the cost of fuel into making a profit. Thanks for sharing Ben :)

[@David_Quinn_Photography]

better off making relations with your local E-waste facility and having them do all that labor check with scrap yards as well see if they will pay more for an empty tower than giving the whole machine to your E-waster my local E-waste will pay 5c for a case whereas my scrap yard pays 7c so in bulk it's worth gutting the PCs but the real money is in working machines.

[@pederlindstrom3132]

Hello Ben, Sweden here again. Great video as usal. I just got in contact with a guy that does houses and industrial clean outs and auctions the stuff. He doesnt take electronics to sell so he was happy I take it.

[@baharuddinbesah3709]

Hi Ben another great video from you take care your health keep scrapping regard 👍👍👍👍👏

[@wastescrapper7692]

Hi Ben, Alice and myself knew from the beginning that 50 cents a kilo may be too much. So we are very glad you did the video. You explained everything very well. Your are a treasure to share the knowledge with the world. Well done and enjoy your scrapping. Cheers

[@bigcountryscrapper6885]

Thanks for the info great video

[@timvivoda5208]

Hard work Ben .oh great video as usual.

[@jetman1963]

interesting and useful info Ben

[@junkermans5836]

Hi, Good video and very informative. I buy them but do not pay much for them either. Most of my scrap I find street Scrapping and once in awhile will find a few computers. I enjoy your videos and watch them all the time!

[@sojourner1511]

Ben, hope the Corona virus doesn't slow you down. I love these videos.

[@gummyroid]

Awesome vid as usual.

[@jackpalczynski7884]

I scrap tons of these. I've never paid a cent for any and never would. The work along is what's worth what you get for them.

[@RoadgamerTV]

Thanks Ben for a new video on my peeeceee. Greets from Berlin-Germany ;)

[@scrappinfam6]

Ugh... Tough one! Thanks for sharing this detail. I won’t be buying any eWaste anytime soon here. I keep looking for free too. I just found a nice laptop the other day!

[@davidranew919]

Great Video Ben I Wouldn't Pay .50 kilo For Half A PC, Can't Wait To See Your Street Scraping videos Keep Bringing The videos Dude 👍👍

[@coctailrob]

There is a market for second hand small form factor PSUs, in my opinion its worth testing those as here in the UK they can go for £20+ each on eBay

[@classicgameguru]

Probably not with the extra minute or so but...do you grab the tiny brass mounts you find in custom built pcs that the motherboard is usually bolted to?

[@scrapman502]

DVD Drives have Boards in them with LOTS of gold on them. The Chips have gold bond wires, the IDE connector has a little gold. the laser pickup has gold on it. It takes less a minute to process a DVD drive. 4 screws and pop out the board and laser pickup (I hit it with the back of my screwdriver) and it breaks free. Not much effort for what you get. You might think it's not worth the effort, but when scrapping, it's the lowest possible value, so get all that you can. I've never seen you make a video on actually recovering gold from IC's, But if you've ever actually done it, you'd agree with me. You can actually make money on just scrapping dvd drives. In some cases, there is more gold on a IDE DVD drive than there is on a motherboard. The computer at 10:24 is a good example. Motherboard has almost NO gold, While the DVD drive will have chips on it with gold bond wires. and you just tossed it aside with the rubbish.

[@troygraham2198]

Geez mate..its a hit n miss with what your doing being a buyer and can see why the goodies like ram, hard drives and cpu can make all the difference.. i guess you gotta have passion and a sense of hope with what you buy just to get by,break even at least just make it feel like its worth it..superb video and info buddy,thank you👍

[@TechGorilla1987]

I've gone and purchased the types of long screw bits that you use. Got two sizes actually. They are great for breaking down items, but putting a screw back in with them is a pain with no magnet.

[@kenjett2434]

Thank you Ben for this video been thinking about offering to pay to get E-scrap. This gives me a good baseline being I don't have a easy source to sell boards so I depopulate everything and go for metal recovery. Looks like here in USA about $0.10 a pound is all one could pay for it. Unless it's just something special that would have more value.

[@Ernest_More]

Great video.

[@urbanprospector3007]

Hey Ben, just a heads up, Rockaway recycling pays .12 per pound for complete desktop computers. So roughly you should pay about .30-.35 per kilo. Doesn't hurt to shop websites and compare pricing either, as I'm sure your prices are different then ours here in the states.

[@shaunosmorrison8385]

Can see a nice looking case in that pile

[@wozzle68]

in current climate 50c seems like highway robbery. the motherboard at 26:00 is selling on ebay from $47 to $109

[@brendanfarthing]

If he finds any X58 mobos he'd get $100+ even though they are old. They still run Xeons and kick-ass for gaming on the cheap.

[@cramsa]

If it’s working

[@ryanstruble5381]

I’m just getting into this ewaste stuff but I would think as many of those that have been raped of all their good pieces, free would be much better, at least no more than .25 a kilo

[@adventuresinmetals7636]

Good stuff. Thanks for taking a hit for us so we don't have to.

[@dns938]

I usually just do regular scrap metal, since watching your videos I've picked up a few computers pulled them all apart, now I have a bunch of computer stuff I don't know what to do with, no scrap yards in my area buy ewaste where can I sell it

[@davidhauschild5584]

Ben I noticed you don’t do noting with CDRom units there’s a high grade board in them 4.00 lb for them for screws pull the card. Or 12 lb for the unit whole. Come how long you been doing this.

[@ottofconde]

When do you post a new video pickung Up stuff in the streets?

[@Dirt-Diggler]

I usually get it all free here in the UK but on the odd occasion i am asked to pay i simply pay double what light iron is paying at the time. Great vid as usuall Ben keep it up mate :)

[@adalmartinez2340]

Great way to buy it

[@pakistaniraveasylum1396]

Where do you process

[@andrewpowell6457]

Well Ben at least next time they ask, you can say 30 Cents, if missing hard drive ram & processor 40 cents otherwise

[@sharkscrapper]

I've done similar exercise here in the U.S. and arrived at similar numbers. I frequently bid on surplus/out of commission computers and "lose" a lot of auctions. What amazes me is there are people bidding over $10/tower! And these are towers with NO hard drive and NO RAM as reported by the organization putting the towers up for auction.

[@jeffshackleford3152]

IKR... you aren't losing those auctions... let the suckers get themselves out of the market

[@sharkscrapper]

@@jeffshackleford3152 IKR, not sure how they're doing their math to make it worth paying that much. Eventually, they'll buy themselves into bankruptcy I guess. But it does make me think that maybe an industrial recycler can afford to pay more because they're more efficient?

[@jeffshackleford3152]

@@sharkscrapper either that or their throughput is much higher so they can makes 10 cents pound at way higher amounts of weight

[@coryclark7706]

Ive been thinking ... what if you invest in one of those shredders to shred down the cases to PCs and the plastic from tvs and what not ... it could save you space and the ABS could be remelted to make filament for 3D printers ... something to think on

[@KeeganWall]

Where is this? Is there any way for me to get a working one?

[@markthomas625]

You would use more fuel than what you stand to make. Tell him he's dreaming LOL $0.20/kg +/- 10% at most. This was an honest, accurate and incredibly informative video that will be very helpful to a lot of people. Good job mate.

[@dirkdiggler9379]

Mark Thomas the way oil prices are going maybe not lol

[@KNFIX-CUCHI]

nice sr, thank

[@dcsilviu89]

some of the stuff can be sold easily for a nice buck. For example, the blue gigabyte motherboard would fetch at least 20-30$ if working.

[@ArthursHD]

At this price point, there should be a different workflow. A disassembly line would get the job done quicker. Some items like heatsinks could be upcycled for dummy load testers, SBC's, etc. Quality cases could be reused. Planing deliveries more cost-effectively could reduce operational costs. Using rails, cargo e-bikes and reducing the size by shredding materials could work as well.

[@southaussiegarbo2054]

Whered you get the scales?

[@MrHanslow]

Hey Ben if you every get any HP Z600 in would you let me know am after a CPU cooler for one really hard to get

[@AllStarExt]

The scrap yard I go to in fond du lac Wisconsin usa pays $.60/lbs for complete computer

[@Joe-bm4wx]

What about all those copper slugs in those pentium 4 heatsinks? They're pretty good chunks of copper

[@lukepotter6120]

Can I have a windows 7 key I've noticed the license Key stickers are still on the cases ?

[@bestloverguy1]

im always looking for parts and complete pcs

[@iWizardryPVP]

Do you sell the slot cards and motherboards together? Or are slot cards worth more?

[@eWasteBen]

yep same price here

[@gussuperman7565]

M8 from one scrapper to another ( no matter how much you sell for , it's what you buy for what matters , buy low sell high.) When I buy PC's I buy them as light iron prices , regardless whether their complete or Incomplete; since the time to break them down to process and sell has to account for something . So lesson learned , dont do it again . I wish you success in your endeavours , God bless y'all.

[@frederickhill2073]

Why aren't you keeping the motores?

[@davida-dov6365]

There is an order ???

[@spaceman7915]

Hi Ben, dont yah take the board off the CD/DVD Roms? We get (in NZ) $10/KG for them and $15/KG for HDD boards. You may wana talk to your Rare Metals Recycles on the motherboards and card prices as were getting $7 for those without CPUs, we get $32/KG CPUS.

[@summersdancer]

I was thinkin 10-12¢ per kilo. because that makes sense. Nice vid.

[@sun2sand2snow]

Great video as usual, it's scrap metal until you increase the value by scrap it. Good points!

[@nathanialmorrow839]

You should keep the wire connectors because some have gold pins/connectors and the connectors on ribbon wires have gold

[@WAKayakAngler]

the hero 8 looks like a gimble when you do the up and down :)

[@deborahcook1111]

Hi 👋 suggestions: frozen concrete assorted juices 🥤 and throats lozenges!

[@markjohnson7887]

That's so odd. I get $1.25/lb for motherboards and $3/lb for slot cards. But.. $15/lb for RAM. I get a lot less for MB and cards, but WAY more for RAM.

[@patprop74]

See that is the thing, Most scrap yeards assume the scrap that is coming in by individuals such as yourself, they assume you picked it up for free which means even if they give less, they see it as your making free money and let's be honest, a lot of the scrappers do see it as free money, Which I am positive it is the reason why prices are so low, i am also convinced if you were a big commercial recycling company bring truckloads to a yard daily they probably get double or even 3 times the price they are paying you as an individual.

[@CovidConQuitTheCensorship]

Now that I agree with. I hate scrap yards. They're all greedy. They make shit tons of money

[@stienogamez8296]

6:55 Easy dude... take a chill pill... Doing it in a calm way will make it go faster...

[@alexpanagiotidis1811]

Didn’t you weigh the ram sticks twice.

[@theshedder2017]

The reason for missing Hard drives is protect personnel data.

[@chicagorc3967]

You can easily sell those pcs in my area for 10-40$ depending how complete they are and age. I buy junk pcs for on average 5-10$ and flip em all the time.

[@joan7823]

Hi all, hanging out for some curb action xxx

[@emmas5524]

Light iron in west Yorkshire England is about 5p a KG lol

[@crazycrow6596]

It would be interesting how much it would be if it is laptops in stead of pc's.

[@jiplix]

Been doing this since the days of the 286 computers and there is only one mantra that I have always lived by and that is: Buy nothing sell everything! That's years of trying every possible angle talking.

[@MRHORNET]

I use tin snips to cut the pc cords. Much quicker then side cutters...cuts through them like butter.

[@UnwellGaming]

you should take a few of the name mother boards (asus msi and gigabyte) and search ebay for the model number and see what they sold for that way u will make way more than scrap and it may be saving someone hundreds . just list as untested.

[@Dirt-Diggler]

I think the amount he gets prevents that approach, all those trips to the PO and dodgy ebayers soon put a stop to me doing that, i may sell the odd games consol or a rare vintage item but on the main it' not worth the effort IMHO.

[@installelogique7721]

Even at 0.25$ is high its mostly scrap steel, the value of the motherboards is you paycheck for handing his junk. Imagine you if you have to pay employes to pick up, petrol, vehicule maintenace and dismantling? If they drop it at your place, Yeah. If not, scrap steel price.

[@scrapman502]

I don't pay for anything I scrap. It's all either Donated to me, or I trade something I don't have any money in for it. I've been working with computers since the 90's. I''ve only been scrapping for the past 4-5 years. I don't do near as much in 1 month as 1 day of street scrapping he does, but I have nearly 3 OZ of 24K gold from IC's and Fingers. The only cash I spend is on chemicals such as HCL and bleach both of which can be found at Home Depot. I don't think he actually processes the gold he finds, He just collects the scrap and sells it for a quick buck. I don't think he has the patience to process his own scrap for gold content. You hear him talking about where the gold is, but you never see him actually show it processed.

[@RoeMantic]

20 cents a lb is what I pay. Something 15. It's better than tin shred is what I tell them. Or I'll show a clean motor and say this is 10 cent a lb

[@harryverboom4032]

Ive been buying pcs for 3 years now and always paying 55 euro cents a kilo in holland we can sell more things out of the pc and better prices so for me its worth it i wont get rich but its a fun and paying hobby

[@NerciVJunior]

Hello, i from Brasil and e like much your canal, why you no more to street get scrap???

[@ItIsNot1984]

Can you not ebay the lenovo motherboards? They're socket 1155, I would think they'd still be worth a little something. What about that gigabyte board at 24:45? I would think that alone would be worth what you paid, if working and sold on ebay I mean.

[@maxwheeler8387]

What is in a laptop?

[@DavidGillooly]

Good analysis. Gas for the driving probably costs more money than profit. It’s really not worth anything. The seller would probably have to pay to junk it. You’re time would be better spent on cleaning the brass and copper to increase value.

[@TruckFan542]

I popped up here when there was zero views LOL

[@arcticyuki]

some of them motherboards you find are still with some money if they still work

[@elik1804]

Would it be worth it to offer your services to people demolishing buildings. Strip the wiring, piping and anything else of value? That way you could scale the operation

[@raymondcote6669]

And they pickup and deliver

[@Alrik.]

I hope you get a better deal or just find a bunch for free!! :D

[@johnbone7230]

Stick to getting your free ones mate,I wouldn't pay any more than 20cents a kg,good video 👍

[@user-yu4gs5ng5o]

неплохие богатства, а за сколько ты их купил? или эти блоки найдены на улице?

[@pup9et]

You do realize the older CPU's are worth more right? Im talking late 80's up until about 2000 or so. They have 5x the precious metals, including gold that todays cpu's and mobo's have. PS. It looks to me like someone already cherry picked the best computers and left you with the shit.

[@maineman5240]

Hello sir..i have a whole bunch of computer scrap and i wanted to chemically break em down for gold but i raise 3 kids and don't want them around that..so I'm reaching out to you to see if you'd like all the scrap I've built up..thank you

[@johanponin1360]

better save the psu and boards to make an electronics lab for schools / neighborhood

[@jonglewongle3438]

But you are also picking up PCs off the street which are also partially scrapped out. You are also buying these partially scrapped out leftovers.. But what it does do is add to the overall final bulk, the final output, upon processing. And such is the way with business. Portions of the entire source shall be on reasonably tight margins.

[@richardburgess5215]

Off the cuff I would say they are not worth it if you put a value on your time spent . G'day mate ! 😁

[@yeryspark9789]

Love your videos! But do you recycle the small motherboard batteries? - please do, the heavy metals in them are very bad for the environment and are easily recycled (where I live it is actually illegal to put them with the scrap metal). One dedicated bucket for them should go a long way .

[@Horns-knowledge]

Hi...Lovely Ben

[@geofffalbo5900]

Why are you popping the batteries out of the motherboards?

[@rynait]

lithium batteries explode especially cr series. refiners dont like them and charge less for lithium contaminated stuff because they have to take them out.

[@michaelbrumfitt]

👍stick to the free stuff unless you can get a better price or only take complete computers of him👍

[@dragosc.5743]

Better luck next time scrapping !

[@mauriliozamora6627]

Free pc's is better plus it's fun finding them.

[@robertmoore1026]

The older the better, the newer the comps have less gold. HGP (Hard Gold Plate) vs ENIG (Engineered Nickel In Gold).

[@RafalScrapper]

👍😀👍