(800) 853-2651
SHOP NOW

Scrap dealers advertising - encouraging theft?

M

mkirsch

Well-known Member
A new outfit has taken over one of the local scrapyards (the former Genesee Scrap), and has been on an advertising campaign over the summer.

The TV commercial has a guy getting his face right in the camera and shouting "METALLLLLLLLLLL!" several times, while an announcer talks about how the yard will take ANY scrap, pays top dollar, and is open late.

Their commercials have a smarmy tone to them; they may as well say "No questions asked."

Yesterday on the way home I hear a radio commercial for the same yard. They're having a "community appreciation day" with free food and a band.

What got me is that they're going to have a "catalytic converter expert" on site all day to evaluate and pay "top dollar" for catalytic converters.

These guys are all but saying, "Go out and STEAL!"
 
Why is that? They probably have some fierce competition and some yards are real picky about the scrap they buy.I guess if you advertise to buy a certain antique tractor then you're encouraging someone to steal a tractor to sell it to you?No one has to encourage a thief.
 
Welp,scrap dealers are to blame for a lot of it,but it sounds to me like they are just trying to be competitive..we would think nothing of this if a machinery dealer or an appliance store was doing this.
I do have a problem with scrap dealers.When some drug assed loser pulls in with manhole covers or brass flower holders from a cemetery the scrap dealer should be on the phone to the police..they go ahead and buy the load,take the sellers information and if nothing happens..well nothing happens..thats the scrap dealers fault
 
Our new guy has a big sign advertising $10 per 100lb whihc pretty good. If you're not on your place all the time better have a good lock cause stuff is disappearing.
 
Have the cops case the place daily and ask where the stuff came from.
ANY scrap yard should be shutdown/prosecuted by the cops if they knowingly buy stolen stuff....Period.
I dont trust scrappys, scum.
 
That's what I think too, the district attorney must watch TV, state troopers watch tv, and recieving stolen property can sting as bad as actually doing the stealing. This guy is setting himself up for a raid. I bet those commercials stop soon.
 
Some must be a whole bunch different that the crusher just up the road from me. I think it would be easier to take money out of somebody elses bank account than it is to sell to them. They need to see a drivers license,have your finger print,the whole nine yares,before they'll buy anything from you. To take a car in,you need a title. Then they mark every body part with a number,doors,hood,trunk lid,you name it,so it can all be traced.
I don't know if they've been burned by the law at one point or what,but they are extremely cautious.
 
(quoted from post at 12:06:55 09/28/11) Some must be a whole bunch different that the crusher just up the road from me. I think it would be easier to take money out of somebody elses bank account than it is to sell to them. They need to see a drivers license,have your finger print,the whole nine yares,before they'll buy anything from you. To take a car in,you need a title. Then they mark every body part with a number,doors,hood,trunk lid,you name it,so it can all be traced.
I don't know if they've been burned by the law at one point or what,but they are extremely cautious.
Click to expand...

Here in SC you now have to have a permit from the county to sell scrap to a junk yard.
 
You really think the cops would do that?

We had a trailer stolen from a job site in Tulsa loaded with pipe and valves (about 40K worth). The next day I called all the local scrap yards and found the one that he sold the pipe - at scrap price.

The scrap yard took the guy's name, copied his DL and wrote down his tag number. We picked up the pipe (bought back at scrap price) and called the police with the information. They said they didn't have time to look for him.

We're out $800 and the trailer and the police still haven't bother to look the guy up. That was 3 months ago.
 
Paranoia runs rampant I see....

A scrap yard advertising is no more of condoning or advocating stealing that the classifieds on this site is advocating tractor thievery.

I deal with 3 different scrap yards. All 3 require photo ID's with every transaction, no exceptions.
 
We have a large scrapyard near us. Unknown to most all customers at that time, you are being videotaped by the scrapyard owner when you transact business with him. Neighbor had six front end tractor weights come up missing one morning during harvest last yr. They appeared in some of the scrapyard videotape. Videotape was turned over to local police and they id'ed the guy, matched his name with sales receipt, nailed him with evidence in 4-5 days. Owner got his weights back. Thief got tangled up in court with no defense whatsoever.
 
(quoted from post at 08:45:25 09/28/11) Have the cops case the place daily and ask where the stuff came from.
ANY scrap yard should be shutdown/prosecuted by the cops if they knowingly buy stolen stuff....Period.
I dont trust scrappys, scum.
Click to expand...

Gun Guru,

I usually just ignore you, but this time I just can't..

I'm 30 years old, and I have a full time job.. Haven't been working much this year due to the climate conditions here in Michigan (which I know you'd know all about too, seeing we live in the same state.)

But most of all.. I have been A SCRAPPER since I been old enough to to drive.

I have never stolen anything to scrap, I've always obtained it legally.. I may have broken a few laws towing some "shady" loads, or I may speed to get the load there before the gate closes on a Saturday afternoon (just so I have a empty truck/trailer to get another load hacked up by Monday morning to buy groceries or pay the rent) but by no means a theif..

I know there are some people who will steal to scrap, and I agree they're not the kind of person I'd want around, but to classify every SCRAPPER as SCUM really tweaks me.. There's plenty of the so-called "honest men" who "borrow with no intention of returning" items from their day job to better themselves too.. But that's probably ok, I mean, they aren't STEALING YOUR STUFF, so that's probably acceptable.. I mean, my place of employment wouldn't notice if I took that pair of pliers, or some nuts and bolts, or..

I'd like to tell you exactly what I think of you and your "better than the rest of the world" vibe I get from your posts, but the censors here would stop me by my 3rd word.. I usually just skip your ranting about the rest of the world.. This time, I just could not.

I may be opinionated, but I'm no better than anyone else.

Brad

PS.. For the guys who dislike scrappers for their practices: I always try to sell "equipment and parts" outright first (and usually for less than scrap) before it goes.. As long as I make a return on the initial investment I'll smile.. Not tryin to get rich, tryin to get by.
 
Aw come on! When Terry "Sundance" Hanks or Norm "Rose City Motors" Clark come on the TV screaming,trying to sell me a used car,it makes me wanna go out and pilfer a Buick!
 
He will end up like a scrap yard near me. When something is taken in your truck license gets a picture, you get a picture of your self standing by the scrap. Next is a thum print, and a copy of your license. If you take in a vehicle you better have the registration for the vehicle.I think they got caught buying from thiefs whether they knew it or not. stan
 
Hard to say in this instance but I would say the scrap yard business has more than its share of dirtbag operators. The cops around here are pretty good in my opinion but I doubt they would case a yard out without a lot of complaints against it.
We very seldom leave equipment away from the farmstead anymore and that which does not go inside is parked within view of the house. The neighbors have had issues but there are times of day when they are not home. I would say I have seen several suspicious vehicles in the past couple years drive down the road at a speed that suggests they are casing the places out. We also left a strip un-mowed between the road and equipment lot so they cannot get too good a view from the road.
 
Well you dont like me.....I am shocked!

I have met many scrap guys in my day and ALL of them were scum, 1/2 of them were Mexicans. If it isnt bolted down, its gone. I know of a guy (white guy) that doesnt work, sells drugs, rips off anything that he can pawn/fence/deal off. This loser is one of my neighbors buddies, loser. Plus a local guy that will pick up your scrap, lives 3 miles from me, I gave him an old carcass of what was left of a Bolens lawn tractor, he snooped around to see what else he could get. I told him that I dont keep anything outside other than a few empty garbage cans. I havent seen him back at my house. I am glad that you are an honest scrap guy---You should get a gold star on your forehead.

As far as scrap yards go----way too much stuff is brought in that is obviously ripped off. A state rec. area near me had 2 large steel gates stolen last winter, I am sure it was taken to the scrap yard, no questions asked. Copper tubing/aluminum siding/wire/conduit. All of this stuff came from somewhere. Scrap yards should be made to take photo ID and drivers license info on all people taking "stuff" in. Think about pawn shops, how much stuff is being ripped off for cash.
I will close with this.....I work too, I dont rip off anything either. But I still have not met an honest guy that goes around and picks up scrap.
 
Some thoughts come to mind:

With the price of scrap recently, it has become profitable to clean up fence rows, abandoned machinery in the back of the barnyard, etc. I live on a road that leads to a road, etc, to a scrapyard. seems like daily I'm seeing delapidated pickup trucks hauling loads of real scrapy trash, derelect vehicles and so on. No doubt where they're heading. Sure some of these haulers are probably unemployed, and they're eeking out some living by doing this.

Depending on the honesty of these folks, any scrap not tied down may be victim of theft. We've had several incidents of stealing not only scrap, but viable usable materials. One of the targets has been the wiring on center pivot irrigations systems.

Last year I took a legal load of scrap in. They were pretty careful to identify me, including a fingerprint. I suspect the scrap dealers have to cover their hindsides as well. Would only take a big incident of acquiring stolen property, to get them in a heap of trouble, too.
 
In Oswego New York the cops are useless. I sometimes think that they are in on it. What is needed is some good old Texas justice. The link below shows that they will steal anything.

http://stolenitemsbigandsmall.blogspot.com/
Our county clerk and some of his people are already under investigation by the FBI. I think there will be others too.
 
(quoted from post at 15:47:32 09/28/11)
(quoted from post at 08:45:25 09/28/11) Have the cops case the place daily and ask where the stuff came from.
ANY scrap yard should be shutdown/prosecuted by the cops if they knowingly buy stolen stuff....Period.
I dont trust scrappys, scum.
Click to expand...

Gun Guru,

I usually just ignore you, but this time I just can't..

I'm 30 years old, and I have a full time job.. Haven't been working much this year due to the climate conditions here in Michigan (which I know you'd know all about too, seeing we live in the same state.)

But most of all.. I have been A SCRAPPER since I been old enough to to drive.

I have never stolen anything to scrap, I've always obtained it legally.. I may have broken a few laws towing some "shady" loads, or I may speed to get the load there before the gate closes on a Saturday afternoon (just so I have a empty truck/trailer to get another load hacked up by Monday morning to buy groceries or pay the rent) but by no means a theif..

I know there are some people who will steal to scrap, and I agree they're not the kind of person I'd want around, but to classify every SCRAPPER as SCUM really tweaks me.. There's plenty of the so-called "honest men" who "borrow with no intention of returning" items from their day job to better themselves too.. But that's probably ok, I mean, they aren't STEALING YOUR STUFF, so that's probably acceptable.. I mean, my place of employment wouldn't notice if I took that pair of pliers, or some nuts and bolts, or..

I'd like to tell you exactly what I think of you and your "better than the rest of the world" vibe I get from your posts, but the censors here would stop me by my 3rd word.. I usually just skip your ranting about the rest of the world.. This time, I just could not.

I may be opinionated, but I'm no better than anyone else.

Brad

PS.. For the guys who dislike scrappers for their practices: I always try to sell "equipment and parts" outright first (and usually for less than scrap) before it goes.. As long as I make a return on the initial investment I'll smile.. Not tryin to get rich, tryin to get by.
Click to expand...

Excellent post.
 
Aint that easy to sell scrap here.I took in some junk batteries, had to show a driver license.I have a customer number that I have to show when I sell to them.All payments over 50 bucks are made by check and many yards only pay by check.While price of scrap may seem high, a pickup load of light scrap wont bring enough to fill the gas tank on your truck.Not all scrap collectors are crooks.We collected bale wire from farms in the 50s.Most farmers gave to us, glad to be rid of it.I gave a fellow a dead freezer a few years ago and told him where he could find more scrap for free.
 
My son took in 2 loads of junk I had when he was out of work.Does that make him dishonest.I have a dead water heater and and old oil furnace in the cellar thats going next.If I take them to the scrap yard,dose that make me a crook?Most of us on here have sold some scrap over the years.Friends and I collected 6.50/16 worn tires from dumps and sold them to a recapper for 2.50 each.That was 2 hours wages in the 50s.The scrap I see going by here is pure junk that no one bothered with at 1 cent a pound.I wonder how many of us on this forum Have NEVER taken a load of scrap to the yard.
 
To those of you who say, "advertising for scrap metal is no more condoning theft than advertising for a tractor," I say BALONEY.

There is already an established "industry" of stealing anything metal from unoccupied homes, unoccupied farms, and selling it for scrap.

A coworker's catalytic converter was stolen off his truck, almost literally out from under my nose! I was three floors up, working with my back to the window. His truck was parked directly below. Someone came along, cut his converter out and made a clean getaway.

You can't tell me that scrap dealers don't know this is going on, and that some aren't trying to take advantage of it.

There is no such established industry for farm tractors. Heck, the only reason for stealing a farm tractor is to sell it for scrap! This isn't "Gone in 60 Seconds" where there's an evil crime lord packing tractors in containers and sending them to some exotic foreign land where rich drug lords park them in rows and admire them. Farming is a poor man's game.

No, scrapping legitimately is not a crime, nor should it be. However, metal theft is a HUGE problem right now with so many out of work and scrap prices so high. These guys just seem to be encouraging it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Tractor Parts Tractor Manuals

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Copyright © 1997-2024 Yesterday's Tractor Co.

All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.

Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters
Website Accessibility Policy

Back
Top