[Chris]

That's great news LoveaGoodScrap! Healthy competition makes a big difference!
Victoria has no cash options - again the reasoning is to shut down the black money market. In one respect I like it - as I had over a grand of copper stolen from my backyard a few years ago.. and a few weeks later, a pallet full of batteries "disappeared" 😖😒 So I guess the yards not paying cash does deter thieves to a degree..
Just when I expected a Christmas drop in prices, I received a text today offering even better than before for ABN holders. $9.10 for Milberry copper, $5.80 for brass, $1.85 for Ext Ali and $3.20 for Ins. wire!!
Boy, I hope it stays up there for January - I don't have time to do any trips to Melbourne until then..

[Inner City Recycler]

WA introduced new legislation for scrap yards on 1 December - 100 point ID required and no more cash payments for buyers. More excuses to keep prices down - more admin, time taken to process blah blah blah - has also caught some small yards short as they have not registered in time so can't buy or sell. Prices are predominantly unchanged - yes - we know - pathetic compared to east coast.

NSW has required ID and DD to a bank for around 5 years.
It works fairly well if the scrap yard has their systems set up properly. I've never had a problem with DD payment in any of the 3 yards I've used. The current mob has the money in my account within 15 minutes. A mate of mine has constant non-payment problems at the yard he goes to.

To be honest, I'd rather not be coming out of a yard with large wad of cash given some of the folks that hang around outside of scrap yards in some parts Sydney

[Okeden]

Gee I hope your wishes come true Chris. Those prices are unreal. I'm still 1000k west of Brisbane but will be home come the weekend and start putting this scrap together into a load for January. Everything I've collected out here is basically non-ferrous. The only steel are nuts and bolts. My mate gets all the steel and I get the non-ferrous. Bloody hard and hot work but worth the effort. Will help me pay cash for a secondhand truck to give me a better load capacity. I've just emailed my yard for a price list, so will be interesting to compare. Cheers

[Inner City Recycler]

Don't understand why a state government has to bring in rules like this. The major yard I use in Brisbane offers cash, cheque or electronic transfer. You either register with them with your ABN or for the small collector they can just use their motor registration. I opt for cash. They give me a recipient created invoice made out to my company. With the private bloke they do the same except the RCI is made out in the blokes name against his rego.

Having cash like that makes it easy to have a float for when you buy scrap from private people. I also issue a RCI which they sign, just like I do at my yard. As long as I have some trading cash, the rest goes in the bank. But either way there is a paper trail. So if the tax man wants to check up on you, it is all there for them to work out. And they aren't interested in the small hobbyist making a bit of beer money. In fact they really don't want to know about it. It has been suggested that scrapping moves away from cash to try and shut down the black money market, but it is not necessary, it already has all the controls it needs. As LovaGoodScrap says, it imposes extra cost on business for no good reason.

Anyway, just my thoughts.

In Sydney there were a lot of folk in crappy old trucks following the council cleanup routes picking up shred steel appliances (when it was at the peak prices). They would use several yards to cash in using multiple names or simply get payment under the counter (which still happens in some areas).

2 man teams were pulling in $200-$300/day which isn't much but they were also on government benefits.

Not everyone is an honest operator like yourself.

[Okeden]

ICR I take your point. Yeah $100 - $150 a day isn't much in the scheme of things. But the tax man isn't, or shouldn't be, interested in that amount of money. They're looking for the $1,000's per day or more. The blokes who do the curbside cleanups are basically small fry who wouldn't interest the tax man anyway. From my point of view, provided you provide an ABN or your personal ID, like rego, then there shouldn't be a problem. Just my thoughts.

[LoveaGoodScrap]

Yard clean out ongoing - best prices for a long long long time:

Brass - $5
S/Steel - $1
Motors/transformers - 55c
Compressors - 50c

[cat]

LoveagoodScrap, can you share on here details of where you are going please? Great time to clean out your yard, hope you had heaps accumulated.

[cat]

Okeden, loved the progress pics you posted. Thanks for sharing with us.

[Okeden]

Thanks cat. Got home last night after 2 1/2 months. Quilpie dump is finished and we have done 80% of Eromanga. Supposed to going back to finish at end January, but will be talking old mate out of that. End of February would be a better idea. January is too hot and also has terrible humidity because of the wet season, which looks like it is starting even today. Bad enough this trip, hottest day was 55 degrees but mostly around 42-45 degrees, but dry heat, no humidity. Now need to start getting everything prepared for transport to my yard.

[Okeden]

Yeah Chris, my prices are similar. Extra 10 cents on Milberry, same for insulated, you've got extra 25 cents on brass and I've got 10 cents on extrusions. So yeah, bloody brilliant prices.

[Okeden]

Well as I said, I'm home. Dunno if that is good or bad, better ask the missus. Headin back out at end of January to finish Eromanga and clean up some properties etc that we have lined up.

Well, was gunna show you the before and after of the whitegoods pile at Quilpie, but my phone is not talking to my computer. Okay, when they talk, I'll show you the pics.

Cheers
Bill

[Chris]

Looking forward to the pics Bill.
So your phone & computer aren't talking - how about you & the missus? 🤣