# sorry, but due to liability...



## MELOC (Sep 26, 2005)

i sold some aluminum cans the other day and noticed a decent sized coil of new 3/4 inch copper tubing. there was at least 20 feet or more. so i am thinking maybe i could work out a deal with the family owned recycling business and take the copper home for use in some sort of solar collector project. i had hoped to eventually salvage pipe, but tubing would work. "i'm sorry, but we can't sell you the copper pipe due to liability issues". lol, you gotta be kidding me. i would pretty much have given the guy whatever he wanted for the tubing as long as he was reasonable. it's hard to believe that the danged insurance companies can make life so hard for the alternative energy minded homesteader. :flame:


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

That's strange. There's a place here that sells scrap metal. We've bought many pieces from them.


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## WayneR (Mar 26, 2007)

Reports of 'harvesting' copper pipe, fixtures and wiring from empty houses in the news. They are rightly concered about being accused of receiving or selling stolen property. Guilty until proven innocent.


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## Seeria (Jul 21, 2006)

Western NY had a problem with metals being stolen for scrap rates, but that was hmm 3 years ago I think.


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## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

Most likely it has nothing to do with the insurance company. It propably has to do with the amount of paperwork required it make the sale to an individual. When they ship out wholesale to a buyer they load everything on 1 truck and wiegh it on the sale and get paid by the ton. 

Selling one roll of copper tubing means they would have to come up with a price per pound, wiegh it, write a receipt, and charge you sale tax which they may not be setup to do. All for a $5 sale of with 50 cents might be profit. More hassle than they would make.

They give you the insurance excuse because they know you can't argue against.


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## MELOC (Sep 26, 2005)

it's a scrap business and people walk away with cash in hand and no receipt. if there was ever an oppurtunity to fudge the books, this is it, lol. his concern was that if i used it for plumbing, maybe i would use a piece with a pinhole and have a leak and then sue.


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## Michael Kawalek (Jun 21, 2007)

I ran into exactly the same thing at two different scrap yards reciently. I wanted to by copper tubing and steel angle iron. They didn't mention insurance, but in both case stated they can only legally buy metal from individuals, mot sell to them.
Michael


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## WisJim (Jan 14, 2004)

Back when I worked in a junk yard we sold lots of odds and ends to people, and I have bought stuff at other yards, too. Often cash with no reciept so I suspect it was tax free profit to the yard. Not knowing where some of the replies in this thread are from makes it hard to know if it is just certain states or maybe just yards that don't want to be bothered with sales.


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## PyroDon (Jul 30, 2006)

Our scrap yard cant sell anything that comes in because they dont have a retail sales license only a scrap dealers license which allows them to wholesale scrap.
they cant legally sell to individuals . 
It a crock and often times I leave nearly in tears after seeing some treasure I'd give most anything for


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## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

One locally got caught selling off the books. No lisence to sell retail and no sales tax collected. They are no longer in business. 

Sounds like she was trying to deal with a recycling yard and not a salvage yard. They have different rules to follow.


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## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

He just didn't want to deal with you . . .and thats a good line to get you to back off.
Plus the price of copper is so darn high now, he's waiting to make a BIG buck load.

my three fake coppers


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## MELOC (Sep 26, 2005)

i think maybe it was because his dad was working that day. it would have been a quick and easy sale, but he was probably doing what his dad expected. i doubt it had anything to do with trust...they never even check my cans anymore. they know i always clean my scrap aluminum as well. i guess they are serious about liability issues. it is probably not just the pipe. i can imagine some bozo installing used wiring and burning his house down only to sue the place he got the wire from. i guess i see the point, but you would think there would be a way to have someone sign a generic waiver stating that the material is salvage and to use it at your own risk. i never realized there was so much regulation involved in the scrap business. i never realized that scrap couldn't legally be resold.


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## MariaAZ (Jun 5, 2007)

The recycler I sell cans to requires signatures and issues receipts for all payouts. If the payout is over a certain amount, they issue a company check. The place is plastered with signs outlining their rules for buying copper, as we have been experiencing major copper thefts from construction sites and such.


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## seedspreader (Oct 18, 2004)

Besides the theft issue, he would have to reveal (in essence) his price that he is receiving for copper if he sold it to you.

He may be paying out 2.00/lb and making 3.00/lb.

Why upset the customers by exposing his profit (possibly causing them to demand more or to take their copper elsewhere)?

Also, contracts negotiated with sellers of scrap copper (on the manufacturing level or installation level... *think HVAC installers) may require that their unusable (to them) recyclables aren't put into use by others, causing possible liability concerns for them (if a producer) or causing them to lose customers (if they are a retailer or installer)


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## bloogrssgrl (Jan 20, 2008)

Maybe you can go back and tell them you want to buy it to make a sculpture? Shouldn't be any use issues with that.


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## MELOC (Sep 26, 2005)

i thought about that, lol.


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## farminghandyman (Mar 4, 2005)

You could try to ask if they could trade it for some thing else. That is not selling it.

I think the insurance liability thing is many times is a lie to get out of doing some thing for a customer, I do not know how many times I have hear that line at the ine of the local shops on various tasks or items, I know some is true but I feel they contently use it to pass blame on to an unknown entity when they do not want to so some thing, and it is something you can not argue with or check out the truth. jsut an opinion.


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## Sabrina67 (Mar 24, 2008)

Strange , My DH scraps for a living and we have bought MANY(sometimes too many)things from the scrapyard. Even a 4-wheeler for 25 dollars. It is amazing what people take up there ,and it is shameful that they will not let it be reused if possible.Here in TN they are having such a problem with people stealing the coils out of peoples A/C units and the wire literally out of their houses that you are going to have to be fingerprinted at the courthouse and be registered, for lack of a better word , to haul scrap metals.
I know we asked WalMart about produce and stuff they throw out and they said they could not let anyone have it for teh same reason...grrr.


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