Is it right that junk removal service charge?

Deb, pay attention. Businesses are in business to make money. If they don't make money, they don't stay in business. John Doe's tiny business which he conducts from the bed of his truck? He needs to make a living. It's doubtful that there's a whole lotta profit margin in a one-man-band. And if what he's hauling is something that can only go to a landfill, after he picks it up, he has to pay at the landfill.

Yanno all the stuff you have that you try to sell at yard sales? That is your *business.* You want to make a profit; therefore, you hope for customers to buy it. You don't want to conduct business on eBay or have to mail anything that a customer might buy on FB marketplace because it costs money to ship or because eBay keeps a percentage, cutting into your profit.

See how that works?
 
a friend of mine and I use to do junk removal/hauling part time. hard business to make money in if you're the little guy (two workers). he had to buy a truck... then pay for repairs to the truck when things break, gas, insurance on the truck, business insurance, tags for the truck... then he bought a trailer... had to pay for tags for the trailer... he would do a small job for $75 or $100 (just to get some money coming in)..... not much money to pay for gas and pay two workers a few hours of work.... probably had to get a license to do business or pay for an LLC.... so many expenses before he does the first job or sees any "profit"... . the money he got at the scrapyard was not much.... I'm not sure he ever made much profit in that business.

You are paying for a service. Someone to come get the junk and remove it for you. They are solving a problem for you.

Our county where I live has a bulk pickup service that is free for county residents. Call your county public works department to see if they offer something like this.
 

Last edited:
Is it right? It’s not only a business, it’s THEIR business so is completely up to THEM whether they want to get paid for the work or do it for free. It’s not that unusual that people want to get paid for the work they do. It’s a service you want but you expect everything to be for free

Why do you always expect the better/best deal out of every situation?
And why do you complain when others want the same?
 
Keesha said:
Is it right? It’s not only a business, it’s THEIR business so is completely up to THEM whether they want to get paid for the work or do it for free. It’s not that unusual that people want to get paid for the work they do. It’s a service you want but you expect everything to be for free

Why do you always expect the better/best deal out of every situation?
And why do you complain when others want the same?
Click to expand...
I've said it before and I'll say it again. A fair price is what a willing buyer pays and a willing seller accepts. Deb, you gotta learn to be a willing buyer. Not everybody out there who's selling is trying to cheat you!

It might also be a good idea to learn to be a willing seller.
 
Last edited:
It is the same where I live. But in my son's town, just put what you don't want and they pick it up at no extra cost or tax hike. This is a terrific town to live in, in Jersey. Most soak you for everything. Fort Monmouth was next door and I guess when that was opened it helped defray much of the cost of everything around. After it closed a couple of years ago, everything remained in place.
 
I wouldn't begrudge someone a fee for helping me rid myself of things that I no longer need or want and if they can make a few dollars on the other end more power to them.

It probably wouldn't pay for the gas but it might be a good learning experience for you to load up the car with junk and take it to the scrapyard just to see what is involved with actually selling a small quantity of mixed scrap.
 
You asked

Is it right that junk removal service charge?

Yes Travel to your home is a cost, evaluating what is to be removed for value at a reclamation center if any takes experience. What you think has value may not.

Of course you don't have to pay for that service. You can pack up all that you want removed and take it to the scrap yard yourself & get the money the junk removal service would get.

Of course you make out better because your time, your gas, your labor are free, OK so gas isn't free but your time & labor has no value. But for the junk removal service that all goes into their charge.

Bottom line do it yourself, if paying to get it done costs more than you think it should.
 
If the business is providing me with a service that saves me time and effort, I figure they have a right to be paid for it.

Here in the big city there are no "scrapyards" that take junk and pay you for it. The garbage disposal company takes care of trash (landfill), recyclables (glass, hard plastic, paper and cardboard), and yard waste (compostable greens). Homeowners sort into three different bins/carts; weekly pick-up.

NO hazardous waste materials: those go to a special facility for drive-through drop-off. Also, the disposal company gives everyone a free "bulky waste pick-up" once a year; above that you pay a modest charge depending on the size of the dumpster you want. The "bulky waste pick-up" is useful for furniture, appliances that don't work, construction extra materials, etc.

The only trucks that pick up for free are the charities, who will accept only very specific, like-new quality items.

Junk removal is truly "junk". That means landfill dumping, and for that there is a standard fee by weight, which the owner of the junk pays by reimbursing the removal service. The removal service, after all, can't weigh your load and figure the cost beforehand. The service's cost is their own time and overhead, plus profit.

Seems like a fair system where we live.
 
Last edited:
Heavens! Do what they suggested about that old paint! Potentially hazardous. (Looks like my son in law’s garage , drives me crazy)
If I pay someone to haul away stuff I want to get rid of, I don’t care what they do with it afterwards as long as it’s lawful and they don’t just dump it in a ravine or something. If they can sell it, more power to them!
 
I wish someone around here would do that. I've got a garage full of junk and more junk from a recent bathroom remodel sitting in my living room right now. I have a pickup, but the land fill is 25 miles from here, and they have all these rules and long waiting lines, so I've been putting it off for a couple of years.
 
When I want it gone …I want it gone! Here we have a landfill that costs a minimum of thirty dollars to dump. Then there is the drive. And the effort. So…cost vs benefit is the math. I do not care one iota what someone does with something I am calling junk. Hopefully it is mutually beneficial.
 
debodun said:
I can't get rid of old paint. I tried giving it away on local freecycle type sites and put it out at my yard sale. Nobody even looked at it.

View attachment 121692View attachment 121693View attachment 121694
Click to expand...
In my area the county landfill has a reuse area that takes paint, garden chemicals, etc and then gives them away. You can go to the facility and find what you need. They also say....and this may be what you wind up doing, that if you are throwing it in the trash you need to open it and let it dry out and /or pour it onto sheets of newspaper and let it dry and then put it in the trash.
 
Here in England we leave Scrap iron out for the Scrap men to take away free .
Paint we have to take to a recycle centre , but theres not that many that take it , so you have to travel far .
large items of furniture the council charge £30 to take away .
 
Deb ignore all the explanations & advice. What you need to do is get a truck, collect peoples junk for free then haul it to where you can dispose of that junk. It might take time to recover the expense of buying a truck, paying for the maintenance, fuel & insurance but so worth it to be a business owner.

Or understand that doesn't work & accept the fact that junk removal has a cost to it. The only way to avoid paying is to haul your junk yourself to someone willing to pay you for your junk.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top