Disappointing day at the service station auction

[scotner]

I killed about 6 hours today at an estate auction at a service station. There were three lots of wheel weights listed with no additional details. I quickly found the first two lots, both new lead weights. I expected them to sell higher that what I wanted to pay for scrap value. They went for $40 each lot and the buyer who bought both stacked one on top of the other and walked off with them so not a lot of weight there.

While I was conducting my pre-sale examination of those weights another bidder told me that there was a barrel of used weights in one of the service bays. When I checked that out I found the usual collection of weights, valve stems, steel parts, brake pads, and presumably the other stuff that makes you avoid handling the contents bare handed. The weights that I did check were all lead. This was a small steel barrel like grease comes in, probably 20 gallon or so and less than half full. I figured $35 would be a safe bid not knowing what was in the rest of the barrel. My guess was about 125# of whatever.

When they got to the barrel the bidding started slowly but built momentum quickly. The buyer ended up at $60 plus a 10% commission. I heard him remark to someone that the scrapyard pays $1 a pound for that stuff. I think he is in for a letdown. The local yard pays 16 cents a pound for mixed steel/lead and 27 cents for all lead. They sell lead (either wheel weights or pure lead as available) for 70 cents. I was disappointed at missing the haul but probably not as disappointed as he is going to be if he purchased it planning to sell at a profit.

Just to have a happy ending to this story, I did make the trip to the scrap yard last week with a 5 gallon bucket of range brass along with some stuff my wife has been after me to get rid of. A few inches from the top, the bucket weighed 37 pounds and cartridge brass is paying 90 cents per pound right now.

[odfairfaxsub]

Yeah. I heard someone say the other day, “wheel weights are a dollar a lb at the scrap yard” yesterday someone melted down a bunch of lead and said “the scrap yard would buy this off me for 75 cent a lb”. There’s a lot of either old info out there or there’s a lot of bad info from someone’s uncle Harry or someone’s good dream the night before

[Baltimoreed]

What do zinc ww’s go for?

[Jniedbalski]

Zink ww’s you cant hardely give them away

[ioon44]

I have sold Zinc ww's on ebay for around $0.50 a pound.

[lightman]

Auctions can be that way. If I'm selling things they seem to go cheap. If I'm buying things are usually more than I'm willing to pay. So, I don't attend many auctions.

[CastingFool]

Last time I sold zinc ww's at the scrap yard, I told the guy they were zinc, he just tossed them in with all the ww's. No, they don't sell lead to individuals.

[JBinMN]

Auctions can be that way. If I'm selling things they seem to go cheap. If I'm buying things are usually more than I'm willing to pay. So, I don't attend many auctions.

Ditto... My experience with auctions as well within the last 20 years, anyway. Before that a person could often get a good deal on occasion. I just quit going to them a while back...

For the OP... Glad to read you were not 'taken in" in the "heat of the auction", as I have seen happen before. Let them enjoy their "treasures" & find out if what they got was junk or not. Nice thing about it is, that they will not be so enthusiastic about raising their bids the next time & get the prices where they really ought to be for such things.

[odfairfaxsub]

Zinc wheel weights on eBay. That’s a idea. I won’t make bullets out of them. Contaminate the berms of other shooters and it’s way too hard on equipment.

[cat-mechanic]

Yup I love estate auctions for finding some deals, I also enjoy watching stupid people get caught up in bidding wars and spend way more than stuff is worth. Have seen Walmart special bicycles sell for way more than you could buy them new for at Walmart. I have gotten lots of deals though as well. Just have to take the good with the bad.

[William Yanda]

A bad day at an auction...…...

[scotner]

What do zinc ww’s go for?

Locally they pay the "shredded steel" rate of 16 or17 cents a pound. Not much but it helps offset the purchase price of a bucket of WW and it is a proper way to dispose of what I can not use.

[scotner]

Last time I sold zinc ww's at the scrap yard, I told the guy they were zinc, he just tossed them in with all the ww's. No, they don't sell lead to individuals.

I had the same thing happen here. The guy sent my payment info to the cashier and proceeded to dump my leftovers into the lead bin. if I ever have to buy wheel weights from them I will have to take my side cutters and my lunch with me when I go.

[Winger Ed.]

I quit going to auctions.

Anything I want, there's always 2-3 people that go all stupid over bidding.

[Baltimoreed]

Some states have outlawed lead ww’s and have forced tire shops to use zinc and steel weights. Beware if you buy ww on ebay, that’s where I got stuck with the zinc ones that I have. On my next trip to the people’s republic of md I will try to get rid of them there. Maybe can swap zn for pb.

[RogerDat]

Estate auctions can offer some real deals but yeah some of the prices are pretty overblown. Estate sales on the other hand can be as good without the bidding wars. True people sometimes price things as "antique" when old and battered would be a better description but can do as well as at a thrift store in general.

Did pick up an almost 5# platter of "Zinn" for around $5 while they wanted pretty steep prices for much of the "pewter". I bought a couple of heavy and plain pewter items but the fancy stuff was too expensive. Only worked out because the heavy plate averaged in kept the overall price per pound reasonable.

Once made an offer on a sturdy turkey fryer. Yes it was a fairly high end one but when they told me to come back end of the day tomorrow and if it hadn't sold I could buy it for a cheaper price I politely declined. Don't need it bad enough to make two trips, like it enough to pay this price now. Almost went back to see if it sold, and if not point out it could have yesterday for more than I will pay today.

Wife had a friend that bought a batch of costume jewelry for cheap. She recognized a Masonic ring in the pile and knew those were not "fake" stones. Did well at that auction. Very well.

[scotner]

I generally avoid auctions now because of the crazy prices. I just thought this may be worth a shot since lead is getting harder to come by. I do not really need any right now but I figured if it was cheap enough I would add it to the stash. I thought about riding out to the scrap yard to see if I spotted that barrel.