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Wierd scrap dealers calling out of blue

JP Machining

Stainless
Joined
Jul 15, 2006
Location
Wisconsin
Anyone else get scrap dealers calling up out of the blue from other states wanting to know if you have any unused steel or carbide or machinery (working or not) that you would sell them? First one that called me googles as a roofing company out of IL, he called twice yesterday, Today another one calls, number goes back to a jewlery dealer in IL. Both sounded a bit mexican on the phone. Way different than one or 2 machinery dealers that call about once or twice a year wondering if I'm looking for anything new or have anything would like to sell.

Just seemed fishy to me like some crooks that wanted to have a reason to be on the property so they could steal something else while there. I told them both I have nothing for sale and they about cried.

Guess have to remember to keep the safe locked and bullets in the pistol mag.
 
Somebody probably sold a contact list with your name on it.

We get some strange calls, too. We don't advertise in any way. Are not listed in any business directories, except the phone book (just our name and number). And no website. Yet, we get cold sales calls by people that seem to know what we do. Our number was probably in a rolodex somewhere, with some notes about us, and it got into the wrong hands. Maybe the company went bankrupt, and somebody bought that rolodex for $5 at the auction.

Selling info to marketers is big business. We are all on databases somewhere, and there are people paying money to see our info.

No scrappers have called, but we occasionally get one walking in, if we left the door open.
 
I don't get calls, but I have gotten walk ins. I had one guy that appeared to be of American Indian descent. Said he came up from Texas, (I'm in wisconsin). He was driving a nice newer model GMC pickup with a rather large trailer behind. His story went something like this:

"Yeah, we pick up scrap aluminum and carbide to give my peoples something to do. They use this stuff to make jewelry and little trinkets. If they don't have nothing to do then they get to drinkin' and fights and etc., so if you have anything to sell, I'll pay you cash. My people would sure be grateful"

Seems awful strange to me that someone from Texas would be in Wisconsin looking for scraps of metal and carbide. There can't be that much money in it to be driving what he was driving. :skep:
 
I don't get calls, but I have gotten walk ins. I had one guy that appeared to be of American Indian descent. Said he came up from Texas, (I'm in wisconsin). He was driving a nice newer model GMC pickup with a rather large trailer behind. His story went something like this:

"Yeah, we pick up scrap aluminum and carbide to give my peoples something to do. They use this stuff to make jewelry and little trinkets. If they don't have nothing to do then they get to drinkin' and fights and etc., so if you have anything to sell, I'll pay you cash. My people would sure be grateful"

Seems awful strange to me that someone from Texas would be in Wisconsin looking for scraps of metal and carbide. There can't be that much money in it to be driving what he was driving. :skep:

Classic Gypsy . There's plenty of money in it when you pay for half of it at most.
 
Somebody probably sold a contact list with your name on it.

We get some strange calls, too. We don't advertise in any way. Are not listed in any business directories, except the phone book (just our name and number). And no website. Yet, we get cold sales calls by people that seem to know what we do.

If you get a machine shop magazine by subscription, you're on a list and they are selling your name to machine trade people. I put my fax number down as my phone number, stops the cold calls. Don't give them your email either.

I don't get calls about scrap, but I get a lot of faxes from several states away looking for scrap.
 
alot of the scrap carbide is being bought up by chinese gov't and they are making inserts shotty quality , dirt cheap and trying to sell them back. i tried some of these and they sucked then i found out the whole story and it all made sense .it was some three letter name cant remember right now
 
I missed a call the other day here and it was from some roofing company out of state?

I did get a odd phone call tho. Being a one man shop I get a call from a cell phone in this state ( that's all the caller ID said was ohio cell phone ) Guy asked to talk to so and so? was not my name, Said I was sorry no one works here with that name. He then asked to talk to another person once more asking for them by name. Said once more sorry no one by that name. Before I could ask if I could help him he hung up the phone?

All I could think was someone trying to rent something or buy something and said they worked for me as a reference or show of income?
 








 
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