Mixed lots and unsorted pallets of cable
A mixed pallet is not a problem to be solved before selling. It is a lot with a different basis, and the review question changes from what each reel is worth to what the group is worth as it stands.
- Six sizes, two metals
- Group basis, not line items
- Sorted or as-is
Somewhere between a tagged reel and a roll-off there is a pallet wrapped in shrink film with a bit of everything on it: two partial reels of 3/0, a coil of 12 AWG, a length of tray cable, a roll of cord, and something at the bottom that nobody wants to unwrap. This is the most common shape a surplus lot takes when it has been sitting for a while and the person who knew what was on it has left.
We buy these. The basis is not a price per reel added up at the end. It is a group figure that accounts for the mix, the sorting labour and the uncertainty, and it is written down before anything moves. If the seller wants line-item values instead, the honest answer is that the pallet has to be broken down first, and that is work somebody has to pay for. The group basis exists to spare both sides that week.
What we will look at
Not everything in this situation is buyable, and the honest version of the list is more useful than the sales version.
- Wrapped pallets, unsorted, straight off the truck
- Mixed sizes on one skid
- Copper and aluminium together
- Partial reels with no tags
- Cut lengths in bins and boxes
- Cord and portable cable mixed in
- Loose conductor in gaylord boxes
One basis for the group, not a line-item auction
A group basis is not a discount for laziness. It is what makes an unsorted lot buyable at all. The buyer carries the risk that the bottom layer is wet, that the aluminium was counted as copper, or that two reels are the same size and one is a different insulation. Those risks are priced once and stated in writing, so the seller can compare it against the cost of sorting.
What we need from you on an unsorted pallet
Six things, and none of them require unwrapping the whole pallet. The number of pallets or containers. The visible sizes and types on top. Whether copper and aluminium are mixed. Whether reels are full, partial or cut. Whether the material has been indoors. And the approximate age of the pile, meaning when it was last added to.
Then photograph it properly: one wide frame per pallet, one close frame of a representative reel, one of any tag that survives, and one of the ground around the pallet. Standing water, mud, rust staining on the flanges and a pallet sagging at the corners all change the basis, and a seller who shows those things gets a faster answer than one who crops them out.
What makes it harder: metals, voltages and the reel nobody can name
Mixed voltage classes are the most common trap. A pallet holding 600 volt building wire and a reel of 15 kV cable cannot be reviewed as one material, and the medium voltage reel needs its own condition check for jacket damage and moisture. Sorting by voltage before the review is quick and it improves the figure.
Aluminium is the other one. It hides easily: same jacket colours, similar print, and a scrap yard will pay aluminium rates for a whole pallet that contains a little copper. The reverse is worse, because a buyer who counts aluminium as copper loses money on the load and remembers it. A file on the cut end settles the question in a second per piece.
Questions sellers ask
Will you quote a mixed pallet from photographs only?
Yes, with the basis written as a range or as a figure subject to a look at the load. Photographs answer most questions and they never answer all of them, because the bottom of a pallet is the bottom of a pallet. Nobody gains from pretending otherwise, so the terms usually say what happens if the load differs from the pictures.
Is it better to sort first or sell it as it stands?
It depends on what is in there and what your labour costs. Sorting a pallet with four tagged reels of feeder and a box of offcuts is worth an hour. Sorting a pallet of loose 12 AWG and cord, where everything is the same value by weight, is not. Sort when a tag or a size changes the category.
What if we do not know whether some of it is copper or aluminium?
Say so. A buyer will check, and the honest answer protects the rest of the description. The quick field test is a file or a knife on the cut end: copper shows a reddish tone, aluminium a bright silver one, and tinned copper sits awkwardly in between until it is scratched.
Can a mixed lot include things you will not take?
Yes, and it usually does. Oil-filled equipment, batteries, capacitors, fluorescent ballasts and anything still connected to a service are out of scope. Mark those items clearly or set them aside before the pickup, and the cable lot stays clean and reviewable without a conversation at the tailgate.
Send the mixed lots and unsorted pallets details
A short description, the quantity, the city and the deadline is enough to start.
Or email saleselectricalbuyers@gmail.com
- No fee and no obligation to sell.
- Written lot terms before anything moves.
- Pickup scheduled around your access rules.