A circuit board mechanically supports and connects electronic components using conductive pathways. After a circuit board is manufactured, electronic components must be connected to it to form a functional circuit assembly. Circuit boards can be sold to metal recyclers for a profit because they contain copper and gold. Each recycling center has different requirements you must meet before your circuit board will be accepted. The amount of money recyclers pay for circuit boards varies.
Instructions
1 Locate metal recyclers and refineries in your area. You can search online or contact your local department of public works to find out if they know of any circuit board buyers in your area. Create a list that includes the name, address and preferred contact method (phone, email or personal visit) for each potential buyer.
2 Contact each recycling company and refinery local to you. Find out how much they pay and what their requirements are. Some buyers will only accept the circuit board itself, while others will take whole computers and pay you extra for the other computer parts.
3 Make a list of each buyer along with the prices they pay and their requirements.
4 Search local ads such as Craigslist, for free computers that you can pick up and recycle for money.
5 Place an ad on free ad boards to let your community know that you will pick up their old computers for free. If you can afford it, you could also take out an ad in the local paper.
6 Check the metal prices regularly. Sites such as Precious Metals Refined and RECYCLENET post the daily metal prices in their "Markets at a Glance" section. By learning the trends, you know when the buyers will be paying more.
7 Look outside of your local area if there are no refineries and recyclers nearby. Companies such as Gazelle purchase circuit boards through an online website. They even pay for the shipping and handling and will even send you boxes for shipping.
8 Join online or local groups that discuss circuit board recycling trends. There you will have a group of peers that can provide some tips and pointers that will help you in your circuit board scrapping business.
