what's the deal with salvage yards ?!

[TECATE CRAZE]

I went to a local salvage yard this weekend and asked if they had any atc parts in the yard. I was directed to a back corner of the lot, so I went back there and took some pictures I was looking for some 1985/86 atc250r parts , they had two atc250r frames and radiators (see pictures) so I went and asked the owner how much for 1 atc250r frame only he said " atc has a cult following I want $400.00 for the frame only ". I said I could get one off of ebay for way less then that . He said "well go get one from ebay... atc are rare so one day someone is going to walk trough that door asking for it so I am not just going to give it away for cheap " so I left with nothing! I feel like they do not want to work with you. They rather let the stuff just sit there and rott away to nothing instead of compelting the sale with me and making money. He just let me leave with nothing like he had a line of people waiting to buy the same parts! And this is not the first time this happened to me, so... no disrespect to any fellow member who are in that profession. I just had to vent!

[patblkwell]

Hey guy, you have to learn how to haggle/talk to the guys at the salvage yards. I went a few weeks ago and picked up a few things at a lower price than the guy wanted. It all depends on the person who you're dealing with too....sometimes you may get someone who is being an jerk or an ass, you know what I mean. It's kinda like shopping at a garage sale, they have a limit as to how low of a price they will let something go for. Try going back in a month or so and see if you can talk with someone else there. Good luck man..

[Rex Karz]

Let him sit on it for another 10 years, that is a pile of junk. There are too many primo ATC's out there going dirt cheap to waste your time on rust.

[VABCH350X]

Usually I try to chat the guys up and talk about bikes, three wheelers, et cetera. When I go to my local salvage yard for old Honda street bike parts, I often find myself leaving with a few small parts for free since I have developed a repor with the workers there. They usually even lend me their tools and let me pull the parts off the bikes in the yard myself.
-Paul

[HaggLE]

I totally agree. Its simple sales skills, you have to sell the sale to them not let them sell it to you. You have to make them want a sale rather then them convince you to buy it.
A key thing to do is to make comment on how long it looks like its been sitting there. If its been there a while tell them that they are obviously wrong because nobody has bought it.

It isnt making them any money by sitting there, they make money by things going out the door. You have to remind them of this.

Its taking space up in the yard where there could be something else there tomorrow that they could be selling and potentially make two sales from that same spot. They always need more room.

The thing obviously cost them money. If they sell it for minimal profit then with that money buy something else thats easier to make money from or even if it isnt they make more money by selling it then not. If they respond with "it was given to me, it didnt cost me anything" then tell them what ever they sell it for is cold hard PROFIT!

Like I said to you before, sell the sale to them not other way around and be their best friend first, that way its like they are selling it to a mate!

[yater]

Ha--if he started at $400, he's not going to be haggled into your pricerange (I assume $50? for the frame?) You should have laughed in his face and offered him $10

[Pistonhead]

Does the yard sell shirts? Since I started wearing my Pick your part shirt to pick your part i get excellent service!

[Yamahammer490]

I think it also depends on the type of business the yard wants to be in. There's a yard no more than 2 miles from my office that I've tried to work with several times to no avail. They're really into street bikes and seem to specialize in street bikes that have been scrapped because of front end and body damage.

It's frustrating, but they run the type of business they want to run and no amount of small talking seems to make them interested in selling the off-road stuff they have rotting out back.

[Lomax]

I run into that with people more than anything, I dont deal with alot of salvage yards (there are 2 that always seem to have what i am looking for and there prices are fair enough for me) but the one your dealing with sounds just like alot of the people i try to buy junk trikes from, People always want a really high price for one and of course it always ran good when it was parked (the head could be missing and i would get that). They throw that line at me and i tell them, if it was running so good then why is it setting out here rusting away??? that usually seals the deal for me.......

[brandosfiero]

man that guy is nuts.usaully when i go and look at a trike thats been sitting for sale i make it sound like its a piece of crap.i tell them i might be able to use a couple parts but everything else is unuasable but i will take the hole thing.when they say thier price i say /i dont know man thats kinda hi for an old junk three wheeler.or when you go up to a house where thiers a trike sitting ask if they want to get rid of it first.if they say no then ask about selling it.ive got 4 or 5 trikes just aking if they wanted them out of thier yard.just my 2 cents

[83200e]

The salvage yards around here usually get between 40-60% of the original cost.The one I go to most gives me pretty good deals on stuff.Sometimes I pay a little high,other times I get a great price.

[bonkers_200s]

NEVER say "I can get a better deal over there", that immediatly puts them in a defensive position, and they (as you found out) tell you to go there.

[Kintore]

I found my 84 250r in a local yard for about 400. We got the guy down to 250 straight up. He was a nice guy and liked Yamahas, so I chatted with him about atcs and he knew his stuff. He said he was glad is was going to sold for a resto, and I also got a little Chirstmas deal with it too . Just talk for awhile but 400 is alot for a frame and maybe go back like someone said in a month.

[83185s]

a junkyard has that good front plastic on that trike?? and uh they havmt salvaged much have they..alot of open grouynd..400? is he stupid ? nobody will buy somehtin from a junkyard for 400 if its that small...that dude was prolly pissed off before u got there

[TECATE CRAZE]

I have more if anybody is interested