On July 19th I sent a query with a link to this list on DropBox to the PayMore West Allis location as it seemed to be the closest one. I sent the list to other places as well over a few days. Regular readers will know that I just built a new Yocto build machine and it was time to make some room. You will note the Web site makes it sound like they buy anything including empty toner cartridges and broken tech.
All of my stuff worked. Busted stuff I take to the local recycling drop off. I received a reply stating that they would not discuss price over the phone or via email saying they needed to inspect and test the equipment. There was no mention of anything in the list they wouldn’t purchase. I pointed out that it was a 3+ hour drive one way. Even spoke with PayMore on the phone to confirm.
It Violates My Religion to Pay Tolls
There was a time in my yoot when I had the special coin holder, deliberately ate at drive throughs so I had a supply of change to fill the holder, and drove on tollways. Once they started charging more than 50 cents at any one toll booth for roads that were shit and traffic that was horrendous, I got religion and vowed to never drive a tollway again. If anyone has to pay a toll to drive on it then no tax dollars should ever go towards it and there should be no speed limits. Tollways are just political patronage jobs for organized graft and corruption.
I live south of Chicago and PayMore is up near Madison, Wisconsin. The only non-toll path north had me going up the Damn Ryan to 94. For those unfamiliar with Chicago traffic, basically 6 lanes of traffic neck to one. At 5am it ain’t bad. PayMore didn’t open until around 10am so, traffic-wise, I was screwed. I loaded my car the day before so I could hit the ignition and go, but then I had time to kill before I could leave. Ordinarily I wake up some time between 4:30 and 5am but there was no way to avoid rush hours when PayMore opens at 10. On July 24, 2024, I made the drive.
The PayMore Experience
Someone came from the back when I walked in. Told him I had been emailing someone there and spoke on the phone about a list of equipment. He had no idea. Red flag number 1.
During my phone conversation it was discussed that I would drop the stuff off. They would test it all out while I went and found food. When they were done they would call. It was a trunk full in my Avalon. The computers were out and visible, but everything else was boxed. I asked if they had a cart. No cart. Red flag number 2. If you really are buying computers you need a cart.
I went out to my car and some time later the same guy comes out. I pull the z820 out and from 12 feet away looking at the non-descript gray HP side which still has most of its protective wrap the guy says “I can’t buy that it is too old.”
You can’t tell anything about age from the side of a tower computer. I’ve been in IT almost 40 years. Unless the computer is the size of a large night stand, you can’t tell anything about it from the side. I respond “It has a 6TB WD Black.” He responds “I could buy that if it was out, but we don’t have anybody to break into it and get it out.” I pointed out the latch on the side that opens the case and heard dead silence.
All the other stuff was in plain brown boxes for shipping. The NVIDIA video cards, NetGear AC1200 router, hard drives, at least one of which was still new and in factory sealed wrap, wireless network cards, wired network cards, well read the list from the link.
“I can’t buy any of this, it’s all too old.”
Now Comes the Scam
After a pause, “but I can recycle it for you.”
I’ve dropped computer equipment off at recycling centers many times. Most of them are connected to charities. The test stuff out and list it as “refurbished” in on-line markets. Sometimes they have their own network of computer repair shop customers they sell direct to. If a whole computer doesn’t work but parts do, they will test and sell parts in the same manner. That’s where the “refurbished” memory, hard drives, etc. come from in those on-line listings.
When it don’t work they send it to the other type of recycler I go to, like the one I have locally. It all gets tossed into a bit roll-off container.
When the container is full it gets trucked to a place that may or may not be part of the same scrap company. All the electronics get ground for precious metals recycling.
Been Hearing A Lot About This Lately
Talked with some people who have quite a bit of equipment they routinely get rid of. Everybody has a story about the bait & switch “purchase” offer. Once you take the time to pack things up then drag it there, they tell you they can’t buy it. Pause to let your anger set in, then try to set the hook with “but I can recycle it for you.”
The goal is to get you pissed enough to just leave that pile there. No money paid. Sell it as “refurbished” on-line. Pure profit.
Scam probably works well on most people. I didn’t want to scrounge up boxes and ship this stuff, but I can, I’ve done it many times. I certainly wasn’t going to “just dump it” because even wholesale the pile is worth over $1000. Heck, I looked before writing this and some places are trying to sell z820 models with only 8-core and under 64GB of RAM for over $1800 today. I’ll take $650 plus shipping.
Summary
Beware PayMore.
That was one of the few drivable places and it tried to scam me. I have a few more “you have to ship it to us” places working up quotes which I should have by Wednesday of this coming week. If I don’t like them you will find the stuff either on ebid or jawa. The z820 is probably going on Jawa because I see gamers there paying over $2K for a lot less machine. Way ahead to drop $650 on this and if upgrade the video card later. Twenty physical core can do a lot of graphics processing for you.
