What is up with lead prices?

[kfellmy]

A couple of years ago I could get lead for 15 to 20 cents a pound. Now it is 91 cents a pound at the same place I have always got it. It's gonna drive me right out of the sinker business. I stopped selling sinkers on ebay since I can't compete with the sellers on there.

Maybe I need to go back to lure making. I miss making spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, jigs and reapers.

PS-I get 2 dollars a pound for finished sinkers.

[sagacious]

I've heard two possible explanations for the price rise in the metals market. The first is a simple demand-driven (supply & demand) price increase due to overseas markets aggressively buying scrap and refinery output.

The second may seem less obvious, but I think it may play a considerable role here, and that is: the economy of perceived scarcity. Again, overseas markets increase demand, buy that doesn't itself drastically increase the price. Instead, buyers become willing to pay more-- much more-- if they're afraid the supply will decrease precipitously. Ask yourself, "What am I willing to pay for lead, vs what I think it's actually worth?" And yes, suppliers will actively capitalize on that perception.

What to do about it? Not much can be done, except to not "hoard" lead-- which means don't buy more than you need for a while. That's the only thing that may eventually reduce the price, since it's probably unlikely that any increased output from lead mines will dramatically increase supply any time soon.

[kfellmy]

good answer. When I would get lead a few years ago, the company would have 8 55 gallon barrels full of wheel weights and 10-12 barrels of plumbers lead. Now it's a 1/2 barrel of wheel weights and one barrel of plumbers lead. Your answer now makes sense. The other salvage yard I stop at hasn't had any type of lead in at least a year.

As for hoarding, I live in a condo, so I don't have much room in my carport for lead. I only buy what I need for that order. I may stock up on lead around August or so. That is when the dealers start stocking up for the upcoming "season". Even then the orders were not as good as in past years.

Hell I might retire and move to Brazil. Catching peacock bass every day for the rest of my life doesn't sound too bad right now.

Edited May 12, 2008 by kfellmy

[King Bait Co.]

I work at a sheetmetal shop. The prices are going out the roof right now it jumped 40% in three weeks. About the only answer we get is blame China they seem to be the one's at fault for oil, wood and metals going up. How true is that I don't know but that is the word right now. Here may be the real reson for lead going up is our hero's in Iraq and Afgan need bullets and bombs and lots of them. If they don't keep the fight their. We'll all be out of buisness if we get hit agian here.

[BassAddict]

most "on the books" salvage yards around here will not even sell me lead now cause it is a controlled substance. I have just been going to tire shops for the used wheel weights, but I dont go through that much of it yet.

[Ogajiga]

Although the industrial large lot spot price of lead is currently at $.90 per lb. down from a high of $1.70 last year, I doubt if scrap dealers will lower prices since recyclers appear to have no customer shortage at current prices judging by the reduced inventory noted by others. Could be that the obsolescence of many vintage uses of lead - roof flashing, cable sheathing, pipe, plumber's solder - contribute to scarcity of scrap supply. Wheel weights have indeed become a controlled substance and in my town most of the tire shops no longer sell to the public.

[philB]

Hi

I'm gonna make you all green with envy. I manage the central heating dept. of a large environmental company. In the UK there is still a lot of lead plumbing existing and we strip it. I can get tons of the stuff and best of all it's free.

Lucky me.

[HookUp]

Phil ... one work ... eBay.

Think about another angle of supply/demand. Bullets need lead. 'nuff said.

If you're creative enough you can get lead. My neighbors a mechanic at a Toyota dealership. He needed some flashing boards on his house changed and I gladly did it. When he reached for his wallet, I said, "Hey, you can pay me off in lead wheel weights ...". I get a box a month.

My Cuz is a duct worker and 'found' a large piece of lead pipe.

Hit a garage sale and found the old diver lead weights for a $1 a piece. Offered the guy 50c and he took it.

It's out there, just be a bit creative.

[King Bait Co.]

Have you guys checked at your local truck stop. If it has a shop you can get semi wheel weights. They weigh 1oz to 4oz a tire shop that deals with semi tires would have them also. Its a good way to get large amounts for a 6 pack or free ok maybe a little cash.

[Delw]

I work at a sheetmetal shop. The prices are going out the roof right now it jumped 40% in three weeks. About the only answer we get is blame China they seem to be the one's at fault for oil, wood and metals going up. How true is that I don't know but that is the word right now. Here may be the real reson for lead going up is our hero's in Iraq and Afgan need bullets and bombs and lots of them. If they don't keep the fight their. We'll all be out of buisness if we get hit agian here.

Aint that the truth, Metal prices have gone through the roof.

Try buying monel, inconell and a few other nickle alloys OMG. Last time I checked it was 98 bucks a pound for monel and while MY cusotmer was willing to pay for it we couldnt find any anywere and havent been able to find any for the last 6 months.

as far as lead I think it also has alot to do with the newer EPA standards and like someone said a controlled substance. The insurance companies from what I heard is hitting the shops that use lead pretty hard with there scrap ( bigger auto repair and tire shops) they arent allowed to give it away any more) Don't know if its true or not, just what I heard.

On a side note lead is in almost every metal that maching shops use in some quanity or another.

copper is obvously as good as gold here in AZ and brass is too.

with metal and gas going up just that alone will raise prices on about every product we use in society today.

[King Bait Co.]

I will check at the tire store where I use to work at. The manager is the same from when I worked their. The copper I think Is good as gold every where. Fast as or guys put copper lines in for the A/C. Their stealing them the same night. Its cost us thousands and our contrators ton more than that. Here's a little story of how stupid the copper theifs are. Their a new neighbor hood going up by my house. Not to many people live their yet with the housing market right now. These guys get this great idea to steal every pisce of copper in the new houses. They got almost every house (50 to 60). They filled their full size pick up and it was heaped with copper. Well some one saw them and ran up on them. So they hope in the truck a tore out from behind the house. The truck was so full when they hit the curb the backend slamed down a tore off the bumper with the plate still on it. Needless to say they are having late nights in the pen now.

[diemai]

These thefts of copper have become a problem over here in Germany as well , meanwhile a great supermarket chain has started to secure the copper drain pipes on their shop buildings(all of same architecture) with iron bars !

Greetz , diemai