“Actually, stolen copper sells for ten times or more what’s its worth on the black market.”
I read your comment several times and still can’t figure out what you’re saying. I’m thinking scrap price is scrap price, stolen or legit.
Well, if the stolen copper is still usable as wire, someone may buy it (knowingly illegally), at less than market, but at more than scrap value.
That’s my attempt at decoding.
But I do not understand the scrap dealers claiming that they cannot tell ‘scrap’ from stolen. Bronze off of graves? Heads off of statues? These scrap dealers make their money by KNOWING their materials, and markets.