There was this guy that came collecting all those leftover Galvanized Pipes that I have cut out after all my projects. Some are about a foot long, some less. I keep all those leftovers strewn all over the store and only clears it once a year to sell it at scrap. I actually make enough from the sale to treat my workers to a nice year end dinner, so when this kind turns up to offer me more than what i can get from selling those leftovers as scrap, I did not hesitate.
Now what intrigues me was why was he willing to pay more than the scrap dealers for something that there was no much use unless it was scrapped. It was months later that I found out the reason.
There was a big market for these short pipes that has been threaded. I only realized that these were available after completing the project and I was required to install the water meters. The spacing between the two meter stands differs in measurement for every unit and more often than not, I will need to insert a piece of short pipes in between the meter and the stand. I have to waste a lot of time getting them threaded and cut to size.
What this guy did was he collected all the leftovers, threaded them in his factory, cut them into various lengths and then resold them to all the hardware shops at a huge profit. While he bought all the leftovers by weight, he is now selling them by length. It was one hell of an innovative business and I don’t think he went to any business school to learn that.