Folks, allow me to introduce you to what I regard as a group of scam artists and rip-off merchants. Step forward http://www.empty-inkjet-cartridges.com. You can see their website here under the title “empty-inkjet-cartridges“.
We’ve been collecting used ink jets out here in Portugal and then selling them, the money going to a local charity, Hipica para Deficientes (Riding for the Disabled). Nothing very large scale, a couple of hundred euros worth now and again. Well, why not? better that these things get reused than thrown away and all the better if the money goes to a good cause.
As it happened, someone was going back to the UK and we saw that this company above, empty-inkjet-cartridges, was offering much better prices than we could get here. So, into the suitcase went the bag of 44 of the little blighters and upon arrival in the UK, they were collected.
That was on March 10 th this year. As per the prices they were quoting then it was worth 134.50 pounds. Not a fortune by any means, but a little more hay and oats for the horses perhaps. Calling today 23 July, to find out where the cheque was I am told that it will be issued in a few days, perhaps a week or two, to the value of 39.00 pounds. Huh?
Investigating a little further I was told that the pick up (from March 10 don’t forget) was actually processed on June 23rd. That makes something of a mockery of this from their site:

Upon receipt of your empty inkjet cartridges, our warehouse staff will process the goods (each cartridges is individually tested to determine whether or not the cartridge will print once recycled) and a report will be raised. You will receive a copy of this report with a cheque for the total amount of acceptable empty inkjet cartridges you have returned. You will normally receive payment within 30 days of us receiving your empty inkjet cartridges.

I was further told that prices vary, and that the price paid is the price on the day the package is sorted, not the day received. That is, that prices may vary at any time, and that that warning was on the website. Well, no, that warning isn’t on the website at all. There is no mention of the fact that one does not get the advertised price, that in fact one gets whatever fraction of it that they wish to fob one off with.
Further, looking at the price they offer today, and comparing with what we sent:

Hewlett Packard C6656A or No 56 Black £2.00
Hewlett Packard C6657A or No 57 Colour £2.00
Hewlett Packard C6658A or No 58 Photo Colour £2.00
Hewlett Packard C8727A or No 27 Black £1.00
Hewlett Packard C8728A or No 28 Colour £1.00
Hewlett Packard C5010A or No 14 Colour £1.00
Hewlett Packard C5011A or No 14 Black £1.00

It is very difficult to see any combination of those models that could lead to a package of 44 pieces being worth 39.00 pounds.
So I am left with two possibilities. The first is that June 23 rd was a particular low point in the market, that prices were for some reason terribly low on that day, and that purely by happenstance that was the day that they counted through a delivery they had had for 3 1/2 months. (And note that whatever they told me on the phone, their website does not state that this might or could happen.) The second is that this company is run by cheats, and incompetent ones at that, for a competent cheat would at least make the scam harder to spot. It is my opinion that the latter is true.
Just so that you know, opinions are not libel. Only a statement purporting to be fact can be.
Anyway, if you are thinking of trying to cash in on, or raise money from, the value of empty inkjet cartridges in my opinion you would do well to look for someone else to deal with, not the above company.