Reels, spools, coils and boxed inventory

Wooden reels

The standard format for building wire, feeder cable and medium voltage. Reels range from small 12-inch drums to units several feet across that need equipment to move. Check the tag, the remaining footage if it has been partly pulled, and whether the reel has been stored on its side in water — the bottom layers are where damage shows first.

Partial reels

The most common surplus format and the one most often undervalued by its owner. A reel with 40 percent of its original length is not scrap; it is a smaller lot. Estimate the remaining footage from the tag's original length and the visible wrap thickness, and say clearly that it is an estimate.

Spools and small coils

Plastic spools and hand coils are typical for control wire, THHN, welding cable and portable cord. They are easy to store badly — hanging on a nail, stacked under a bench, left in a truck bed for a season. Look for crushed cross-sections, kinks and UV checking on the outer wrap.

Cartons and boxes

Communication cable, fire alarm cable, fixture wire and small building wire often arrive boxed. Sealed boxes with intact labels are the easiest to sell. Opened boxes are fine too; note roughly how much remains and whether the remaining cable has been re-coiled properly or is a loose tangle.

Conditions: new, unused, overstock, cancelled

These four words describe the history of the cable and they matter. New surplus is untouched. Unused means opened but never installed. Overstock is old inventory, sometimes discontinued, that may have been moved several times. Cancelled-project stock was ordered and never installed, which is often the cleanest category of all because it was bought for a specific job and stored indoors.

Preparing a lot for review

• Group cable by type and size rather than by job
• Keep reel tags attached and readable
• Photograph each group once, then the whole lot
• Note any water, sun or mechanical damage honestly
• Confirm how the material can be moved — dock, forklift, crane, hand carry

Storage between now and pickup

If a lot will sit for a while before pickup, keep it off the ground, out of standing water and out of direct sun. A tarp helps; tarping directly against the cable in humid weather does not, because condensation forms underneath. Indoor racking or a dry connex is ideal, and it is worth mentioning in your submission because it supports the condition claim.