Firewood hacks, at it again....

[avalancher]

I dont know how firewood sales are going in your area, but here all I got is regular customers right now, and even them are disappearing. Started to wonder why until I picked up our local paper this morning.

Some clown is selling seasoned oak firewood for $100 a cord delivered. Now how in the heck do you make a buck at that rate? Even if you short the customer an armload here and there, and not delivering actual seasoned wood, how in the hell do you make a buck at $100 per cord? I figure it runs me in the neighborhood of $35 just to produce it and deliver it, leaving a mere $65 for my labor of producing an entire cord. Considering the fact that it takes me approx six hours to cut, split, stack, and deliver a cord including travel time to the customer, hardly seems worth it for $10.00 an hour. Hopefully this clown will run out of wood soon.

I have mine priced at $170 per cord, and already feel that is cheap enough.

FIREWOOD - all oak, $100 cord delivered, you haul $60 cord. Cut your own, $20 cord. Phone 423-623-4053.

Source: The Newport Plain Talk
Location: Newport, TN

Rant over!

 

[fhafer]

Buy ALL his for $100.00 a MEASURED cord and re-sell it for $150.00 a cord.

Just a thought.

 

[MacLaren]

I know some ole boys that 10.00 an hour is a lot of money. I understand your situation, and more than likely these boys will stay in business with those rates, that is if the wood they are selling is a full cord and seasoned. IMO.

 

[MacLaren]

I believe just a pick-up truck load is about a 100 bucks where I live. I think......Ive never bought any before. May be 80 though. But i believe also thats not ricked, just thrown on the truck....

 

[Ayatollah]

Sounds like it is either a desparation ad, or a come-on for bait and switch.

I've noticed a bit of quick low sales offers out here lately also, but they are usually because someone sitting on 50 cords is losing their home or storage, or need to pay some court ordered fines to keep out of jail.

Have you tried calling them to see? I always call my competition when something sounds too good to be true. I usually find a scammer, unlicensed business, or illegals.
Actually, I call them when I suspect that even when the price is not too low. It's worse when your competition is making a killing cheating than if they are slowly starving themselves out of an industry:msp_wink:

 

[chopperfreak2k1]

yeah call him and find out if it's really seasoned and so on, just for your piece of mind ya know?

 

[iowa]

There are ads all over craigslist for $100 cords... Some $125 $150 $180.. etc.

4 yrs ago I bought 2 cord for $90 ea. I gave him $210 though... Same guy has advertised for $80cord in the summer. After all the time and effort to produce firewood, I've thought about buying several cord in the summer and stocking up...:msp_unsure:

 

[Kevin in Ohio]

That happens around here some and it's normally the smaller tree service guys. They allready got paid to haul it all away and to have someone pay again is a bonus. Throw in some illegal alien help and you can see the profit margin. Sounds like from the ad it stockpiled allready? Just a thought as to why.

On a side note, had a buddy who part timed for a tree service in an Upper class area. They overcharged from what was considered normal but did EXTREMELY good clean up. He told me they had a customer who had some down trees with quite a bit of wood. They asked them if they wanted it and they said no so bid was adjusted for more. Owner told them to pile in a certain spot at his place and my bud couldn't figure out why. the next year the had a call for a small load and the owner told him to get it from that pile. he found out why as they sold the SAME guy his wood back. He still laughs about that that some people just don't care when they have the cash.

 

[dingeryote]

Wait 'till January when the snow starts getting deep.
Those hacks will be out of wood or delivering green trash.

Got a bunch here selling for 125 a cord, and the latest rage is calling everything "Maple".
Friggin silver maple is what it is, and they play stupid when asked if it's Hard maple/sugar maple or swamp Maple.
Then they mix in Popple and Sassafrass and call it "Hardwood".
My MIL almost got ripped off the other day by one.

I can't complain that she is trying to take a load off of me supply her wood, but damn.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[avalancher]

Buy ALL his for $100.00 a MEASURED cord and re-sell it for $150.00 a cord.

Just a thought.

I ran this idea past the wife a few minutes ago while eating lunch together, and was met with a blank stare. As she put it, "you have been yacking at the dinner table for the past month that the wood yard is so full you couldnt cram another stick of wood in it to save your life. Now you want to buy sixty more cords? How many cords you got already stacked up for sale now?"

"uh, I think I am sitting at right at 71 cords right now, but maybe I can get some room over at Todd's farm"

I can tell that idea is going about as far as my last argument at the garage sale last week. "You got 13 chainsaws already, and you want this one for what?"
"Uh, well....Uh...well 13 is such an unlucky number hon, so one more will get me out of that jam, you know?Cant be too careful!"

"Sell one saw and have an even dozen, that should break the curse."


Dang it and female logic right along with it. I mean really. Sell a saw? Who are you kidding?

 

[greendohn]

50 bucks a truck load for good seasoned, mixed hard wood around here..works out to about a face cord..(we call it a "rick" around here) no body around here can handle 24 inches long in their wood stove, so I deliver what stacks up nice and tight to be a full 5 foot high, 8 foot long.. I very rarely sell my fire wood,,only when I'm in a pinch, to a couple guys I know.,like this past September decided it was time to build a REAL wood shed and I was needing some funds for lumber,, I sold 5 or 6 truck loads to off set the cost of lumber. having an OWB,, I cut and split my wood much bigger than what the wood stove guys use..MAN I BET IT WORKED OUT TO A PATHETIC HOURLY WAGE I was makin' and would LOVE to have gotten more money for it. Seems the guys sellin' fire wood around here are mostly worthless bastards workin' for beer money..There is one ol' farmer type selling wood for the Guv'ment to the WELFARE Recipients,,dont know what he's makin' but I hear it's a killin' !! I have also seen the CRAP he is throwin in those peoples wood pile,,GREEN walnut and hack berry , punky half filled with dirt hollow junk...VERY little locust, oak or even ash mixed in,,.I've got no desire to sell wood, but when I see that crap it makes me wanna get in the buisness so folks would know the difference between the good, the bad and the ugly.. and it blows these guys are low ballin' the professionals..hope it picks up for ya'..

 

[Metals406]

Your best bet is to beat him in the market. . . Or buy him out.

There's a local guy here that was blowing out 3,000+ cord a year. He was really cutting into the market share of a huge producer based in California. They sent a rep out here to buy him out -- they also wanted him to continue to operate the processing, but under their banner. He pocketed a bunch of cash, and still got paid to continue the operation.

You're on the other end of the spectrum. . . He's cutting into your market share.

Supply and demand broth'a!

 

[mayhem100]

Probably face cords.

$170 cord around here your 71 cords would be gone so fast you'd hear a clap of thunder from the air collapsing back in where the wood used to be.

 

[colin.p]

Probably face cords.

$170 cord around here your 71 cords would be gone so fast you'd hear a clap of thunder from the air collapsing back in where the wood used to be.

I would think that it sounds more like face cords too. I have seen adds in the newspaper for a cord (4X8X16 inches, or a face cord) of oak at $120 delivered, $100 a cord if more than 5 cords. If it's $100 for a full cord, I'd almost be tempted to drive down in my Windstar and pick it up.:tongue2:

 

[avalancher]

I'd buy some of his and check it out, see if it's real seasoned and the right amount. If it's not, call him out! Advertise that you don't short customers. Otherwise, if it's completely legitimate, buy all his and sell it for slightly more. :msp_biggrin:

Not much of a way of calling him out short of taking out a classified ad calling him a cheat. But, then again, if he wants to sell his labor that cheap, who am I to object? It is what it is.

Like many of you, I have been doing this for years, and count on firewood sales as part of my income. Fact, every cent spent at Christmas time is firewood money, and I have never spent a dime of family money on a saw or any other tool for firewood and tree service. Been my experience that most of these guys run out of wood quickly, usually by Christmas time,so I reckon its just a waiting game. The only long lasting effects these guys have is often customers will buy his wood until he runs out, then expect you to match the price. And often they will wait until the deliver is sitting on the driveway and you hold your hand out for payment and then they start the "well, last delivery only cost me a dead kitten and a quick peak up the wife's skirt, how about you match that deal?"

 

[Constrictor]

is a sign of the times. i know tons of people that would love to work for $10 an hour.
A cord of wood that was once worth $170 now worth $100 isnt too much different than how the housing prices have went over the last few years. Its tough all over.

 

[unclemoustache]

How were the sales last year? You did have a lot of tornado damage, so I imagine there's lots of firewood available right now.

BTW, I don't think I have quite enough for this winter. You deliver to St. Louis? :msp_w00t:

 

[husky455rancher]

thats rough hopefully he dosent have much wood to sell. id probly buy a bunch and sit on it a while as im sure its not really seasoned and just resell it.

 

[CrappieKeith]

I believe just a pick-up truck load is about a 100 bucks where I live. I think......Ive never bought any before. May be 80 though. But i believe also thats not ricked, just thrown on the truck....

You are lucky if that's half of a cord.

 

[WidowMaker]

Buy one of those $20 you cut cords to see what he got...If it's a good deal, stock up on it and resell @ $150/170 a cord...