Fellow texted me asking what I had for $40. Sent him this pic.
Just add a bar/chain![emoji1]
Just add a bar/chain![emoji1]
Lowballers
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LoveStihlQuality
Addicted to ArboristSite
Or get scammers. Area code halfway across country. I offer to meet in between to sell cash in person just like ad says. No reply.
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Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk
I don't sell firewood, but on occasion I will put stuff on CL. Met some real nice people, most don't barter on price when they see its legit and were serious to begin with. I have found over the years that if you tell them to respond in email with a phone #, first name and a convenient time for them to take a phone call, it eliminates most all of the spammers and dreamers. I never respond back via email because then you get bombarded with spam.
I've had tons of spammers and low ballers on CL.
Asking "What's your bottom dollar?" on something they haven't even seen drives me nuts.
Facebook buy/sell seems to work better but still have a decent share of folks who will commit to buying something and then never show or even give you the courtesy of a response.
Asking "What's your bottom dollar?" on something they haven't even seen drives me nuts.
Facebook buy/sell seems to work better but still have a decent share of folks who will commit to buying something and then never show or even give you the courtesy of a response.
Just bought some barbells and weight off CL. Guy drives through town every day, so he delivered to my door. Paid him extra.
I never haggle on CL as a buyer, but often at yardsales. I will drop the price on other CL junk I sell, but not firewood.
I never haggle on CL as a buyer, but often at yardsales. I will drop the price on other CL junk I sell, but not firewood.
Swamp Yankee
Addicted to ArboristSite
Cranky in my old age
Had it with lowballers over the years. Standard response, I'll let it rot in the landing rather than lose more money. My price is the price. If it's not what you wish to pay, thanks for your inquiry, but another supplier may be a better fit for you.
My product sells itself, plenty of regulars and no inventory left every year. Admit some years are tougher than others, but I'm still a firm believer in that people will always pay for service, value and quality. Sometimes they have to get raked over a few times to get there however.
My favorite ploy is the infamous, if you sell me a cord at $XXX, this year I'll by 3 from you next year at regular price. Once again I have a standard reply. I say OK, no problem but I need a 50% deposit for the 3 when I deliver the first cord. In 30 plus years of selling wood, I have never had a taker of that offer.
One thing I have observed over the years, many sellers of firewood have absolutely no clue as to their costs. They drop off a cord get paid, and assume because there was no money in their pocket before and then there is $XXX in their pocket when they leave they assume they made $XXX. The most valuable tool I have in my wood business arsenal is my laptop and my excel spreadsheet that I use to track costs and figure profits. I can figure within a few dollars profit/loss on any order. Granted it takes time and can be tedious but having that data base has proved invaluable. The spreadsheet also shows where adding equipment may or may not make sense or even provide a payback within a reasonable time.
In short, if you're selling firewood, or any service for that matter, it's your business. You know, or should know, your costs, profits, and what your time is worth, and only you can decide if you want to take less.
Sorry for being long winded.
Take Care
Had it with lowballers over the years. Standard response, I'll let it rot in the landing rather than lose more money. My price is the price. If it's not what you wish to pay, thanks for your inquiry, but another supplier may be a better fit for you.
My product sells itself, plenty of regulars and no inventory left every year. Admit some years are tougher than others, but I'm still a firm believer in that people will always pay for service, value and quality. Sometimes they have to get raked over a few times to get there however.
My favorite ploy is the infamous, if you sell me a cord at $XXX, this year I'll by 3 from you next year at regular price. Once again I have a standard reply. I say OK, no problem but I need a 50% deposit for the 3 when I deliver the first cord. In 30 plus years of selling wood, I have never had a taker of that offer.
One thing I have observed over the years, many sellers of firewood have absolutely no clue as to their costs. They drop off a cord get paid, and assume because there was no money in their pocket before and then there is $XXX in their pocket when they leave they assume they made $XXX. The most valuable tool I have in my wood business arsenal is my laptop and my excel spreadsheet that I use to track costs and figure profits. I can figure within a few dollars profit/loss on any order. Granted it takes time and can be tedious but having that data base has proved invaluable. The spreadsheet also shows where adding equipment may or may not make sense or even provide a payback within a reasonable time.
In short, if you're selling firewood, or any service for that matter, it's your business. You know, or should know, your costs, profits, and what your time is worth, and only you can decide if you want to take less.
Sorry for being long winded.
Take Care
People keep telling me to use email and text to generate more sales.
I tried using emails but in a whole year of doing that I might have made one or two very small sales that way.
99% of them will never return my email or will never come by.
Texting takes more time then a phone call and you have to wait till they see it then wait for them to respond.
In fact, I have texting blocked on my phone plan, I can't even receive them. I refuse to text, I won't do it.
My favorite one is,
Them: text me your address.
Me: Sorry I don't have text, but I'll be glad to give you my address.
Them: What is your address
Me; It's 8997 oak st............Them: wait let me get a pin and paper.
My day consists of walking down to the mailbox and checking for slow mail.
Then I have to check my emails, FB account, CL ads, forum ads or post, Voice mail, and return missed calls.
I don't need another electronic app to have to look at.
I have enough ways for you to contact me without creating another.
If you cant reach me by phone, email, slow mail, FB voice mail. That means I'm not available.
A simple phone call is all one needs to communicate. The telephone has worked great for over 100 years. Why change now.
I tried using emails but in a whole year of doing that I might have made one or two very small sales that way.
99% of them will never return my email or will never come by.
Texting takes more time then a phone call and you have to wait till they see it then wait for them to respond.
In fact, I have texting blocked on my phone plan, I can't even receive them. I refuse to text, I won't do it.
My favorite one is,
Them: text me your address.
Me: Sorry I don't have text, but I'll be glad to give you my address.
Them: What is your address
Me; It's 8997 oak st............Them: wait let me get a pin and paper.
My day consists of walking down to the mailbox and checking for slow mail.
Then I have to check my emails, FB account, CL ads, forum ads or post, Voice mail, and return missed calls.
I don't need another electronic app to have to look at.
I have enough ways for you to contact me without creating another.
If you cant reach me by phone, email, slow mail, FB voice mail. That means I'm not available.
A simple phone call is all one needs to communicate. The telephone has worked great for over 100 years. Why change now.
ChoppyChoppy
Tree Freak
I mostly use email. I can reply at times when I can't call, plus there is a record of what was said.
Why would you need a record of a conversation?
I keep all of my CraigsList emails in one file - sometimes hard to remember what I said, or what we discussed, etc. For my benefit more than as any kind of legal document or 'evidence'.
Sometimes I want to go back and find someone - e.g. I sold one guy a McCulloch saw (turned out to be an A.S. member!) and a year later came across a similar one that I gave him for parts. No way I would have remembered his contact info.
Philbert
I have a pretty good memory, and I treat everyone as equals. I don't discount or give different prices for the same thing.
I quote the same price to everyone and sell at the same price to everyone.
No need to try and remember what price I quoted or who I quoted it to.
Had a guy call me awhile back and said I gave him a price of 230 per cord.
I know he was lying or he had me confused with someone else.
I said Sr. my prices have been the same for 10 years at 250.
He said he bought a cord from me 7 or 8 years ago for 200.
I told him I have never sold a cord for that price, ever.
He hung up on me. lol
I know he was lying or he had me confused with someone else.
I said Sr. my prices have been the same for 10 years at 250.
He said he bought a cord from me 7 or 8 years ago for 200.
I told him I have never sold a cord for that price, ever.
He hung up on me. lol
He should have bought more from you at those imaginary prices!
The records for me are not about price (unless to look back out of curiosity). If a guy tells me that he is thinking of using something in a certain way, I might have other stuff to throw in or to interest him in (accessory sale).
If you are just selling firewood it is probably easier to keep track of things.
Philbert
The records for me are not about price (unless to look back out of curiosity). If a guy tells me that he is thinking of using something in a certain way, I might have other stuff to throw in or to interest him in (accessory sale).
If you are just selling firewood it is probably easier to keep track of things.
Philbert
ChoppyChoppy
Tree Freak
So I can look back and see what I said or they said. Not l sure why I need to explain that?
I've had customers contact me that I haven't seen in several years and I don't remember. Search email and "ah, yeah, I remember now"
Or maybe we talked about delivery cost or they had detailed directions, etc. I have some people that order a year ahead. I deal with dozens of people a day, no way I can remember it all.
Big thing too is I can do email at my convienence. If I stop every 15-20 mins to answer the phone (if I even hear it ring) I get nothing done.
I'm guessing I have a much higher volume of customers. I deliver on average about 10 cords a week.
Routinely I have at least one call a day telling me that they are shopping around on prices for Oak. I tell them that I have the highest prices for most part and please do not bother me with silly questions. I say thanks for calling and goodby. About haft of the people ask what do I mean and I tell them that I have quality wood at quality prices then say thanks for calling good by. Strange how the same numbers pop up the next day asking how much.
A guy that I have known for a few years informed me a year or so ago that he was starting a wood business so offered my assistance to help him get started. His wife tells me that the whole process is going well and no need for my concern. So soon there are all kinds of advertisement claiming to have the lowest prices on the mountain. Then the winter rolls on buy and a customer calls that have not heard from for a couple of years and tells me that he wants to order some wood. Then he tells me that he wants to pay no more than $300 a cord so thanks for calling goodby. The next day he calls back and asks again how much for Oak and I tell him the same as before. He then tells me this person who started the new wood business has not returned his calls, but sold short wood to him for half price. So call him back and order wood from him since it is cheaper. A couple days latter the same customer calls back and tell him not to bother me. The costumer tells me the new business owner went bankrupt and would I please sell him some wood. So working with low ballers does not seem to pay off. Thanks
A guy that I have known for a few years informed me a year or so ago that he was starting a wood business so offered my assistance to help him get started. His wife tells me that the whole process is going well and no need for my concern. So soon there are all kinds of advertisement claiming to have the lowest prices on the mountain. Then the winter rolls on buy and a customer calls that have not heard from for a couple of years and tells me that he wants to order some wood. Then he tells me that he wants to pay no more than $300 a cord so thanks for calling goodby. The next day he calls back and asks again how much for Oak and I tell him the same as before. He then tells me this person who started the new wood business has not returned his calls, but sold short wood to him for half price. So call him back and order wood from him since it is cheaper. A couple days latter the same customer calls back and tell him not to bother me. The costumer tells me the new business owner went bankrupt and would I please sell him some wood. So working with low ballers does not seem to pay off. Thanks
TysonH
ArboristSite Operative
I have bought and sold A LOT of small stuff over Criagslist over the years and honestly most people are on the up and up. I sell all my firewood over nothing more than CL starting in January and will usually sell out by March. I am defiantly a premium price but I think I sell a premium product, unloading and stacking is included and a large sack of free kindling.
Lowballers or people who complain are simply put on the back burner or discard them all together. I have way too many calls, texts, or emails to return to deal with a whiner LOL.
I've never had a single lowballer on CL actually end up being a serious buyer on anything we've ever sold.
Lowballers or people who complain are simply put on the back burner or discard them all together. I have way too many calls, texts, or emails to return to deal with a whiner LOL.
I've never had a single lowballer on CL actually end up being a serious buyer on anything we've ever sold.
lknchoppers
ArboristSite Operative
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I use craigslist a lot, to sell firewood. All the prices are there in my ad and I prefer texting any day (I can reply when I'm ready), I really do not like talking on the phone anyway. I list the type of wood, the moisture content range, the price delivered, the price for stacking so there are no real questions. I always tell them, I am not the cheapest and not the highest but the most consistent and reliable. I have almost nobody that picks up because they always want it cheaper (my ad states free delivery) so it's not cheaper to pickup. I have increased prices over the years so I am at a comfortable profit point.
NormP
ArboristSite Member
Seems like smart business to me if you are moving enough product and attracting quite a few customers.
So you would rather record or keep records of every conversation and have to log and file them all?
If you store everything on your phone and you get hacked, some could put a world of hurt on your business.
Seems like if you do one thing to protect yourself, you open yourself to another threat.
It also seems like a lot of trouble over a little firewood.
