selling green wood?

[treeman82]

I am just curious about something... my wood storage space is limitted, so I was contemplating the idea of selling green wood for a lower price... take down a tree, split the wood on site, toss in truck and deliver. Any thoughts?

 

[wahoowad]

You'd fit right in around my parts! I gave up buying wood but never got a load of true seasoned wood delivered! :rockn:

 

[treeman82]

I'm not saying to advertise green wood as seasoned. I am saying to advertise green wood as just that. "Save money by seasoning your own wood. $X per cord, split and delivered."

 

[jonseredbred]

we do it all the time

tops for green wood seems to be about $20.00 less per f/c than dry in our market.

its a good seller as many firewood dealers wont sell green.

 

[treeman82]

So if I typically get $200 per seasoned cord I should try asking for ~$150 per cord for green?

 

[SRT-Tech]

i do this , i tell the customer that the wood is FRESHLY split. They appreciate the honesty. I deliever & stack it up for them, and include a milk crate of kindling as well.

when i advertise (rare) i tell what kind of wood it is, and how high/long/deep it will stack up. Got one guy that wants any birch i get, he stockpiles it.

 

[colverpa]

thats why i cut my own now getting a load of green stuff sucks

 

[ciscoguy01]

Yahmon

I am just curious about something... my wood storage space is limitted, so I was contemplating the idea of selling green wood for a lower price... take down a tree, split the wood on site, toss in truck and deliver. Any thoughts?

Do it up here all the time dude. I know you can down there. Bring it to those city folks, they dont' care if it's green, wet, muddy. They want it any way they can get their hands on it... Just tell'em, they won't care...

 

[WoodTick007]

I just gave $50 for two cord of unseasoned Oak....

With regards to selling people unseasoned firewood without telling them...Treat them how you would like someone to treat your Mother of Sister.... Nuff Said?

 

[Corley5]

I sell green wood in the spring and early summer to people to season themselves and sell it for less than seasoned. During the heating the season I sell seasoned, a 50/50 mix of green and dry and straight green. Many people prefer the 50/50 mix

 

[JUDGE1162]

If you tell them it is freshly cut and split and knock off $50 a cord you should be fine, especially with your firplace customers who don't tend to care if it is green since it is just for looks, throw in some kinling and if you are up front with them they should be happy.

 

[computeruser]

If I had more space to store my wood, I'd be willing to buy green wood and let it dry myself. An appropriate discount - 40 f/c instead of the usual 60-70 f/c would appeal to me. One local guy sold green tops for 30 f/c picked-up for the past couple years, as he cleared some land and split what he cut. That was a good value, in my opinion.

The only caveat would be that it would need to be GOOD wood that is just green, and not a mix of green wood of all sorts - willow and cottonwood are willow and cottonwood no matter what state they're in.

 

[B-Edwards]

Heres my thinking on this subject, I have already sold 30 face cords this year, that comes to $2250.00 . I wouldnt drop the price seasoned or not ,the labor is the same the volume of wood is the same I think if there is a price change it should be to go up on seasoned wood. For the time and effort i put into this amount I'm starting to think selling wood is rediculous. I could make 10 times that amount of money in the same time and effort doing tree work. If i stay in the firewood business that's what it will be instead of a money losing joke as it is now. I dont mean to offend anyone so please dont take it that way, all I'm saying is wood sellers are working way to cheap and they control that!!!!!!

 

[Firewood Guy USA]

Well Spoken !!

Heres my thinking on this subject, I have already sold 30 face cords this year, that comes to $2250.00 . I wouldnt drop the price seasoned or not ,the labor is the same the volume of wood is the same I think if there is a price change it should be to go up on seasoned wood. For the time and effort i put into this amount I'm starting to think selling wood is rediculous. I could make 10 times that amount of money in the same time and effort doing tree work. If i stay in the firewood business that's what it will be instead of a money losing joke as it is now. I dont mean to offend anyone so please dont take it that way, all I'm saying is wood sellers are working way to cheap and they control that!!!!!!

How true you are. Most dealers around here are too, cutting one anothers throats. I think some firewood dealers moto is "who can sell for less" regardless what the out come is ( $$$ ) !! All I can say is that someone ain't getting paid or is not being compensated for their time and effort. Oh Well !!
John

 

[ciscoguy01]

Yip

Know how ya feel. I was trying to help a couple of older dudes out. I've sold 12 cord so far this year and have another 15 sitting on the ground drying. I've given 5 f/c away, people that didn't really have much money, one a widow. The amount of money I made off the 12 f/c is $360. That's total. It barely covers my gas and chains honestly. Since they were older dudes and kind of in a bind getting wood, I wanted to help them out. I usually sell it to guys like this for $50 a pickup load, which is roughly 1-1.5 f/c. The last old guy I sold it to kinda stuck me. I brought him a small truck load to get him going as he was almost out, I told him I'd bring him 4 small loads for $100. I ended up bringing him 1 small and 3 big loads on my big truck and the dude still stuck me for $100. I wasn't going to argue with him and he makes himself very inconvenient to reach since I've tried getting back in touch with him to get the rest of the money. Oh well, I guess he'll know better than to call me next year for anymore eh? Tis' whatcha get for being nice sometimes. Oh well. Anyhoot, my point is, I agree with the other dude, it's still the same amount of work you put into it, the same gas, chains, labor etc... They should pay the same. Just let'em know eh?

 

[SRT-Tech]

i'm still doing firewood, but branching out into milling beams for woodworkers. More money, less hassle, less stacking. :biggrinbounce2:

 

[Mkarlson]

green wood

I have a customer who doesnt mind me delivering wood green anytime of the year. The first year I sold him wood I had no idea how much he wanted so I delivered couple cords and asked if it was enough and he said anytime yo get a load bring it. So the next week I delivered couple more cords. I asked him and he said anytime I get a load I was to bring it. So following week I delivered couple more cords....anyway I finally stopped at 8 cords and he seemed happy and I was happy. The following spring I gave him a call and he said if you got a load bring it over.. He had bit less then a cord left from the 8 cords I had sold him. I asked him how he used so much wood in the little stove he got from northern tool and he said. We enjoy burning wood and that he burns a couple "rick" in the backyard during the summer just sittin back with a cold beer.

My ton truck if filled to top and to the end gate is about 153 cubic feet. I fill it so wood is slightly heaping but not falling out the back so I actually sell slightly over a cord with each load. For this guy its very profitable to pull my splitter behind the truck, cut and split, and deliver it green. I try to get all his green wood (mostly cherry and black locust) delivered before febuary and its ready for fall.

EDIT: I charge him $80 for the cord which is pretty cheap for my area where a "rick" goes for bout $60. But I figure I only handle the wood once so it works out fine.

 

[treeman82]

Anyhoot, my point is, I agree with the other dude, it's still the same amount of work you put into it, the same gas, chains, labor etc... They should pay the same. Just let'em know eh?

But the labor isn't the same. If you cut the tree down, buck up the logs and split them right on site, tossing them directly into the truck then you are removing a couple of times handling the wood.

 

[Husky137]

But the labor isn't the same. If you cut the tree down, buck up the logs and split them right on site, tossing them directly into the truck then you are removing a couple of times handling the wood.

Correct, dealing in green wood involves much less handling. The other reason to discount off of the seasoned price for green is the actual volume. If you stack a cord of green wood and then measure it when it is seasoned, it will be about 10% shy due to shrinkage. I sell green and seasoned. I'd rather have the wood seasoning in the customers yard than mine.

 

[B-Edwards]

With the population exploding as it has been it wont be long before customers wont be able to be as chosey as they have been able to be. Requesting a specific wood will also have a specific price. First off where i live I've noticed this with hunters ,alot of people i knew who were hunters arent anymore because they dont have land to hunt on.Same is happining with some of the firewood sellers here. When the city guy finaly gets that 10 , 20 , 100 acreas of land in a rural area he isnt like the old farmer who owned it before, he is not going to let anyone who wants wood cut off his property. Most of the compitition that I have around here is guys who think different about making a living, they live hand to mouth or day to day , they own a pickup and saw cut the wood off someone else for free and see the entire thing as all profit. The gas in truck and saw arent counted if they dont pay it that day.Yes like it or not there will be a day when these guys cant get the wood to sell. This isnt greed that I'm trying to promote. I was told here by many to do the math , I did it looks very bad. I think everyone who sells wood needs to do the same, you'll be surprised when you do. Above all be honest ,but be honest to yourself too. I see nothing wrong with the standards Maine has for the selling of firewood . I want to leave a customer satisfied with what hes paid for, same amount of and quality of wood . DO the math and decide if your working for near nothing.