Where is the Fish Hook In Selling Bagged Firewood?
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CRThomas
ArboristSite Guru
Info on highway vender
If he is on road way property call state police. If you need a licence to be a vender call county or city. Or just wait him out. I have this problem all the time. They rant and rave at the cafe about me horning in on there business and I don't even do what they do. They sell bulk firewood and I wrap it and bag it. They say they going to do that to I tell them a 150.000.00 will put them in business they think they got a big investment in a 2000.00 pickup a 900.00 log splitter and a chain saw from Wally world. Hang in there. Later
If he is on road way property call state police. If you need a licence to be a vender call county or city. Or just wait him out. I have this problem all the time. They rant and rave at the cafe about me horning in on there business and I don't even do what they do. They sell bulk firewood and I wrap it and bag it. They say they going to do that to I tell them a 150.000.00 will put them in business they think they got a big investment in a 2000.00 pickup a 900.00 log splitter and a chain saw from Wally world. Hang in there. Later
CRThomas
ArboristSite Guru
Another info
Most people in business have to have cash flow. I meet them all the time if it takes the same amount to live as it does on your selling you want last long. I have good times and bad one's. I have enough to last me one year if I don't sell a stick of wood most of your venders if the miss a week they done for If your in to firewood for real you have to let customers you are 24 7s not when it comes grass time star mowing grass or what ever fly by nights do.
Most people in business have to have cash flow. I meet them all the time if it takes the same amount to live as it does on your selling you want last long. I have good times and bad one's. I have enough to last me one year if I don't sell a stick of wood most of your venders if the miss a week they done for If your in to firewood for real you have to let customers you are 24 7s not when it comes grass time star mowing grass or what ever fly by nights do.
BBQ Cookiing Wood
+1 on the wood fired pizza kitchens.
I also offer BBQ Cooking wood, which is premium hardwood such as oak, mulberry, apple, and locust. I sell these in 16-lb bags, cut in 6" to 10" lengths, about a pound per log. I offer them for $3 apiece or two for $5. So far, only about 50 bags have been sold, even though my price is less than half of what the supermarket wants for the same.
Again, I have no complaints, but sales are modest compared to campfire bundles.
+1 on the wood fired pizza kitchens.
I also offer BBQ Cooking wood, which is premium hardwood such as oak, mulberry, apple, and locust. I sell these in 16-lb bags, cut in 6" to 10" lengths, about a pound per log. I offer them for $3 apiece or two for $5. So far, only about 50 bags have been sold, even though my price is less than half of what the supermarket wants for the same.
Again, I have no complaints, but sales are modest compared to campfire bundles.
D&B Mack
Sawin Wit It!
Have two more things to add:
1. If you are selling 16" splits, you can cut them in half and sell for slightly less. E.G. Take your .75 cf of a 16" bundle (say retail is $5.00) and sell it as two .38 cf units of 8" (say $4.00 each). You are now getting $8.00 for the same amount of wood you were selling at $5.00. Market it as "Chiminea Firewood". Just figured this out in the past month. Instead of stretch wrapping, I bag them in a netted sack.
2. I make custom labels for each place I deliver to. So for example, if I deliver to 'Billy Bob's Sunoco', then I put his name on the label for the packaging. I don't sell retail, so it really doesn't do me much good to advertise myself. This is incentive for them since it gets their name out there. Now, by law, I still have to have my info on the bag or bundle as well, but I just put it in small print off in the corner as 'Assemble By...'.
1. If you are selling 16" splits, you can cut them in half and sell for slightly less. E.G. Take your .75 cf of a 16" bundle (say retail is $5.00) and sell it as two .38 cf units of 8" (say $4.00 each). You are now getting $8.00 for the same amount of wood you were selling at $5.00. Market it as "Chiminea Firewood". Just figured this out in the past month. Instead of stretch wrapping, I bag them in a netted sack.
2. I make custom labels for each place I deliver to. So for example, if I deliver to 'Billy Bob's Sunoco', then I put his name on the label for the packaging. I don't sell retail, so it really doesn't do me much good to advertise myself. This is incentive for them since it gets their name out there. Now, by law, I still have to have my info on the bag or bundle as well, but I just put it in small print off in the corner as 'Assemble By...'.
CRThomas
ArboristSite Guru
Info
Talk to Doug at Ramsplitters he has all kinds of different deal
Talk to Doug at Ramsplitters he has all kinds of different deal
I’ve been selling bagged wood for a while now and it’s ok money. I bag up the small chunk pieces I get from odd shaped leftovers. I get $10 for a 25 lb bag. All of my buyers are using it for smoking wood; the small pieces are great for the smaller pits. I can sit on the side of the road before a holiday weekend and sell 50-75 bags in 5-6 hours.
I also supply a feed store as well and they sell 75-100 a month. They sell the same bag for $15. The bags are cheap $0.23 each. Not getting rich but it gets rid of the chunk wood that can’t be stacked.
I also supply a feed store as well and they sell 75-100 a month. They sell the same bag for $15. The bags are cheap $0.23 each. Not getting rich but it gets rid of the chunk wood that can’t be stacked.
CRThomas
ArboristSite Guru
Need bag info
Where do you get your bags all the places I have checked with you have order by the pallet 2000 is the minimum later
D&B Mack
Sawin Wit It!
Dalmatian90
Addicted to ArboristSite
Think you'll find most inventory in your typical convenience is technically sold the same way -- by consignment.
Gas, newspapers, potato chips, soda, milk. The store only gets billed for what gets sold (or more accurately, what's not returned to the distributor), not billed now for what is delivered the credited later for unsold product. The gas distributors generally retain ownership of the gasoline in the underground tanks, the store just collects the money and is given a fixed cents-per-gallon commission for collecting the money.
Newspapers for instance -- they're usually picked up on Monday mornings (ever notice the Monday paper used to be the thinnest one of the week? More room in the trucks...and you always thought it was only because most of the reporters and editors had the weekend off) so as they make their Monday morning rounds they pickup any unsold newspapers from the week before through Sunday. Circulation then counts up how many were dropped off and how many were returned and bills for the difference.
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I use the same bags that are used for sand bags. They come in all sizes and are priced accordingly. There sold in quantities of 100 or more. Of course the more you get the cheaper they are. Look online for sand bags.
arlen
Me and my wife at Wild Amimal Park San Diego
Same bundler
I have the same bundler it has the expanded mesh around it in a half circle. At first I thought it unnecessary, but thin I started mounting S hooks on the inside and outside of it and was able to hang stuff like handles, a wire brush to clean dirty wood and a shrink wrap cutter. I also put some flat splits on top of it to put on top of the bundle to staple a handle on it. The hand crank is easy to use I nave never felt the need for an electriic motor. David
I have the same bundler it has the expanded mesh around it in a half circle. At first I thought it unnecessary, but thin I started mounting S hooks on the inside and outside of it and was able to hang stuff like handles, a wire brush to clean dirty wood and a shrink wrap cutter. I also put some flat splits on top of it to put on top of the bundle to staple a handle on it. The hand crank is easy to use I nave never felt the need for an electriic motor. David
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CRThomas
ArboristSite Guru
Free sand bags
If you live in a flood area where sand bags are needed at times go to your county garage you can get bundles of 2000 for free they give me 10 bundles so I good for a while later
If you live in a flood area where sand bags are needed at times go to your county garage you can get bundles of 2000 for free they give me 10 bundles so I good for a while later
Bailing Twine and Old Garden Hose...
... that's what I use. Cut the old hose into short 5" lengths for a handle. If you use your boy scout knots, you can do it with one length of twine, threaded through the handle in the center. I tie up 7 tp 9 logs in a bundle.
No complaints and lots of sales this year. :msp_smile:
... that's what I use. Cut the old hose into short 5" lengths for a handle. If you use your boy scout knots, you can do it with one length of twine, threaded through the handle in the center. I tie up 7 tp 9 logs in a bundle.
No complaints and lots of sales this year. :msp_smile:
CRThomas
ArboristSite Guru
Price info
And that is 6 to 12 4x4x54 bags roughly a rank a bag. I work on the bundle the rest of the time deliver after 5:00 o'clock in the evening. So set a time and place and stick to it. Customers like no change and they know where to find you. My pattern. I made just short of a 100,000,00 dollars last year proble small change for most but I am happy with myself. Later
I have a set price and never change My customers know what I charge. In the firewood business if you don't have back up money for bad times. I had to shut down do to problems some of my customers came to the hospital and checked on me. When I got out the was waiting on my wood. Love my customers. I got an old lady customer ask me to pickup her a bottle of wine and some summer sausage no problem. I set up at the farmers market. I sell out by 3.00 o'clock
And that is 6 to 12 4x4x54 bags roughly a rank a bag. I work on the bundle the rest of the time deliver after 5:00 o'clock in the evening. So set a time and place and stick to it. Customers like no change and they know where to find you. My pattern. I made just short of a 100,000,00 dollars last year proble small change for most but I am happy with myself. Later
Coldfront
Addicted to ArboristSite
Are you saying you made 10 million last year selling firewood bundles? lol
CRThomas
ArboristSite Guru
No
No I made all most a hundred thousand last year. I busted my butt thou. I will not do that good this year I all most ended up in hospital. Later
Rather Incredible...
Suppose you averaged 7 logs in a bundle. That's 140,000 logs. If there are 600 logs in a full cord of split firewood, that's 234 cords or about 350 pickup truckloads, unbundled.
Thought I'd put things in proper perspective. That also explains why you are worn out. Even with three men helping you, several splitters, and an automatic bundler, that's a lot of work. And, I'm not sure I have that many customers available in my whole metropolitan area.
otstir:
Suppose you sold $100,000 worth of firewood bundles at $5 a bundle. That's 20,000 bundles.
Suppose you averaged 7 logs in a bundle. That's 140,000 logs. If there are 600 logs in a full cord of split firewood, that's 234 cords or about 350 pickup truckloads, unbundled.
Thought I'd put things in proper perspective. That also explains why you are worn out. Even with three men helping you, several splitters, and an automatic bundler, that's a lot of work. And, I'm not sure I have that many customers available in my whole metropolitan area.
otstir:
CRThomas
ArboristSite Guru
Reply
I have about 20 customers I sell a bag of 30 bundles to a week for $2.50 a bundle they sell them to the people who live around them for $5.00 supplement there income good for them and good for me. I made $38.00 just on that. I don't know with out counting the customers that buy one a day ever day of the year. If they come and pick them up. They want to help me and they do. They had the big bonfire at the park I took my bad wood over for them. I have people come from St Louis 100 miles away to buy the bags full of wrapped. If you do your customers right you will get more than you can handle. Give them different samples to try. Throw a little cherry or fruit wood in the bundle. I get calls from my customers they just want to talk and I always got time laterSuppose you sold $100,000 worth of firewood bundles at $5 a bundle. That's 20,000 bundles.
Suppose you averaged 7 logs in a bundle. That's 140,000 logs. If there are 600 logs in a full cord of split firewood, that's 234 cords or about 350 pickup truckloads, unbundled.
Thought I'd put things in proper perspective. That also explains why you are worn out. Even with three men helping you, several splitters, and an automatic bundler, that's a lot of work. And, I'm not sure I have that many customers available in my whole metropolitan area.
That's a Good Business...
I also throw in a couple of pieces of premium hardwood in addition to cottonwood and linden. Turns out that the mixture makes a really good campfire. Most of my customers buy two or three bundles at a time for an evening fire. Several cook breakfast the next morning with whatever is left.
There are redeeming qualities of all this. The main park where the compers rest is only a half a mile from where I split and bundle the firewood. I can often smell the smoke from the fire where my wood is burning. Then I think to myself, "I bet I made their day today." It brings back memories of my boy scout days.
Sounds marvelous, and I can see why you wore yourself out. How many people were helping you do all this? It seems impossible that one man could sell that many bundles alone with one splitter, a couple of saws, one truck, one bundler, etc.
I also throw in a couple of pieces of premium hardwood in addition to cottonwood and linden. Turns out that the mixture makes a really good campfire. Most of my customers buy two or three bundles at a time for an evening fire. Several cook breakfast the next morning with whatever is left.
There are redeeming qualities of all this. The main park where the compers rest is only a half a mile from where I split and bundle the firewood. I can often smell the smoke from the fire where my wood is burning. Then I think to myself, "I bet I made their day today." It brings back memories of my boy scout days.
