anybody sell firewood on the side? i'm talkin small timers.

[treevet]

i keep my pile at the shop where i work, its easy advertisement and i can sell it at will. well a repeat customer of ours, older gentleman in his mid 70's by now lives about 6 or 7 miles away from us. He lives on a large property of 20+ acres along with his sister, nephew, niece and their 2 children. The problem with his situation is with his age, he's got alot of miles on his body, he's also got a congestive heart (i think is the term), not to mention he's had bypass surgery twice in his lifetime... he is the only one in that household expected to cut, haul, split (BY HAND!), and stack the wood for the stove in the house! He's a very nice guy but the family takes so much advantage of him its not even funny, the wood heat doesnt even go up to his room! he has to sleep in a recliner chair near the fireplace to stay warm, the whole situation saddens me. Anyways, i told him this year if he ever needed any wood to let me know, he's always been there for my grandparents (who own the business) and would do anything to help them. Well one day out of the blew when my pile was getting low he asked if i still had any and so i replied "sure, i only got about one more truckload left but i got it! who do you know needs any?" and he kinda looked a little down and said "well, im almost out of wood and i cant really get to the woods to cut anymore." as soon as he said that i told him "dont worry about it, back your truck up over to it and we'll fix that situation" and so i loaded him up. he was happy as can be and tried to pay me but for someone who's done so much for so long for my family, i couldnt take anything. it was worth one load of wood just to know he was gonna be alright and not freezing for a good while this winter. I have many other good customers that make my day when buying, but to help that old man out just made me feel good about that whole day.

that story is worth a million bucks to just listen to. nice job.

 

[BigHungryDewees]

Great Wood Stories

i keep my pile at the shop where i work, its easy advertisement and i can sell it at will. well a repeat customer of ours, older gentleman in his mid 70's by now lives about 6 or 7 miles away from us. He lives on a large property of 20+ acres along with his sister, nephew, niece and their 2 children. The problem with his situation is with his age, he's got alot of miles on his body, he's also got a congestive heart (i think is the term), not to mention he's had bypass surgery twice in his lifetime... he is the only one in that household expected to cut, haul, split (BY HAND!), and stack the wood for the stove in the house! He's a very nice guy but the family takes so much advantage of him its not even funny, the wood heat doesnt even go up to his room! he has to sleep in a recliner chair near the fireplace to stay warm, the whole situation saddens me. Anyways, i told him this year if he ever needed any wood to let me know, he's always been there for my grandparents (who own the business) and would do anything to help them. Well one day out of the blew when my pile was getting low he asked if i still had any and so i replied "sure, i only got about one more truckload left but i got it! who do you know needs any?" and he kinda looked a little down and said "well, im almost out of wood and i cant really get to the woods to cut anymore." as soon as he said that i told him "dont worry about it, back your truck up over to it and we'll fix that situation" and so i loaded him up. he was happy as can be and tried to pay me but for someone who's done so much for so long for my family, i couldnt take anything. it was worth one load of wood just to know he was gonna be alright and not freezing for a good while this winter. I have many other good customers that make my day when buying, but to help that old man out just made me feel good about that whole day.

That's the kind of story I was refering to earlier. Thanks alot Johnny Boy. I enjoyed the read. Your a real stand up guy.

 

[banshee67]

what is it with homeowners that call you and tell you "i just burned my last piece of wood"... i dont even know what to say to this usually, i am literally speechless and just ignore it and start asking them normal stuff like "wats your address, home phone number " etc..
since the bad snows here in the last couple weeks, my phone rings off the hook all day, 5-6 missed calls everyday from totally random numbers, all who found my ads on craigslist (thats the only place i advertise and thats probably half my problem ! haha) half these weirdos dont even leave a message, the other half wait for the message machine to pickup THEN hangup!!! (that drives me insane stopping what im doing to check voicemails only to have 3-4-5 hangups on my machine) why dont they just hangup before the machine picks up!?! never in my life did i think selling firewood would be such a hassle.. i did it with my buddy last year on the side but he handled all the customers, i often wondered why he would end up blowing some of them off.. "dont you want the money man?" i would ask... little did i know why he was blowing them off.. some people are just downright rude, demanding pigs.
the ones who wana tell me they just burnt their last log usually go to to the back of my list, literally, i know its mean, but if i have a guy call me making demands for a cord of wood and tells me "i just burnt my last log" .. i put him at the bottom of my list under the polite person who called for green wood to get ahead of time for next year.. maybe theyll learn to call BEFORE they run outa wood in the future? probably not... its not so much that they are outa wood, its how they ask, i had a repeat customer call me last week and tell me he was very low on wood, and apologized for calling on such short notice and said he understood if he had to wait a week.. i said no, dont worry about it, and i was at his house the very next evening with a cord of locust for him and even took $10 off the previous price because he is a good , NORMAL, guy
how about when you put in yuor ad "free delivery within 10 miles of xxxx" and you list your town, not your exact address.. then these people wana find a spot somewhere in that town (the town could be 10 miles wide) and say "well im less than 10 miles from you" .. i take my GPS and put their address in and they end up being 16-17-18-20 miles away.. and i tell them that and they wana argue about $10!! thats all i charge for farther delivery, TEN DOLLARS... "oh well my sister in laws next door neighbors boyfriends daughters aunts best friend lives in that town and i know its not 10 miles away!" , at that point i tell them dont worry about the delivery fee, then put them on the very bottom of my list.. i did it to this one guy a couple times, hes just got WAY too many demands, especially for someone buying GREEN WOOD for next year.. hes called me 3 weeks in a row, the very next day after a foot of snow falls "well i got my spot all shoveled out ready to get my wood stacked for next winter, where are you?"... hes done this 3 snowfalls in a row, all in like 10 days time, i told him ii would bring his green wood over ASAP because he wants to get it stacked for next winter, but he just keeps calling and calling, he doesnt understand you cant pull 5k pounds on a trailer through 1.5 feet of snow on a 40 degree day.. 4 wheel drive, limited slip rears, nice tires, it doesnt matter, they dont understand tho
oh w ell
dont mind me, im just venting...
these people drive me crazy

 

[Steve NW WI]

how about when you put in yuor ad "free delivery within 10 miles of xxxx" and you list your town, not your exact address.. then these people wana find a spot somewhere in that town (the town could be 10 miles wide) and say "well im less than 10 miles from you" .. i take my GPS and put their address in and they end up being 16-17-18-20 miles away..

You, my friend need a smaller town. If a place is within 10 miles of one end of Horse Creek, WI, it's within 10 miles and a hundred yards of the other end LOL!

http://maps.google.com/maps?oe=utf-...p&geocode=FfmSsgIdp0p7-g&split=0&iwloc=A&sa=X

Of course, anyone outside of a 10 mile radius stands a good chance of not knowing where Horse Creek is in the first place!

 

[banshee67]

You, my friend need a smaller town. If a place is within 10 miles of one end of Horse Creek, WI, it's within 10 miles and a hundred yards of the other end LOL!

http://maps.google.com/maps?oe=utf-...p&geocode=FfmSsgIdp0p7-g&split=0&iwloc=A&sa=X

Of course, anyone outside of a 10 mile radius stands a good chance of not knowing where Horse Creek is in the first place!

horse creek! lol cmon im in nj! i advertise free delivery within 10 miles and then state which township i live in, well i could drive over 10 miles in some spots, and still be in the same township, as if i would LIE to these people to earn and extra $10!!!! i just want my gas money, thats all, they think a truck towing 2 tons gets 20mpg probably because thats what these GM commercials have told them, either way, i couldnt imagine arguing with someone over $10!! demanding that you know where their town is and that it isnt 10 miles or more! i nicely even said that i delivered to his town last weekend and that it was easily 15+ miles without a doubt.. "no way.. my sister lives near there and bla bla bla" .. "ok ok ok.. no delivery fee! i believe you, just stop talking!!" - some of these people will talk on the telephone for 10+ minutes , i time them on my cell for fun, they go on and on and on, all for 1/2 cord or a cord of wood.. its just amazing to me

 

[Steve NW WI]

Banshee, I was just ribbin ya! If it bothers ya, just list it as free "LOCAL" delivery, then when they give their address, tell em they're not local...

 

[banshee67]

Banshee, I was just ribbin ya! If it bothers ya, just list it as free "LOCAL" delivery, then when they give their address, tell em they're not local...

i know you were just bustin balls dont worry
i was just venting a few of my experiences ive had in the last couple weeks, all the weirdos are comin outa the woodwork
i like your idea of free "local" delivery, very clever

 

[mtfallsmikey]

i know you were just bustin balls dont worry
i was just venting a few of my experiences ive had in the last couple weeks, all the weirdos are comin outa the woodwork
i like your idea of free "local" delivery, very clever

Your previous post hit the nail on the head Banshee....I had the same problem when I had my plbg./HVAC biz....I drew circles starting at 10,15,20,25 mi. from my city, had specific trip charges ranging from nothing inside of 10 miles, to the equivalent of 1 1/2 hr. of my billable time for 25 mi. Time IS money! So is fuel, repairs to vehicle, splitter,saws, etc. If you're going to be in business, run it LIKE a business!

 

[indiansprings]

We had a guy call last weekend, wanted five cord of 24' wood delivered, asked him if he was within ten miles, he assured us he was. Delivered normal customers on Saturday, then loaded up the truck and trailer, called the guy back for specific location as his road didn't show up on the GPS. Hell, he must have been close to twenty miles out, I was a little ticked. Well we get there, he lived in a trailer which is no big deal very common in our area.
But his heat method was unbelievable, he had cut a hole in the side of the trailer and put a damn hardy stove right in the trailer. I'm talking the whole owb inside his living room. He had patched the hole back in with metal siding.
You could tell times were tough, after we pulled up it was like a little army running out of the trailer, three little boys and mom and dad. Everyone helped us unload and stack, didn't take that long to unload, when we went in to get paid, that's when I seen the Hardy on the inside, the wife must polish it, because the stainless outside was shiny as could be. I noticed at least two smoke detectors and a CO2 detector so at least they were looking out for the family.

 

[Oldtimer]

I never mention "fuel money", ever.
People are funny....they don't like the idea of paying, say, $175 for a cord of wood then another $10 on top of that for fuel...but tell them $185 a cord, they smile..it's the idea of paying twice that irks people..
I just tell them the price I need to get. They either take it or leave it.

Funny story, not money related...

I have a customer who's 83...he's very set in his ways..
He told me "NO swamp maple, it won't burn no matter how long you dry it!" then in the next breath he told me that "smooth barked" red maple" would be fine...he goes by the depth and look of the bark...the butt of the tree is no good, the top is just fine...so I just cull the deep barked red maple as I work his wood up..

People are funny..

 

[BigHungryDewees]

I never mention "fuel money", ever.
People are funny....they don't like the idea of paying, say, $175 for a cord of wood then another $10 on top of that for fuel...but tell them $185 a cord, they smile..it's the idea of paying twice that irks people..
I just tell them the price I need to get. They either take it or leave it.

Funny story, not money related...

I have a customer who's 83...he's very set in his ways..
He told me "NO swamp maple, it won't burn no matter how long you dry it!" then in the next breath he told me that "smooth barked" red maple" would be fine...he goes by the depth and look of the bark...the butt of the tree is no good, the top is just fine...so I just cull the deep barked red maple as I work his wood up..

People are funny..

Ha Ha ... Nice.

It's the same with some older clients I have locally that only want RED oak. Funny thing is the white oak delivers slighty more btu's. So I usually mix a little in anyway and no one notices (or minds). Maybe the red oak ignites easier. Dunno.

 

[Oldtimer]

Ha Ha ... Nice.

It's the same with some older clients I have locally that only want RED oak. Funny thing is the white oak delivers slighty more btu's. So I usually mix a little in anyway and no one notices (or minds). Maybe the red oak ignites easier. Dunno.

I had about 2 cord of white oak in my personal firewood pile this year, first time ever. I LOVE the white oak. Next year, I hope to have a full 6 cord put by for my stove.

 

[Johndirt82]

I sell quite a bit of wood down here in San Diego. Yes people burn wood here , it does get cold. I only do it as a side thing to my day job, which is the Navy, I work from 0400 to noonish for the Navy, then go cut, split and deliver till 1900 or so. Ive sold 32 cords this year of oak of various types. $325 a cord delivered and stacked. Its paid for my splitter I build my , saws a wood haulin truck, 79 f250 ranger, and a couple credit cards. I just advertise on craigslist and get plenty of calls to keep me busy , most people here don't know anything about wood so they always bombard me with questions.
City folks never cease to amaze me.

 

[Oldtimer]

I sell quite a bit of wood down here in San Diego. Yes people burn wood here , it does get cold. I only do it as a side thing to my day job, which is the Navy, I work from 0400 to noonish for the Navy, then go cut, split and deliver till 1900 or so. Ive sold 32 cords this year of oak of various types. $325 a cord delivered and stacked. Its paid for my splitter I build my , saws a wood haulin truck, 79 f250 ranger, and a couple credit cards. I just advertise on craigslist and get plenty of calls to keep me busy , most people here don't know anything about wood so they always bombard me with questions.
City folks never cease to amaze me.

Dang...@ $325 a cord I might just move to Cali and horn in on your market!
How do you get your wood?

 

[Johndirt82]

Yeah san diego is a pretty sweet place. Ya'll would love the desert season here , which is now. Biggest baddest dunes and 4wheelin place to party. you tube glamis if you are curious.
I get my wood from landowners who need dead trees removed, with wood permits from the national forest , tree companies that clear problem trees. theres tons of it down here from all the storms this year plus the huge fires we have had. and 325 is cheap, you can get 400 early in the year. 5 million people down here and only a few know how to get wood.

 

[BigHungryDewees]

White Oak

I had about 2 cord of white oak in my personal firewood pile this year, first time ever. I LOVE the white oak. Next year, I hope to have a full 6 cord put by for my stove.

Ya, a good dense notty piece of white oak or hickory has always been my father's favorite piece to put on before he goes to bed. Last longer I would imagine. I also think white oak is a great burning wood, but when I'm splitting by hand, that and hickory really test my patience.

Some purty red oak:

<a href="http://s215.photobucket.com/albums/cc123/BigHungryDewees/Wood%20Cutting/?action=view&current=m_75837238a0271b8c7b2bc4752c6f8132.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc123/BigHungryDewees/Wood%20Cutting/m_75837238a0271b8c7b2bc4752c6f8132.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

 

[ilovejesus14]

To banshee67

I just want to let you know that there is a few of us out there who are perfectly innocent! We pesonally have wood on our property that we can not get to. If it were me, I would have supplied the house in the beginning of the season. But I rely on my husband. I have three year old twins and I'm unemployed so I held out all hope that he would get off his toushy and get wood in. But it hasn't happened. So yes, I just put the last of the wood on the fire. And YES, it's total insanity! But after three back surgeries since July, I don't have much choice. So please don't judge so quickly!

 

[Oldtimer]

I just want to let you know that there is a few of us out there who are perfectly innocent! We pesonally have wood on our property that we can not get to. If it were me, I would have supplied the house in the beginning of the season. But I rely on my husband. I have three year old twins and I'm unemployed so I held out all hope that he would get off his toushy and get wood in. But it hasn't happened. So yes, I just put the last of the wood on the fire. And YES, it's total insanity! But after three back surgeries since July, I don't have much choice. So please don't judge so quickly!

Someone needs a new man...

 

[ilovejesus14]

If..........

If only it were that easy...... Good men are hard to find and the ones out there don't want a ready made family with three year old twins.........

 

[Oldtimer]

If only it were that easy...... Good men are hard to find and the ones out there don't want a ready made family with three year old twins.........

I married my wife and adopted her 1 year old daughter. That was 15 years ago. Don't give up hope.
Good luck with your next move in life.