Unc. M.
What you charge is a function of a whole lot of variables.
1- How much out of pocket money and time is tied up in the wood? This is probably the most important and most overlooked. Wood whether you buy treelength and process or drop trees, cut up and haul all have an associated cost. Wood that is 30 miles away and has to be handled and hauled several times before it is processed and/or delivered is not cheap. For example if you leave the house at 8am but don't actually start work until 9:15 due to travel time and getting set up you have 1-1/4 hours tied up without any product being produced. The firewood business is full of these pitfalls and expenses that way to many sellers don't even think about. Several years ago I started a spreadsheet and started accurately tracking my time and expenses. To put it mildly, the results are eye opening.
2- Delivery is not just about fuel, remember that when figuring delivery fees. You or someone else has to drive the vehicle to and from the customer. Seat time behind the wheel isn't free. You don't need to charge Teamster rates but do need to consider the amount of time involved as well as vehicle expenses.
3- What is the going rate per cord for legitimate firewood sellers? There will always be hacks selling cheap and delivering green, short cords. Do not get into that pricing game with them, you'll either lose money or end up grossing $4.50 or less per hour. I have always found when it comes to firewood, regular, repeat customers, that you can build your business on, will buy from you even if you're a bit higher than market price as long as your product is quality, and you provide excellent customer service.
4- Do you want to build this into a decent part time business or are you just moving some excess inventory? If you want to build a business delivery is a given. People buy wood for many reasons one of the most notable being they don't want to touch the stuff except to put it in the stove. If you're just getting rid of some excess, try tp put it in a area with easy access and advertise no delivery available (this may or may not fly). Along the same lines, when people come to pick up wood make them pay either for the entire order up front, or by the partial load before they touch a stick. I got stiffed last year by a guy that was to pick up 4 cord. He picked up 2 with his 10-12 year old son on Saturday, apologized profusely about his wife taking the checkbook and debit card that morning and that he would pay me on Sunday when he came back for the other 2 cord. Being married, I certainly know how this works and he seemed legit so I said sure, no problem. Didn't I feel like an expletive deleted when he never came back and I had no last name or address, just that he had MA plates. Lesson learned.
5- Stay away from the carrot ploy. Oldest BS trick in the book. Sell me 2 cord at price X and I'll buy 5 or 6 from you next year. My standard reply to this is simply to say that works, however I'll need an up front 50% cash deposit for next year's wood. No takers to this point.
Last thought and I'll go away, (though I could write a book on this subject), unless you're doing something to help a friend/relative, or for charity, you have every right to be fairly paid for your product(s) and services. I do not work for free, nor do I expect someone else too. Make sure the compensation received meets reasonable expectations.
Take Care
