I get that too (not that I 'get it').
Might make sense when buying a used car, except dealers usually make money off the financing too.
Philbert
Lowballers
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Might make sense when buying a used car, except dealers usually make money off the financing too.
Philbert
We sell our wood from a Kijiji ad (and word of mouth)
Simple and straight forward. All hardwood firewood for sale, cut and split. $xxx including free delivery in our local area. We will stack for an additional $30.
I get lots of canned responses - "I'm interested in this item, is it still available" (first canned response on Kijiji list.)
Here's the typical flow.
My response "We have plenty remaining. $xxx a cord. How many cords would you like?"
Them - typically. "1 to start".
Me "Please provide the delivery address and a phone number to contact you"
Them - 123 any street.
Quick Google check -
<25km. "Thanks - $xxx a cord delivered, $yyy stacked. Please provide a phone number I can call to schedule a convenient time"
>25km "That's outside our local delivery area of aaa, bbb & ccc. There will be an additional delivery charge of $zz. $xxx a cord delivered, $yyy stacked. Please provide a phone number I can call to schedule a convenient time"
>75km "Unfortunately it would be uneconomical for us to deliver to you. I'm sure there are other firewood vendors closer to you who would be happy to sell you some wood."
Them - "123-343-1234"
Me - "Thanks - I will call to arrange a convenient time to deliver"
In my experience - by being clear with the price in every response, no-one bothers to challenge it. The price is the price. Occasionally someone will ask if there is a discount for multiple cords. There isn't as we can only deliver 1 cord at a time. And they accept that.
The only sales we lose are the ones at the outer edge of our delivery area where we don't really want to go to anyway. Our "delivery upcharge" is reasonable and covers our fuel and maintenance costs - but not the extra time to get there and back.
Oh yeah - don't dump the truck until you see the cash!!
Simple and straight forward. All hardwood firewood for sale, cut and split. $xxx including free delivery in our local area. We will stack for an additional $30.
I get lots of canned responses - "I'm interested in this item, is it still available" (first canned response on Kijiji list.)
Here's the typical flow.
My response "We have plenty remaining. $xxx a cord. How many cords would you like?"
Them - typically. "1 to start".
Me "Please provide the delivery address and a phone number to contact you"
Them - 123 any street.
Quick Google check -
<25km. "Thanks - $xxx a cord delivered, $yyy stacked. Please provide a phone number I can call to schedule a convenient time"
>25km "That's outside our local delivery area of aaa, bbb & ccc. There will be an additional delivery charge of $zz. $xxx a cord delivered, $yyy stacked. Please provide a phone number I can call to schedule a convenient time"
>75km "Unfortunately it would be uneconomical for us to deliver to you. I'm sure there are other firewood vendors closer to you who would be happy to sell you some wood."
Them - "123-343-1234"
Me - "Thanks - I will call to arrange a convenient time to deliver"
In my experience - by being clear with the price in every response, no-one bothers to challenge it. The price is the price. Occasionally someone will ask if there is a discount for multiple cords. There isn't as we can only deliver 1 cord at a time. And they accept that.
The only sales we lose are the ones at the outer edge of our delivery area where we don't really want to go to anyway. Our "delivery upcharge" is reasonable and covers our fuel and maintenance costs - but not the extra time to get there and back.
Oh yeah - don't dump the truck until you see the cash!!
Remembered another story from the past. A friend that also was cutting wood at the time was working at the local grocery store and asked me about getting wood for a co-worker. Said she needed wood and if I was interested in helping her as she had a kid or 2 and she would help us. I asked if she had a husband/boyfriend, my friend said, "she has a lazy overweight boyfriend that comes home from 10-12 hour shifts at work and won't do anything else." Told my friend to tell them that the only help I would give them was I would fall the tree, cut it up, then shut off the saw and do nothing as the boyfriend split (by hand) any wood that needed it, then load/unload the truck and stack all the wood himself. My friend never gave me a reply back. I know that there was a kid/kids involved, but if the one parent (if he even was the father) is lazy and looking for a free ride, sorry, they're not getting one from me. However later that year a family that did need wood in a hurry I did help out for no charge.
I sometimes get someone that's new rolls in and the first thing they say is there doing a bbq for some kind of benefit.
The next question is always the same.
The next question is always the same.
I might've posted this earlier in the thread I haven't read it all but a lot of times the stock form letter responses are automations and people trying to snag your email address. Even with craigslist auto reply thing when you reply to them it does not always keep your email confidential learned that the hard way
MrWhoopee
ArboristSite Operative
Recently I was shopping for a pair of kayaks for the wife and myself. Found one I liked on CL for $150, and the same model, though newer, at Walmart for $164. Emailed the CL seller, including a screen-shot of the Walmart ad, and offered him $125. He responded "you have a valid point" and accepted my offer. Picked up both the next day.
Had an old bummy looking guy stop his crappy car to look at a 12' flat-back canoe I had chained to my front tree for sale.
I was only asking $80 (that's what I bought it for)
He looks it over real good and then says,"will you take a cheque"
ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,.......that was my response
I mean really? You're gonna say right to my face that you want to defraud me and rob me when there's a cash machine not 1 minute away.
Go on, take a hike loser....
Sure I take a check, as long as it's wrapped around a stack of cash.
I took one check at my rummage sale. Lady with about 4 kids and one appeared to have a disability. Her son wanted to buy something and I wasn't going to sell it for the amount of cash he had so she wrote a check. I figured the NSF fees would make it a very expensive item so she wouldn't have offered if it wasn't going to clear.
Swamp Yankee
Addicted to ArboristSite
Lesson learned,
Took a check for a cord from a first time customer several years ago. She told me she got my name from another regular customer in her general neighborhood. Upon finishing delivery, she told me she didn't have time to get to the bank, would I take a check, or come back the following day. Single mom, couple of kids, moment of weakness, took the check.
Week later I get a notice from the bank check bounced. Not due to insufficient funds, but rather account was closed. In short she paid me with a check from an old closed account. After several attempts to contact her, I ate the bank fee, contacted the state police and was told this was a civil matter, to contact an attorney or file in small claims. Did neither, took one in the shorts and moved on.
Hope my lesson is of benefit to one of the other firewood sellers on here or lurking.
Take Care
LoveStihlQuality
Addicted to ArboristSite
Load it back up. She scammed you and how many others.
Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk
LoveStihlQuality
Addicted to ArboristSite
If ad or agreement is cash, don't unload without cash in hand
Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk
I got one for yall.
Bought a TV at Circuit City one time. Paid cash.
It quit working after only 3 days. I took it back and they were out of stock on that model.
They said they could not refund cash, only as a check. I argued but it didn't do any good. So I took the check and took it strait to the bank it was from just down the street. It bounced. A check from a large corporate company like Circuit City bounced like a rubber ball.
I went back to the store and raised hell in front of the whole store.
I called the police and what do you know, they suddenly found cash to pay me off.
I should have sued there asses off, but who's got time for that.
Bought a TV at Circuit City one time. Paid cash.
It quit working after only 3 days. I took it back and they were out of stock on that model.
They said they could not refund cash, only as a check. I argued but it didn't do any good. So I took the check and took it strait to the bank it was from just down the street. It bounced. A check from a large corporate company like Circuit City bounced like a rubber ball.
I went back to the store and raised hell in front of the whole store.
I called the police and what do you know, they suddenly found cash to pay me off.
I should have sued there asses off, but who's got time for that.
My son plows snow in the winter. Pre-arranged customers, every snowfall automatically - no call-ups. Typically plowing at 0:dark00, so not waking up the customer for payment. Catch them if they are up, or make a weekend trip to those who were sleeping to collect.
One customer refused to pay - said he was away and didn't need it plowed - and how did he know it had actually been plowed?
Next snowfall - plowed his neighbours on both sides and across the street for free and piled it all in his driveway. When he called apologizing and offering to pay both his bill and to get cleared out - my son was "too busy with paying customers".
Small town - everyone heard the story. Two of the neighbours are customers now, but the original guy is on his own
First and last time someone balked at the bill.
One customer refused to pay - said he was away and didn't need it plowed - and how did he know it had actually been plowed?
Next snowfall - plowed his neighbours on both sides and across the street for free and piled it all in his driveway. When he called apologizing and offering to pay both his bill and to get cleared out - my son was "too busy with paying customers".
Small town - everyone heard the story. Two of the neighbours are customers now, but the original guy is on his own
First and last time someone balked at the bill.
spike60
Addicted to ArboristSite
The worst tactic by far is when people don't try and work you on the price until you show up to deliver the wood. They don't object to the price when ordering, but figure once you've made the trip you'll be more likely to cave on the price.
Friend of mine had this happen last year, during winter, with someone who was nearly out of wood, and there was snow on the way. Told the guy he better go inside and find another $50 or he wasn't getting any wood. Customer comes back out and my buddy tells him that while he was inside, he got a call from a regular customer, (which was true), and he decided to sell her the load before the storm hit. And he added that she never tried to play games with the price of the wood and wished the guy good luck.
Friend of mine had this happen last year, during winter, with someone who was nearly out of wood, and there was snow on the way. Told the guy he better go inside and find another $50 or he wasn't getting any wood. Customer comes back out and my buddy tells him that while he was inside, he got a call from a regular customer, (which was true), and he decided to sell her the load before the storm hit. And he added that she never tried to play games with the price of the wood and wished the guy good luck.
I get those to, well I use to. I quit making deliveries for that reason plus many more. I'm very happy with just pick up sales only.
But even then people will show up and wait till the wood is loaded then say OH I'm a little short. And I say Oh! Your also out of wood and I unload the wood strait away. They can go to the ATM down the street.
Some will say they only have a check and can't put there hand on cash till next week.
I tell them , come back next week then and I'll sell you some wood.
Regulars do get a break from time to time if it's a minimal amount. I'm not gonna sweat a few bucks on a regular customer. Most will remind me they were short there last trip and pay me back there next trip.
If there wanting a 1/4, 1/2 or full cord, I make them pay first before I load them up. Again, unless there a regular, they pay first before getting loaded.
I did do deliveries in the beginning, but there is too much likability and too many things that can waste your time and money.
I also found that many times while making deliveries, someone would be at my yard wanting to pick up wood.
I would lose one sale because I was making another.
I like making them come get it much better and I only lose a few sales a year by only having pick up only.
Deliveries are not a big thing around here. I don't get many request for that.
Now I did get caught short of money myself the other day. So I know it can happen to everyone, every now and then.
I left the house to go to the feed store.
Put 140 in cash in my pocket and figured that would be plenty.
Well I stopped for gas and at the feed store I got to the counter and was short 20 bucks for what I was buying.
I had my credit card and could have used it. But I simply put back just enough to pay cash.
I think I had 6 pinny's in my pocket when I got home.
But for the most part, I always make sure I can afford it and I have cash in my pocket.
MrWhoopee
ArboristSite Operative
I've had the reverse experience. Order a cord of wood, advertised at $xxx/cord. When the 3 kids arrived in a big, jacked-up pickup, I walked out with tape measure and calculator. They had .85 cord, so I told them I would pay .85 x the cord price. They complained. I explained that they had set the price and filled the truck. If they had brought me a full cord, I would have paid the full price. They unloaded the truck.
What is the ratio of tossed wood to stacked wood?
I.e. When you measured the pickup and got .85 actual cord, how much tossed wood was there? Or was it stacked in truck and you just measured L W H as normal?
I.e. When you measured the pickup and got .85 actual cord, how much tossed wood was there? Or was it stacked in truck and you just measured L W H as normal?
Similar event many years ago. A couple of guys, with an overloaded dump truck, on one of the hottest days of the year, going door to door (maybe looking for chimneys that appeared to have a wood burning stove?).
I forget the exact amount, but something like $130 for a cord of seasoned oak, which was a good deal.
ME: "A full cord?"
HIM: "Yes."
ME: "Stacked?"
HIM: "Stacked."
ME: "OK"
I staked out an area 4 x 4 x 8 in my yard, while he brought the truck around.
HIM: "What's that?"
ME: "Outline for a full cord."
HIM: "A full cord is only 16 inches by 8 feet!"
ME: "That's a face cord."
HIM: "What you have staked out is a logger's cord!"
Needless to say, I did not end up buying any wood from them, but at least we resolved the differences before he unloaded it. Good to clarify terms.
Philbert
