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Raising firewood price!!

Started by Firewoodjoe, January 09, 2014, 07:43:00 PM

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Firewoodjoe

128 foot cut split for $115 wow. Do u deliver to michigan. Ill resell that lol

Ivan49

Quote from: goose63 on January 10, 2014, 02:14:35 PM
Ivan that is cut and split
I wish you was closer :D Around here a pulp cord delivered is 60 to 80 dollars and if you buy it cut and split it is around 175.00 for a pulp cord. I haven't bought any in several but I know guys that did this year and most paid 65.00 a pulp cord with a 10 cord min.

goose63

Maybe I should up my price I got bought 100 cords all ash cut and split lot of work for an old man that smokes to much :new_year:
goose
if you find your self in a deep hole stop digging
saw logs all day what do you get lots of lumber and a day older
thank you to all the vets

doctorb

I am amazed at the difference in price of firewood around the country and in Canada.

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,67999.0.html
My father once said, "This is my son who wanted to grow up and become a doctor.  So far, he's only become a doctor."

AnthonyW

Quote from: Ivan49 on January 10, 2014, 03:32:10 PM
Quote from: goose63 on January 10, 2014, 02:14:35 PM
Ivan that is cut and split
I wish you was closer :D Around here a pulp cord delivered is 60 to 80 dollars and if you buy it cut and split it is around 175.00 for a pulp cord. I haven't bought any in several but I know guys that did this year and most paid 65.00 a pulp cord with a 10 cord min.

DanG that's still cheap. Around here for 8 cord log length delivered you could find $600 at the right time of the year. Usually it was closer to $800. Now I'm hearing $1200. That $150 per cord, leaving only $100 to cover delivery, overhead costs, and pocket money. At the same time, there may be a time lag in the split cord pricing that I haven't seen yet.
'97 Wood-Mizer LT25 All Manual with 15HP Kohler

thecfarm

doctorb,me too! And the talk about a rick,pickup loads. Around here cord is king. I sell some wood to a guy that I have know for years. Tree length,at my house,$80 a cord. he cuts and splits it here.He tells me how many cords he takes.
Yes,you have to make money. My wife use to love to price our veggies way too low. As I use to tell her,I can dig rocks in the field here and make more money than that.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Alexanderthelate

I wonder if getting a small truck would help? Like a 3/4 ton or a  1? You would not be forced to sell 4 cord minimum, which would bring in more small orders, and your fuel cost would be lower. You would have to crunch the numbers on that. I rarely see big trucks delivering firewood around here.  ???

Firewoodjoe

I have had a lot of trucks and the one I have is the best yet. 10 mpg and comercial insurance is only $31 a month.  My one tons had higher insurance (figure that). And I was over weight.

Ivan49

There is a place by Houghton Lake that has split firewood in 10 yard (1/3 cord) for a truck load it is 585.00 delivered and there are 10 cord in the truck. The wood is all oak and looks to be seasoned. My neighbor just bought a load from him. He has a large wood peocessor some where in that area. There are a lot of people out of work in this area and I was talking to one the other day and he has maple and birch and he is selling it for 50.00 a 1/3 cord cut split and delivered local and stacked. He owns his own woods. I am thinking about having him cut mine next year using my wood. I will be able to help some but I am having heart surgey and don't know how much I will be able to do this spring

WmFritz

I know any kind of surgery is serious, especially the heart. Please keep us posted Ivan. When are you scheduled?

For that money, I don't need to cut my own firewood.  :o
~Bill

2012 Homebuilt Bandmill
1959 Detroit built Ferguson TO35

Corley5

  The last couple years I've purposely not put up any wood to season because of the lack of profit in the winter.  There's lots of dollars tied up in seasoning wood, the weather is hard on equipment, there's snow to deal with, poor roads to haul on, driveways are seldom as good as the customer says, the wood is never seasoned enough  ::) , on the list goes on.  At the end of the day there's a pocket full of money until you take out $$$ for more wood, fuel, maintenance and whatever broke that day.  I like moving green wood in the spring and summer.  Loading the firewood machine with the forwarder with wood fresh cut and picked up right behind the harvester is my favorite way to do it.
  I prefer to deliver five face cord loads in my gooseneck dump.  I do have a one ton 4X4 dump that hauls two cords loose or three if it's stacked.  I don't like to stack it ;) :)  The thing with two cords vs five is it takes the same amount of time and fuel to deliver either one.  Last summer I quit going out of town with little loads too.  No more 90 mile round trips for a two cord delivery.  An hour and half or two hours and 20 or 30 bucks for fuel for a $275.00 load or $120.00 load.  Last summer I was at $55.00 a cord for five cords and $60.00 for two.  Two hours in the harvester seat will net more than 120.00  :)
  I can't make it pencil to buy 100" wood.  There's no way it's worth it here.  There's pockets full of money until the wood runs out  :) :)
  I filled my own wood shed this season for the first time in 7 seasons just so I wouldn't have to process any wood.  I was hoping to put the machine away for the rest of the winter right about now but I've got two long term customers who were fooled by the last few mild winters so I'm still doing a bit here and there.  We ran four face cord today for a neighbor all green.  I get calls about everyday from people or agencies looking for seasoned wood.  It seems everyone's out.  I had a call earlier in the week from the Salvation Army looking for seasoned wood for an elderly wheelchair bound woman who was out.  It was 2 degrees and snowing sideways.  Even if I had seasoned wood nothing would have started and it would have been a dangerous delivery.  I was glad I could truthfully say I didn't have any dry wood  ;) :)
  I've also pointed out to a couple customers that I obviously sell firewood but I'm not a firewood service.  Don't expect me to make two cord deliveries every two weeks or when you call through out the winter.  Buy it in bulk when the weather's nice and everyone is happier.  I had one customer who took great pride in calling me when she had six pieces of wood left and was ready for another cord.  She's moved on  ;) ;D 
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

NWP

Well said Corley5. I feel the same way. A lot of people say to call them in the fall when I have seasoned wood. I tell them to call me in the summer, I'm busy as can be without calling a bunch of people to remind them of something they should be doing. I agree 100% about not letting the wood lay around to season. I sell all I can cut. It usually doesn't stay on the yard very long. If I can sell a cord of green wood for pretty much the same price as a cord of seasoned, why would I let it lay around?  I always tell the customers if it's green so there's no surprises.
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David-L

so many ways to sell firewood. around here there is a guy who sells face cords for $85 dry. Nice little racks and he is filling them all the time. It was rumored he made 20k one winter. Thats serious money out of your driveway. he also sells down to the islands with 4' split and is two year seasoned for the fireplace people. he does nothing but firewood all winter long. Buys in 4' bolts from anyone he can get them from and pays $100 or $110 a cord for round bolts.
Wood locally in central mass is $250 for dry and $200 green for cut, split and delivered at current all hardwood. I have always paid $10/ on the stump for cordwood if it was good wood with some length. always delivered 150 cubic/ft in my truck to get the 128 stacked. nothing worse than some saying they got jipped. Firewood Joe, If your wood is dry and delivery is prompt i would charge more as people get tired of sizzle wood eventually. Dry wood is king.
                                                              David l
In two days from now, tomorrow will be yesterday.

Firewoodjoe

Technical I only try and sell green also. My busy time is spring and summer. The seasond is wood that's has been left over or the over size wood i hate cutting up. 24"+ a lot up to 30-40". I have some of that that's 3 years old. When they call and ask for dry I say it was cut 8-9 months ago (or whenever it was) and they say great bring me a cord! (4'x8'x16") I say no 4 cord min. Corley I know buying pulp can't make a lot of money but this is nights and weekends business. I don't try and pay my bills with it just help out week to week. I log with a crew during the day. I know I can make more buying on the stump and I have but with only nights and weekends I can't do everything from stump to split. And I'm not brave enough to quit my job. It's a great gig. Time off whenever newer equipment bonus ever year and a check every week. Someday I'll buy another skidder and go at it but there is a lot of competition these days. I was up your way Corley a few weeks ago. Sorry for the long post :-)

Corley5

Hang in there Joe  8) 8)  Consider your firewood side a hobby that makes a little money for groceries  :) :) 
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

treechopper40

firewood is 98% of my business I sell around 1500 face cord a year I get $60 a face cord cut split and delivered ive been in business just over 5 yrs I don't advertise anymore and turn customers away now I can load my truck 7 days a week 365 days a yr and I only sell green wood the firewood market around here is crazy a lot of the processor guys that buy ther wood log length cant get wood now cause all the big jobbers are chipping it or sending it for pulp now that pulp prices are back up I would never buy a processor without a skidder to feed it with that leaves you at the mercy of the loggers to be successful you cant count or depend on other people that's what ive learned in the past
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Brokermike

Quote from: Ivan49 on January 10, 2014, 07:25:45 PM
There is a place by Houghton Lake that has split firewood in 10 yard (1/3 cord) for a truck load it is 585.00 delivered and there are 10 cord in the truck. The wood is all oak and looks to be seasoned. My neighbor just bought a load from him. He has a large wood peocessor some where in that area. There are a lot of people out of work in this area and I was talking to one the other day and he has maple and birch and he is selling it for 50.00 a 1/3 cord cut split and delivered local and stacked. He owns his own woods. I am thinking about having him cut mine next year using my wood. I will be able to help some but I am having heart surgey and don't know how much I will be able to do this spring

How can you fit 10 cord split in a truck??? Am I reading this wrong, are they face cords
Don't Jersey Vermont

Ivan49

Quote from: Brokermike on March 04, 2014, 02:31:02 PM
Quote from: Ivan49 on January 10, 2014, 07:25:45 PM
There is a place by Houghton Lake that has split firewood in 10 yard (1/3 cord) for a truck load it is 585.00 delivered and there are 10 cord in the truck. The wood is all oak and looks to be seasoned. My neighbor just bought a load from him. He has a large wood peocessor some where in that area. There are a lot of people out of work in this area and I was talking to one the other day and he has maple and birch and he is selling it for 50.00 a 1/3 cord cut split and delivered local and stacked. He owns his own woods. I am thinking about having him cut mine next year using my wood. I will be able to help some but I am having heart surgey and don't know how much I will be able to do this spring

How can you fit 10 cord split in a truck??? Am I reading this wrong, are they face cords

I should have been more clear I guess, these are face cords that is why I gave the cord size at the start

r.man

Here the price per cord, delivered, rises in the winter to 80 if you take a few but 90 if you only want one and that is green. Not sure if anyone local has any dry left, it's been a cold long winter. My advice is to raise your price whatever amount you need to make the money you want out of it and let the volume sort itself out. If you lose too much business get out of it but at least until you do  you will be making money on what you sell. Lots of success is marketing, explain that the product is good, you back it and expect to be in business for the long term and people will pay more. If they complain too much or only want the cheapest product then you don't want them for customers anyway. You should also look into value added, maybe bagged or bundled wood for stores. Lots of guys competing for the smaller bulk market, not so many in bundled.
Life is too short or my list is too long, not sure which. Dec 2014

Corley5

There's some upset firewood consumers in this part of the country because of what they see as price gouging by firewood sellers.  What's normally 60-65 dollars a face cord is now 80 to as much as a 100 for seasoned.  Glad I'm only in the green market and I've bumped it to 60 for a local sale, 65 to surrounding areas.  No ones complaining about that.  To my face anyway  :)
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

Ivan49

Quote from: Corley5 on March 05, 2014, 07:46:54 AM
There's some upset firewood consumers in this part of the country because of what they see as price gouging by firewood sellers.  What's normally 60-65 dollars a face cord is now 80 to as much as a 100 for seasoned.  Glad I'm only in the green market and I've bumped it to 60 for a local sale, 65 to surrounding areas.  No ones complaining about that.  To my face anyway  :)

What you raised your price to does not sound out of line. People have to remember that it is hard cold work if you have to cut wood this time of year. I have a lot cut down and stacked in the woods but cannot get to it because of the 2-3 foot of snow. With the big warm up coming I will the snow blower on the back of the tractor and make short work of the trail back to it

goose63

When thy say 125 a hull cord is to much I tell them you can all ways spend 2 or3000 dollars for a good saw and splitter and cut your own then thy pay the  $125
goose
if you find your self in a deep hole stop digging
saw logs all day what do you get lots of lumber and a day older
thank you to all the vets

sweetjetskier

On the CT shoreline we get $250 - $275 for one cord (128 cu ft) delivered and dumped.

Mix of red,white oak, hickory, beech, ash, birch, cherry and maple.

There are many who sell for much less $$, but they are generally only around for a season or two.
Arborist, Horticulturist, Nursery and Turfgrass Professional with 27 years experience.

36 coupe

Quote from: Firewoodjoe on January 09, 2014, 07:43:00 PM
I'm in northern michigan and I just got my books ready for taxes. And ding ding hardly no profits! At least not enough to speak of. About 70% of the income was spent in fuel and wood. I'm thinking of raising my prices for this season. I'd rather sell less and make just as much if they don't all pay the higher price or would I be a greedy business man for doing so?
You have 2 choices.Raise your price or quit selling firewood.Firewood is hard nasty work.You deserve a reasonable return for your labor.

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