$25,000 Tree

Frickman · January 28, 2004, 11:17:45 AM

Over on ebay now there is a walnut tree in New Mexico that they're asking $25,000 for. Maybe one of you portable mill guys could drive right up and saw it, as it looks like it's in someone's yard. It's kind of far for me, and my mill's tied down.

ADfields · January 28, 2004, 03:32:52 PM

What, no link?

Must be some tree? It would be a bit hard to make a buck on a deal like that I bet. :

Andy

Frickman · January 28, 2004, 03:57:15 PM

Sorry about no link. I'm still trying to learn this internet thing. If you go to ebay and search for walnut lumber it will come up.

etat · January 28, 2004, 03:57:44 PM

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2376239986&category=42354

frickman, just copy and paste the url and it wil show up as a link.

Frickman · January 28, 2004, 04:02:36 PM

Thanks for the help cktate. I'll have to get the neighbor girl over to clue me in on cutting and pasting. I'm afraid I know less about computers than cutting logs, and I never claimed to know much about that.

sawyerkirk · January 28, 2004, 04:04:39 PM

Proximity to the buildings tells me he's nuts, not a veneer buyer out there that would even give him half that. Isn't that straight either!! Good luck to him though, we can all hope our hens lay golden eggs, but I aint seen one yet.!! I know, I'm sooo negative!

beenthere · January 28, 2004, 04:43:27 PM

Wow :

Says 18' to the first limb? Maybe to the first live limb, but the 5" dead stub hangs out there 12' up and about 3' long, (and if it's the first limb, then the guys in the picture must be 10' tall). There are at least two visible 4-5" dead limb holes in the bole of that tree (or the picture is real deceiving). The scary thing is some unsuspecting soul may innocently bid on that and GET it (in the shorts!). And, have to agree that it is anything but straight.

Corley5 · January 28, 2004, 06:32:37 PM

:

:D :D :D :D ;) but it's WALNUT ;D ;D

VA-Sawyer · January 28, 2004, 06:45:05 PM

beenthere,
Your comments were a lot kinder than the ones I was saying to the 'boss lady' when I was looking at the pictures of that walnut. You would have to be allnut to pay that much for that walnut. ;D
VA-Sawyer

Mark M · January 28, 2004, 06:45:47 PM

Dat guy must be from Nord Dah-Ko-ta!

That's how much they would ask for a tree like that up here. Course they were all cut when Paul Bunyan came through here on his way to Minnesota so there ain't too many left.

Mark

Percy · January 28, 2004, 07:11:42 PM

What does green walnut sell for in the U.S.? Its says there is approx 3500 bdft in the tree. My guzzintas say 7.15 a bdft. before milling costs. You guys know where I can get some walnut seeds?? ;D ;D

Frank_Pender · January 28, 2004, 07:22:06 PM

If there is 3500 bd ft in the bowl I'll eat my tin hat. :D That fellas a few marbles out of the sack. He must be including the limb wood in the board footage, down to 4' in diam. I have sold tree twice that good for only a $1,000 and felt like a theif then.

If you want to see some nbice walnut trees take a look at www.gobywalnut.com and you will froth at the mouth. 8)

MM · January 28, 2004, 09:33:32 PM

Guys,
watch that on ebay. If someone bid let me know. I've got some ocean front property to sell in arizona. ;D

RavioliKid · January 29, 2004, 03:45:34 AM

Gee, MM,

Ocean front property in Arizona would be far too expensive for me! Besides, there would be that long drive from Michigan.

Do you think you could move it closer?

;)

Norm · January 29, 2004, 03:53:22 AM

We get a call like that every so often. Usually they have the wife call and ask how much we get for walnut. Then they say they want to sell the tree in the backyard. One lady was pithed I wouldn't buy it.

Rav I've got some in Iowa if that helps. Of course it would be expensive cause we have so little ocean here. ;)

Kirk_Allen · January 29, 2004, 07:02:01 AM

The sad part is that some one will pay a gob of money for that tree not knowing any better and having to much money to care.

With that in mind, I'm excited 8) 8)

My dad has a Walnut that looks like the one in the Goby picture with the little guy up in the tree cutting limbs except it does not have any limbs for the first 16' and it is straight, unlike the NM Ebay tree. We put a tape around it last year and the circumference was 16 feet.

For you math wizards, whats that convert to in diameter. I think its about 61 inches but not sure on my math. Its cold and still early ;D

The value will be based on what someone is willing to pay, not what we think its worth ;D

I will make a prediction! If the tree sells, he will get between $10,000- $12,0000. Now I know its not worth that to me however we must realize this guy probably has no investment in the tree at all so when the bidding starts he is a winner with what ever price he gets. If it gets to half of what he asked, I say he will sell!

J_T · January 29, 2004, 07:19:52 AM

Maybe he is supper smart could it be he needs it gone real bad and someone ask him mega bucks to take it down?In that case I would be afraid to bid five bucks.Kevin put your leaners on Ebay ;D

beenthere · January 29, 2004, 07:22:07 AM

Kirk
On E-bay (I think), the starting price shown is $25k, and there is no provision for coming in with a lower bid. So if anyone bids, it will be at the starting price or higher. So far no bids. It will be interesting to watch. Too bad comments to alert buyers are not possible. But, buyer be ware. If the guy gets no bids, does E-bay get their percentage?

Circumferance = pi x diameter

Gus · January 29, 2004, 07:41:43 AM

Thats one fool. Be interesting to see if'n he finds another. :D

Frickman · January 29, 2004, 08:02:29 AM

The neighbor girl does alot on ebay, and she said that if an item doesn't sell you still pay a listing fee. She said that on some of the smaller items she lists it is less than a dollar. Couldn't tell you what it is for 25,000 though.

I just was talking to a friend about the PA Farm Show two weeks ago. There was an exhibit there displaying various nuts and how to grow and store them. One of the posters showed the economics behind black walnut, and how much the logs were worth. It said that an acre of mature walnut should fetch at least $100,000 on the stump, and the trees would be ready to harvest in fifteen years. And you can sell the nuts in the meantime. I don't know about everyone else, but I think these folks might have stopped in New Mexico on the way to Harrisburg.

Kirk_Allen · January 29, 2004, 10:14:02 AM

Its simple how they come to such a conclusion, however they don't know, don't understand, or are being deceitful with the whole process.

I have talked with a buyer from Mercedes Benz. They use walnut veneer on their dashboards. They pay very high dollar for that veneer to be installed.

By looking at the highest potential market (veneer dashboards for Benz) its simple to conclude that if a $25 piece of Walnut Veneer that is not even a single BF brings that kind of price then surely a whole tree that is producing 1500 BF must be worth thousands. Thus an assumption of an acre of them must be worth at least $100,000.

Its not hard to establish a money curve to make things look worth buying and it can be done by telling the truth, just not the WHOLE truth.

We see this practice regularly in our Fire business.

Ron Wenrich · January 29, 2004, 02:35:30 PM

I don't know where they come up with that volume figure. Our trusty calculators only go up to 40". A 40" 2 1/2 log tree has about 1600 bf. I could figure that 42 incher, but it still won't be 3500 bf.

They now have a hybrid black walnut that has super growth rates. I've seen it advertised as 18" trees in 25 years. Whenever I see absurb claims of dollar value or volumes, I usually call them on the carpet. If they could make that kind of money in 15 years, you wouldn't see them growing corn or soybeans.

For those thinking of investing, here's a 2 acre plantation that didn't get a bid on Ebay. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2372333375&category=15841 Has some outrageous claims.

Here's another one. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2372933557&category=15841

I asked a veneer buyer what he thought of hybrid walnut. He said there was no interest since there was no grain pattern due to the fast growth.

Those Mercedes veneers are European, not US walnut.

Kirk_Allen · January 29, 2004, 03:09:45 PM

Ron,
Couldnt agree with you more. If it were true we would thow out the corn and beans and start planting!

In regards to Benz, they have done some buying of Walnut from the US. I spoke with a buyer about two years ago who was negotiating the purchase of some walnut from a farm near ours specifically for the auto industry.

Now Im not sure if this guy was a broker for numerous dealers or just Benz but he left me with the impression that he worked for Benz.

Regardless, Walnut is nice, but its no going to bring the money that guy thinks.

Larry · January 29, 2004, 04:26:20 PM

I think I am going to bid on that tree. $1,000 to take it down, plus mileage and expenses from north Missouri. Might give a discount if the temperature is out of the single digits down there. :D ;D :D