How do you find current sales pricing for various species?

[Doc]

Let's say I have 1000 board feet of oak sawed and dried and I wish to sell it. Now where do I find infor as to how much it is worth? Same for most any other species I am going to be dealing with.

I am in Alabama, and down here I see alot of oak and poplar, some maple, an occasional cherry (fairly rare), and an odd assortment of others.

I can find it, I can cut it, I can saw it, and dry it, but I have no idea how to price it to sell. Any place in particular to look?

Doc

[Tom]

Lumber prices vary greatly from one geographic area to another.  Your best bet, locally, is to do your own shopping and find the niche in which you belong.

There are bulletins which publish prices of logs, pulp and lumber.  Here is one http://www.globalwood.org/

links: Southern Loggin' Times and Southern Lumbermen are two publications that will report quarterly prices.

Some libraries carry the bulletins and some of the larger sawmills may subscribe but the subscription prices are generally larger than the small sawmill finds economical.  Prices in the bulletins are also generalized and would still require that you modify your prices for your locality.

Welcome to the Forestry Forum, Doc.

[Phorester]

I'd check the forestry school at Auburn University. They should be able to get you some pricing information.  There is probably a periodic industry newsletter or marketing report for Alabama they should know about.

Local sawmills would also have this, but would probably guard that info and not want to give it out.

[Doc]

So how do you fellas handle this situation then? You must run into the same situation that I am in.

I will check out those links, and thanks for the information. I will also chekc withthe local library to see if I can get any of that information through them.

I had considered calling around to the big boys and pricing it out by the board foot, but unless I am prcign large enough quantities I am not going to get a fair price.

I am in northern bama, and have a customer base just a few hours away in mississippi, if I can tap it, but I have to have my ducks in a row, and I have to know the market well enough to not price myself so low as to ruin my profits or so high as to run myself out of a sale. If I start calling asking what they are paying they are going to spot a green horn and bash my noggin for it and try to low ball me.

I am not trying to get rich here, but I do have to pay my help, keep my my equipment, keep me fed too, fuel and the like, and it wouldbe nice to have something left over.

I am just not sure how to go about this, which is why I asked you good folks for advice. I am not even goign to think about calling my would be customers in Mississippi till I have enough quantity set back ready to deliver to make it worth my while and theirs (truckloads).

I can always make the purcahse of a planer moulder and sell oak flooring to the local builders. I think I can do that cheap enough to make good money.

Doc

[ellmoe]

Doc

    Depending on your potential customers it may not be a bad idea just to ask them what they are paying. Describe your volume, your willingness to do small or special orders for them and your ability to respond quickly to a loyal customer. If your customers are far-sighted and fair you should get just such a response. If not, you will find out soon enough, will have moved some wood, gained market experience, and be in a better position to deal with the next customer.

     Good luck.

     Mark

[SwampDonkey]

I often check out that site, 'Global Wood', that Tom posted and you can find stumpage and lumber prices by state in there by checking out the various links. You can also buy and sell lumber on that site with a membership. I also link to it from my website. It's a good place to start your research.

[Doc]

I took a look at all of them, but I am a bit new to this, and am not entirely sure what I am looking at.

Let me take some time to look at it, and come up with some reasonably intelligent questions, and I will certainly ask again. You guys have already been more than helpful.

All of this started from the idea of wanting to build my own timber frame home, and has snowballed into another sideline business......jeez. I have started 3 others this way, and sold two of them. This one I want to hang on to for a while.

Doc

[SwampDonkey]

As Dang would say, 'ya got the feavor'. :D :D

[Doc]

I suppose that is the way it is.

I like working with my hands, getting dirty, being outside, the feel of a nice piece of wood in my hands, doing something most don't know how to do (and I don't know too many folks who can do what you folks do), and being busy.

For now this is just a sideline, a means to an end so to speak, but I am hoping that it will be more than that in the end.

Doc