no firewood orders

[moodnacreek]

My very good friend and informal partner who has helped me build and operate 2 sawmills here will retire from his part time firewood business this year to have knee replacements. The processor and conveyer will be sold. He has been doing this at my place for 25 years and he is the third person to do firewood here. We are 60 mi. above nyc. Every year the people call later. Every fall the weather is warmer. Asked Herb how it was going the other day and he says the phone stopped wringing.  This means they don't want to be bothered with wood until they need it and that means Christmas, snow, mud and ice. I think it is the right time for him to get out, it used to be all done by thanksgiving but people around here don't do anything in advance.

[Nathan4104]

I hope your buddy's knee surgery goes ok! (My wife is a Kinesiologist and did lots of rehab with folks) so make sure he follows the dr orders!!!
I feel his pain in the firewood side, lots of people wait till the first snow is in the air then want dry wood. Even some I took wood to months ago, I see it still where it was dumped, now it's been rained on the last month, and no doubt they'll comment next year that the dry wood wasn't as dry as they'd have liked. Oh well.....
Log supply is so fickle in our area I may have to give up as well, it's too hard to promise people you'll have it when they call and want it right away. 

[SwampDonkey]

The most important is your buddy and his knees. Look out for number one in all things. The procrastinators will learn the hard way.

Once the last firewood load goes down the road, too bad, you loose this year. I would set the rules for a time frame, then shut'r down.8)

[Southside]

I don't sell any firewood to speak of, but about Jaunary folks start calling wanting dry wood.  Must be they didn't expect it to turn cold this year or something. 

[GRANITEstateMP]

I have decided to charge a premium on new customers starting in Nov.  Not my fault you didn't call earlier in the year, oh, and my wood is green!  I do have 2 cord that has been stacked and seasoning in the sun since last Sept.  I will put that up on C list sometime after Thanksgiving time, as long as we've had a good cold snap. My plan is to get at least $100 more than green, including my price hike.  Worst case, it sits and seasons some more

Not really sure when people stopped planning ahead? Maybe they think everything is like their phone, click it and it shows up tomorrow???

[GAB]

I read what you firewood sellers are saying, however I think it is the JIT (just in time) mentality.
If it works in industry why won't it work for firewood.
GAB

[stavebuyer]

The phone will ring when they get the propane price lol

[GRANITEstateMP]

GAB,

JIT may work in industry, but I've been doing up green wood since late March, I think I'm at my Just In Time for a break time of year ;D My biggest gripe is that these folks wait til last minute then expect next or same day service.  I'm not a big time producer, we're at 97 cords delivered as of today, but I'm out 2 weeks on orders.  I've had a few people call (I've got no adds running and no website, just word of mouth) about wood and when you tell them it's gonna be 2 or 3 weeks, they are dumbfounded.  I don't put too much worry into it at this point. I've got a good customer base, and I'm plenty busy enough, a few in customers here and there may be a bit more money, but most of them come with a bigger headache too.

[GAB]

 My biggest gripe is that these folks wait til last minute then expect next or same day service. 

Some people do not understand that lack of planning on their part does not make it an emergency for you.
Next question: do you want your name added to my wait list or not?
The cost will be x amount and will be paid prior to unloading.
Many local police departments are supporters of some charitable organizations.  Give them any bounced checks and tell them to donate what they collect to those organizations.  Word gets around fast.
In this area the State Police are supporters of Kamp-Ta-Kum-Ta.  It's a summer camp for children with cancer.  
GAB

[Southside]

Amazon has changed folks expectations and not in a good way. Had a girl call one time, wanted custom stair treads. Yup, we make those, takes 6 weeks. Her answer was they just tore out the old ones that day and need new ones right now. 

Not sure what part of custom she didn't understand. 

[hedgerow]

moodnacreek  Hope all goes well with your buddy's knee replacements. I grew up in the fuel business and trucking business. Every thing in those business's was just in time. No body wants to buy a load of fuel until there out or the price is going up. When I sold wood I just serviced the customers that would take wood in a timely manner. Had a buddy that was always trying to kept those just in time folks happy with wood. Not worth the headache. Those folks that don't want to plan ahead make sure you charge them plenty for that service. It sure looks like what the price of propane is already  if we have a cold winter a lot of folks will be looking for wood later. 

[Spike60]

You guys are right about Amazon and the phone culture. "Just download the firewood app!" It's all instant gratification.  You can sort of excuse it the case of a first time wood burner. But so many people do the same thing every year. I mean, how many years does it take to figure it out? I think most members of the last minute club live their whole lives that way, so they're never going to change.

Truth is, once you have a solid customer base and you're operating near capacity, you really don't have to deal with clowns who are just never going to get with the program. There's no need to let these people drive you crazy.

[Big_eddy]

We have a lot of new escapees from the city in our area. Those were the ones that planned ahead and bought early. We called the regulars in July and let them know we were making deliveries and asked if they wanted us to schedule them. No small number said no thanks, then were disappointed when they got around to calling in October and we were already sold out. 
Including one that drove by the shrinking pile daily and still didn't call back until there was nothing left.  

New or repeat customer makes no difference to me. Money is the same. We sell until the wood is gone. You snooze, you lose.

[Upstatewoodchuc]

It's funny that we all seem to be noticing the same things. The last couple years it seems people have gotten away from the stock up in spring/summer mentality, and have it all pretty and stacked/seasoned by fall. I honestly expected more from the locals, most are outdoorsy people, but I think it goes back to the whole instant gratification thing. Last year for the first time ever, I was selling green firewood. I've never done that, and didn't want to, and also made sure to educate all the customers on exactly what they were getting. Everyone waited until last minute and within a couple weeks the whole area was sold out of seasoned wood but the demand was still there, I noticed alot of smoking chimneys..... to be honest its actually easier to sell the green stuff and less handling, it just goes against my every instinct. I even called repeat customers in springtime and advised getting ahead of the curve... perhaps 2 listened and they were older guys who didn't have the energy to be fighting this battle in the snow.

[mike_belben]

my experience is the southeast is dominated in green firewood.  probably why they call it the smokies. 

[Bruno of NH]

I sit on most of mine and sell dry wood starting about now.
I didn't have as much time to put up as much as I like. 
Plus I make most folks come pick it up in bags or racks o build. 

[moodnacreek]

Thanks for the replies and comment's . You guy's really do understand. It gets so frustrating , I feel like I'm all alone sometimes.

[cutterboy]

Moody, you are not alone but I know how you feel. It seems that there are fewer and fewer of us left who are down to earth and practical and understand what is really important in this world and in our lives. There are so many politically correct loudmouths spewing out their nonsense that it is difficult to hear the soft spoken words of reasonable people.

[moodnacreek]

I'm with you Cutter.

[B.C.C. Lapp]

I read what you firewood sellers are saying, however I think it is the JIT (just in time) mentality.
If it works in industry why won't it work for firewood.
GAB

GAB, I not sure it works in industry all that well because in my experience JIT can easily become
"late".       And most sellers have only so much dry wood.    Smart folks call early, get their delivered wood stacked, chimney cleaned and ready to burn when the temps drop. 
I wish folks, especially my costumers,   would scrap the JIT thinking and go with CS (common sense) thinking but that seems to be going by the way side these days.

[B.C.C. Lapp]

I'm with you Cutter.

Yup, I agree.

[GAB]

I read what you firewood sellers are saying, however I think it is the JIT (just in time) mentality.
If it works in industry why won't it work for firewood.
GAB

GAB, I not sure it works in industry all that well because in my experience JIT can easily become
"late".       And most sellers have only so much dry wood.    Smart folks call early, get their delivered wood stacked, chimney cleaned and ready to burn when the temps drop.  
I wish folks, especially my costumers,   would scrap the JIT thinking and go with CS (common sense) thinking but that seems to be going by the way side these days.

Your comment about common sense thinking is spot on.
GAB

[mike_belben]

the times are a changin guys.  its real easy to get bogged down in your own pessimism if you look at the world too hard, and the only thing that will change from it is the quality of your own life, for the worse. i am proof of this.

if the world wants to go to hell in a handbasket, fine. let it. you dont have to go down the toilet with the darn thing. tune out and disobey.  clock is ticking so be happy with what ya got now  

[Crusarius]

I didn't read the entire thread but I have an idea that will help all of you guys. Ppl may still be slow to get it but if you setup pricing tiers, this may help you.

August be one price, then September be $10 more, and so on. by January you be up to $100 a face cord. So you may sit on lumber a while but when everyone else is out of wood you will have the only wood left and be making a premium.

This may also help convince ppl to get it earlier or at least make it more worth your while to deliver in the crap.

[OH logger]

That's kinda what I do. I sell a 3 cord load of green wood for $50 less in May only. That way It goes from the processor to the cleaner right on the truck and delivered. No double handling off the dry pile. No waiting on wood to season.  It's Guaranteed sale (one bird in hand two in the bush sorta thing) And that's when I'm slow loggin because of mud season
And the smart prepared customers save a buck