There's a guy local to me who sells genuinely barn dried oak, and he's now at $799/cord. https://www.espesethfirewood.com/firewood He does a good job, and I send friends his way. I understand he was sold out this year before Thanksgiving.
People that are b*tching about the price of propane & natural gas should be shown that… WOW !!! More power to him for getting that much.
I'd say he earns his money. The wood is 2-3 years old, genuinely dry, cut to a consistent length, and in nice shape. He delivers on a set schedule and sticks to it. He stacks very neatly anywhere on the property using a wheelbarrow. He cleans up every bit of mess. His measures are honest to maybe being a little long. He takes electronic payment. If all you want is a face cord for your fireplace each winter, to the right sort of person $279 is absolutely worth it. There's a reason he sells out and why I send friends to him. In contrast, there's a guy I've bought wood from in the past who will dump a "cord" of "mixed hardwood" at the curb that's oozing moisture for $225 cash, no checks. The wood is ugly and inconsistently cut and split. His "cord" is close enough that you can't argue with him, but always significantly short once I've stacked it. He may or may not show up in the vicinity of when he says he's coming, and because he'll only take cash you have to be there. And in spite of delivering a (short) cord for less than the other guy delivers a face cord, he always seems to be available. That's just a long way of saying that for folks who see/use firewood as a luxury good and not as a heating commodity, the quality of the wood and the lack of transactional hassle make the expensive guy a better choice. There seems to only be one guy in a city of a couple million people who has created a business around that dynamic.
