As a retired Naval Officer, I know what fork, spoon and knife to use when sitting down at a meal. But, I’ll challenge anyone to a PWT contest and expect to win! Did take a few minutes to clean my shoes with dawn and bleach this evening.
Because I solely advertise on Craigslist Nashville, I have become pretty savvy to how CL works and how my local competition behaves. This will be long-winded, so will just add a few tidbits occasionally. Most posters cannot spell, put a sentence together, or take a decent picture. All these posters see my ads and what I sell firewood for, but still list firewood for 1/2 or less than I do. Why? Here are some of my guesses. I sell only the best hardwoods such as Ash, Cherry, Hickory, Sugar Maple, Red Oak, White Oak, and Walnut. All of it is in the 15% moisture range when delivered. And I sell 100% of those types or an exact combination. Nashvillians want it delivered and stacked. No picking up or dumping in their driveways. My phone is always with me, so I answer calls and texts immediately. My customers want firewood no later than tomorrow and want a quick confirmation of an estimated delivery time. And I deliver on time and text them with that time when :30 away. I wheelbarrow and stack the wood no matter where the customer wants it. Up or down stairs, hand carrying if need be. I keep a huge renewable inventory of ads of CL. A lot of posters think posting four to forty ads in a row will win them sells. That is a game I know how to win.
Why do I date and show my firewood bundles in my pictures? I have noticed a lot of sellers using the same pictures over many years. Green leaves when it is winter, no leaves when it is summer. And a lot highjack pictures from firewood sites and use them as their own. I like to show close ups of my firewood deliveries and inventory to show the quality, quantity, age and professionalism of my operation. Other sellers take from a distance to avoid showing the punk and rot of their firewood. And a lot of posters like to take pictures of their garbage wood in a pile with a dead car and couch in the background. Selling firewood for a premium in Nashville is a walk in the park!!!
Those are good tips for all of us on here thinking about or already selling firewood. I checked my local CL area and I see the same type of photos. Never close up and generally the unit of measure is by pickup truck load. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Only one delivery today, but three face cords scheduled for tomorrow to one customer. $320 with tip today for a face cord of hickory for outside burning. Successful musician and song writer was the customer and referred by another musician I delivered to a month ago. Awesome house and backyard fire pit! Music people like sitting around the campfire! She helped me unload, wheelbarrow, and stack. These type of people are the best. Just regular folk who are making the bank and passing it on--to me.
Customer service really matters on my deliveries. I told her 10am and arrived at 9.59. She mentioned my timeliness when dishing out the tip.
Today's customer just sent me a short video of her fire burning this evening. She is very please I am guessing. So have her as a customer as long as I can keep the firewood production up.
Great firewood with equivalent customer service equals a lot of Benjamins. Well into the five figures this month with a lot of deliveries scheduled before month's end.
Three face cords/one cord delivery today. Only 45 miles away. Tripped over a short 2X4 piece next to the porch with about six pieces of wood in my arms and it all went crashing down on my right hand. Was about 34 degrees at the time and my hands were freezing cold. I cried like a baby for 15 minutes or so but kept on stacking. Thought about quitting firewood for a few moments.
The major customer for the past three years was down to their last piece when I arrived. Handed them a few pieces through the front door to keep their fire burning when I arrived. Only $20 in diesel expended on this delivery.
I picked up a new customer. She said the last guy freaked her out talking about how 5g would seep into her brain. I told her 5g was nothing compared to what the contrails were doing to her.
My hand fells much better today. Only a little purple with no blo0d lost. Cold injuries hurt the worst. Think you have lost some flesh, but all well it warms up.
My records show firewood sales drop off hard about a week from Christmas. So my 150 face cords of seasoned stuff will get me well into Spring of next year. Concentrating on cutting and splitting hickory which I sell all year long. Ran out of cherry last month which is my third best selling firewood. Have about 100 cherry trees on my property, but don’t want to cut any more down since they aren’t too plentiful compared to oaks.
Three separate face cord delivery day. First customer stabbed a few pieces of hickory with his meter before I started unloading. I did the same yesterday before loading my truck and trailer so wasn’t worried one bit. All his readings were in the 12-14% range which is what I found when measuring yesterday. My splits are one handed stuff, so moisture isn’t much more when when splitting open a piece to test. Have an early morning cord delivery tomorrow which is a lot of wood to one customer this late into the firewood season. On track for 35-40 face cords for December. Thought I might do more, but has been a pretty warm month so far and no big cold snap in the forecast.
Last delivery today. Birds were thick in a tree above my truck and crapping all over me as I was unloading. Never experienced that before.
Scored some white oak last week at the Fort Campbell Army base package store. $350 purchase of Jack earned you a barrel. One of these is mine on 7 January when they are handed out to the big spenders.
