Little birdie told me that a Canadian softie is being sold to US dealers that are close to them for about 179
Dan, I am not disagreeing with you in regards t mills selling to end users but are you saying that GT wont sell to you at 160/ton? They charged 55 per ton for shipping a small load. What would a full trailer of 22 ton cost to ship to NH? Maybe since Lowes appears to be the primary volume dealer of GT and they are gouging to the point of overstock which results in less purchases this years, the mill may have no choice. If you could get these and sell at 50-75 less than Lowes in your back yard you could do pretty good with that.
Correct, I first ordered 3 from lowes with a Employee discount. But they came destroyed and wet, sent the whole load back. I emailed Greene Team direct and eventually got an email back. So I got it through them instead.
its with great trepidation I post again, since I am an evil and unscrupulous stove/pellet dealer, but what the heck, why not? When we had our cabal (the Snidely Whiplash Society) meeting the other night (we only have nighttime meetings), Pete Z, myself, and Bucks, among a few others, after discussing a few new strategies about how to swindl.......er....earn ......the last few pennies from the depressed and overworked populace, we were discussing just this..... Yea, I have to mirror what the other guys said up above......if a mill were selling directly to consumers, I would never buy again from that mill. Now, that being said, there are a few things to consider. Sometimes a mill might sell for pickup only at a remote mill, as there might not be alot of dealers to represent them....I'm fine with that. BUT, when they also deliver to areas not close to the mill, at that point, they are directly competing with the dealers.....which, if thats their business model, great, just expect to have to deal with only end-users.....and some of these folks can be alot of fun. They wont take a full ton. Maybe THAT particular bag smells funny...they wont want it. They only want 5 bags at a time, because thats all they can fit in their Prius. Someone will have to load them, because their lumbago is also acting up. I dunno, but at that point, aren't they (the mill) just competition? If so, why would I, as a dealer want to support my direct competition by buying from them? I know none of you folks will believe our costs are higher than what they are selling it at, that's fine, but incorrect. Possibly is GT in dire financial straights and having to move product by any means possible to assuage the bank? After last winter, many mills are finding themselves under-capitalized, and while I don't know about GT's financial situation at all, maybe this is why this is happening? I don't know ANY of this as fact, but when a mill sells directly to the public, cutting dealers off at the knees, its usually from a desperation standpoint. I DO know that the BB's, when they make their yearly buying deals with mills, tend to want assurances that the product will be there at the mill when they need it, which causes the mills to build inventory, and spend money. THEN, when the BB's don't take the product they wanted allocated to them, the mill gets put in a bit of a pickle.......declare bankruptcy or move product....is this the issue here? Dunno. We don't sell GT's, and I don't really care, but if this is happening at THIS time of they year, I wonder what condition these mills are really in, financially? Some mills get in bed with the BB's, then a year or two later, find that they are so heavily vested in the BB's, that the BB's are basically calling all the shots, pricing, etc. I do wonder whats really happening at GT. Maybe you Pennsylvania folks have a better idea. I know I would be pretty pi$$ed off if I were one of the dealers selling that product and my supplier cut me off like that. Most of my suppliers are good folks, and tend to look out for their dealers as best they can. Also, as I alluded to before, beware of these "great deals".....if you can get them, pay for them, pick them up, the same day.....don't plunk cash down, and wait for a delivery that might not ever arrive, etc......many folks have been burned in the past with schemes like that. Then they complain about how they were taken advantage of, etc....I don't feel bad for them...there are ways to minimize your risk. *sigh*......back to the ole grindstone....37 here last night....lit the stove in the store this morning.
I have no idea what the price would be.. Honestly, I don't think Henry would want the same brands as either of the BBS.... I know I don't... That is how the business and reputation has grown.. We hear all the time, how customers are just tired of stuff they are not happy with, and just come here... And I am NOT knocking value shopping! I do it! It's the American way.. But there are some that rather buy a Lexus, over a Subaru. A Five Guys, over a Big Mac.. For what ever reason. We have choices.. Thank God. Never have paid for an ad. All word of mouth, and internet, Facebook etc.. Which is my small part.. And research.. And I won't even look into some brands. We feel... that all of our brands are better than the BBS brands, maybe yes, maybe no, but the people that deal with us, don't mind ponying up a few extra bucks... Especially for the 'local country' service. In some cases we are actually lower! As someone else mentioned, hard to believe, but Doug Firs are really hot right now... (no pun intended) And for the record, I don't doubt any price that anyone paid.. I was happy for all here, that got stuff for 100 bucks last year.. Dan
***IF*** GT is in a financial bind, I don't blame them one bit for doing what they need to do to stay a float/in business. Desperate times, desperate measures. HOWEVER, they MAY have made their own bed with the RIDICULOUS pricing on the GT's. Whether it was their crazy pricing or Lowe's pricing the damage has been done.
Lots of good information here. I like it when we spread the word about deals, quality and experience. be it buying, retailing, or trials. It is all education that all of us can improve our experiences with. Lots goes on with pellets from year to year. Best thing I have found to keep your pellet purchases reasonable: insulate your heated space and use a good stove. Most clean and dry pellets will burn well and heat your home. Ash amounts will vary, but who minds a little ash!
Nice one Dan. I don't have a Lexus, but I would like to. One day, maybe. Even then, I will still look for a bargain when shopping for pellets, just like I would shop for the best deal when looking for that Lexus! That's just the nature of the beast. Going to be in Maine mid-October. If the weather cooperates, we are hoping to take a run up to Mt. Major again, and I would like to stop in and say hello. Maybe let you talk me into buying a few bags of Olympus.
Maybe I'm reading this wrong, but it sounds like an employee of a major supplier got bad product, contacted the manufacturer, and they took care of that employee (customer) - that's just in their vested self-interest, and excellent customer service. * Dunno how it is in other areas, can only speak for a small town in NH, but every truck I've seen so far, and neighbors I've talked to that burn pellets, are delivering / ordering 50% less or more, vs. last year. Plenty of fuel trucks making deliveries though the past few weeks. Well said sir.
Now that I'm awake and reading through the thread, I agree with Cleanfire that this looks like a one off to keep a customer happy.
Lots of great responses here !! Overall, I am for the swindling dealers that Lousyweather is President of (hey he has to fund his Island vacation somehow) Not everyone is a swindler and I have seen some of the deals LW has offered in the past- I just wished I could take advantage of some of those but that cold hearted swindler wont deliver of sell outside his area. What a low life. Face it if they cant stay in the black, the doors will close and that's not good for anyone. Pete Zahria - Good for Henry not wanting to sell the same as Lowes. BTW, I bought a used Acura once, drove it for a few years, stuffed it will pellets a few times that I loaded and offloaded myself back in 2009 or 2010 when BJ's got hold of Okies for a great price. Realized Acura wasnt for me so traded it in for a Honda Ridgeline and never looked back. I realize the value of the pellet dealer and have been ordering from one yearly since 2010 As CleanFire mentioned, I am tuning up the oil monster for more of the heavy lifting again this year-just like last year. But if Big Oil decides to screw us royally like they have been known to do, I am ready for the P68 to flex its muscles and give my 21 year old Weil McClain a rest and have it just provide the hot water Man, I love this place......
Dionne seems like a pretty fair place... I have been there once to check the place out, the people I spoke with were very friendly....... I even bought a few bags for testing... ! Dan
Dave is a great guy and a straight shooter. His service for me has always been top notch and his recommendations for something I havnt tried before have never let me down. He tends to be very down to earth and not a "salesman"-that goes a long way with me. He also speaks well of Henry.
TO: Anyone holding out for the best deal of the season. You can stop searching now, because I've just found it. At Price Chopper of all places. Always the last place you look.
