Do any of you do it? Had someone trying to work my prices a bit using larger buying quanitities. I'm sticking with flat pricing, no matter quanitity. I don't charge anyone more per piece for a pickup load than I do for a trailer load, so why would I go the other way? What's the consensus of FHC on discounts for 'large quantities'?
What are you calling bulk? My son sells $5 and $10 stacks from his stand in front of our house. If you bought a cord of these stacks, he would be getting around $650 a cord or so which is much less than I can get selling bulk wood by the cord. On the bulk level though, my half cord price is more than 50% of my full cord price. I do not give discounts on multiple cords though.
I don’t sell my wood but if I were to there would be no discounts. Too much work involved to give someone that isn’t willing to do it a break. As jrider said I learned selling other stuff that smaller quantities at a premium is where it’s at!
I have half cords listed. Potential buyer was hinting at a discount for multiple cord purchase. I can haul a half cord per trip...well, technically 3/4 cord, but 1/2 is what fits on the trailer.
For me it all depends. In high demand months (August-March), the answer is usually NO. However, since I am delivering in the 60-80 mile range, driving time and diesel play a big factor in my expenses of selling firewood. Last weekend I had an order that was 80 miles away and the person asked for a discount if they purchased a second face cord for their son who lives next door. So I knocked off $25. I had four face cords loaded for that outing, so $1,160 minus $25 didn't hurt my standard of living.
I do cringe a little when someone asks for a discount. 100% of the time it means zero in tips. And I average about $20 per face cord over a year in tips.
Just watched a Youtube with Chris in the Woodyard. He listed a lot of reasons why his sales were down last year and a lot of his viewers had the same results. People producing their own firewood, warm weather, ubiquitous firewood producing educational media, six pack Joes selling at cheap prices, explosion of firewood stands, dead trees everywhere and poor economy. Some how I still crushed last year and up to my eyeballs in sales and orders this week.
Four face cords sold today and 1.5 was Walnut. Both customers texted me that it burned great. It was reading 9-11% moisture. Rarely get anything to read below 12%, so don't know what the deal was. Two years seasoned.
I think most who can, are making their own. That leaves those who either: Don't want to do the work, Don't possess the equipment to do the work, Don't possess Material to process, Unable to do the work. On the bulk discount...I'd have to make extra trips costing me more fuel and time as I don't have a way to haul a cord at a time. I've been trying to remedy this issue, but failed to get the funds together for a chore truck this year. By that I mean some form of 1 ton with 8' bed. Combined with utility trailer I'd have no issues delivering a full cord each run. I may end up going off the deep end and trying to get my hands on a single axle dumper. I have other uses besides wood hauling for one. A 1-ton pickup would be much more practical though and I'm not opposed to staking the sides to completely stuff it.
If you have a truck that can only hold half a cord, I would stick to just selling them at your price no matter how many a customer buys.
Stick to your guns. If you have a quality product, it will sell at your price. Do not hit the panic button and drop your prices to compete with the lowest guys around.
Before I purchased my 18' trailer, I was making two trips to Nashville daily. Big time and fuel expense involved with just a truck. Now I am heading into Nashville with 3-4 face cords and take one or two days off a week from delivering. Many ways to skin the multiple face cord carrying capacity cat. Only down side to my 18' trailer is getting it into driveways and tight spots.
I'm definitely on the NO DISCOUNTS boat. If there is no cost savings for you (or unless you really need to get rid of wood for some reason), I can't imagine why anyone wants to do the same work for less money.
I find it kind of funny that when I worked as a clerk at the front counter, we'd get customers coming in reminding us how much they spent previously and that they should get 'patron' pricing. "Yes Sir!" (ring it up at regular price, as none of our products have price tags on them) lol
Everyone wants special treatment. Doesn't matter much the generation. They each have their own angle it seams.
Not Not everybody, I try to pick up deals on slightly used stuff all the time. If the price is right and the product is as advertised I’ll pay whats asked and move on. A buddy that I use to help muscle stuff around is the exact opposite will lowball people before even laying eyes on anything. I ask him to stay in the truck until the deal is done, don't want him messing things up. I have reciprocated and gone along with him far to many times to come home empty handed. He just doesn't get it.
Since i only can deliver half cords at a time i dont do volume. No pick ups only delivered. If i produced a vast amount of wood i can a slight discount. Takes just as much work per cord whether its one of ten cords. My bundle customers have tried to haggle for a volume discount, but i dont.
