I sold a few face cords (I know, but it's Michigan) this fall. Got enough to pay my annual propane bill, which was my intention. It is just too hard to see all that hard work go, knowing those BTUs are going to get blown up the chimney thru an open fireplace. I had one guy with a high efficiency fireplace, that I would sell more to. All the rest I had to split smaller so it would make a pretty fire. Am I being emotional?
You can't fix stupid. ...and most people just really don't want to do the work to actually heat with wood. For them it's all about the ambiance'.
Yes, your being emotional. Your justified though so don't sweat it. Most people see a couple sticks of wood and think, " cute fire place." We see a couple of sticks of wood and know what it takes to get it and the self sustainability it provides. Yep, your in the right.
I've read other posts like yours, Jeff, and not made the connection before, but perhaps this is why most firewood guys/gals don't bother selling dry wood. Less attachment , and having a pretty certain idea that the wood will be wasted anyway. You know that we're the minority, right? I absolutely hate the idea of making a piece of furniture, giving it as a gift, then finding out it was not taken care of or abused. I don't like wasting my time like that on people who don't give a damm.
I knew I could count on support here IF I do it again, I should require proof of ownership of an EPA stove in my CL posting
My wife feels I have way too much cut & split. She asked me why I didn't sell some off. Around here there are folks running around delivering wood for less then $40 a pickup load. No way would I want to give my wood away for that money much less have to deliver it for same money. On the flip side I have a couple of good places to cut & I enjoy doing it. I would not want the folks selling/delivering coming to my home & having the opportunity to look/scout my place. They just don't have a very good reputation. Jack I can definitely understand not selling fire wood, especially from one's home.
Yes, sad but true. But it is still good practice to give good quality and good value in your business dealings. I've found that to be a profitable formula.
I could see people selling wood for $40 if the seller was in the tree removal business and their tree removal price included hauling the wood away. Given the choice between hauling the wood to the dump or selling it for $40 it's not hard to see which would be more profitable, especially if the place you were delivering it to was closer than the dump. I doubt anybody would split or stack it for that price though. The only way I would ever think about getting into the firewood business would be to sell premium quality firewood to the upper class for their ambiance fireplaces. Delivered directly to their fancy homes in small regular quantities (like a milkman delivers milk), stacked nice and neat, exactly how and where they want stacked. The key is to get paid for the service, not for the product.
I was thinking I might sell some next year. I have plenty now, and plenty coming. I like the sell the service idea. Some high dollar areas not far from me. I'll have to give this some more thought. Would be nice to make a few bucks while playing with the equipment.
Only consolation I see is that, At least it will get used to some degree…. I see people dump it in a land fill to rot.
Check out Reno/Tahoe Craigslist. The firewood prices seem very high around Lake Tahoe area, $400+/cord. Well above the timber line, I don't know what hardwoods could be growing there. Seems to be nothing much bigger than tumble weeds on the eastern side of the Sierra, dry barren hills. Could be more trees, IDK. A lot of the ads are from the Sacramento Valley
Lake Tahoe is not above the timber line.. https://maps.google.com/maps?q=lake...d=HW0zFv5HkVGjzLTRaIxfpg&cbp=12,53.23,,0,6.91
These type of people respond more to referrals than to adverts, unless their cheopo's. I used to go over the top with little extras that took a little time, but didn't cost me much. It seemed to pay off in the long run. SOQNOP - Sell On Quality, Not On Price
