I sell between 20-30 cords a year as a hobby. Mostly all "seasoned" with moisture content at 20% or less. I like making firewood but I LOVE cutting logs. Splitting is OK but I dread stacking. Usually pay kids to stack but they aren't always available and I don't like splitting onto the ground to be stacked later. I get $220 per cord delivered. Mostly ash with some maple and cherry mixed in. Would much prefer to cut and split directly into my dump trailer and deliver. Was thinking about reducing my price by $50 for this. Wouldn't have to have someone else there to stack and wouldn't have to load the trailer from the stacks. Would have to have sales lined up ahead of time though. Any thoughts?
Over here some people sell 'seasoned' wood that turns out to be green. As long as your customers know that they will have to leave it in a stack for a while you should be OK. It's worth a try.
I sell a fair amount of wood that needs to season a bit longer, usually Oak. Around here I can get $ 250.00/cord of Oak and or mixed hardwoods. I have a good supply of dead Ash & Elm that is in the 20% & below range. I don't sit on firewood for 2-3 years, takes up too much space. I suggest to customers that they buy ahead of time and let it season in their stacks. Come February when the under prepared are out of wood I'll deliver the dry Elm & Ash at $350.00/cord. Don't discount your prices, educate the consumer. It takes too much time & equipment/fuel to cut your own throat. If you wanna sell really dry seasoned wood, double your price.
One more thought. A lot of people dont even know what seasoned really means and may just buy the lower priced wood (because its cheaper) and burn it whenever. (And you'll be the bad guy when it doesn't burn hot...or at all)
Ive sold some green in the past. I have a friend who likes hickory so when he has room in his shed and i have a score itll go straight to him. One new customer asked for green rounds couple years ago at a discount and i obliged. $90 for half cord vs $140 for split seasoned. Sounds like you have a good customer base. Ask them if they would take green at a discount, at your convenience. Most of mine want to just stack and burn it and nothing to do with the actual firewood making process. Have you tried selling green on CL, FBM sevensandeights ?
aint that the truth! Usually the first question i get asked by a new customer. I then ask them "What does seasoned mean to you? I then tell them its dry and ready to burn.
There's a farmer a few miles down the road that sells a lot of firewood. $250 /cord for seasoned (heaps fallen from the end of a conveyor, if you get the stuff towards the top it should be decent) $200 / cord for 'green' (he was selling fresh cut oak for a while) He has several delivery trucks of various sizes ( the same size trucks a dairy and food farmer might have ) He's basically doing bulk sales (as is another guy in town) There's been a (very) few guys around selling well seasoned firewood for $3-350 a cord, but it goes quick as it has been stacked to season and they don't have a lot. It's easier money so give it a shot.
I think it depends on a lot of variables (i.e., your geographic location, competition, demand, etc.). You won't really know until you try. Around here, most of the 'respectable' firewood operations are normally sold out of (what they consider) 'seasoned' firewood by the end of spring/early summer. Everyone else buys whatever they can get (lots of vacation homes up here). I think part of it is lack of time or desire for people to cut their own firewood, poor preparation in not purchasing an adequate supply of firewood for the upcoming season, lack of storage space to have multiple year's worth of firewood on hand (and drying), and ignorance (most people IMO have no clue about the difference between burning wet versus dry firewood). I haven't purchased firewood in years however I have purchased green before, partly because that was all that was available but also because I had no intention on using it for at least a year and was just trying to get ahead. Plus I pretty much consider any firewood purchased around here as green (most sellers seem to consider firewood as seasoned as soon as it is split). Bottom line is that around here, there is a high demand for any firewood, and green sells as quickly as seasoned.
I have only sold to friends/acquaintances, not commercially. There are so many outfits around already that I would have to invest a lot of capital to even compete (although if one had actual seasoned wood, you could probably do very well despite the existing businesses). I have considered it, however I don't really have the room to store large quantities of CSS to season and I am pretty much a 100% scrounger, and that would not be practical for running a business. I could clear some of my woods to create space to store firewood for sale, but I do not want to do that (I like my woods). I do browse the land-for-sale listings from time to time looking for a decent wood lot (for personal use) however prices are ridiculous right now, even for land-locked lots.
I hear ya. Thats why i keep mine low key as well. Lots of competition here and just like the sellers you commented on up there.
All good advice - thanks for the replies. Current plan is to keep my existing price for green wood and increase my seasoned wood price. I typically advertise through Craigslist starting early fall. I think I'll start in the spring and see if I can get some people that are interested in the green wood so I can cut and split directly into the trailer to avoid the stacking. I've loaded enough cords in trailer to know how much a cord is, even if it's loosely thrown.
There's one seller who sells green and seasoned.He tells folks to by green in the fall for next winter's wood.That makes sense for many buyers who will pay $250.00 for green and $350.00 for seasoned.
