If you'll be doing this PT, you'll likely lose some customers, unless he also did it PT and didn't have many. Doesn't sound like that's the case though.
I have to start P/T I need some income and can't trust this business just starting out to support me. I can't gamble that much this early.
Also forgot to mention the person I know with the property has about 1000 yards of seasoned wood already on it, uncut full straight logs. But like I said he wants a cut of profit
Set a per cord of sold to give him. It's better then what he is collecting right now and as you grow you can increase you per cord lot rent or find a lot of your own. If your selling his wood off his land give him a little more but make sure he understands you are clearing the land for him, keep in mind that the wood from his land isn't free you have labor, fuel and equipment invested. I would think $50.00 per cord for the wood off his land and $30.00 per cord of your own wood is fair to both of you.
You might initially consider hiring a high school or college kid to split while you buck the wood up. Maybe pay a flat rate per cord of split and stacked wood in order to keep up with the current customers demand. it's completely understandable and wise to not risk everything with a new business, but it would be a shame to lose existing customers, if avoidable.
Have you figured your insurance expenses? Vehicle, liability, workmans comp, unemployment and your share of Fica? How many cords do you think you can sell a year and at what price? If you are buying wood from a guy, what does he condsider profit? To many variables, I think you need to set down and really put a pencil to the whole plan. It is hard to set a selling price if you don't know your costs. Gary
I like the idea but think that price might be a bit high. I was thinking more in line with $25-$30 for wood off his land and $15 or no more than $20 for other. Even that would stress the profits or make you sell the wood at too high of a price. But, I don't know the going price there but just basing on what things are like in our area.
What is a cord of wood selling for down your way ? If you are going to try to make a living selling firewood you will need a processor, without employee's plus a truck and a dump trailer. I used my dump trailer for jobs I do with my back hoe and front end loader so it works out to deliver my wood with it. At least $11,500 for a Wallenstien ( spelling ) processor. If you have to buy a half way decent used dump trailer that will hold a cord of wood you are looking at $2,500.00 if you can find one. 100 cords at $275.00 a cord is $27,500.00 A previous poster said it all, sit down and work out a business plan and take into account that it is very hard work and I know you already know that. Yes you got the Bug as I have and try to make it faster, easier and more profitable but it still comes down to hard work. Selling the wood is the easy part. I sell firewood only because I get the wood for free, delivered here and don't cut any wood myself, it is either Wood Share where they take half of what they cut or I sell off the rounds and longer pieces. Firewood for processing
Be careful with thinking that pre-cut tree service wood is a good deal. If you want to sell neat rows of wood, random cut wood between 16-20" isn't going to serve you very well. You will never be able to accurately measure the width of your piles if the pieces vary by 20%. Therefore your quoted cordage is sure to be inaccurate. And you'll waste a lot of time trimming the pieces to a consistent length if you decide to take that route or need to because they actually run 14-24". I do agree that you need to put together a plan, figure your fixed expenses and how much you think you will sell at what price and the expenses to process it before thinking about how much to pay for materials. Every nickel that you pay for wood will be a nickel that isn't in your pocket in the end.
My Tree guy either cuts it to 16" using the measure on his saw or cuts it when I dump it in a pile if it's too long. We have a rather simple agreement, I have the land and he has the wood. I don't need to sell firewood but he needs a place to park his equipment so I guess you could say it's my way or the highway and should he choose the highway he better be ready to spend 5 to 6 hundred a month for his 2 chippers, stump grinder and dump truck parking in a secure location like mine close to his home. An added note, he has two chippers because he blew a rod in the old one but doesn't want to spend $4,000.00 for a new engine plus his old engine. Yet he has been holding onto to it for the past 2 years.
Best of luck to you. I'm sure you know there are a LOT of firewood sellers on Craig's list of Long Island. There are only a handful advertising now and range from 110 to 200 per cord The 200 is for seasoned but is almost always a ripoff. Prianti farms is one of the bigger sellers but no ads now. Getting good workers will be a problem. This is hard work and most kids want no part of it. There are a couple of spots in Holbrook and Farmingville where you can pull up and hire Mexican, salvadorian etc day workers and most of them are hard workers. I've only bought wood a handful of times over the years and was unhappy (felt ripped off) Either shorted or wood was mixed with softwood. One guy even told me how many pieces of firewood were in a cord and they were split small!! Many guys deliver a full cord in a 1/2 ton pickup...impossible. I really wish you well. Please checkout prices on Craig's list. I hope the customer list is solid and will buy from you!
Here on Long Island cords of green go for $90-$150 and seasoned $150-250. The land I would get is rent free and also comes with a lot of seasoned wood on site
Is this your business or a photo pulled from Long Island craigslist, because that is about the going rate here from what I see.
Doesn't make any sense as people up here are paying and I am not saying the smartest people but 100 to 125 for a face cord of seasoned Oak. Must be a chit ton of wood down there and way to many wood sellers.
I am wondering if what they are calling a cord is actually a face cord. I can't see anyone selling a full cord of wood for those prices. For sure I would not even consider this.
