With the recent increase in practically everything we consumers use i raised my bundles prices 10% per order. I havent raised bulk orders as its the off season for them for the most part. Most of my bulk sales are half cords for $140 free local delivery. Going up to at least $150 for regulars and $25 for stacking vs. $20. Black locust im going up at least $25 per cord. Considering longer distance fee based on miles vs quoting a flat rate.
Last yr I was selling half cords for $120 + $20 delivery and $20 stacking. Just raised it to $130+$25+$25 April 1st. Haven't sold any at the new price yet, but I only sell 15-20 cords a year and most if that is for fire rings/campfires. The weather here has been very wet so I don't think any one is burning campfires yet. Special since we woke up to snow this morning...I can't wait for mud season to end.
Given the increase in fuel and production costs, along with the huge increase in home heating costs I intend to raise my prices by about 35%. There has to be some benefit/profit in it.
I went up too. Full cord only at 350 a cord in the round. If they have a self loader drop off a 13 to 15 cord load, I'll buck it up in a day for 700, no stacking or anything. That puts them at about a 100 bucks a cord. We have enough kids in middle and high school that'll split and stack for around 50 a cord. With the price of city heating the customers can save a boat load this way. Everyone wins.
Yes. I try to raise prices every year. Most around here can afford it and don’t mind paying for quality.
Just called the guy I get logs from. He said the price of the wood is still the same but he will be charging a delivery fee according to mileage from the landing to wherever he is delivering. He said with diesel being 5 bucks…
I am still at $80 a face cord but don’t know how much longer I can keep it there. My saving grace is I don’t deliver so I save some gas there.
I am getting $225-235 a rick in the Nashville area. Was selling white oak last December for $275 a rick before I ran out. With the price of diesel fuel for my truck and the high cost of heating sources (propane, natural gas, heating oil), think I might be able to get $300 a rick starting in October. Have sold less wood this Spring than last, but I am ahead dollar wise. During the height of the pandemic, people spent more time around the fire pit, now people are going out for food, entertainment and vacationing. I have been cutting, splitting and stacking everyday the weather allows since January. Have about 25 cord for for this coming Winter.
Thats awesome! What are prices in the more rural areas? Ive heard the price greatly increase in major urban areas. When covid first hit my bundle sales were stronger as everyone was staying home.
I am located about 60 miles WNW of Nashville. People near Clarksville, TN think $70 a rick delivered and stacked is too much. After my fuel, equipment maintenance, and wear & tear, I'd be paying them to take my wood. So, I typically drive 130 miles roundtrip to Nashville and surrounding cities for my deliveries. My diesel truck averages about 21 mpg, so $35 in fuel to Nashville vs $10 delivering local. The extra $25 in fuel and two hours of driving nets me another $140. Well worth it! Additionally, I average around $20 in tips around Nashville; never received a tip locally in over 100 deliveries. I have received numerous tips of between $50-100 in November thru December. My caliber of whiskey and IPAs go up substantially then!
Is that strictly white oak or do you have mixed hardwood? When sales are good i usually "look" for another chain saw! I usually do half cords as i have just my F150. $140 for regulars will be $160 in the Fall. $20 stacking will be $25. The few full cords i do are for 100% oak or black locust. Any black locust down your way?
Oil prices at present here are 6-7 dollars a gallon.Most home tanks take 275 gallons.To fill a tank at this time at 7 dollars is about $ 2000.00.A full tank will last about a month.Heating season from October to May is 8 months.That's $ 16,000 a year.Very few can afford that.This means there'll be a lot of cold people next winter.I see Oil companies closing folks can't afford it.Folks forced to go to gas.Folks may go to wood stoves.One thing I know is that those who control everything that's needed to survive are some very cruel people.As Marie Antoinette once said to her staving people since they have no bread "Let them eat cake ". Now that same attitude is alive and well in the good old USA !
Most Americans only follow the price of gas since it is posted at every station. I follow energy prices closely when figuring out what to charge for my firewood. I am considering not even advertising or selling wood until mid October. Check out the year over year price increases. More and more homes are heating with electricity now. Coal has tripled.
I am cleaning up a neighbors property he had timbered last March-June. I typically go after white & red oak, hickory, and maple. So probably have 15 cord or white oak, 5 of red oak, and 5 of hickory. No locust on the 50 acres I am working on. Oak is the most demanded wood in Nashville and regular burners want white oak. Hoping to cut another 5 cord this month before ticks, chiggers, and heat shut me down until mid-September.
A dilemma I regularly encounter is what to charge a repeat customer after increasing prices. A steady customer from Franklin, TN ordered a cord of oak from me two months ago. I charged him $500 which was $25 more than last year and $50 more than two years ago to cover my fuel and other expenses that have greatly increased. I also initially way under charged since I didn't have a good handle on the Nashville market in the beginning. I sell every stick of firewood I produce and could have sold the same cord for $675 to a new customer. I appreciate loyalty, but at what cost?
Man your prices are very high for a cord and your not even in the real cold.What makes folks pay that high for wood there ? Two years ago we didn't have the price hikes we have now and you were still getting $ 450.00/cord ?That's crazy.Up here two years ago semi season was $ 250.00 / cord and seasoned was 300.00/cord.Now with all this inflation on every level cords may reach your prices.Millions are already living in a depression level life style and the worse is yet to come.No wonder the leadership is trying to start a war with the Kremlin,That will certainly take people's mind off of their present condition.US troops will be heading out soon.Hunker down.The real hoarding of everything is now.
There is extreme wealth around Nashville. A lot of people are moving there from more expensive places. They get twice the house for half the price and have a lot of money remaining. A lot of new builds and remodeled homes have 10s of thousands of dollars invested in back patios and screened in additions with huge fire places with 25' tall rock and brick chimneys. And a lot of large TVs mount on them for watching football outdoors when it is 40 degrees. $275 for quality hardwood that lasts six to nine months is a drop in the bucket. A white oak fire burning 1 to 1.5 cuft provides 30-45 or more fires for 6-9$. A few adult beverages around the fire with friends is a great deal more. And I think Tennesseans just love a great fire more than anywhere else I've lived. Where I live, everybody owns a truck and a chainsaw and has many options for securing firewood. Hardly anyone in Nashville owns a truck or chainsaw. And who wants to pickup firewood in their 80-100K nice pickup?
My son and I were in Columbus a few days ago and saw a truck loaded with firewood and a phone # on the back. I called the # and asked what they were charging for a truckload. I was blown away that the truckload was roughly a half cord and was $400 dollars. I thanked the gentleman for his time and just shook my head. Perhaps we will get into the selling business as well.
On oil prices: we ran through 5 tanks/year, one September to November, one each month Dec, Jan, Feb, and one March through June. Would have been $3300 at February's (pre war) prices. Sca
It is my belief that most of us way under price our firewood. This is because we already own most of the tools of the trade for our personal and duel uses. We are addicted to working outside with power equipment and get a natural high off of accomplishing something useful. We don't value the time, effort and danger compared to what others are making performing similar labor. Why should we not after accounting for all our expenses make less per hour than a Walmart worker who doesn't have to supply any expensive equip to perform their job and gets to work in a safe and comfortable atmosphere? If I had today go out and purchase a 4X4 HD truck, trailer, splitter, two chainsaws and all the other gear and account for fuel prices, maintenance and depreciation of all the equipment, I would need $300 or more a rick to justify being in the firewood business. And this price is assuming all my wood is sourced at no cost.
