# Bidding Blues



## climber1423 (Mar 21, 2007)

Today I bid a small 16 -18" American Elm that deid from Dutch Elm Disease. The tree had a very small lean towards the yard with a Spruce tree in the way, but a sizable limb over a relatively busy road. Brush and wood stay. I told the guy $125-150 depending on whether we could pole saw the tree then flop or if it had to be climbed. 

He ?????en looked at me as if I put $1000 on the tree. The way he looked at me, made me want to punch him in the teeth.

I am just tired of bidding jobs and having people think I want to burn them. I believe I gave him a fair price for a 1 1/2 hour job.


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## begleytree (Mar 21, 2007)

FWIW, I think you were fair.

I noticed that I get looks if I'm too cheap or too high- for them anyway. like they expect $500 bid on a $200 tree. or if they think its a $500 tree and I come in at $900. 
don't let it bother you, soon you'll be swamped anyway and won't remember when that $150 job would have been nice to get.
-Ralph


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## arboristman (Mar 21, 2007)

ya what can you do,we have overhead that has to get paid plus taxes,and then after that,we want to be able to be payed better than a guy flipping burgers.

so don't let it bother ya.his next bid shouldn't be any lower than that,if it is,it probly wont be a licensed and insured service.lets hope not,or that would be just killing all the local tree services around along with the extreamly low bidder in the long run.
*tree work should never be done on the cheap,so why should our pay be.*


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## lawson's tree s (Mar 21, 2007)

sounds like you gave him a fair bid. alot of homeowners think tree work is so easy and all the equipment and man power works for free . he'll call around and get prices or try to do it his self might end up calling you back in the long run.


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## kevknep (Mar 22, 2007)

climber1423 said:


> Today I bid a small 16 -18" American Elm that deid from Dutch Elm Disease. The tree had a very small lean towards the yard with a Spruce tree in the way, but a sizable limb over a relatively busy road. Brush and wood stay. I told the guy $125-150 depending on whether we could pole saw the tree then flop or if it had to be climbed.
> 
> He ?????en looked at me as if I put $1000 on the tree. The way he looked at me, made me want to punch him in the teeth.
> 
> I am just tired of bidding jobs and having people think I want to burn them. I believe I gave him a fair price for a 1 1/2 hour job.



That seems very fair. That is around the minimum I would bid for any job unless the homeowner was less than 10 minutes away. It hardly seems worth it to pack the truck up, set up, do the work and load the truck up again for less than that.


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## ASD (Mar 22, 2007)

i get that all the time ! some people do not think about travail time :bang:


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## Ed Roland (Mar 23, 2007)

$150 why can you not perform the work just for the wood??? ever get that one?


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## Tree Slayer (Mar 23, 2007)

climber1423 said:


> Today I bid a small 16 -18" American Elm that deid from Dutch Elm Disease. The tree had a very small lean towards the yard with a Spruce tree in the way, but a sizable limb over a relatively busy road. Brush and wood stay. I told the guy $125-150 depending on whether we could pole saw the tree then flop or if it had to be climbed.
> 
> He ?????en looked at me as if I put $1000 on the tree. The way he looked at me, made me want to punch him in the teeth.
> 
> I am just tired of bidding jobs and having people think I want to burn them. I believe I gave him a fair price for a 1 1/2 hour job.



That was a good price we have a 200 dollar min. Thats it take it or leave it. Plus if I thought it was more than an hour it would be like 300- 400 unless your just working with a pickup ya still have to roll the chip truck and chipper so you can get to the next job and that costs money.


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## kevknep (Mar 23, 2007)

woodweasel said:


> $150 why can you not perform the work just for the wood??? ever get that one?



I get some that want a lot cleared and request a "bid" to see how much I will pay them clear the lot and take the wood.


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## lawson's tree s (Mar 23, 2007)

i get that all the time . homeowners are funny sometimes. i had a couple i was cutting trees for one time when i was all done the wife said that was easy i want to get my husband some climbing gear for christmas. i told her to get him some good health insurance too laughed all the way to the truck.


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