ChoppyChoppy
Tree Freak
Ouch. At $140/cord I'd go broke in a hurry.
gonna try selling firewood this year
- Thread starter WhiteMike
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fearofpavement
Trying them all
Yeah, I hear ya. But our cost of living here in Georgia isn't like Alaska. I've lived in Alaska and can't think of one thing that's less expensive there other than the scenery.
I don't know what the market will hold in your area, but start small and see how it goes.
My first few years were slow, but you'll start to get regulars after awhile.
Quality is also a plus. If BBQ is popular in your area, cater to that market in the summer months.
I don't deliver, too much likability involved. You build it, they will come.
Do some field calls and get the word out that you have a product in stock and ready for pickup or delivery, and have samples of your product for them to look at.
Most important, (inventory) You can't sell what you don't have.
It takes a few years to get your inventory built up where you can have seasoned wood and more wood coming on line as it seasons.
Honesty first, tell them what you have and be up front about it. Let the buyer decide if it's what they want.
People will try to low ball saying they can get it cheaper somewhere else. Stick to your price and don't budge.
Act like it's no sweet if they buy your wood or not. Don't be afraid to let them walk.
I've had people say my wood is over priced and they drove away. Only to return with money in hand and ready to buy.
People think firewood sellers are poor and will try to take advantage of that.
Firewood has a long shelf life, don't be afraid to sit on it till you get your price.
Sales come in spurts, I go a week or two with no sales, then BAM! I get hammed all in one day.
Start slow and don't expect to get rich.
Good luck.
My first few years were slow, but you'll start to get regulars after awhile.
Quality is also a plus. If BBQ is popular in your area, cater to that market in the summer months.
I don't deliver, too much likability involved. You build it, they will come.
Do some field calls and get the word out that you have a product in stock and ready for pickup or delivery, and have samples of your product for them to look at.
Most important, (inventory) You can't sell what you don't have.
It takes a few years to get your inventory built up where you can have seasoned wood and more wood coming on line as it seasons.
Honesty first, tell them what you have and be up front about it. Let the buyer decide if it's what they want.
People will try to low ball saying they can get it cheaper somewhere else. Stick to your price and don't budge.
Act like it's no sweet if they buy your wood or not. Don't be afraid to let them walk.
I've had people say my wood is over priced and they drove away. Only to return with money in hand and ready to buy.
People think firewood sellers are poor and will try to take advantage of that.
Firewood has a long shelf life, don't be afraid to sit on it till you get your price.
Sales come in spurts, I go a week or two with no sales, then BAM! I get hammed all in one day.
Start slow and don't expect to get rich.
Good luck.
this ^^^^^^^
Gypo Logger
Timber Baron
Sometimes less is more when starting in the FW business. Stay small and keep it all.
Its easy to do 100 crd/yr with nothing more than a saw, p/u, atv and trailer and a close source of wood.
You can get into more bushes with an atv than you can with a great big lumbering log skidder.
Its easy to do 100 crd/yr with nothing more than a saw, p/u, atv and trailer and a close source of wood.
You can get into more bushes with an atv than you can with a great big lumbering log skidder.
ChoppyChoppy
Tree Freak
You need to deliver. If people are going as far as buying wood, they generally don't have the time or ability to do it themselves.
I might sell 10-15 cords a year that is picked up, and most of that is from campers stopping by wanting a few wheelbarrow loads worth. (I have a 1 cord minimum for delivery).
Liability is much more a concern when people are picking up. Several years ago a customer got his dog killed in our yard. It was running around the log piles and SPLAT!
I might sell 10-15 cords a year that is picked up, and most of that is from campers stopping by wanting a few wheelbarrow loads worth. (I have a 1 cord minimum for delivery).
Liability is much more a concern when people are picking up. Several years ago a customer got his dog killed in our yard. It was running around the log piles and SPLAT!
I pretty much dabbled at selling loads for the last 25 years, basically to supplement my spending habits on tools that I wanted to have to speed up my personal use. It was about 4 or 5 years ago that I stumbled onto the gold mine of bundles! I don't sell anything but bundles now and can't imagine going back to selling/delivering to individual home users. I have 3 parks now and I am working on another park in my area. I have calculated my projected sales on these 3 parks and I will be able to put both of my daughters through a state college after 4 more years! That's all I'm giving them anyway! I probably have $20K of hard money invested, saws, splitters, tools and the Unimog, not time fabbing stuff though. I'd really like to buy or build a processor, but can't seem to make the plunge. Good Luck!
ChoppyChoppy
Tree Freak
That little pile is ~200 cords?
I disagree. Having done many deliveries, it's more trouble then it's worth.
They want you to haul and stack in the least convenient place, weaving your wheelbarrow down narrow sidewalks and past the pool and around all the potted plants. They also expect you to do it for free. They think the price of a cord includes you running an obstetrical course.
Meanwhile no production is going on at the yard and people are showing up for pick up's.
If they want the wood bad enough, they will borrow a truck and come get it.
I have also had people call for a delivery, and when I show up, they change there minds or don't have the money.
I sell out every year without doing deliveries.
One lady said I let her dog out.
One lady said I broke some potted plants.
One even tried to clam I broke there driveway.
No thanks. I'll pass.
ChoppyChoppy
Tree Freak
I'm not sure how you "sell out". I do logging and firewood year round. If I run out of logs I've very badly failed at planning.
Dump in driveway or yard, get paid and off to the next job. Production still going, that's why I have workers.
I've been doing it full time since 2011, only have had one person say I backed into their house, and come to find out, his wife did it earlier that day. (wasn't even near where I had drove)
Only had one person that claimed they didn't have $$. Funny, they paid after I started putting the wood back in the truck.
I'm talking in the ballpark of 3000+ customers.
They'll just go to the next guy delivering wood and not screw around with finding a truck. Some of my orders are 5-15 cords, they gonna show up with a semi truck or make 30 trips?
Dump in driveway or yard, get paid and off to the next job. Production still going, that's why I have workers.
I've been doing it full time since 2011, only have had one person say I backed into their house, and come to find out, his wife did it earlier that day. (wasn't even near where I had drove)
Only had one person that claimed they didn't have $$. Funny, they paid after I started putting the wood back in the truck.
I'm talking in the ballpark of 3000+ customers.
They'll just go to the next guy delivering wood and not screw around with finding a truck. Some of my orders are 5-15 cords, they gonna show up with a semi truck or make 30 trips?
Tenderfoot
ArboristSite Guru
Delivery vs pickup is a local market thing. Where you are is going to control that. I think the trick to success is figuring out how your particular market works and meeting those needs, not somebody else's market. It makes sense where you are that pickup will not work, but varying landowner liability laws in different states may protect the business owner more or less.
Where I am pickup does not work. People will steal your wood once they know where it is, I caught a 'friend' just yesterday in my wood pile loading his truck up. He got about a half cord before I chased him off. Delivery works since my distances are short (under 20 minutes each way) and it is clearly understood I will only dump, stacking is extra. I post as such in any ads I ran and its on my cards and voicemail.
You still get problem customers, but that is the price you pay for dealing with joe public. So far every one of my problem customers has been a 30-45 year old stay at home wives. You can get a feel real quick for who will and wont be trouble. And it is always stupid. They wait two weeks or a month and want more wood or a refund (it was wet, you shorted me, not the right color etc).
gixxer1237
ArboristSite Member
My brother and I are in our first year selling. Both of us have full time jobs and grew up cutting wood for heat. We have cut and sold maybe 8 cords. Had calls for over 20. First fix your price. Second be honest. We are selling green hedge. Ad says green hedge. We also only sell by the cord. No "truck loads". You want a half cord ok. We also deliver, stack and carry withing 20 miles. I figure it's about $8 a hour profit. We also give away a couple cords to some of the people who really need it.
My brother tried doing this on his own a couple years ago. I helped while I was laid off. As soon as I went back to work he pretty much stopped. It's a lot for 1 person to do with no equipment.
My brother tried doing this on his own a couple years ago. I helped while I was laid off. As soon as I went back to work he pretty much stopped. It's a lot for 1 person to do with no equipment.
Bundles, I get more than 10 campfire bundles per cord.
ChoppyChoppy
Tree Freak
Sorry, my math sucks this morning. Bad storm here and my back hurts so bad it's not even funny. Even my left foot is hurting, and that rarely bothers me (crushed it 12 years ago).
Spent 6+hrs over the weekend plowing sniw, to the point I was almost falling asleep in the skid steer (worked full days logging as well) Got almost all done last night, freaking 5" on the ground this morning, calling for 5-9" and it's still dumping. argh!
More snow these last few days than the last couple years combined! Last year I took out the tractor at my house for sniwblowing once!
I get around 100 bundles to a cord, so 20 cords, not 200!
I agree, the market will dictate if pick up or delivery will work best.
My yard is in the burbs so pick up woks better for me.
As for theft, I haven't had that issue. My yard is fenced and I'm here all the time or someone else is.
Tenderfoot
ArboristSite Guru
Theft is always going to be an issue in urban or suburban areas. A fence will only stop the lazy ones. Thankfully few people see the point in stealing wood. Its really not much less effort then splitting it yourself.
ChoppyChoppy
Tree Freak
Had had it stolen here recently.
Had a customer buy a cord and pickup. Shows up with a short bed and after a bit his friend comes over with a longbed.
I told him to fill the shortbed again, and it'll be a "heavy" cord. He paid, would come back the following day for the 3rd load.
Shows up, we are out logging, loads both trucks again. Got about $400 worth of wood for $250.
I didn't even bother calling him, not worth the fight over it. One of the guys should have stopped it, but apparently I need to write every detail out with crayons.
Have had a few people grab wood, and skip stopping in the shop to pay too.
This summer I'm building a 30x80 3 sided shed to dump the pickup wood, and it will have a gate on it.
We are on 5 acres, could use another 5, it's pretty tight.
ChoppyChoppy
Tree Freak
Start a waiting list. Least that's what I do. I'm delivering November orders right now.
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