Maybe cash isn’t king? Long post sorry.

[Drifter2406]

We get that here in general, people want stuff for nothing, it's even got to a point where if i sell anything i make sure I'm in view of one of the cameras, over time it makes people very untrusting, normally the honest ones as the others have no conscience of taking from someone, just pat themselves on the back for a good job well done.

 

[hkstwn7]

When someone goes off like that,you can be sure they have something to hide.

 

[TRTermite]

Seems to me if "SHE" had used new bills you would have received 600$ 'cuz they should have stuck together for her. just one of my near miscombobulated thoughts.

 

[calamari]

She’s old and cranky for sure. I thought maybe that or that she may have had debt issues at one time and is sensitive about that sort of thing. That would make sense for an honest mistake or something slipping your mind triggering anger too.

SamT1, you seem like a good person who knows how to take an even strain and have the right attitude to avoid ulcers. It's easy to begin to hate everyone based on experiences like that one that could just be a misunderstanding/brain fart. It averages out. Good on you.

 

[calamari]

Seems to me if "SHE" had used new bills you would have received 600$ 'cuz they should have stuck together for her. just one of my near miscombobulated thoughts.

I've been told it's a wise man that knows his limitations. Being prone to malaprops and miscombobulatiuon myself, I feel your pain.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

I had a guy order wood. It was a beach house, near Lake Michigan. He and his family were at the beach, which was across the street and down half a block to public access. His father was putting chicken on the grill. First thing he says to me is, not hi or hello, just stack the wood along side the garage. I explained I hand unload off the flatbed, and stacking is not offered, (which I had made clear on the phone but that was to his son or son-in-law). Old man (actually my age I guess) was obviously very well to do, and I assume the fact that I didn't stack annoyed him, and maybe tucking my 18" beard in my T-shirt before getting to work, might have had something to do with his ignoring me from then on, as well. The extended family came back from the beach, sandy feet, swim suits and towel, all a chatter, very happy, and excited and welcoming, before going in to change. The old man handed me a few crisp new hundreds, which I thanked him for, folded and slipped in my pocket. When I got home, a six or seven mile drive, I counted out the money. New bills, and surprise, was a hundred too much. Yep, sequential bills too...and I new it wasn't a tip.
Jumped in the car and headed back. The family of adult kids and grand kids just finishing grilled chicken at two picnic tables. It got silent. The old man looked very confused, that was obvious, asking if there was a problem. Nothing serious. I handed him the bills, all of it, and asked him to count it, which he did and it came out right. Then I counted it, and slid my thumb over each. I set the extra hundred on the table. He looked up, offered me some leftover chicken on the grill and fixin's. I declined, getting up I said enjoy your evening with family, diner was waiting for me at home.
After that, I always count the money, or look at the check, making sure everything is good then and there. I used to think it was rude to count the money in front of them, as if I didn't trust someone. It's a double check for both parties. People used to count change back in stores. Guess I'm dating myself.
Last week I delivered and the guy gave me half the money. I had not dumped it yet and offered him the option of not taking it. No one likes surprises. He looked up the ad on his phone, and said my (meaning his) mistake. He said dump it, and paid full price. It happens.

 

[djg james]

Im gonna guess If she storms me on Facebook she will get a bunch of folks calling her out on it. This is a pretty small town area.
I just can’t believe she got so mad. We didn’t accuse her of anything fraudulent, but she went straight to that. Acted like I’m some sort of nut for not being immediately concerned about not being paid for a job I hadn’t even finished. Wife says she’s raising the price $50. Fuel and supplies are killing me. I have more orders than I can fill. I’d be done by New Years at best if I didn’t get another order from here out.

Sorry to hear about your experience. You sell a full cord for $100? I'm a little confused as I'm trying to decide on a price to sell wood.

 

[SamT1]

Sorry to hear about your experience. You sell a full cord for $100? I'm a little confused as I'm trying to decide on a price to sell wood.

$200. I put 2 on her 16’ trailer. And she just left $200 instead of $400

don’t sell it that cheap just don’t….. my area is unique usually because there is lots of tress people want cut down. Most of the time narcotics users get together in a group and cut a good bit of wood to sell. They sell it really cheap and it’s pretty junky wood. But it’s cheap and sets a price. They aren’t doing it anymore and it’s putting a strain on me. My wife keeps upping the price. I think I need to ease up to atleast 250 by next season. That way if I sell 2/3 as much I’d make plenty of money (I use most my wood money to build cattle operation) or if I sell the same I’d have enough to take my wife and kids on a vacation and try and make up for it being home from September-January.

 

[calamari]

$200. I put 2 on her 16’ trailer. And she just left $200 instead of $400

don’t sell it that cheap just don’t….. my area is unique usually because there is lots of tress people want cut down. Most of the time narcotics users get together in a group and cut a good bit of wood to sell. They sell it really cheap and it’s pretty junky wood. But it’s cheap and sets a price. They aren’t doing it anymore and it’s putting a strain on me. My wife keeps upping the price. I think I need to ease up to atleast 250 by next season. That way if I sell 2/3 as much I’d make plenty of money (I use most my wood money to build cattle operation) or if I sell the same I’d have enough to take my wife and kids on a vacation and try and make up for it being home from September-January.

It's funny but here in the central California foothills there's an odd mismatch. Because of the big fires we've had and PG&E finally doing tree trimming along their lines, there is a ton of oak on the ground. Lots of people don't burn wood as it's "nasty" or something or because they can't because of the air basin they're in. We can burn all the time because we're in the foothills but people in Sacramento can't because of winter air inversions that trap the smoke. So lots of wood, limited market and the price is still $350-$375/cord dump delivered. That's what it was before the wood glut and now I just look on Craig's list for free oak and, so far, can get all I need.

 

[Joisey]

I ran my own garage for 25 years. One thing that I learned is the person that asks what the cost will be to repair their vehicle and responds with "no problem" will NOT have the cash when the vehicle is done. The person that tells you they will scrape the cash together to pay the bill will have every penny waiting for you when the vehicle is repaired.

Always count the cash in front of the customer. Plenty times they were $20 or $50 short and happened to have that amount in their wallet.

I've heard the "I'll have the rest for you next Thursday" line too many times. They get their vehicle when the bill is paid in full.

 

[djg james]

I ran my own garage for 25 years. One thing that I learned is the person that asks what the cost will be to repair their vehicle and responds with "no problem" will NOT have the cash when the vehicle is done. The person that tells you they will scrape the cash together to pay the bill will have every penny waiting for you when the vehicle is repaired.

Always count the cash in front of the customer. Plenty times they were $20 or $50 short and happened to have that amount in their wallet.

I've heard the "I'll have the rest for you next Thursday" line too many times. They get their vehicle when the bill is paid in full.

I have respectfully disagree with you. I'm one of those who ask for a ball park figure up front so I know and always pay in full when the job is done. In your defense, I'm maybe the exception and not the rule since you deal with more people.

 

[djg james]

$200. I put 2 on her 16’ trailer. And she just left $200 instead of $400

don’t sell it that cheap just don’t….. my area is unique usually because there is lots of tress people want cut down. Most of the time narcotics users get together in a group and cut a good bit of wood to sell. They sell it really cheap and it’s pretty junky wood. But it’s cheap and sets a price. They aren’t doing it anymore and it’s putting a strain on me. My wife keeps upping the price. I think I need to ease up to atleast 250 by next season. That way if I sell 2/3 as much I’d make plenty of money (I use most my wood money to build cattle operation) or if I sell the same I’d have enough to take my wife and kids on a vacation and try and make up for it being home from September-January.

I misunderstood. Still $200/cord is still cheap. I think it's going for around $300 here. And you still split all if by hand (I think you said)? Man that kills me now a days. Do yourself a favor and save your body, get a splitter. When I was younger, I split all my Dad's firewood we used at home with a maul. Even the nasty Elm. When I built my house and started burning, I did it the same way. Then I finally got a splitter. What a difference.

 

[SamT1]

I misunderstood. Still $200/cord is still cheap. I think it's going for around $300 here. And you still split all if by hand (I think you said)? Man that kills me now a days. Do yourself a favor and save your body, get a splitter. When I was younger, I split all my Dad's firewood we used at home with a maul. Even the nasty Elm. When I built my house and started burning, I did it the same way. Then I finally got a splitter. What a difference.

The hydros are too slow. Plus the mesquites don’t have a lot of branches. So a tree that’s 15” at the base probably makes 1/4 of a cord. So lots of moving the splitter. I can have a cord cut and split and thrown in my F350 dump truck on the way to a customer in as little as an hour with good trees. 45min if my wife will help load. I just throw it in the truck by loose volume and I’m usually about perfect. I try to have a little extra and just leave that in the truck. I don’t dump it. Just raise the bed with the tailgate up and it self feeds the wood right at the perfect height to grab without bending my back to stack for the customer.

 

[Den]

1) Establish exact times when you can meet the people in person.
2) "First come, first served" with respect to wood allocation.
3) Nobody comes on the property, much less in the shop, unless you're there.
4) Don't involve wives in you're business. (too much "he said she said" crap).
5) Cash only.
6) No dogs or kids allowed on the property. You're not a kennel or a day care agency. If a dog or kid gets squished by machinery/trucks/etc., there will be tears and lawsuits.
7) No promises on when you will have wood available.




.

 

[treeguy2020]

So I had a new to me problem yesterday.
I had a lady I’ve never sold wood to contact my wife about 45 days ago. She wanted to come pickup 4 cords of wood. Wife tells her I’m a month out and she says that’s fine. Couple weeks ago her names comes up on the list, she brought a trailer by my place and I put 2 cords on it. It’s full 16’ utility.
Wife tell her it will take while to get the second load since it’s getting cold and I have old lady’s who are calling me out of wood. Lady seems fine with it.
so lady comes for her 2 cords, we both have day jobs and aren’t there so wife tells lady to put money in my fridge in the shop or she can pay when we get the rest done.
I saw envelope in there and didn’t open it for a few days. I needed to pay my friend for some cow feed I “borrowed” $375, he gave me a deal so I figured I’d give him the $400 that’s in my beer fridge. I open envelope and there’s 2 $100 bills in it. I figured it was a down payment, maybe what she had on her at the time. No big deal. I cash another check on the way to pay my friend.
Fast foreward 2 weeks. Lady starts badgering my wife about the rest of her wood order, wife knows she has 2 cords and it’s only been cold a few days. So tells here we are filling orders based on need for another week and I’ll have her done. (I have people I’ve sold to for 20 plus years who need wood)
so lady gets horsey and says she’s coming to get her trailer. My wife tells her no problem, just leave the other $200 in the fridge. All hell breaks loose. Lady accuses my wife of being dishonest, says there was 4 $100 bills in there. Gets plumb ugly, says someone stole it out of there. ( I have no employees and live pretty secluded, shop stays unloaded, but an envelope with $400 under my coors light is far from the only thing a thief would take) Anyways, I told my wife to let it go, I’m not much for an argument, but the lady keeps it up. I think wife blocked her number. Anyways, I’m just surprised, I’ve taken lots of checks from folks I don’t know and dropped wood off without being paid while people aren’t home. Never had a problem. Im just surprised, figure I’ll get blasted on Facebook, not much I can do about it.

It's really sad how things have become today, it used to be a person gave you their word and they paid you and on time, today things have changed and changed no for the better.
I agree with your husband just let it pass it's not worth putting any more time with this woman, just start handling your sales with a little less trust.

 

[SamT1]

1) Establish exact times when you can meet the people in person.
2) "First come, first served" with respect to wood allocation.
3) Nobody comes on the property, much less in the shop, unless you're there.
4) Don't involve wives in you're business. (too much "he said she said" crap).
5) Cash only.
6) No dogs or kids allowed on the property. You're not a kennel or a day care agency. If a dog or kid gets squished by machinery/trucks/etc., there will be tears and lawsuits.
7) No promises on when you will have wood available.




.

Your probably right. When I was selling 100 or so to people I’ve known my whole life I could run it like a community service. But this year blew past that point.

 

[Joisey]

I have respectfully disagree with you. I'm one of those who ask for a ball park figure up front so I know and always pay in full when the job is done. In your defense, I'm maybe the exception and not the rule since you deal with more people.

I have respectfully disagree with you. I'm one of those who ask for a ball park figure up front so I know and always pay in full when the job is done. In your defense, I'm maybe the exception and not the rule since you deal with more people.

My mistake for not being more clear in my post. All jobs were quoted a minimum and maximum price. Most jobs came in at minimum or just above, and all jobs within the quoted maximum.

 

[calamari]

People used to count change back in stores. Guess I'm dating myself.

Ha! That made me laugh and brought back memories. I worked in a hardware store in my town where we sold everything from tons of horseshoes to major appliances to replacement leather flapper valves for hand pumps. We had to balance to the penny when we closed out at night and usually did. It was before computers so we counted out the change, coins included.
There was a young kid ( i was old being 22) who was hired and when he went to work we couldn't balance at the end of the day. The manager finally figured out he couldn't count change and no matter what money was offered as payment, he'd take a little from each coin denomination's slot and put it in the customer's hand. If there was a puzzled look on the customers face he'd throw in a couple more quarters He went back to working in the fruit sheds where his skills were better appreciated.

 

[Cricket]

I have sold a lot of firewood over the years. You occasionally get a ding-dong. You learn to know your customers and word travels fast with folks who sell wood. If the lady calls again next year, I bet you are all sold out. I would be.

And I bet they're always surprised - just like my horseshoeing customers. Farriers talk too. How that's a surprise to anyone always astonishes me.

 

[daddy]

100%. Hand split with Fiskars X27. I don’t even own a hydro besides an old tractor one that I haven’t used in 20 years. 10 a week is about all I can do though before the body takes a toll. Hoping to get caught up and let some stuff heal and I may be good to go forever.
Mesquite wood isn’t that hard to split though. Especially it you strategically cut around the Y’s in the wood to your advantage.

you are badass then . i havent hand split wood in twenty years, and i just heat my house and burn for fun at camp,,,