Is this the end?

[Backpain]

After 8 years selling firewood it would appear the end is near.  I've no shortage of customers, in fact we just get busier evry year.  But for the past few years its become more and more difficult to find local hardwood. We've had to source from bigger wholesalers just to get hold of coredwood. The price has literally doubled and I see no way of increasing retail price to compensate.  It's a hard job with many overheads and I don't see any profit int now or in the future.  It seems the only way to do it is to buy it standing and extract it yourself. So consequently I'm looking for a part time job driving a van which in reality will make me more profit.

[Steve Bullman]

Thats a shame mate.  Seems the only option is to put you prices up drastically if you're going to keep in it.

[westphalian]

I don’t understand. If people want it then they will pay for it. If they can’t afford hard, they will go soft? I plan to flog logs when I retire in 3 years. Currently I’m selling ton bags of air dried ash to friends and co for £35 hoping they will keep with me when that runs out and my softwood is dry for same price

 

[Mark Bolam]

There's your answer right there Backpain.

Get your order in to Westphalian!

[Gary Prentice]

8 minutes ago, westphalian said:

I don’t understand. If people want it then they will pay for it. If they can’t afford hard, they will go soft? I plan to flog logs when I retire in 3 years. Currently I’m selling ton bags of air dried ash to friends and co for £35 hoping they will keep with me when that runs out and my softwood is dry for same price

 

You'll have lots of friends at £35 

 

2 hours ago, Backpain said:

After 8 years selling firewood it would appear the end is near.

That's rough, but if you can't change your set up to be more efficient/profitable to reduce the impact of rising material costs, what can you do?

 

Could you try marketing the softwood more, promoting it due to the rising H/W prices. 

[westphalian]

Sorry but the ash will be gone soon then it will just be the leftover spruce that I don’t mill into planks. Small scale

Flogging my log has been a pastime of mine for some years now

[bankhouse builder]

I know exactly what you are experiencing I used to buy hardwood cord in just a couple of load at a time its doubled in price since 2012 but I struggle to get a 10% increase in price over the same period. I have started using arb waste a lot slower to process but I am not laying thousands out just to get a bit back . I only do it part time wouldn't want to  rely on it as my sole income.

 

[Gary Prentice]

2 hours ago, westphalian said:

 

Flogging my log has been a pastime of mine for some years now

You'll go blind... allegedly!

[Backpain]

The saddest part will be letting down all my loyal customers. I've been delivering to them for year's and they greet me like an old friend.  A lot of my customers do like a mixed load with some softwood mixed in which improves the profit and I sell arb arisings which adds to the profit, but there's just not enough in it to be worth the effort. I feel like someone is getting rich out of this and its not me!

[FJMatt]

In reply to your question "is this the end" 

I would definitely say it's the beginning of it. 

Timber prices have gone from £20 per ton delivered, to £60 this week (softwood) when you can get it, while 

The cost of firewood is basically unchanged, 

I reckon if the current trend, be it stoves ,biomass etc, continues at its current pace, the whole thing will implode within the next five years