Summer firewood?

[brashpig]

Hi,

Does anyone on here delivering significant amounts of firewood (50+ cubish per year) manage to shift it all in the summer?

 

How do customers take to being delivered firewood so far in advance of using it? Are there enough alternative clientelle that will use it through the summer (campsites, pubs etc)

 

Thanks

[Steve Bullman]

I used to call round my customers during the summer when I was quiet. Would usually spin a yarn that my firewood supply was low on the ground and I wanted to ensure my regular clients had enough seasoned wood to see them through the winter. I would mostly get a 100% success rate using this method.

[Woodworks]

We sell a bit but it's mainly to the well organised thinking about next winter, not those that are looking to have an outside fire. Also, sell a bit of unseasoned cheap to those that want to dry it themselves. Campsites do want logs but don't seem to be prepared to pay the going rate for quality dry logs. They probably don't want too well seasoned on open fires as it would burn up too quickly. 

[brashpig]

Hehe, sneaky!
So you could get shot of some, but for the most part you would deliver through the winter? Do you think those same clients would take to stocking up solely in the summer?
I guess the trouble is, they have to estimate pretty well how much they need for a whole winter and then have the space to keep it all. [emoji53]

[brashpig]

We sell a bit but it's mainly to the well organised thinking about next winter, not those that are looking to have an outside fire. Also, sell a bit of unseasoned cheap to those that want to dry it themselves. Campsites do want logs but don't seem to be prepared to pay the going rate for quality dry logs. They probably don't want too well seasoned on open fires as it would burn up too quickly. 

Ok, yea I suspected it would take a certain person to be that on the ball. So unless I could build a large enough customer base of just really organised people (wishful thinking perhaps) then probably not. if you don't mind my asking, what do you charge for the part seasoned firewood?

[Steve Bullman]

9 minutes ago, brashpig said:

Hehe, sneaky!
So you could get shot of some, but for the most part you would deliver through the winter? Do you think those same clients would take to stocking up solely in the summer?
I guess the trouble is, they have to estimate pretty well how much they need for a whole winter and then have the space to keep it all.

I think by the time I got out of firewood I had got about 60% of my deliveries going out in summer. A lot of them burned the same amount each year so pretty much knew how much would seem them through. For the most part they were 1 load a year type customers, so storage wasn't usually a huge issue.

[Woodworks]

5 minutes ago, brashpig said:

13 minutes ago, Woodworks said:

We sell a bit but it's mainly to the well organised thinking about next winter, not those that are looking to have an outside fire. Also, sell a bit of unseasoned cheap to those that want to dry it themselves. Campsites do want logs but don't seem to be prepared to pay the going rate for quality dry logs. They probably don't want too well seasoned on open fires as it would burn up too quickly. 

Ok, yea I suspected it would take a certain person to be that on the ball. So unless I could build a large enough customer base of just really organised people (wishful thinking perhaps) then probably not. if you don't mind my asking, what do you charge for the part seasoned firewood?

I don't do part seasoned as such. It's either fresh straight off the processor into the truck and £140 for 2 cubes or it's seasoned in crates and then £115 for 1 cube and £210 for 2. If they want part seasoned from the crates it's sold at a seasoned price as the work is the same. 

[brashpig]

I think by the time I got out of firewood I had got about 60% of my deliveries going out in summer. A lot of them burned the same amount each year so pretty much knew how much would seem them through. For the most part they were 1 load a year type customers, so storage wasn't usually a huge issue.

Oh, ok. So it wasn't just odds and sodds! That's pretty significant then. Do you think the key to that was people being offered firewood on the spot at their front door?

[Steve Bullman]

I think the fact I phoned them to express concern that I wanted to make sure as a loyal customer they got first pickings of the seasoned wood swung it, very few turned it down.

[brashpig]

I don't do part seasoned as such. It's either fresh straight off the processor into the truck and £140 for 2 cubes or it's seasoned in crates and then £115 for 1 cube and £210 for 2. If they want part seasoned from the crates it's sold at a seasoned price as the work is the same. 

Yea, that makes sense. In my case it could be worth it to me to lose a little margin on a bagged product delivered in summer just to keep winter open for felling. Though it does seem like it may as well be fully seasoned and full price if it's in the bag... hmmm, food for thought.