Have you ever not sold out?

[Rob D]

Rob - you sum up the point exactly - Please don't take this the wrong way but shouldn't you be trying to produce 400t and stop discounting for multiple orders. In fact a business model might suggest a price lift of 30% and you still may run out of wood. My guess is that you sell great product that is delivered efficiently why not get paid for it.

 

 

Now a couple of years on - last year I had 30 cube left and this year I expect I'll have around 20 cube left of dry wood... more people have come into the market and I made a mistake doing cubic meter bags... should have done half or 2/3 cubic meter bags...

 

 

You can try as much as you like - customers ring up and all they want to know is the price the price the price... so this season will bend to that and get smaller bags in so I can start my loads at £45-00. Round here that is what the market wants.

 

 

Hardly anyone had x2 bags at a time to get the discount - they have a bag at a time - similar to a smoker who smokes 20 a day that buys his cigs in packs of 10....

[Alycidon]

-

 

if only people would take nice seasoned larch for £60 m3- but i blame the stove installers for brainwashing the public into asking for either kiln dried or 3 year seasoned hardwood - (which is what we got asked for the other week)

 

 

 

Hi Joy,

 

I sell stoves and when I have it lots of softwood, when I dont its hardwood.

 

 

There is a link here:

 

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/FC-BEC-InfoSheet-Wood-as-Fuel-TechSupp.pdf/$file/FC-BEC-InfoSheet-Wood-as-Fuel-TechSupp.pdf

 

to the calorific values of different timbers, given an equal moistuire content then soft woods fill all the top six places. Perhaps a bit of ammo for you to use.

 

The issue is that older people are used to open fires and softwood spits, stoves are supposed to be sued with closed doors so spitting is not an issue.

 

Shame I am not nearer or I could help you dispose of some of the nasty softwood you have !!,

 

A

[gensetsteve]

I have processed logs for 6 years and never run out but come close. If your logs are well seasoned and you dont have too much competition you can charge a premium price. Around me the average price for a cu metre is £60. Unless they all run out that seems to be the ceiling. 3 years ago we were turning new customers away how times have changed.

[Alycidon]

I am a newcomer to this firewood business, in my 3rd winter, 2nd winter doing it properly.

 

Last winter I had about 40-50 cube left, I cant see the point of running out and then turning customers to your competitors. I have spent all my life in wholesale except for the last 4 years, run out in wholesale and you are dead. This year I will come pretty close to running out if we have a bad February weather wise unless I buy some more in. had a guy in today, he usually takes 3 cube over the winter, he has about 2 weeks worth left and does not want to take a whole cube, he is happy to pay a higher rate for a lesser quantity in barrow bags.

 

I know its hard to judge what you need to store, my view at present is store all you can.

 

A

[Alycidon]

I have processed logs for 6 years and never run out but come close. If your logs are well seasoned and you dont have too much competition you can charge a premium price. Around me the average price for a cu metre is £60. Unless they all run out that seems to be the ceiling. 3 years ago we were turning new customers away how times have changed.

 

How do you make a sensible profit at £60 a cube unless your cord is very cheap or free. Got a feeling you have posted that you are now out of logs and just doing kindling, at that rate I can see why. It costs me £1.50 a mile to run my delivery Landrover and thats without taking into consideration the maintenance costs of the trailer.

 

A

[roseyweb]

Alycidon - if your in northants I can supply you with all the softwood you can handle

 

x

[delabodge]

totally sold out this yr by end of november,,hardwood and softwood,,,,,£80 pe m3 roughly 200 bags,,and the demand is for twice that here,,,,but all our wood is arb waste, or sawmill offcuts,,, another supplier just sold up because he couldnt sell it at £100 m3,,,so £80/85m3 seems about right.....

[Alycidon]

Alycidon - if your in northants I can supply you with all the softwood you can handle

 

x

pm sent.

 

A

Edited February 3, 2013 by Alycidon

[gensetsteve]

How do you make a sensible profit at £60 a cube unless your cord is very cheap or free. Got a feeling you have posted that you are now out of logs and just doing kindling, at that rate I can see why. It costs me £1.50 a mile to run my delivery Landrover and thats without taking into consideration the maintenance costs of the trailer.

 

A

 

We sell 1 metre for £95 or 1.5 cu for £130 If the rest want to tread water thats fine Whats left will get sold next year. I only did about 150 tonne this year compared with 300-500 other years. I still have 50 tonne left. We made the decision a year ago to pack up logs and concentrate on kindling and my other business. I have never posted I am out of logs.

[Dave Martin]

We sell 1 metre for £95 or 1.5 cu for £130 If the rest want to tread water thats fine Whats left will get sold next year. I only did about 150 tonne this year compared with 300-500 other years. I still have 50 tonne left. We made the decision a year ago to pack up logs and concentrate on kindling and my other business. I have never posted I am out of logs.

 

He meant that you have posted that you are out of the log game, stopped selling logs, no longer doing logs, come to your senses, found sanity etc etc