Rob D

Dam - ordered now - not to worry there's something still quite nice about having box sets...

Thanks Rich but the trouble is even if I found a cheaper courier for some size parcels and some areas it is very hard to tie in that cheaper courier with the website - practically speaking you really need to have the same courier for all your parcels. FedEx have been utterly reliable recently with only one parcel in the last 12 months having difficulties being delivered - and that was your one recently for some reason! (has now been re directed to Jonsie).

Thanks for the heads up - never even heard of it - but just ordered the 1-4 box set off amazon

Nice job

Yep I know! I use the FedEx A service so is always on a next day delivery. I have found FedEx to be excellent esp from my depot where they really work hard to keep their customers. It all works well but it is the smaller orders that people tend to gripe about - hopefully this thread helps show it from the retailers point of view.

Another thing that makes it hard to judge one file against another is that with the big manufacturers (particularly Stihl and Oregon) they can often get files made in different places and different factories. So this would explain a lot of differences of opinion and makes it very hard to really judge which files are best.

I'm putting off milling now until Oct/Nov time... Milling and drying wood is something that takes a few years to get a feel for. Initially I would not worry too much about getting all details exactly right first time. Look to build your knowledge over years rather than trying to hit the ground running. But when you come to mill try and be tidy. Get your planks the same thickness and when you come to stack and stick it do it neatly with even stickers.

Thanks - I think it makes it easier as well if it's explained why things are charged as they are rather than just 'like it or lump it'

I think that is why there a lot of threads now going on 'seasoned cord' - you can make the figures work if you process straight from cord into a truck and out to customer.... Ash and beech etc may be drier after being left in the round a couple of years but not firewood dry IMO.....

Sorry about that but it is tricky sending small orders to areas out of Mainland UK. In fact I started to reply to this as it's cropped up a couple of times so instead have started a thread here http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/chainsawbars/63176-delivery-costs-explained-csb.html#post964166 as it's very long and I don't want to hijack this thread!)

Explanation of postage costs and the questions that crop up. As chainsawbars has started to grow a few times now there has been questions regarding delivery costs. So I've taken the time to write an explanation which I hope gives some insights into why we charge what we charge. Question 1 - So and so company can deliver a bar and chain for £2.99 inc vat - why can't you? Answer 1 - There are lists of reasons why their costs may be lower - higher volume, better relationship with courier company, they have a franking machine, their Aunty Sandra owns a post office, their parcels tend to all come within a certain easily defined size, weight and shape, the cost is added to the goods,.... etc etc etc.... The parcels I send out vary massively in terms of length, shape and size. So I have got a set deal with FedEx - I can ship pretty much any size parcel for £7-00+vat Mainland UK and £15-45+vat Highlands and Zone 4 postcodes BUT it does not matter whether the parcel is 500g or 25kg - the price is the same. This makes things simple for all concerned. Simple keeps things efficient and cost effective. It doesn't suit everyone at all times but it does suit most people at most times. We lose money on 99% of parcels sent out after paying postage, packing and handling. Question 2 - Ok then but if that's what the courier costs then why not use Royal Mail - they deliver to out of the way places in Scotland and their cost is the same as Mainland UK? Answer 2 - Royal Mail have lost 3 parcels recently - these were on a signed for service - we had to re send all 3 parcels by courier... one did turn up 2 weeks after being sent and then we had to organise getting this one returned... (and refund the customer postage costs). There is no tracking with Royal Mail on the smaller items - if they go missing you have to wait 6 weeks before you can claim compensation and when you do claim the money you get back is barely worth the time spent form filling and chasing up. Also - people tend to think 'that cost £2.95 to send by Royal Mail' so why have I paid more?' We have to pay someone to pack all parcels. They get paid on a commission basis and they get a minimum £3-00 per parcel. The price you pay is for postage and packing not just the actual cost of the postage. Additionally the person who packs has a full time job and can't always make it to the post office so I have to get someone else to go - usually takes 20 to 30 mins from leaving the workshop to getting back - cost is £3-00 to £4-00. So in summary - sending things outside of Fedex (which is my main courier) by Royal Mail has a lot of other costs and you can't track the parcel - two good reasons for not using them. Question 3 - Why can't you just do free postage for orders over a certain amount - everyone else does? Surely you can afford to do that as well? Answer 3 - We could do but this is a business and that cost would just have to go on the price of what we're selling. We subsidise the postage costs rather than zero rating them. At some point there is only ever one person that has to pay the costs and that is you the customer - that is the only place the income is coming from. Also maybe in the end the costs will catch up with those other companies - we are looking at the long term game - what is the most sustainable and fair way of doing things for years to come. Question 4 - Ok ok - I've heard all the above but come on - there are lots of other companies out there selling the same things you sell and they still do much better on the delivery costs. Answer 4 - I'd disagree with the first part of that question - there are a lot of other companies out there selling bars and chains but none of them has the choice that chainsawbars has. Oregon and Stihl have a very good range with an excellent distribution network. They are by no means perfect but when you sell their products you get an account, you can order a few bits and pieces online with fast delivery, stocking levels for most items are very good (although for some items - fortunately the minority - stocking levels can be abysmal ) We could just supply these brands and particularly with oregon punt them out online and ebay for a small margin, not keep much stock and have the same choice as everyone else does - but that was not what chainsawbars was started for. It was started to give the best information and the best choice on the net. When you look to import new products there is no account terms - you pay upfront and may have to wait a long time to see the products and then even longer to sell them and get your money back... Why has Sugihara not been seen in the UK before? The bars are excellent, prices not bad so why are they not in evidence? Because to import them in terms of cash flow and stock tied up you have to stick your neck out a very long way. This is the reason the bars are often associated with needing spacers - it's easier and cheaper to buy in a few hundred all the same length drilled with all necessary oiler holes and use spacers for different chainsaws. But we choose to get each individual bar for each saw in each length. And that sort of brings things round to the final point - what sort of service are you after? Do you want the best choice, new products and slightly higher costs like postage.... ....or the cheapest price postage included but limited range of products offered i.e limited to the existing manufacturers that are already well established? It is not possible for us to offer both of the above. I hope the above helps explain the delivery costs. We are looking at something like Despatch.com and this could be an option in the future to reduce postage costs to out of the way places but at the moment we're not doing the volume for it to make much difference.

There's a few threads on this at the moment looking at how seasoned wood can get in the round.... I have quite a few bits of wood in the yard that have been there off the ground, 12" to 14" diameter for 3 to 4 years. The bark has come off most of them and they are in the open... Had a bit of a tidy the other day and ringed a few up. The end ring was cracked and dryish but the rest still pretty wet a foot into the log ie MC around 30% to 35%. Is there such a thing as seasoned cord? i.e. MC 20% on splitting? My experience of wood says not...

'Valuable' walnut butts are rare - at a rough guess having seen a few maybe 1 in 100. The rest then come on a scale between firewood ------ valuable. Also they are not valuable unless you know how to cut them and where to sell the timber.... The odds are the timber to a miller may be worth around £150-00. To take the tree down approx £400-£500. (above is an educated guess).

I do not know anyone who buys or expects to buy wood as a 'stacked volume'. It would be an unrealistic way of delivering logs. As you say your best way of getting wood is helping out a tree surgeon or forester.

Well earnt Steve - the best thing that has happened to the arb world has been arbtalk

Smart job Nick

Just seen this post and sorry no one answered - but anyway welcome to the forum and thanks for introducing yourself. Rob

I'd be the first to say have it down usually but it does look a cracking healthy tree from the pic.... If you do take it down could you plant another in it's place?

It will be sort of in tune with what you have ordered - i.e. if grinding stones you will get more of them, or maybe a couple of wedges... useful stuff...

No worrys - it is a good point as on the surface yes it does seem expensive when looking at small items but if that's the only thing going to the post office then I have to give Andy who does all the packing something for it! Bigger places pay reduced postage and use a franking machine so small items are collected but I am a long way off that!

Reminder that the pre orders disc will be reduced to 10% on the 20th Sept. All the bars are still on track to go out on the 20th October as long as everything goes smoothly with customs. Also - we are going to stop using Royal Mail for most deliveries. Now had the fourth parcel go missing in 6 weeks - Royal Mail used to be a pretty reliable service but it just causes too much frustration all round when they loose something. Their compensation scheme is useless, their signed for service does still not guarantee anything, there is no way to track orders which means if something goes missing we have to write off the order and re send. :sneaky2:

Amazing

Nice stall and set up - I've found it really tough over the years converting timber into cash but there is def a market out there it just takes a lot of persistence to nail it down. Shows can seem like a bit of a waste of time but still one of the best ways to get your name out there.