AlleyCat`

As a "customer" i sort of understand some of the responses but if i didn't know you i'd be also wary of buying from you first time up if you refused to let me visit the yard to see your product. I've always popped in to the site of the guy i buy logs from when i want to place a new order. I don't "collect" but i prefer to do the order in person as the yard is on the route of a journey i travel semi regularly anyway so it makes sense to me. I also tend to "pick up" kindling if i need any as and when. I understand the worries with regards to insurance and especially people on the "rob" but some of us are just decent people who like to do things in person, old school. I also learned a lot more about what's involved and now have a greater appreciation of the costs involved as he took the time to show me how it all works.

As a consumer of firewood with mains gas central heating i can tell you catergorically that gas is cheaper (even when you get some odds and ends for free). I have a stove for several reasons, none of which are to do with "money saving" and i'm wise enough to know that is the case. TSSC covers off several points that i'd consider apply to me. I also enjoy splitting wood on a w/e (as i'm mostly a desk jockey). There is also the "niggling" part of my brain that likes to have an isolated alternative to "mains" supplied anything when possible as the boiler doesn't work if the gas OR electric is disrupted.

Do people really start stocking up this late in the year? I've had mine in log stores for many months? I might be off base but i'd sort of expect the price to be higher and the quality to be, at least somewhat, less as you get this far into the year. Or is that not how it works?

Fair one. It's little bits of information like that us consumer types don't really ever see.

I'm sort of in this camp. I know very well that bought in wood, briquettes or even smokeless are not going to be cheaper than mains gas. It's quite interesting reading on here about costs that some of you guys have to cover. Is it an economy of scale that individuals / small business can't achieve that is the issue? Are you now getting mugged by the land owners as they see more "value" in the timber or is it just general COL that is overtaking it all. On the flip side of all of this there is also the fact i enjoy having a "fire" and i will confess I also have my, somewhat, paranoid eye on the "grid". The lack of long term planning with regards to power generation over the last two decades is going to come home to roost at some point. If either gas or electric gets into any sort of rationed state it's always nice to have some alternative. Mind you i went into "stove ownership" with my eyes fully open, i suspect a lot of people are getting sold a dream about free heating which a lot of you gentleman have to then suffer the brunt of.