Large pellet order (has anyone done this)

mpcm · Mar 21, 2011

Has anyone (short of dealer) placed a large order to their residence?

Is/was there any decent discount/consideration from your local dealer (or did you get it from the manufacturer?)?

I'm considering my options for the next couple winters, and possibly adding an additional pellet stove to the house at some point in addition to insulation and other items.

No names needed, just curious if anyone has been doing this already. I got a total of 3 tons delivered this heating season... so I'm talking upwards of 10 tons I guess. Someone was saying 20-22 tons per trailer... if I could make a reasonable stance that I could store them protected that long in the barn, it seems like a reasonable approach.

Perhaps the question is what is required to become a smaller dealer instead?
Has anyone gone down this path either?

AVIVIII · Mar 21, 2011

Never done it, but I have been thinking about it too. My father has a small retail business that I was considering as enlisting as a dealer. I'm casually looking into it.

In the meantime, MWP I think will deliver a truckload 22-26 tons to "retailers" or anyone in the state of Maine. It probably wouldn't take much to get them out to Southern NH.

DexterDay · Mar 21, 2011

I have a 40x30 Barn that has nothing in it and would love to do this. I too am looking for more info. I read earlier in the year (Around November) that you could get a 22 ton load (max in Ohio) for around $150/ton. I am looking forward to someone with more info on this also. Called around to all my local Dealer's to check Spring Buy prices the last couple weeks and getting no deals. I still have one Dealer that I was supposed to call Sat morning (Member on this Forum) , but I had to work 12 hrs and didnt get a chance to call. I already have 5 tons stored away. but with all the talk of Price increases (And the Wife's permission), I am going to try and buy as much as possible. Saved a lot more money this year than in years past. Cheap pellets=Happy and Warm Family=Happy Me!

Meneillys · Mar 21, 2011

I have done this for a couple of customers. Depending on if they had a fork lift to unload or if I had to bring mine we charged $5-$15 per ton over cost. The two problems with doing that is 1 a truck load is 22 tons minimum most times larger and 2 unless you have an off road fork lift you need a fairly large paved area to unload on. Use www.woodpelletprice.com to look for some local pellet dealers and see what they say.

Como · Mar 21, 2011

Per ton presumably.

I am sure it varies a lot, I know in CO you can buy direct from at least 2 manufacturers. I looked at it when I was looking at a Pellet Boiler, but that would be bulk rather than bagged.

Harman Lover 007 · Mar 21, 2011

Meneillys said:
I have done this for a couple of customers. Depending on if they had a fork lift to unload or if I had to bring mine we charged $5-$15 per ton over cost. The two problems with doing that is 1 a truck load is 22 tons minimum most times larger and 2 unless you have an off road fork lift you need a fairly large paved area to unload on. Use www.woodpelletprice.com to look for some local pellet dealers and see what they say.

I have done it the above way with my stove and pellet shop that I bought the stove from. A decent size group of us collectively purchased 50 tons every May. In the beginning we would unload them at a site using a CAT backhoe and pallet forks and over the course of several days guys would come pick them up. More recently the dealer had the 10 wheel straight job with the Spyder forklift on the back and they would unload at our location. Buying that much in bulk we generally saved about $20-25/ton but still were paying $225-$240 depending on the year.
This past season with all of the big box price wars, I'm all set for next year and won't be participating in that big buy.

ChrisWNY · Mar 21, 2011

$150/ton would be a great deal, but it would be rough if those 20 tons+ were all poor quality pellets (i.e. wet, ashy, really dusty, etc.), you'd be stuck with them for a LONG time.

Gumby1 · Mar 21, 2011

Im sure that is $150 per ton plus the shipping

Fsappo · Mar 21, 2011

I have 2 customers heating large commercial spaces of about 6K sq ft each. They live close buy each other. I'll broker them a deal on a tractor load (22 tons) once a year. Lower my markup to right where Meneillys is and just have them dropped shipped to the customer.

mpcm · Mar 21, 2011

I've sent an email off to my current pellet provider encouraging them to signup with some other more cost effective brands, hopefully that might become an option. Even if I have to make a big purchase up front to make it happen... going to be heating this house for the next several years at a minimum, unless something magical happens and I'm running a concentrating fresnel lens onto a solar heating system.

I wouldn't mind working something out with them in order to handle the "last mile" delivery issue from the trailer to my driveway. We'll see were it goes... working on the logistics and doing the mental exercises to see if it is a worthwhile venture over all. I'm guessing it will be, even if I have sell off a couple tons to family/friends/neighbors to make it work. Gotta go out and measure the barn too see how much room I actually have next to the ride on mower. Could stick them in the car port I suppose, it was built to park a school bus in, back in the day.

A local pellet buying group might be a good solution also, especially if the numbers work well. I know there seems to be a lot of hushing about large purchases by individuals, but really there is a lot of purchasing power going on with our groups. Our behavior as strange as it may seem, is healthy for the community on the whole.

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Large pellet order (has anyone done this)

mpcm

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AVIVIII

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DexterDay

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Meneillys

Feeling the Heat

Como

Minister of Fire

Harman Lover 007

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ChrisWNY

Feeling the Heat

Gumby1

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Fsappo

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mpcm

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