Now is the best time to buy a stove

I've seen and heard anywhere from 4%-10% increases. If we see a strong escalation of steel prices like in 2003, the price increases will not hold at all the price of stoves will continue to rise with steel. The only way this won't happen is if stove companies secure all the steel they need for the upcoming season right now. Otherwise the stove companies have no choice than to pass the extra cost on to us. Some companies simply instate a steel surcharge of x% which can go up and down by the week, some companies do an overall price increase. The overall is alot more fair and more easily distributed across lines, and makes the price more stable. Man I hope they get a handle on things, lack of product last year and possible price fluctuations and possible shortages (though not as likely) this year is not good. I think that the demand for stoves will continue. We're actually still selling alot of units whereas in normal years I'd be digging sprinkler trench about now. People are still extremely wary of gas/energy cost and rightfully so they seem to be creeping up again. Corn stoves are all that I heard about at our Home & Garden show 3/17-3/19. I only had stoves that burn a 50/50 mix of corn & pellets. Apparantly corn is looking more appealing, its around 160 per ton bagged and 80 per ton out of the silo here. Compared to 182-240 per ton for pellets I can see why. I was forced to pick up a corn stove. I chose Bixby, relatively new company. Tried to get one last year but they were having troubles at altitude, they called the other day and said all is well now. I ordered one will light it up and see how it does. So yes, if you're thinking about a stove then get it now, and I'd say right now or you'll simply be paying more. I also wouldn't count so much on the sales. Most of the "sales" I've seen atleast around here are people marking stuff up an extra 20% and having a 10-15% "sale". I'm really gearing up this year, calling all the regular customers starting next week so that they can beat the price increase for chimney cleans and I can get them taken care of before season. This will give me room to take on more new customers and installs.

just went to my stove store to pick up pellets and the person who i bought my stove from said an 8 percent increase and he said pellet price is the same or going up this summer, i said the more the pellets go up and stoves go up you will see a slow down ,, anything realted to pellets

Last year at this same time, my CFM/Century S244E was on clearance
for about $270. This year, the Hardware Chain store will stock & sell
it year-round - price $370!!

P.S. - Even at this price, I think it is a great little stove.
I own two (2), and the last one replaced & outperformed
my $1500 European cast-iron giant (now in "moth-balls").

Rob

The HearthStone Heritage that I'm having installed in 2 weeks was $2,100. The guys at the stove store said that their prices won't really start going up till probably middle to late fall.

Hearthstone just gave us a price increase. I just entered them into our price book. List on a matte black Hearthstone Heritage is now 2199.00. So they must be having a sale and not planning on raising prices again until fall. I've been told to expect the Travis increase mid to late April. Enviro and VC have already done theirs. We shouldn't see another price increase until next spring but that could change with steel prices. 2003 we had a price increase in spring and then 3 more during season.