Best time to buy wood pellets?

[volleyrca]

Hey all,

I'm fairly new to burning wood pellets - I moved into an apartment with a pellet stove in a sunroom that was added onto the house. I've heard that the best time to buy for getting a good price is early Spring. I thought I'd ask here for advice on when is the best time to buy and what kind of prices I should expect for a half-ton (picked-up). I've noticed some of the suppliers near me are advertising sales now, with pellets going for about $250/ton but I wonder if the prices will get even better in April?

I'd appreciate any advice/suggestions people have to offer. I live in Eastern MA.

Thanks,
-Bob

 

[Stentor]

As you can imagine, this is a perennial hot topic in this forum.

For one earlier discussion, click on:

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/53279/

There seems to be a consensus that April-May is on average the best time, but that may not be true every single year. It's a matter of playing the odds and, maybe, looking for bargains.

Because you are new, I would recommend strongly that you experiment with different pellet brands. Pellets are not all the same, so try a few bags of some different brands and see what you like. Look for the amount of heat, the amount of ash, and so forth. Good luck and welcome to wood pellet heating. Next winter, you are going to have some warm and enjoyable evenings.

 

[countk]

Welcome to the forum. Another thread you may wish to check is https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/50101/. This will give you a good idea of what pellets are better than others, but as everyone here will tell you, test a few bags of a brand before you make a big purchase.

$250 is not a bad price, for this area if it's a good pellet. What brands did you see for that price? Also, are you northeast or southeast.

 

[volleyrca]

I'm in Medford, to be specific.

Thanks for suggesting those previous threads. The pellet comparison seems especially useful.

Two of the suppliers I've found are South Shore Wood Pellets and Pellet Direct. SSWP has OMalley pellets for $255/ton and PD is selling InstantHeat for $230/ton and Barefoot for $260 (latest prices from their web pages). Based on the chart from the other thread it seems like Barefoot are probably a better pellet than OMalley for the price, but I guess I'd have to burn a couple bags of the InstantHeat to see how they compare.

 

[john193]

I just got done burning a ton of O'malleys in my XXV. Good pellets, ash was a little higher than lignetics or NEWP, but good heat and lights up real fast. It's 250/ton around me (philly suburbs). Good luck and welcome to pellet burnin!

 

[Snowy Rivers]

Here in the Northwest the best time to get Pellets is early summer when everyone is interested in everything but building a fire.

The Pellet producers will usually make deals if you buy a few tons.


The retailers wont cut any deals though. They sell off their stock (large chain stores) and dont get any back in until fall fire season comes around again.

I went out a couple years ago and picked up 8 ton from the manufacturing plant and got a fairly good deal.

Unless you can store a large amount, its unlikely that you can get any real deals.

Might find a samll retailer that will sell of his remaining stock to clear it out though come summer.

Snowy

 

[smirnov3]

I buy from woodpellets.com, and their prices have been about $10 less in march than in April both this year and last year, and last year, the prices kept going up until sometime in the fall, when the dropped precipetously to lower than it was in the spring

But, your milage may vary

 

[imacman]

I'm in Medford, to be specific.

Thanks for suggesting those previous threads. The pellet comparison seems especially useful.

Two of the suppliers I've found are South Shore Wood Pellets and Pellet Direct. SSWP has OMalley pellets for $255/ton and PD is selling InstantHeat for $230/ton and Barefoot for $260 (latest prices from their web pages). Based on the chart from the other thread it seems like Barefoot are probably a better pellet than OMalley for the price, but I guess I'd have to burn a couple bags of the InstantHeat to see how they compare.

Yes, early spring usually is a good time to buy, and i did that last year, thinking that prices wouldn't go much lower. Well, surprise, surprise....they went quite a bit lower in the fall. It's really a crap shoot.

BTW, the $260 for the Barefoots isn't a bad deal, and that's one of the few pellets I'd buy even if I never burned them before....I don't remember reading anything bad about them from anyone.

 

[sparkydog00]

Best time to buy pellets was about 6 years ago...
When you thought 160 a ton was highway robbery,,,
That said...seeing your location....
i would talk to your local pellet distributor...try and get on their mailing list...Spring is traditionally the best time of year to buy pellets pricewise.

 

[smalltown]

volleyrca You meant Meffa didn't you?

 

[volleyrca]

I said I live there, I didn't say I grew up there!

 

[smilejamaica]

I'm in Medford, to be specific.

Thanks for suggesting those previous threads. The pellet comparison seems especially useful.

Two of the suppliers I've found are South Shore Wood Pellets and Pellet Direct. SSWP has OMalley pellets for $255/ton and PD is selling InstantHeat for $230/ton and Barefoot for $260 (latest prices from their web pages). Based on the chart from the other thread it seems like Barefoot are probably a better pellet than OMalley for the price, but I guess I'd have to burn a couple bags of the InstantHeat to see how they compare.

BTW, the $260 for the Barefoots isn't a bad deal, and that's one of the few pellets I'd buy even if I never burned them before....I don't remember reading anything bad about them from anyone.

i agree i think i would buy the barefoots $260 is not too bad. if your not sure just buy half of what you need and wait it out to see if you could get a better deal

 

[countk]

volleyrca You meant Meffa didn't you?

Isn't that Meffid. That's where you go for a beer and a beetin!

 

[SidecarFlip]

Easy answer...

Buy them when the corn is ripe on the stalk. July or August. No one in their right mind thinks pellets in the summer, except me and I always get the best deal.