A Wood Seller's Form

[byQ]

Wouldn't it be nice to have a firewood seller's form? This could be educational for wood burners. This form should have,

* A diagram of a cord of wood showing the dimensions - let's put this on top.

* A place to record measurements (maybe rough measurements) of the wood delivered (that is buyer and seller measure the amount of wood before drop off).

* The dimensions, length and average width, of the individual pieces of firewood delivered.

* Information on when the wood was felled and when it was split. And how long it has been drying.

* Species composition of the firewood delivered. For example, Black Locust 40%, Cottonwood 20%, Box Elder 15% and Red Oak 25%.

* Next to the species there could be some moisture readings for each species - And a space provided for 3 or 4 pieces split on delivery and the moisture read and recorded (let the buyer pick these out).

* Cost savings of using an EPA stove over a non EPA stove (let them see how much money they are losing).

* Local Chimney Sweep contact list.

* A place for the buyer and seller to sign.

What other things should go on this form?

 

[gzecc]

A print and signiture line for the name of the person that is duly sworn by oath not to lie. Line for tax. With all these regulations, it sounds like a gov't project. Then it will be great!

 

[chrispr1]

Wow. Don't make selling firewood any more difficult than it needs to be. Start with forms, then add a license, special inspections, etc. I much prefer spending a little extra time with customers and educating them in person than giving them some form they won't likely read.

 

[Applesister]

Then the prices would be right up with fuel oil. Chit rolls down hill and Im in the creek.

 

[Applesister]

I really embrace the whole cash and carry thing.

 

[bigbarf48]

Sounds like a lot of unnecessary stuff for what should be a quick and simple transaction

 

[BrotherBart]

And the forms should come on a roll. Because we all know what the wood sellers would use them for.

 

[Butcher]

Wouldn't it be nice to have a firewood seller's form? This could be educational for wood burners. This form should have,

* A diagram of a cord of wood showing the dimensions - let's put this on top.

* A place to record measurements (maybe rough measurements) of the wood delivered (that is buyer and seller measure the amount of wood before drop off).

* The dimensions, length and average width, of the individual pieces of firewood delivered.

* Information on when the wood was felled and when it was split. And how long it has been drying.

* Species composition of the firewood delivered. For example, Black Locust 40%, Cottonwood 20%, Box Elder 15% and Red Oak 25%.

* Next to the species there could be some moisture readings for each species - And a space provided for 3 or 4 pieces split on delivery and the moisture read and recorded (let the buyer pick these out).

* Cost savings of using an EPA stove over a non EPA stove (let them see how much money they are losing).

* Local Chimney Sweep contact list.

* A place for the buyer and seller to sign.

What other things should go on this form?

What a great idea. I was thinking of going into business selling post holes. Could you help me with the unwanted and totally unnecessary paper work that would be required for the trucking across state lines of said post holes?

 

[byQ]

Unnecessary? A one page form with the firewood delivery info on the front and educational type of info on the back. In the thread by bryankloos, Too Good a Deal, Huh, if a form had been used he wouldn't have been taken advantage of. I'm going to be selling some firewood this year and I'm going to start using a form.

I sold wood last year for the first time, and I was amazed how little people knew about firewood. I could have shorted 90% of the customers because they don't know what a cord of wood is or they don't even check. Some buyers don't know the difference between willow and black locust. They don't know much about seasoning wood. They don't know the savings in $$$$ by switching from a smoke dragon to a modern stove. This info could easily be provided in a few paragraphs.

I see it going like this, 1) the amount of wood is ordered, 2) the seller loads it up, 3) the seller fills in the types of wood loaded, the average length of the splits, and the average moisture content (5 or 6 average pieces are checked). The wood is delivered. The buyer and the seller meet. A tape measure is used and the unloaded wood is measured. The cord volume is recorded on the form. The customer is asked to grab 3 pieces of wood for a moisture check. The seller splits these and records the moisture content on the form.

If all okay, the wood is offloaded. This isn't a law but that isn't a bad idea.

 

[ironspider]

We can easily check the moisture content. But the dimensions unless stacked either in the truck or dumped will be the problem.

BUT, for regulation you need the state, that's where everything goes wrong.

Just sell through word of mouth and it's all cash.

 

[Pellet_Pete]

I sold wood last year for the first time, and I was amazed how little people knew about firewood. I could have shorted 90% of the customers because they don't know what a cord of wood is or they don't even check. Some buyers don't know the difference between willow and black locust. They don't know much about seasoning wood. They don't know the savings in $$$$ by switching from a smoke dragon to a modern stove. This info could easily be provided in a few paragraphs..

What you're proposing here is consumer education, which of course is what this wonderful forum is all about. Initially it did sound like you were suggesting something like a dreaded gov't form, hence the reactionary posts above, I think. But you're also hitting the nail on the head - most consumers just don't know/care, and it is fruitless (and maybe even a competitive disadvantage) to expend energy trying to educate them or deliver a better quality product that they won't even appreciate. I think it's best for good suppliers to co-evolve with wise consumers, and the rest will always be "the fray" of firewood supply and demand.

As an alternative, and better than any form, maybe buyers should sign a pledge to subscribe to hearth.com and meet certain posting and trophy milestones to gaurantee pricing . Or maybe this site ought to have a "wood burner certification" program...hmmmm...

 

[byQ]

We can easily check the moisture content. But the dimensions unless stacked either in the truck or dumped will be the problem.

BUT, for regulation you need the state, that's where everything goes wrong.

Just sell through word of mouth and it's all cash.

I stack it in truck bed and trailer so I will just measure the dimensions. If a seller uses a dump truck or just tosses it in loosely, measure out your first few cords and make marks on the sides of the trailer or dump bed than throw 'em in. Measure this 'loose' cord of wood and compare the 3 dimensions with 4' x 4' x 8'. Now you will always have an approximate reference. Of course you'll have to explain the different dimensions of loose and stacked wood to the customer.

 

[BCC_Burner]

I like this idea, as it seems to protect both the buyer and seller. The reality of the situation is that most "wood dealers" are thieves and liars who would pay lip service to any sort of form. Wood hucksters out here have no idea what sort of quantity of wood it takes to actually heat a home for a season, and many have clearly never burned outside of a fire pit. I stopped buying wood when the third person to deliver picked up a small (12 inch long, ~3 inch diameter) piece of scrub oak and said "this hardwood burns so long and hot, you can just throw this one chunk in your stove at night and wake up to a warm house and a big pile of coals in the morning."

I'll support my local economy by buying a chainsaw and PPE and a local dealer, the wood sellers can go pound sand.

 

[bigbarf48]

If you want to do it that's fine, but most sellers and buyers would rather just exchange wood and cash

I don't want to be at a customers house for an hour with a calculator and tape measure trying to record averages about the splits, that's a waste of my time and the customers time

 

[Lumber-Jack]

You are missing the most important, and probably the only bit of information most customers really need to know about the wood being sold, and that is a realistic estimate of how long they will need to season the wood before it likely be ready to burn. Of course that is the one bit of information most wood sellers either misinform their customers about, or just generally have no clue about.

 

[madtrapper]

Sold wood for the last 8 years mine is stacked by the face cord I don't deliver so they see what they are getting. Tell them when it was CSS always try to sell wood that is at least CSS for a year as most of it is ash or dead elm. What I have found out over the years is that most people don't care when the wood was cut you should see the looks I get when they ask me about the wood I have stacked for myself when I tell them I won't burn ash for 2 years after CSS and oak for 3. All most burners care about is the price but I do have a few customers that buy from me because they were sick of getting shorted from people that deliver and not getting the species of wood they were told.

 

[STIHLY DAN]

A form and training may be over the top. what if there not home? some one else is there to receive it? A check list sheet may be good, with some knowledge on the back. The check list could have amount, length, species, average moisture content, approximate split date. This should take less than 5 min to fill out. May not have any effect, but could be a difference that gets your wood purchased over a competitors.

 

[byQ]

A form and training may be over the top. what if there not home? some one else is there to receive it? A check list sheet may be good, with some knowledge on the back. The check list could have amount, length, species, average moisture content, approximate split date. This should take less than 5 min to fill out. May not have any effect, but could be a difference that gets your wood purchased over a competitors.

Ya that is what I was aiming for in a complicated way. Simple is good.

 

[area_man]

I'm from the government and I'm here to help, so I have several triplicate forms that can be filed at your local planning office. There are no stairs to that floor and we store tigers there, so please be ready to submit your required forms according to the instructions hot-glued to the tigers' faces.

Best regards.

-The Government

 

[mellow]

Keep it as simple as possible, wood burning is not rocket science. It would leave a good impression on your customers that might get you repeat sales if no one else in the area is doing it.

I would do it as more of a FYI for wood burners rather than doing a checklist.