First time to sell my wood

[Kenster]

I have a good four years worth of oak stacked and split. I also have two or three big standing dead oaks that I need to take down. I have no need for this much firewood. My neighbor sells a little wood to church members, etc. He usually scrounges up dead and down in his back woods but it's often very punky/semi-rotten. He says the buyers are more interested in "pretty" wood like I have in my stacks.

So, I told him that I would be happy to let him sell some of my wood. I took him out back and told him specifically which stacks he could work off. All of this wood has been split and stacked for three years of brutal Texas heat and drought. It's definitely good stuff.

We agreed on a 50/50 split. I put the labor into felling, bucking, splitting and stacking, as well as the associated expenses (gas, etc.) He is providing the customer. He does all the loading, delivering, unloading and stacking.
I think it's a good deal. I don't process wood to make money anyway. I do it to heat our house, plus, it's quite therapeutic. Sort of a hobby and gives me some exercise in the winter time. (too hot to do wood work in the summer here.) I have plenty of dead trees, standing and on the ground, back in my woods that provide habitat for critters. I hate to see a good, dead oak in easy reach just stand there and rot.

Anyway, no one is going to get rich off of this. He sells for $75 a pickup truck load. I'm guessing that's about 1/3 cord. This is saving him a ton of labor, I get a little pocket money from my wood hobby, and I don't have stacks out there so long that they start rotting.

Seems like a Win/Win.

 

[Pruning@trunk]

if you are happy with that then fine but I would either sell it myself or change the percent to 2/3 for you and 1/3 for him. More cost that goes into what you have done then what he is doing. But at the end of the day if you are happy then great.

 

[Jon1270]

My neighbor sells a little wood to church members, etc. He usually scrounges up dead and down in his back woods but it's often very punky/semi-rotten. He says the buyers are more interested in "pretty" wood like I have in my stacks.

He sells for $75 a pickup truck load.

If they prefer your product to his, then they ought to be willing to pay more for it.

 

[Slow1]

Yeah, I'm not sure I'd be happy to cut/split/stack/store for $112.50/cord (assuming 20 hrs of total work to do that it is what about $5.63/hr?) I suppose if you are able to do a cord end-to-end in about 14 hrs you will be working for minimum wage...

I'd say the 2/3 for you 1/3 to him is better - and depending on the market there I'll bet you should be able to hold out for a better price if he can sell junk for that rate.

But as others say - if both of you are happy with the deal then go for it, that is what really matters eh?

 

[Kenster]

I have too much wood. I don't want it to rot. I also don't want to go into the business to market it myself. I know that if you pencil whip this the numbers don't support the deal, but I wasn't figuring the deal in my head. I offered the 50/50 to my friend/neighbor. He thought I should take more than 50%.
He does so many things to help me. All I have to do is ask. Always tends to the dogs when we're out of town. Shares his home grown tomatoes with us.
Seems to always have just the right tool or part if I don't. I travel 150 or so days a year and he's always there to help out my wife if she needs it. And he never lets me repay him and hardly ever asks for my help. This is one way I can sneak in a little payback.

 

[Slow1]

Not every decision is a financial one - I don't have your neighbor, sounds like I would be lucky to though and that relationship is worth more than a couple cords of wood I'm sure.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Ken, I do not think this is a bad deal at all. Go for it!

 

[JoeyD]

Given the circumstances it sounds like a win/win. Good neighbors can be hard to come by.

 

[Paulywalnut]

Making a neighbor happy and if you can't use it all, why not.

 

[tcassavaugh]

sounds like a great deal. great to have friends and neighbors that will pitch in without even asking. I have a buddy that had an oak taken down and cut into rounds last year. he was talking about getting a little electric splitter to process it. I offered to come over and help bringing my hydraulic splitter over. so, I hooked it up to the jeep and took it over to his house 30 miles away. We made quick work of it in about 2 hrs. he never would have gotten the job done with the little splitter. he asked what he could give me and I said nothing.....and that I might need some help some day. anyway, it was a hoot and it was good knowing I saved him a couple of bucks and spent some quality time with a friend.

 

[NH_Wood]

sounds like a great deal. great to have friends and neighbors that will pitch in without even asking. I have a buddy that had an oak taken down and cut into rounds last year. he was talking about getting a little electric splitter to process it. I offered to come over and help bringing my hydraulic splitter over. so, I hooked it up to the jeep and took it over to his house 30 miles away. We made quick work of it in about 2 hrs. he never would have gotten the job done with the little splitter. he asked what he could give me and I said nothing.....and that I might need some help some day. anyway, it was a hoot and it was good knowing I saved him a couple of bucks and spent some quality time with a friend.

There you go - it's this kind of attitude that makes all the difference trying to make it in this world - good on you Kenster, tcassavagh, and all the other folks who like the idea of helping folks - whether it costs you a bit, breaks even, or makes a little money on the side. Cheers!

 

[BIGDADDY]

Wish I were your neighbor. I would be asking how soon can you get another cord ready to sell?

 

[Bagelboy]

He sounds like a good friend and neighbor if he helps you a lot, so you are returning the favor. Like you said, your not doing it for business. So you pick up a little cash, get some exercise, get rid of the dead oaks, and help a friend make a few bucks. Win/Win!

 

[BIGDADDY]

He sounds like a good friend and neighbor if he helps you a lot, so you are returning the favor. Like you said, your not doing it for business. So you pick up a little cash, get some exercise, get rid of the dead oaks, and help a friend make a few bucks. Win/Win!

I don't think a "good" friend would take 50% on the deal even if it was offered but whatever.

 

[Bagelboy]

The friend offered Kenster more, he doesn't want to take it. Kenster said his neighbor is always there to help and wants nothing in return. It's not the friends fault, Bigdaddy!