Getting pellets shipped to you....

[Tedinski]

So I was reading about different pellet brands & the various strengths and weaknesses of each. Got me to thinking... could you order in bulk and have them shipped directly to you?

Searching for a popular brand (Lignetics) I found quite a few hits.

I can buy them for as low as $235 per ton... with shipping cost of $1615.50 per ton!

Now I KNOW that it's possible to bulk buy, and get them brought in directly to you on a truck... what's are typical minimum purchases for such a buy, and what would trucking costs come to? I should think there would be a significant savings by cutting out the middleman.

Anybody out there ever done such a thing? Possibly as a group?

 

[jertola]

I am still new to the pellet stove thing so I have not had a chance to look into this yet. However I do recall reading a thread about it. I believe you have to order the whole truck, which if I'm not mistaken is 22 pallets. It looks like the only good way to do this would be to find some others in your area willing to go in on it with you. Then there are the hurdles of agreeing on which brand and the central delivery place and making sure everyone can move their share. If you have 4-5 close neighbors with stoves and a big driveway, you might be able to make it work. Good luck.

 

[krooser]

My local dealer has a bagging facility to package their private label pellets... Uncle Jed's.

I had thought about bulk storage... you drive to their bagging facility and they load your containers... but I'd only save about $15/ton. Not worth it.

If you want to buy by the train car load I'm sure you'll save more than that.

 

[saladdin]

Don't know why there would be a mini if you set the load up yourself for a truckload. Standard OTR carriers charge per mile. Doesn't matter if you buy 1 pallet or 20, same charge (generally speaking). Their costs are the same regardless of how much they are carrying, again in general. So a 53 footer with 1 ton costs the same to transport then 20 pallets, again generally speaking. LTL's work by weight. If you are getting different prices based on weight then it is ltl. I have corporate rates so my guessing to what your charge would be would be way off.

Just call local carriers and get rates from zip to zip. It's easy to setup a pickup at a facility but how you getting 20 plus pallets off at your house? Do you have a dock? Pallet jack? Forklift? Do you live in a residential area where a 53' truck could actually deliver? Lots to think about on this. That truck will not wait 5 hours for you to unload. If it does, it's charging detention. You will have to have a plan and get those pallets off quick. Do all the people who bought with you have trailers/trucks to then take their loads to their house and unload?

Best bet is for you to rent a uhaul (follow weight limits) for a few hundred and decide based on how many pallets it will legally carry if it is worth it.

 

[saladdin]

I am still new to the pellet stove thing so I have not had a chance to look into this yet. However I do recall reading a thread about it. I believe you have to order the whole truck, which if I'm not mistaken is 22 pallets. It looks like the only good way to do this would be to find some others in your area willing to go in on it with you. Then there are the hurdles of agreeing on which brand and the central delivery place and making sure everyone can move their share. If you have 4-5 close neighbors with stoves and a big driveway, you might be able to make it work. Good luck.

What you probably read is that 22 pallets is max you could fit to carry. A carrier doesn't really care. Truck load guys charge per mile. How much they carry generally doesn't matter. Now, ltl charges by weight and that is different ball game.

 

[jtakeman]

Most pellet mills will not deal directly with the public. The only exception I know of is if they do not have a dealer network in your area will they even consider sending a truck load.

 

[bill3rail]

Many threads have started and been lost 50 pages back on this same exact situation. Hopefully, you can do it and gain for yourself and close by pellet heads.
Personally, if the price was good, there was a drop off location W/forklift, I would be in for 2-4 ton in the fall.

Bill

 

[ScotL]

Bulk delivery is finally catching on in the north-east. We just bought a new truck for residential bulk delivery. Most of them are for boilers, like the Kedel (which is why Kedel bought 1/2 of the label on the side of the truck). It should catch on in your area too. There's a certain appeal to having your pellets delivered just like oil used to be.

Unless what I mean by bulk and what you mean by bulk aren't the same. If you mean truckloads of bagged pellets, there should be dealers in your area that can already do this.

 

[Tedinski]

I wouldn't mind that one bit!
In my case, I'd have to build a weather-tight box. I have nowhere indoors that I could build a chute & store the pellets.
How much does it reduce the cost, not having to bag them all?

 

[mik_kane]

Bulk delivery is finally catching on in the north-east. We just bought a new truck for residential bulk delivery. Most of them are for boilers, like the Kedel (which is why Kedel bought 1/2 of the label on the side of the truck). It should catch on in your area too. There's a certain appeal to having your pellets delivered just like oil used to be.

Unless what I mean by bulk and what you mean by bulk aren't the same. If you mean truckloads of bagged pellets, there should be dealers in your area that can already do this.

Does the company provide a way of storing the pellets?

 

[ScotL]

I wouldn't mind that one bit!
In my case, I'd have to build a weather-tight box. I have nowhere indoors that I could build a chute & store the pellets.
How much does it reduce the cost, not having to bag them all?

It's typically between $10 to $20 per ton savings from not having to bag them. It depends on the pricing for plastics and pallets and liners and labor.

 

[ScotL]

Does the company provide a way of storing the pellets?

A bulk customer will have a storage system that was designed by their pellet boiler installer.
Municipal burners will have a large silo while residential customers typically have a 3 ton canvas sack in their basement supported by a steel frame.

 

[moey]

It seems like a good idea I wonder if there is ever any condensation issues with the trucks as well as the storage containers.

 

[The Grintch]

Someone I know is on a list with 30 other people. They all place an order and the pellets get dropped of in their driveway. They pay $190/ ton delivered...the problem is there INFERNOS. Even after the plant had a fire a month or so ago they still got their order.

I've thought about joining but everyone hates Infernos...the 30 people on the list buy them every year...and love them.