GOUGED!

[yooper81]

Local dealers are at it again... My guy just jacked mine up another .25 cents a bag. That's .50 cents total in less than 3 weeks. Not complaining, just saying. At least I don't burn propane for anything but heating strike water and boiling wort..... And an occasional steak or two on the grill...................

 

[Ctcarl]

Local dealers are at it again... My guy just jacked mine up another .25 cents a bag. That's .50 cents total in less than 3 weeks. Not complaining, just saying. At least I don't burn propane for anything but heating strike water and boiling wort..... And an occasional steak or two on the grill...................

That is why I buy in bulk in October. Went through this last year . Sold out high prices = headache

 

[bbfarm]

Wish we could afford to stock up before winter. We sure have plenty of room to store them. We could store several semi loads if we could afford to buy them

 

[Ctcarl]

Wish we could afford to stock up before winter. We sure have plenty of room to store them. We could store several semi loads if we could afford to buy them

It does hurt. I slapped it on a credit card with 0 interest.

 

[ZBrooks]

Wish we could afford to stock up before winter. We sure have plenty of room to store them. We could store several semi loads if we could afford to buy them

If you bought them by the semi load, are there enough buyers around you to move them once the burning season begins?

 

[bbfarm]

Why would I have to move them? Keep them dry and I can't see them spoiling

 

[BrotherBart]

Why would I have to move them? Keep them dry and I can't see them spoiling

"move" = "sell"

 

[JoeS]

Our local dealer guarantees that they will have pellets for you throughout the heating season but no dealer can guarantee what the price will be at that point in time.

 

[Augmister]

If they are nickle and dime-ing you, that tells me his supply is getting tight. I look for a ton in February for the 15-20 bags I will burn in April... the rest left over for the early fall season. Not too fussy on the brand. Then I am on the hunt ALL SEASON LONG for the best brand at the best price, always having 5-6 tons on hand. They are running +$10/ton over last years prices and expect the same in the fall, minimum...

 

[boo boo]

Well you have to raise prices before the big spring sale so its not noticed

 

[chken]

If they are nickle and dime-ing you, that tells me his supply is getting tight. I look for a ton in February for the 15-20 bags I will burn in April... the rest left over for the early fall season. Not too fussy on the brand. Then I am on the hunt ALL SEASON LONG for the best brand at the best price, always having 5-6 tons on hand. They are running +$10/ton over last years prices and expect the same in the fall, minimum...

I was wondering if there was any site that tracked pellet prices over the years. I mean the US gov't has home heating oil price trackers, propane trackers, nat gas trackers, where are the historical pellet prices?

 

[John Fortier]

Shortage here at all the big box stores 10 bag limit. Lesson has been learned I cant afford to get 3 ton at a shot but will do 3 month 3 ton delivery over spring and summer.

 

[Madcodger]

Local dealers are at it again... My guy just jacked mine up another .25 cents a bag. That's .50 cents total in less than 3 weeks. Not complaining, just saying. At least I don't burn propane for anything but heating strike water and boiling wort..... And an occasional steak or two on the grill...................

And how do you know what they pay for the pellets they resell? The fact that you didn't buy in advance doesn't mean they're gouging you. It means supply and demand still exists.

 

[GeHmTS]

I was wondering if there was any site that tracked pellet prices over the years. I mean the US gov't has home heating oil price trackers, propane trackers, nat gas trackers, where are the historical pellet prices?

Not sure of a site, but I was told that the slope is a little less than natural gas. In other words, price increase is stable and below inflation rate.

 

[Countryboymo]

It might be something to research and consider. I got in on a semi load deal and got two ton of it for 145 a ton. They are hardwoods that my stove doesn't really love but when yummy softwoods are 230-250 a ton. Its eating them and I am just doing more cleaning.

I think next year if I don't sell the castile and get a refurb amfam I will do it again and sell the hardwoods for 200 a ton and use the profit to help make up some of the difference on softies.

 

[RKBAGUY]

Is it any less gouging for wanting a price to be low, rather than high?

 

[iceguy4]

That is why I buy in bulk in October. Went through this last year . Sold out high prices = headache

That was my strategy this fall... problem was on 10/16/2013 home depot was selling at $219.00 ...when the price wars started they came down to the $209.00 I just paid last week. Last spring I came up like 1/4 tone short. pellets were hard to come by. This year I expect the shortages will be worse. My advice it buy now

 

[smwilliamson]

What difference does .25 cents make when your buy a few bags at a time? Jimminey Christmas, you feel gouged over a couple of quarters? God forbid anyone in the pellet business dare turn a profit or cover expenses... If you're just scraping by I feel for you and wish you better times, perhaps you could look into heating assistance.

 

[moey]

I don't really see that as gouging. Lowes last year raised there pellet prices from 4.38 to 4.68 if I remember correctly mid winter that stayed that price until fall. They currently are 4.38. Theres a thread on here about commercial cost of electricity during a cold snap. It went up considerably.

Its often more expensive to buy a car at certain times of the year excess inventory etc.

 

[smwilliamson]

Gouging to him = anything more than he paid the last time I came in and complained.

 

[katman]

I picked up three more tons last week at one of the local HD before the supply was gone. After my buy they had 1/2 a pallet left and weren't sure if they would order any more till the end of the summer. Stays cold I'll burn these and be hunting for more so I don't have to burn propane in the fireplace. Wife's not happy when its chilly inside.

 

[Augmister]

Demand is clearly outstripping supply. Must be more folks quietly getting into pellet stoves and just buy the bags as they need them. The stores put their orders in way in advance of knowing what the weather is going to do and WHAMO! Perfect storm, pellets run out. I get a big chuckle out of folks who gripe over a few bucks for the price of a ton. So tell me, if the box store pellets spike to $250/ton next year and you burn three tons, it's a $90 premium over this years cost. $90 bucks? I can just hear the whining... Think about if you were using, propane, oil or nat gas instead of pellets. What has been your savings over the last 3 years? 5 years? 8 years? Hey, if it all goes to hell, just stash away a conventional wood stove and swap it out your pellet stove, and use the old stove as a planter!

 

[JoeS]

Demand is clearly outstripping supply. Must be more folks quietly getting into pellet stoves and just buy the bags as they need them. The stores put their orders in way in advance of knowing what the weather is going to do and WHAMO! Perfect storm, pellets run out. I get a big chuckle out of folks who gripe over a few bucks for the price of a ton. So tell me, if the box store pellets spike to $250/ton next year and you burn three tons, it's a $90 premium over this years cost. $90 bucks? I can just hear the whining... Think about if you were using, propane, oil or nat gas instead of pellets. What has been your savings over the last 3 years? 5 years? 8 years? Hey, if it all goes to hell, just stash away a conventional wood stove and swap it out your pellet stove, and use the old stove as a planter!

No advantage over Natural Gas here but I burn pellets anyway. Must be a sickness?

 

[CBL]

There's a simple solution to this problem, stop buying from that dealer and source elsewhere.

I've been buying 1/2 pallets as needed and have yet to see said pellet shortage or significant cost increases in the north east. Our local box stores have been stocked well and actually think I've been paying slightly less in-season vs purchasing pre-season.

 

[btuser]

It's the weather. I would imagine there's a lot of shuffling around right now as sellers who were stuck with overstock last year are wishing they'd bought more.

How long do pellets last if you keep them covered?