Is right NOW the best time to buy for this winter?

[requin]

I've been reading a lot of posts and I'm still wondering if this is the best time to buy for the upcoming winter, or should we wait?
It seems that some places (pelletsales.com, i.e.) were cheaper in March and are going up each month...but then I've found threads/posts where people think prices will dip lower in May/June. What's the deal?

I'm going to call around some local places to get prices.

I'm one of the extremely lucky ones who actually received 3 tons from NEWP LLC (the famous rip-off artists of last year) at $205/ton, DELIVERED. How I got my pellets is still beyond me; I had to fight like everyone else, tooth and nail, but got them. I think it was due to living out on the fringe of their delivery area and Steve said they were trying to take care of the outskirt orders first. Lucky for me because I read the thread on how now he's trying to declare bankrupcy etc....what a mess, live and learn for sure.

Anyway, I know I won't get anywhere near that price this year, unfortunately. I live in MA sort of in the central/northern/western part (near Amherst, Greenfield).

Thanks for any input.

 

[imacman]

I've been reading a lot of posts and I'm still wondering if this is the best time to buy for the upcoming winter, or should we wait?
It seems that some places (pelletsales.com, i.e.) were cheaper in March and are going up each month...but then I've found threads/posts where people think prices will dip lower in May/June. What's the deal? I'm going to call around some local places to get prices.....

It's pretty much a crapshoot. I'm basing my opinion on what a couple of the people on here have said that actually sell pellets for a living, plus what experiences other members have had in past years. My personal opinion is that the prices we see now, until about the end of May, are going to be the best you'll see....but I could be 100% wrong.

I pulled the trigger on the very first PelletSales.com early buy price ($259 for CleanFire). But I hedged my bet a little, not buying all the pellets I'll need....I'm going to try to keep a sharp eye on other local places, and I hope I can get an even better price for the rest that I feel I need. That came from me taking into consideration what other members have said on here, that the prices should go even lower in the summer when the dealers decide they don't want to get stuck with a lot of pellets, given the low price of oil & gas.

But who knows.....I could look like a genius come Sept/Oct, or not. :lol:

 

[seige101]

I personally think prices in the new england area are still way to high. I got a letter from my usual supplier (squires in monson ma) early buy was 269/ ton for nearly every brand, and even 299 a ton for NE softwood premium (the bagging plant is about 5 miles away)!!

Given that oil is currently about 1.75 a gal in the area, and natural gas is also much cheaper than last year around this time, i personally think prices will go down IF oil and natural gas remain pretty consistent. I was commenting to my friend it's cheaper to just call the oil company right now, and let out stoves sit idle for the year.

We are also looking to purchase 1-2 truck loads (23-46 tons) for our use and friends and familes. Last year i bought early for 239/ton for NE hardwood, he bought a truck load in june/july for 259/ton for cubex.

I am willing to pay $250/ton or less ideally 230 ish.

My .02

Also out in oregon where i am now, the local ace hardware was selling some version of hardwood for $240 a ton. I imagine it would be much cheaper from another source. But i don't worry about it out here, natural gas. Looking for the pellets for my grandmothers house back home in mass

 

[imacman]

seems like a good time to HAGGLE

yeah, you would think so, but I tried to get the local Home Depot manager to lower the price he had on Stove Chow (he had about 15 tons sitting outside). The advertised price was $5.98/bag & $298/ton, and I offered to take 6 tons at $250 plus $60 for delivery, and he just laughed at me. He said that "we're going to be stocking pellets all year long, so that's the price".

 

[Xena]

Nope. Last month was the time to get them the cheapest.
From here on in the prices are going up. Half a dozen threads
on this top already at least. But that's my guess/opinion or
whatever you wanna call it.

 

[rowerwet]

I got 6 tons delivered two weeks ago for $253 per ton, now I am waiting for prices to drop so I can feel like a fool.

 

[Wet1]

The best time? Probably next year around this time. Oil and NG should remain fairly low through the next heating season, so leaving the stove dormant for next season looks like it very well could be the cheapest avenue.

I still have a couple of tons (which I also luckily received from NEP LLC) and after these get used up I might get out of the pellet game, or only buy a ton or two when prices are VERY cheap. Pellet prices have become way too volatile over the last few years for me to rely on them as my main source of heat. From this point on I'm burning wood (which I control the price on) and I'll supplement with pellets during the shoulder seasons.

 

[requin]

my backup heat is propane forced hot water. The condo was originally built electric; the owners before me had the propane system put in. It's inefficient, and the windows need replacing which makes it even more so. The first year I was here (no pellet stove) I nearly froze ...I was used to having my old Whitfield in a tiny apartment, cranked so it was over 80 all the time...here I was trying to keep the temp down to save on propane...it still ended up costing about $1100 to heat the winter.

Last year when oil prices dropped I checked the propane prices but I was locked into a price w/ the usual place I use. I threatened to go elsewhere and she relented and gave me a better price, but only for that fill up. I'm due to fill up again soon (I use it for hot water, and if the stove isn't on overnight I have the thermostat set to 60 so it kicks on)..last year propane prices didn't follow oil, it was still pretty high..and that's what I expect this year too. I'll find out soon when I make the call!

So for that reason and others I'm not jumping off the pellet bandwagon just because oil is cheap. I don't have oil heat.

I also hated how cold I always was using propane. The stove is so much warmer.

So your answer of "next year" isn't really what I was looking for but thanks anyway.

I found two people on craigslist in my area selling pellets, one person is selling 2 tons at $200/ton..obviously I'm trying to grab that but haven't gotten a reply yet. The other guy is selling for $250/ton which is looking competitive but I'm not sure if it's worth having my friend have to load them up and bring them here when, for a few bucks more, I can pay for delivery elsewhere. We'll see.

 

[requin]

Oh, and another thing I forgot to say. I called a local guy, "Herm's Wood Pellets" and he called back. He's selling for $300/ton plus $15/ton delivery. He has NEWP (said he won't have much of those) and another brand I never heard of, I think he said, Cornth (?? anyone hear of something like that?). When I told him I'm looking for a better price at this time of year he went off about how pellet prices aren't going to go down, they're trying to sell them at a more even price all year round, and there's no stockpile this time...blah blah. All I kept hearing in my head was the $300/ton price and was ready to hang up. But I was polite. Can't burn any bridges; there's not that many suppliers around here.

 

[Wet1]

Well if it's pellets or propane, I'd agree that pellets are still your best bet... even at the ridiculous $300/ton pricing some dealers are getting.

 

[freebird77]

Im getting mine now. Have one more ton to buy, but if I see a deal a little later on, I think Ill try and get an extra ton for next season.

 

[requin]

freebird where are you getting yours from, and how much are you paying per ton? what brand, etc? (always interesting to compare).

 

[mandkj]

Mine will be delivered Friday. 3 tons of NEWP, $255/ton pus $82 delivery.

 

[buildingmaint]

As always, if there are people willing to pay $ 250 .00 + for pellets , that is what they will sell them for.

If they don't sell any at that price , the price will come down . They can keep them at that price IMHO.

 

[freebird77]

requin,
I picked two ton up over the weekend at 84 Lumber in Kirkwood N.Y.
They are Eureka softwoods at $249.00/ton
Kitchen Hearth and Stove, where I bought the stove is going to have Pa. pellets in a couple weeks for $239.00/ton.
I bought some of the Eurekas because I burned the Pa. pellets this winter and there seemed like a lot of ash, so I wanted to try something different. Ill probably pick up at least a ton of the Pa. pellets though to finish off my supply. These two stores are the cheapest prices I could find around, and I called everybody!

 

[mandkj]

As always, if there are people willing to pay $ 250 .00 + for pellets , that is what they will sell them for.

If they don't sell any at that price , the price will come down . They can keep them at that price IMHO.

Well, in this part of the country, thats a good deal and still banks a nice little savings for me over oil. It is what it is. Its not going to go down and even if it does, how much? $10 maybe $15? If I want to heat my house this winter and not use oil, then I have to pay it. As long as its not costing me more than oil, then fine. Each part of the country is different. I'm sure there are other places you can find a DECENT pellet for much less, but not here unfortunately.

 

[requin]

As always, if there are people willing to pay $ 250 .00 + for pellets , that is what they will sell them for.

If they don't sell any at that price , the price will come down . They can keep them at that price IMHO.

Well, in this part of the country, thats a good deal and still banks a nice little savings for me over oil. It is what it is. Its not going to go down and even if it does, how much? $10 maybe $15? If I want to heat my house this winter and not use oil, then I have to pay it. As long as its not costing me more than oil, then fine. Each part of the country is different. I'm sure there are other places you can find a DECENT pellet for much less, but not here unfortunately.

I agree. Its expensive here in New England; from reading many past posts I can see that people in some other areas of the country can get pellets quite a bit cheaper...past years and probably this year too.

I didn't hear back from the craigslist bargain of 2 tons for $400, so probably already sold. I should check with the guy selling 2 tons for $500. ...cause the more I read here the more I think that's *probably* as good as it's going to get, and yea, I want pellets stocked up and ready for winter so I don't have to scramble later. Luckily I only need 3 tons, 4 tops.

 

[minnow]

All indications are that oil prices are going to remain steady for the remainder of the year. Of course any sneeze or hiccup by an Arab can drive up prices overnight. However, I'm going to take the chance. Unless fuel oil goes over $4 a gallon, I'm sticking with that for this winter. This will be the first time in 5 years that I am not planning on burning pellets. I will not pay $300+ for compacted sawdust in a plastic bag.

 

[rowerwet]

He has NEWP (said he won't have much of those) and another brand I never heard of, I think he said, Cornth (?? anyone hear of something like that?).

Corinth, ME is one of the pellet mills in maine, I think they make Maine woods pellets (MWP), that is what I got for this year, I heard they grind whole trees so there is higher ash due to high bark content, now I get to find out if the mighty maxim can handle MWP, as long as I don't have to scoop and brush ash more than once a week like I did this past winter I will be happy.

 

[requin]

Finally heard back from one of the craigslist sellers. The guy selling 2 tons for $250 each. They are Dejno's brand. ???? Never heard of it! Looked it up online and did a search on this forum, doesn't look too promising. Think I'll pass on that one.

I still haven't heard back from the seller who's got 2 tons for $400....

 

[brian22]

I got 6 tons delivered two weeks ago for $253 per ton, now I am waiting for prices to drop so I can feel like a fool.

I just paid 295 a ton...not delivered...where did you get yours..you burn those pellets before? Are they pretty decent?

 

[MCPO]

As always, if there are people willing to pay $ 250 .00 + for pellets , that is what they will sell them for.

If they don't sell any at that price , the price will come down . They can keep them at that price IMHO.

If few people bought them some mills would probably go belly up? The scarcity would cause a demand and the price would probably be just as high as it is now.
It`s an unending cycle and one that we as a consumer are unable to control.

 

[rowerwet]

I got 6 tons delivered two weeks ago for $253 per ton, now I am waiting for prices to drop so I can feel like a fool.

I just paid 295 a ton...not delivered...where did you get yours..you burn those pellets before? Are they pretty decent?

I got them at D&J;in sanford, me, 239/ton it was going to be 100 dollars for 5 tons for delivery or 105 for 6 tons so I got 6. I have heard that MWP burn dirty due to high bark as they grind whole trees for sawdust. Others have said MWP have gotten better, they were new to the game last year and apparently sold standard grade pellets as premium, but more recently the posts have been better on this site. I don't have glass and my OPB is set up for a week plus of ash (it is also made for corn which has higher ash content) before it needs cleaning so I will see.

 

[krooser]

I'm ordering 4 tons tomorrow. My dealers early buy ends on Thursday so it's time to pull the trigger. There's one dealer here advertsing Propellets for $205.00 early buy... not bad but I could buy 'em from another guy this past winter for $175.00 so it seems things are going in the wrong direction.