Long Island NY Pellet Price Gouging

[Enviro Mini Owner]

I get very upset when I read the prices for a ton that I see on this site. Compared with Long Island prices - yes I know the pellets have to be trucked further but not that much further - we are being ripped off.

Okenagan at $348, Country Boy (never heard of 'em?? at $338, Turman at $338, NEWP at $330, Energex at $330. Of course we have Lowes - North American and HD Stove Chow - but really! We should have more choices at prices that fall in line with the rest of the country. Then there is the delivery prices - $55 -$80!

First, for the immediate future, in order to deal with the delivery prices - are there others who live on the south fork with whom we could combine deliveries, and second, for the long term, I would like to know if there is any interest in Long Island for forming a consumer group to deal with these prices?

Maybe you have other solutions, I would like to hear them.

 

[CT Pellet]

Ummmmm...Hey! Here's an idea. Why don't YOU go into business and start selling Turman, Okies, Country Boy, NEWP (haha) and Energex for those super low prices that you see here on this forum. Then you would capture the market on those brands in your area and you would no longer be the self proclaimed "victim" of price gouging Be sure to report back to us in a year and let us know how you're making out.

 

[StuckInTheMuck]

Isn't it 200 miles round trip from the NYC area to East Hampton and back? At 4 mpg and diesel at $3.75 per gallon, that's an extra $187 for diesel alone. Then there are tolls, the driver as well as wear and tear on the truck. At 22-24 tons per truckload and probably an extra $500 in shipping costs, that works to at least an extra $20 per ton in shipping costs alone. Many people on here live much closer to the source of the pellets.. When they want to go to the beach, however, the tables are turned. They have to drive for hours or days to get to the beach whereas you can probably just take a short walk. You could buy a wood stove to reduce your pellet use.

 

[TheMightyMoe]

Glad someone has to be pay more than me!

 

[Delta-T]

anyone gots a barge? we could bring them in at night, under cover of darkness...unload em right on the beach.

 

[earl764]

Aside from the issues mentioned, I imagine there is another item at play; location based markup.

A contractor I'm friends with and use for some home renovation has pricing books(what to charge a customer for a given task). A job that costs me 2K could cost a customer 6K if it's in lower Fairfield county near NYC. Same work, it's just expected you can afford to pay more due to your zip code.

I think all of LI would fall into the same gold plated mark-up zone, regardless of the location.

 

[Nicholas440]

Country Boy pellets are very good, they are a premium grade hardwood pellet, and I have been burning them for 4 years. I was getting them for about $180 a ton the past few years but this year they have gone up to $194 but still not bad compared to what prices are in the Northeast states..