I see a lot of people getting scammed buying firewood on Facebook marketplace, sellers are saying its seasoned when it’s. Not !
Lying firewood sellers !
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Ctwoodtick
Minister of Fire
Sadly that’s the norm. I’m sure there’s is true dishonesty, but there also people that think that season means it’s been sitting in a pile of mud for a year.
One more 2-cord load and I'm done selling. Some guy saw me deliver to his neighbor and wants wood, too. I have lots of >20% wood. If I was unethical.......This is the time of year for sellers to offload their 'damp' wood. They have already sold their dry wood. People get desperate as the firewood ads shrink. Some sellers are probably dishonest while others believe 3 months in the round and then splitting is dry. I told him I'm out of wood.
I sell a little firewood. I bring a moisture meter. I ask the buyer to select a large piece of wood. I split it on the spot and check the moisture content. But most believe me when I say it is dry so I don't split a piece. One should protect oneself and get a moisture meter to check the wood before it is dumped. But a lot of people think all firewood is the same.
I sell a little firewood. I bring a moisture meter. I ask the buyer to select a large piece of wood. I split it on the spot and check the moisture content. But most believe me when I say it is dry so I don't split a piece. One should protect oneself and get a moisture meter to check the wood before it is dumped. But a lot of people think all firewood is the same.
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Some young yahoo in my area on FB Marketplace is selling his freshly cut Elm rounds for $200/cord and is telling buyers they can burn this wood this year. He also states it is freshly cut. Isn't that against the law? Can't they be ticketed by Weights and Measures? If someone follows his advice and burns their house down, couldn't they hold the seller liable? He said the wood could be burned this year. He says,
"You have six chords of hardwood for sale, with most of it recently cut. However, if split, it can be burned this year....."
"You have six chords of hardwood for sale, with most of it recently cut. However, if split, it can be burned this year....."
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Ctwoodtick
Minister of Fire
It seems unlikely that any authority would do anything about this. To his credit, he did state the wood was recently cut. I wonder if he falls in the category of ignorant versus dishonest.
We just don’t live in a country that truly regulates this stuff. I’ve read that places like the Scandinavian countries are quite strict with moisture content of firewood sold.
So people want the gov't involved in the sale of firewood?
The seller stated it was recently cut, at face value nothing appears dishonest to me. Shouldn’t there be some onus on the potential buyer to make a good decision for themselves whether to buy or not? No need for the firewood police
fvhowler
Feeling the Heat
Yes, buyer beware...at all times...even with firewood. No problem buying firewood but temper your expectations and assume it's not ready to burn no matter what the ad says. The time to buy firewood for this winter was last year.
How do you know that it is not "seasoned" whatever that means? How do you know that the buyers are being scammed? Maybe you were scammed? I've sold lots of firewood from my personal stash that is very dry so it is entirely possible that you can buy seasoned/dry ready to burn firewood with a low MC at any time of the year. Also, I take money before I unload but the buyer is free to reject the load before that. They never do, always very happy to get the fuel.
no fed law i am aware of but might be state regulated. To Qwee the moisture meter is fine but they are set up for room temperature wood, and you need to re split the split and check fresh face in the middle to be proper about it. unless you can reprogram or interpolate the reading based on temp.
You are unfortunately the rare firewood seller who does his buyers right. By me at least, sellers like you are not very common. I usually buy 2 cords in November. If I wanted to burn that wood the same winter I would be very disappointed. It won't be burned until it gets to sit through a summer. I wish more sellers were like you.
Woody5506
Minister of Fire
Yeah none of them sell truly DRY wood thats why you oughta buy it at least a couple years ahead of time, in my opinion.
buy your wood 2-3 years in advance and you never have to worry about it. 
That's the problem with generalities. It is totally false to say that all firewood sellers are selling wet wood. That's just bitterness talking.
I do agree that a portion, indeed the majority, sell wood above 20% MC and also tend to short the buyer on volume. This is why it is up to the buyer to inspect what he is buying.
I specify that I want green wood and use that to pay less. Never disappointed if the wood is too green.
If you want guaranteed dry fuel and waited until you needed it to buy then you can buy NIEL logs. Or you can test and verify the fuel from the seller is actually dry. No need to trust him.
I do agree that a portion, indeed the majority, sell wood above 20% MC and also tend to short the buyer on volume. This is why it is up to the buyer to inspect what he is buying.
I specify that I want green wood and use that to pay less. Never disappointed if the wood is too green.
If you want guaranteed dry fuel and waited until you needed it to buy then you can buy NIEL logs. Or you can test and verify the fuel from the seller is actually dry. No need to trust him.
That is why BK gives a moisture meter to new stove buyers. Numbers don't lie on a freshly split piece.
buy your wood 2-3 years in advance and you never have to worry about it.
I wish I had the room to store 3 years of wood. Unfortunately that's not an option for some of us that don't live in rural areas. Best I can do is store 1 year in advance
Ctwoodtick
Minister of Fire
I’m not in a much different boat. Last year or 2 I’ve been focusing on getting quicker drying hardwood and softwoods. Oak and hickory will take a bit too long to dry with limited space.
I do not. My property is 60'X100' I have no room for that. I buy "seasoned" wood in October and by next the next October it's ready to burn.
Not much more room to do something like wrapping your stacks with shrinkwrap for the summer and giving it a vent, you can make a solar kiln in tight spots, that is why I mentioned it.
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