Chasingmytail
Member
- Location
- Newport, SE Wales
Over the paste few years we have been busy with firewood but this year seen a massive drop. We don't advertise big scale only Yell and FB. Its a small off shoot. Personally I find it a pain because when you are running ragged you have to spend days cutting wood.
The biggest problem I see is FB Marketplace as every kid is doing it incredibly cheap and on top of that delivering 12 mile radius free (24 miles in a 4x4 madness). I suppose the volume they are doing makes up the small margin. I doubt whether they sit down and do figures. Seeing that on the odd occasion we were paying someone £10ph to cut the stuff its not going to be a highly profitable business. On top of that delivering 1 cube 7 miles is such a waste of time but on some deliveries it has to happen. Also started being strict with any deliveries over 7 miles have to be 2m cube. Lots of people want a bag/crate delivered by hiab.
Some business around have the kilm dried and have benefited from good RHI payments but still with overheads labour and diesel I wonder if its all that good. Delivering around pooky back streets no good with trailers you have to have a small tipper or use pick up so that means longer journeys with small orders.
Where we win is the 8" cut not many do this and so many people now have tiny burners. Stacking service also a winner but again this year big drop.
I question with Mr whether its really worth the bother and investing (through grants) upgrading a processing system because we already spend enough time off farm this is another demand over the weekends. Then delivering up and down the lane. But you can make some good money when say doing 5m stacked. Its a nice income stream but I don't know what to do about it now.
The biggest problem I see is FB Marketplace as every kid is doing it incredibly cheap and on top of that delivering 12 mile radius free (24 miles in a 4x4 madness). I suppose the volume they are doing makes up the small margin. I doubt whether they sit down and do figures. Seeing that on the odd occasion we were paying someone £10ph to cut the stuff its not going to be a highly profitable business. On top of that delivering 1 cube 7 miles is such a waste of time but on some deliveries it has to happen. Also started being strict with any deliveries over 7 miles have to be 2m cube. Lots of people want a bag/crate delivered by hiab.
Some business around have the kilm dried and have benefited from good RHI payments but still with overheads labour and diesel I wonder if its all that good. Delivering around pooky back streets no good with trailers you have to have a small tipper or use pick up so that means longer journeys with small orders.
Where we win is the 8" cut not many do this and so many people now have tiny burners. Stacking service also a winner but again this year big drop.
I question with Mr whether its really worth the bother and investing (through grants) upgrading a processing system because we already spend enough time off farm this is another demand over the weekends. Then delivering up and down the lane. But you can make some good money when say doing 5m stacked. Its a nice income stream but I don't know what to do about it now.