Most of the commercial campgrounds in my area have gone to seasonal reservations. The big campers get hauled to the campground and parked for the entire season most have hookups. Many just get left there over the winter. The campground may have a few slots for transients but selling seasonal sites means the owners are isolated from bad weather seasons with lots of cancelations. Even the transient sites are 2 night minimum on weekends and non refundable. The nearby national forest has a mix of some free secluded primitive sites (zero services, usually just flat spot in the woods with parking space and fire ring), developed tent sites at campgrounds (common outhouse and possibly a water source) and a couple of campgrounds with drive in camper sites. Some even have power to the sites but no dump stations. In the past year with Covid many folks just head up with a camper and try to find a spot to park on a backroad. The national forest is understaffed for enforcement so its rare anyone gets fined despite rules restricting camping to developed sites or 1/4 of mile away from the road. Sadly folks are leaving trash at these impromptu sites. The state also has state parks with developed campsites (common toilet facilities and a water source) , they are relative bargain and get booked full well in advance.
Highway Robbery
- Thread starter Caw
- Start date
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Woody5506
Minister of Fire
How is this "robbery"? Its merely overpriced firewood which nobody is forced in any which way to purchase, and I can't imagine this guy is selling very much of it and IF he is, so what? All that means is someone decided that this little bundle of firewood was more important to them than their $20.
Woody5506
Minister of Fire
No offense intended by my post, I do understand $20 for a little bundle of firewood is foolish amongst our ilk, but consider the wood stump "end tables" at hip urban stores that also have price tags of over $300! Now the $20 bundle of wood seems like a deal compared to that. All I'm saying is in this case there's more shame in the buyer than the seller, but at the end of the day a voluntary, mutual transaction is just that.
It's worth what the crazy person is willing to give for it...
That's how economics work - and then one has to add the need for scale, if that exists. For such road-side sales, scale is often not the issue, and thus the concept of price elasticity is not relevant, leading to my first sentence...
That's how economics work - and then one has to add the need for scale, if that exists. For such road-side sales, scale is often not the issue, and thus the concept of price elasticity is not relevant, leading to my first sentence...
Woody5506
Minister of Fire
I won't turn the thread into a philosophical econ discussion but this is basically Austrian Economics in a nutshell and exactly how I feel.
You guys are much too serious for me. What you're saying is obviously true but just not in the spirit of the thread. It's just a light hearted joke saying "look at what these crazy people are charging/paying for wood".
You can go 3 minutes further down the street from this guy and get a tote full of hardwood delivered to your house same day for $150 which is about 1/4 a cord. He also does a smaller tote for $75 which is more like 1/10th a cord. Those extrapolate to $600 and $750 a cord which is still overpriced but much more reasonable. Or just to to Lowe's 10 min away and get the same, maybe slightly lesser stuff, for $7.
I'll stick to my $400 for 5 cords of logs
You can go 3 minutes further down the street from this guy and get a tote full of hardwood delivered to your house same day for $150 which is about 1/4 a cord. He also does a smaller tote for $75 which is more like 1/10th a cord. Those extrapolate to $600 and $750 a cord which is still overpriced but much more reasonable. Or just to to Lowe's 10 min away and get the same, maybe slightly lesser stuff, for $7.
I'll stick to my $400 for 5 cords of logs
Woody5506
Minister of Fire
I'm not mad at ya man I'm just pointing out the flip side! Honestly, I think if I sold wood, I'd want top dollar and perhaps even "rip off" prices for it.
All that means, is I really don't actually want to sell wood. To me there's hardly any monetary value to it after factoring in everything I need for my own heating. So much time involved in sourcing, hauling, bucking, splitting and stacking then 3 years seasoning it for just my own needs. BUT if say I could actually get a rip off price of maybe $200/face cord which is about double the average in my region then I'd consider it. Heck maybe that's not even a high price to pay for 3 year seasoned wood anyway, not like any other dealer around here sells truly seasoned wood.
Apparently there's far more money to be made in the "round log end table" market though.
All that means, is I really don't actually want to sell wood. To me there's hardly any monetary value to it after factoring in everything I need for my own heating. So much time involved in sourcing, hauling, bucking, splitting and stacking then 3 years seasoning it for just my own needs. BUT if say I could actually get a rip off price of maybe $200/face cord which is about double the average in my region then I'd consider it. Heck maybe that's not even a high price to pay for 3 year seasoned wood anyway, not like any other dealer around here sells truly seasoned wood.
Apparently there's far more money to be made in the "round log end table" market though.
MoDoug
Minister of Fire
Yup, but as pointed out insect free does not mean dry. Ossipee Mountain Firewood the company on the label sells "seconds" $140 for 1/4 cord. The stuff I bought was bone dry. Throw a few chunks on top of my grate. Put some newspaper in my ash put, light a match and about 90% of the time it would light without kindling. Note my boiler is coal/wood design so all the air comes up from under the grate.
Ossipee's biggest problem is the problem that most of the of Northern NH is they cant get enough employees to work the firewood line.
Ossipee's biggest problem is the problem that most of the of Northern NH is they cant get enough employees to work the firewood line.
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Everything seems to be 19.99 even the ads on TV--everything 19.99 no matter how different the items are: lol clancey
MoDoug
Minister of Fire
CatfishHunter
Burning Hunk
Every time I cut down a birch, I toss all of the branches into the firepit. Then I drive back to the city and see them selling birch sticks at the local nursery for crazy prices. I fantasize for about two minutes about how much money I could make, and then just think....good for them. I've got better things to do with my time than haul birch sticks, but I'm glad that somebody is making money off of them.
If this guy makes $20 off of a bundle of firewood, that's beer money. Good for him.
I'm the type of camper that hikes or canoes miles into the woods. The few times here or there that I have car-camped, I buy the wood that they sell there to prevent the movement of invasives. I'd rather bring my own wood, but these invasives really cause a ton of damage.
If this guy makes $20 off of a bundle of firewood, that's beer money. Good for him.
I'm the type of camper that hikes or canoes miles into the woods. The few times here or there that I have car-camped, I buy the wood that they sell there to prevent the movement of invasives. I'd rather bring my own wood, but these invasives really cause a ton of damage.
This. When I visit a campground I bring an axe and a portable handsaw. Most times the wood bundles for sale are green and wet. I scour the woods and collect plenty of deadfall for free......
Yep. I drive by it every day taking the kids to school. Im curious if anyone every stops.
I've never seen anyone stop, although I'm sure he sells some wood in spring and summer. Too much further up that road and the houses get really expensive. I'm sure those people don't care about dropping $40 for a fire pit night. The real question is, is the wood dry.
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They should stop by my house instead I'd sell them stuff from my ugly/ fire pit bin at that rate lol. Too lazy to advertise though.
You better start getting ambitious now and advertise Caw...shoulder or not--lol Hope your feeling better and doing well...clancey
Ha, thanks. It's been really hard for me lately. I don't want to hijack this thread tho I'll share and update in my thread later. I'm trying to stay mentally strong.
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