[snip]
Drop them an email. Jana will answer rather quickly. I am waiting (impatiently) for a bunch of white oak from Hartzell. Found dealing with them simple and straightforward. :-) mahalo, jo4hn
The small lot charge is displayed right up front for all to see. If you order a larger shipment (perhaps to share with other local wooddorkers) the charge goes away. mahalo, jo4hn
jo4hn wrote in news:bSsZc.398$ snipped-for-privacy@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net:
Thanks, Jo4hn!
Hi Tom, Your suggestion regarding samples is actually our policy. I just think it's stupid to double handle money so I continue to blow off the charge and send them out. Back to the handling charge thing. I've been spending hours every day going through emails from people who send me their project list, down to every last detail, and either want me to figure out the footage for them or tell me what the footage is, right down to the decimal point for exactly what the order is. Either way, it's these people who don't understand the concept of waste, so I have to explain that to them. By the time it's all said and done, they don't order anyway. I'm still willing to take the time but it but it can't be all I do. There are companies like Rockler, Woodcraft, Paxtons, who make their money by processing and selling small amounts. I know because I cash checks from them. The prices on my site are for s2s, which should tell people that we mainly sell volume. I have to run my business thinking in the thousands...not singles. I have 30 people who depend on my business to make, at least, a portion of their living off to think about, too. To respond to your price change on small orders...I don't run my business like that. Same price for everything unless you're talking truck loads. If I have a deal to offer, I put it out there for everyone. I don't have all those hidden charges. I don't even charge/deduct for shrinkage. I don't charge a flat $20 just to turn on the planer when someone wants something planed. If a customer comes in and wants to sort his own lumber...there's the pack ~take what you want~ and stack it back like you found it...and the list goes on. ~ I really don't know how to sum this up, so I'll just end here. Jana
Never bought anything from them (yet!) but they do have some beautiful wood. Downside is you have to order a minimum of $100 worth, and some of their prices seem kind of high (Then again, it's probably not that high for what they sell)
jtpr wrote:
Yup, it is I. I had the bad experience down here in Georgia of being charged a 17% surcharge on wood for planing and shrinkage. If you take a board that is 12" X 3/4" X 12" up to the front desk, you get charged for
1.17 board feet. If you are buying 300 bd ft, that is quite a hit. I ordered 300 bd ft from Hartzell and ended up with a bit more than 300 bd ft. The tractor trailer delivered it quickly.
Interesting concept. Of course there is a loss for planing and a cost for doing it, and nothing is free. Can you pay the list price on rough cut stock?
I have two sources that will joint and plane my wood purchases. The service is "free", but the cost has to covered in there someplace. I guess it is a matter of perception and actual prices. If the going price for oak is $3 and they charge $2.50 for rough cut and $2.93 for the planed after surcharge, it is a good deal but you are unhappy with the surcharge. If they charge $3.50 for rough and do the planing "free" you have a big happy smile while getting porked in the rear.
If they are charging $3 and then adding 17%, it is probably fair, but the perception is not. Ed
Not that it really matters all that much, but the last statement I don't agree with Ed. If they're charging $3.00 for a finished good then the price should be $3.00. A surcharge on a finished good that adds a surcharge for the "manufacturing process" is like buying a car and then paying a surcharge for the robotic welders, the paint booths, etc. Or, like marrying a woman and paying a surcharge for all of the years that went into developing her into what she is when you marry her... oh wait, we do that, don't we. Ok, I won't ague the point any further.
OK, a little clarification that should have been added. If the price of rough cut is $3 and the price of S4S or S3S is $3 plus 17% that is fair. It should be stated that way on the price bin or huge sign in the warehouse so you know where you stand when you choose your boards. The total price is still a fair price in the marketplace (cost of wood plus cost of labor).
My point was that how the charges are handled is really important. If you bought top quality oak at $1 and they charged a 17% surcharge you are probably going to be PO'd but if the lumber yard down the street that sells it at $5 and offers free services like planing, you walk out with a smile even though you paid a much higher price.
Buying a car, it is rare that anyone wants the parts delivered so they can do the welding and painting at home. With wood, it is often the buyers choice. As I stated, I can have my wood planed for "free" but sometimes I don't accept the option and prefer to do it myself. If that is the case, the seller make a bit more profit from me.
I'm going to the shoe store later today. Legally, the can't put a surcharge on the price if I use my charge card. If I pay cash, they give me a discount though. Ed
No, none of the yards sell rough lumber only planed with 1 edge straight line cut. They have a listed price that is competitive with, or higher, than internet sources. You pick put 15 boards and do all the board foot measurements and come up with a total of 100 board feet. Then you get to the front and they do the board foot measurements and come up with a total of 117 board feet and charge you the advertised price. When questioned about the board footage, the person at the cash registers explains that the
17% is for shrinkage during kiln drying and for straight edge ripping.Personally, I thought that getting a board that was 3/4" thick while paying for 1" lumber already covered the shrinkage during kiln drying. I also would prefer a board that was not straight line ripped because I use most boards in 3' o4 4' lengths and they straight line rip an 8', 10' or 12' board which wastes a lot more material. However, it is not an option to get boards that are not straight line ripped.
I was able to buy wood from Hartzell and have it shipped to Georgia and save over $1 a board foot and actually get a board foot that measure 7/8" X 12" X
12".
I would think so. Why not just make the price 17% higher to begin with if that is what they want to sell it for. Do they supply the Vaseline or do you have to bring your own? ;)
Thanks for the explanation.
Ron
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