Thread: To price Red Cedar

Remember, his "Goal" is to get rid of the stack. 99% chance he doesn't want some fellow to come cherry pick the 5-best boards and leave a heaved pile scattered across his shed. It's not the local Home store.

First place I would check is the local woodworkers club. 10-15 years ago, As-is, where-is "deals" like that had to go cheap or else they would just sit another 10-years and then end up hauled to the dump... In the US, maybe $0.50/bd-ft. Cash. You bring the trailer. You take the whole stack.

The thing is, it's not really that good of a deal for the buyer, because the buyer has no idea what's inside the stack. Could be full of cracks and knots. Could be poorly sawn. You just don't know until you get in.

“what should I sell this at?” always the $1M question.

I've seen a few cubes of quality sawn rainforest timbers go for as little as $1k in total and regularly see adverts for boards, slabs and small parcels of timber, some good, some simply past it, and at ridiculous asking prices often at $8 to $10k per cube figures for rough sawn.

In certain areas there are what I call "superannuation stashes" of quality timber that are starting to emerge on the market as the owners are nearing that age where they want to cash out. That together with a very noticeable disappearance of solid furniture makers does not bode well for sellers.

Its the eternal problem - matching buyers and sellers - at the right time. If time, storage etc is not a factor, and the boards are high quality hold out otherwise take what you can get. There are small enterprises / individuals who do purchase, process and resell small(er) parcels of timber so a phone around may turn up a mutually beneficial match. Try vendors who appear regularly at "wood shows" etc.

Originally Posted by Clinton1

Red Cedar
3/4 inch and 1” boards
minimum 12” wide
up to 16’ long

“what should I sell this at?”

I can't give you a number, but "quite a lot" I would think.

Yes. Probably a premium price, but much depends on actual quality, particularly at a premium price. There is the problem of matching buyer and time. To sell in bulk you are looking at a commercial buyer.

This thread may also assist:

australian red cedar price ?

Regards
Paul

TruckJohn is bang on.

Either the dude wants top dollar (he is dreaming) or he wants to get rid of it.

If he's a woodworker, it will be well classified and therefore probably fairly valuable.

If he simply inherited it and "mate, I know its worth more" then he is dreaming. He will be holding that stack for a bloody long time, have a hundred people pick over it and mess it all up, he will be forever restacking it and ensuring it remains bug-free/dry/protected, otherwise his "asset" is worth zero.

(edit - there is no greater sinking feeling when I've gone to someone on Gumtree and see the pile is already picked-over. I know its going to be nothing but remnants. They insist, however, that its all Highly Precious).

He is NOT a wood merchant or enthusiast.... big problem.

He probably knows NOTHING about it, either where it came from, why it was cut the way it was, the size it was, nothing. To the seller it is simply an object he thinks is valuable "because" ("its comparable prices to Bunnings, mate")

A woodie/merchant will offer the best value in terms of grain, choice boards, more stock in future, a selection of boards, sustainability, employment, regrowth, etc. Him? He has only what he has and if it isn't quite right he has NO means to address it.

The value drops close to what he can get rid of it both ways.

Offer him $500.

Its not being merciless, for him it is only "worth money" no different than his grandmothers travel-spoon collection or old sewing machines.

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

Yes. Probably a premium price, but much depends on actual quality, particularly at a premium price. ...

Paul's nailed it. The value in Australian Red Cedar - Toona ciliata - lies in its spectacular appearance. Factors in establishing value include:

• colour,
• grain pattern,
• cut - back sawn is preferred over quarter sawn,
• milling - uniform thickness free from kerf marks,
• width - wider boards are more valuable,
• freedom from holes and borer activity,
• straight and twist free - properly stacked and stickered,
• no stains
• etc.

Then there is the logistics of selling it. He probably has too much to tempt a DIY enthusiast, but not enough for a dealer unless at a bottom feeder price. If he is really lucky a small-medium joinery may see an opportunity to replenish their stocks - a timing issue - a confidence issue.

In my view, it is much easier to mill timber and store timber than to sell the stuff.

If its old growth, and has that deep rich Brown or Red pearlescent glow he can retire on the sell price, if its newer pale timber he'll have to count on someone really wanting it.

Oh the vagueries of timber wholesaleing. Add to that the vagueries of Red Cedar and one wonders why they ever got into the game in the first place. After 50 years dealing in the stuff I have come to the realisation that it is best left to a specialist to extract it's true value. Many are the times I have seen cedar flogged off by the uninitiated at very low prices. I have also seen cedar knocked down at auction at extreemly high prices. Some where in the middle, you would think, would be true value. Not so. It is only worth what someone will pay for it. The art is knowing how and where to find that someone and know your product. A quality product deserves a quality customer and vice versa.
Now to the material in the OP; Long and wide is good. A few cubic metres is good. One inch thick is not so good. This material, IMHO, should be bundled into small lots and sold by the bundle or multiples there of. A price should be set for the total quantity which should also carry a discount to encourage prospective buyers to consider their options. 6 to 7K a cube is about average these days.

Originally Posted by rustynail

After 50 years dealing in the stuff I have come to the realisation that it is best left to a specialist to extract it's true value.

Excellent commentary from RN & I agree wholeheartedly on the above line. The specialist knows his product and his customers plus customers know where to find them.

Even if a specialist were to aggregate all of these "superannuation stashes" to realize their maximum value by say export to say China there is the long term issue of supply. One off sales are a PIA as most vendors & customers are looking for supply reliability in the longer term.

We all grumble about the marked difference in wholesale vs retail pricing but it exists for good reason - the vast difference in the costs, time, logistics etc associated with selling whole packs green of saw or kiln dried to one customer vs selling one board or smaller quantities of boards to numerous customers in a retail setting - with the additional costs for storage, inventory, retail display, admin ...... addressing enquiries, time wasters, .......