“What’s a guy gotta do to find good wood around here?”
Good question. We sensed the frustration in your voice as you asked it, and we feel your pain.
After all, bad firewood delivery services are a dime a dozen. All you have to do is Google “firewood delivery near me” and you’ll be bombarded with a bunch of companies that talk a big game. But when it comes down to it, their customer service is just as lackluster as their soggy wood.
“So, what am I supposed to do? Who sells good firewood in my area? Anyone?”
Have no fear, friend! You can find a firewood delivery service that is worthy of your hard-earned cash.
In this post, we’ll show you what to look for when weighing firewood delivery options. As you’ll see, the best local companies practice seven habits. However, these regional options can’t always meet all your needs. Fortunately, there are also larger national companies that can.
Ready to find the firewood delivery service of your dreams? Good, then let’s begin.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Local Firewood Companies
Finding a quality firewood delivery company in your region can be tricky. You don’t want to be left with wood that is difficult to light and burns with too much smoke. And you especially don’t want a company that will leave you in the lurch when their delivery driver’s a no-show.
So, before buying firewood from a business near you, you need a system for evaluating that company. The rubric we’d suggest for this is a list of seven habits all the best firewood sellers follow.
And to prove there are actual companies that meet these criteria, we’ll use a local business called Lumberjacks as an example. Lumberjacks is a family-owned firewood delivery business that has been serving the Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin regions since 1993, and as you’ll see, they have the seven habits down!
1. Getting Rave Customer Reviews
The best firewood delivery companies can’t help but generate a flood of glowing reviews. Our friends at Lumberjacks are no exception, as their Google Business Profile reveals.
So, it’s a good idea to look at a company’s reviews on sites like Google and Facebook. If the company has a largely positive reputation, then chances are you can trust its wood.
Even if it gets a few negative reviews, that’s not the worst thing in the world. If you notice the business replied to those reviews and tried to make things right, that’s the sign of a standup firewood provider.
2. Producing Kiln-Dried Wood
The best firewood companies deliver the highest quality wood. And no firewood is superior to kiln-dried wood because no other type matches how well it burns.
What sets it apart is the better drying process.
Most local companies will season their wood by leaving it out to dry for months on end. This leaves it vulnerable to the elements and pest infestation. And long story short, the wood rarely gets dry enough for the hottest and cleanest burns possible.
But better firewood companies like Lumberjacks leave that lackluster drying method in the stone age where it belongs. Instead, they put their firewood in a super-hot kiln for 48 hours. In that time, it gets the wood down to an ideal moisture level for burning of less than 20%. It also kills off any insects or mold the wood may have had in it.
As a result, the wood lights easier and burns hotter and cleaner than standard seasoned wood. That’s why it’s an essential item to check off your list when looking for a firewood provider.
3. Setting Reasonable Prices
Everyone wants to find the cheapest wood. But if everyone jumped off a cliff, would you follow them? We hope not because jumping to your demise isn’t wise and buying cheap wood isn’t good. As is the case with most products, you get what you pay for when buying firewood.
The cheapest wood is probably cheap for a reason. So, instead of looking for the lowest price, we recommend looking for the most reasonable price for the quality of the product you’re getting.
Kiln-dried firewood requires extra steps in the production process, so it’s naturally going to be more expensive than standard seasoned wood. But that extra cost is worth it for the superior quality you’ll get out of the product. We think so, anyway.
4. Going Above and Beyond
There are a lot of local companies that deliver kiln-dried firewood, but the best ones, like our pals at Lumberjacks, set themselves apart with their customer service.
The Lumberjacks sales team is always willing to go above and beyond to meet its customers’ needs. Examples of this include answering all their questions, helping them determine how much wood they need and ensuring their orders get there extra quickly if they need the wood for a special event.
You can’t quantify good customer service, but we all know it when we experience it. So, be sure to pay close attention when you interact with a company for the first time. And go with your gut. It will never steer you wrong.
5. Processing Orders Carefully
One thing to ask a company you’re considering purchasing from is how they process their orders. The best sellers will describe a process that ensures you’ll get the right amount of wood you paid for. Lesser companies are more careless with preparing orders.
A good example of top-notch order processing is how Lumberjacks always hand stacks the wood for each order and then puts it in separate compartments in its delivery trucks. By doing this, the company confirms the accurate size of every order.
6. Delivering Orders Speedily
How close is the company to where you live? This is an essential question to ask when looking for local companies. After all, the further away the company is, the longer it will take to get the wood to you.
Beyond proximity, you should also ask the company for an estimate of how long it would take to deliver to you. A seller within 50 miles of you should be able to get there within 1-2 business days.
7. Prioritizing Convenient Delivery
One other thing to make note of is how the company arranges with you to deliver its wood. Did they ask you where you’d like them to leave the wood on your property? If not, that’s a red flag.
You should be able to specify exactly where you’d like your wood dropped off, and that company should follow your instructions carefully. Lumberjacks makes a habit of this, and so should your wood provider.
Where Local Firewood Companies Can Fall Short
Here’s the thing. Even the best local firewood delivery companies can only do so much. The company could do all seven habits and still not meet all your firewood needs. This is because most regional sellers fall short in one key area: product variety. The number of species and sizes of wood they provide is often limited.
Here’s why that might be a problem depending on what you’re looking for:
Narrow Wood Selection
A local supplier usually only offers the species of wood found in its region. So, if you live in the Midwest and want more exotic options like piñon wood, you might be out of luck.
Local companies also often only have 3-4 species of wood available, which may be disappointing if you want a wider variety.
Only Mixed Orders
Are you looking to get a single species of wood in your order? Then you may be out of luck when ordering from a local seller. Many companies often only sell mixed hardwood orders containing a few different species of wood. So, you can’t get too specific about the wood you want when buying local.
No Size Options
Most firewood businesses also only offer one standard size of firewood, which is usually about 16 inches long. Generally, this single option meets most people’s needs. But if you’re into wood-fired cooking, you know that most pizza ovens and smokers require smaller wood.
So, if you buy from these local companies, you’ll have to break out your hatchet and chop the wood further, which may be a hassle.
How a National Firewood Delivery Can Give You What You Need
Most local firewood providers don’t do all the seven habits we listed above. And even those that do, like our friends at Lumberjacks, still can’t always give you the type of wood you’re looking for.
So, what do you do when you can’t find the firewood delivery you need in your area?
Another option is to turn to a national firewood delivery company that can make up for where the local guys fall short.
How are we so sure this is a viable option for you? Because we’re one of those national firewood delivery companies!
A lot of people clam up when they hear the phrase “national firewood company” because it conjures up images of cold, impersonal businesspeople pushing paper and not caring about their customers.
We assure you we’re not one of those companies.
Instead, we operate like a local firewood company that just happens to deliver nationwide!
Following the 7 Habits
At Hot Box, we practice all seven of the habits listed above. Here’s how we make each of them part of our firewood delivery process:
- We’re new to the scene but already have some glowing customer reviews.
- Our wood comes kiln-dried for maximum performance.
- We make our wood as affordable as we can with boxes of smaller wood starting as low as $49.95.
- If you need more assistance, our customer service team is available by phone at 847-322-0597 or email at info@hotboxcookingwood.com.
- We carefully package our wood in standardized boxes, so you always know how much wood you’re getting.
- We speedily deliver all our firewood boxes with free two-day shipping throughout the United States.
- Your order will come in a conveniently packaged, resealable box delivered right to your door.
Providing More Options for Getting the Wood You Need
We’re also able to make up for the areas in which most local delivery companies fall short by selling a wider variety of species and sizes of wood.
We have a wide selection of species to choose from, including ash, birch, cedar, cherry, hickory, oak, piñon and sugar maple. And you can order by the species instead of having to settle for a standard mix of woods.
We also offer many different sizes to choose from. You can get 4-inch chunks for your wood grill, 6-inch extra split pieces for your pizza oven or 8-inch logs for your larger oven or smoker. And of course, we have full-size 16-inch firewood if that’s what you need.
The Best Firewood Delivery Near Me is Within Reach!
As you can see, quality firewood delivery isn’t that hard to find. You just need to know what to look for. And the good news is, whether you buy local or national, you can find a company that meets your criteria.
We hope you’ve found this post useful and informative for your firewood delivery needs. And if you’re interested, we would be happy to meet those needs for you.
You can visit our shop page to browse our selection of firewood and cooking wood. And if you enjoy using our wood, feel free to snap a pic and tag us on Instagram @hotboxcookingwood. We always enjoy seeing our wood put to good use!