How much should I offer???

[Harold Burrell]

I was talking with someone yesterday who is heading up an estate sale for a family. She allowed me to look around at what was being sold...and...there was some wood involved.

They had a bunch of it that they were selling off all together, but...they had 3 boards in the garage attic that were supposedly oak (it was dark and hard to see). Now...I have presently about 500 BF of 5/4 red oak (so I'm pretty set).

However...one of the boards was 7" wide x 12' long 12/4!

I want it.

How much should I offer for it?

[Josh Rudolph]

However...one of the boards was 7" wide x 12' long 12/4!

I want it.

How much should I offer for it?

As my Dad always says...offer what it is worth to you. If they take the offer, you both are happy. You also have no potential guilt associated to the board/offer, you offered what it was worth to you. Most of the time I make offers for things that are below a market value, but that is what it is worth to me. We recently had my grandmothers estate auction, I paid well over market value for a lot of things...but that was what the items were worth to me.

[Stephen Cherry]

As my Dad always says...offer what it is worth to you. If they take the offer, you both are happy. You also have no potential guilt associated to the board/offer, you offered what it was worth to you. Most of the time I make offers for things that are below a market value, but that is what it is worth to me. We recently had my grandmothers estate auction, I paid well over market value for a lot of things...but that was what the items were worth to me.

This sums it up nicely, there is no reason to overpay. I've been to a bunch of sales like this, and the people either want just to have something, or they want way too much. 12/4 red oak is not 12/4 mahogany.

I've recently been to estate sales of people who are still alive. Tools, etc. This weekend I went to one where an old gentleman was "selling" a bicycle with the extremely large front wheel. He wanted 15 thousand. He told me "It is my heart, I don't want to sell". Once the gentleman is gone, these things will go for pennies to people who may mostly see green.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Call around and see what local retail sales are charging and decide from there what you want to offer.

Prices vary greatly depending on location.

Example? I paid $273 for 23 bd. ft. of cherry here...18 months ago. Of course, there is only one dealer carrying cherry or other hardwoods within 120 miles of my location...so it's expensive!

[Paul Johnstone]

However...one of the boards was 7" wide x 12' long 12/4!

I want it.

How much should I offer for it?

Is it air dried or kiln dried?

That would make a difference to me.

I think $1-2/board foot is a fair offer for oak like that which is just sitting around (if you make an offer to take it all, that makes less hassle for them, buying just one board means they still have the chore of selling the others).

If I really wanted that 12/4 board, I would go up to $4/board foot for it.
But I would have to have a specific use in mind for it to go that high.

The seller will likely either think that the wood is priceless or just want to get rid of it.. It's amazing, but there's usually not a middle ground.

[Peter Quinn]

Assuming its oak, is it red or white? If red, I'd offer around $3.50-$4/bf, so with about 20BF there thats an $80 board in my mind. Now that may vary up or down a bit locally, but red oak is not a species thats hard to come by and that thickness/width isn't a particularly precious thing either. Useful, yes, but not rare and thus demanding a special price. Similar for Ash
White oak sells a bit higher here if KD, I guess it takes longer to dry?

That said its worth what you are willing to pay and what they are willing to take on a given day, so I'd call around and see what it would cost you from a local lumber yard to give you a ball park figure.

[James Malcolm]

At an auction about 3 weeks ago a nice straight 12/4 x 12" x 14' white oak plank went for $17. I bought a lumber bunk sized pile of cherry, white oak and black walnut for ~$1.00 / bf including the u-haul I had to rent for twice the cost of the wood. Went to get a planer, ended up with a planer and a nice pile of wood :) As others have said, it all depends on what it is worth to the crowd at the time. Mahogony at another auction went for about $1 / bf. I'm still kicking myself in the ass on that one. I watching my wallet vs using my head.