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Bagged Anthracite shipped to California?

Posted: Wed. Oct. 04, 2017 6:54 pm
by Redbopeep
We have a coal burning cooking and heating stove in the galley aboard our boat (a pre-WWII schooner) and we have a hard time getting good quality coal when we are in California. Lots of dirty burning bit coal (and loads of coal dust in the bag! too) available but no anthracite. We've used our kerosene cooking stove and our diesel heater mostly -- just using the coal stove when it's really cold. We travel the west coast and have picked up decent anthracite coal in Washington state (Tractor Supply) but aren't going there anytime soon. We've got a place to store some coal now here in northern California so I'm thinking of purchasing a pallet (1 ton) or a reasonable number of bags for this winter and next. The California branches of the Tractor Supply doesn't have it and is trying to figure out if they can get some before half the heating season is over. Does anyone know a source of high quality bagged anthracite that I can (reasonably) get shipped to California? Fingers crossed. Thanks! for your help.

Re: Bagged Anthracite shipped to California?

Posted: Wed. Oct. 04, 2017 7:56 pm
by Richard S.
Shipping coal to California? Has to be a law against it somewhere. :D

Trying to get a pallet shipped that far is going to kill you with the shipping costs. What you might try doing is finding a dealer as close as possible and have them ship it to you. There is some dealers as far west as the Mississippi and I would imagine it would be cheaper having them ship a pallet. They are getting it in bulk so it's 1/3 of the way there.

Is there any demand at all for it besides yourself? If so a co-op is the way to go, a tractor trailer load would still be expensive per ton but far less per ton than a single pallet. The suppliers are all very close to 80, finding a trucking firm heading back to California from NYC empty should not be to difficult. Might even find one for that pallet.

Re: Bagged Anthracite shipped to California?

Posted: Wed. Oct. 04, 2017 8:50 pm
by Redbopeep
I'm uncertain of the demand. A couple years ago when we were in the SF Bay area, we checked with Lazarri fuel company there. They have horrible bit coal that they try to pass off as blacksmithing coal (at, gulp $27/bag) and they used to have even more horrible stove coal (also bit) that was costly but I don't recall the $$. Last year they stopped stock the stove coal. Filthy stuff. I don't know where the people are going now to get coal. Perhaps there's a co-op and I'm unaware of it. It's not like I'm going to be a big user. Fingers crossed that someone on this forum knows someone...who's in California using coal. As far as I know there is no law against heating with coal though there are sometimes bans on woodburning appliances during bad-air days in some parts of California. Compared to the diesel we use if we're not using coal, I know the coal is much cleaner. Diesel is common for heating use aboard a boat but it has particulates that can be a problem. Similar to wood burning.

Re: Bagged Anthracite shipped to California?

Posted: Wed. Oct. 04, 2017 9:12 pm
by Richard S.
Yous should be able to get it shipped for significantly less than that. I don't know the exact price but it might be $6 for a 40 pound bag plus the shipping and handling. Even if it was $600 for shipping and handling on one ton you're only at $18 per bag. It's not very economical at all if you have other sources of heat but if you need or want it....

Re: Bagged Anthracite shipped to California?

Posted: Wed. Oct. 04, 2017 9:39 pm
by Hambden Bob
Got a Fastenal Nearby ? Try Their UShip Program. What The Hell,It Could Happen !

I also scrounged up a counter option. This seemed to be an interesting topic for long haul shipping :

https://www.smokstak.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1207168

Good Luck !

Re: Bagged Anthracite shipped to California?

Posted: Wed. Oct. 04, 2017 9:52 pm
by warminmn
One of those plastic totes in the steel cage filled with bulk coal may not cost that much to ship via fastenal, or even just a full pallet of bagged anthracite coal. I think I know someone in Wisconsin that would ship a pallet (2400 pounds) but thats as close, location wise to you, as I could think of. At least they shipped a few years ago. http://bossertfireplace.com/index.html

Re: Bagged Anthracite shipped to California?

Posted: Thu. Oct. 05, 2017 5:21 am
by Rob R.
I think Tractor Supply is your best bet. You could have coal shipped via LTL carrier, but it would be expensive.

Re: Bagged Anthracite shipped to California?

Posted: Thu. Oct. 05, 2017 7:43 am
by coaledsweat
Most stores aren't going to be interested unless they know they can sell a truckload.

Re: Bagged Anthracite shipped to California?

Posted: Thu. Oct. 05, 2017 7:49 am
by Rob R.
Maybe so, but I assume they ship their coal through their distribution center/network rather than a full truckload directly to a store.

Re: Bagged Anthracite shipped to California?

Posted: Thu. Oct. 05, 2017 7:59 am
by windyhill4.2
Rob R. wrote:
Thu. Oct. 05, 2017 7:49 am
Maybe so, but I assume they ship their coal through their distribution center/network rather than a full truckload directly to a store.
TSC has trucks delivering to each store on a regular basis.Each store doesn't need to buy a truck load of each item they sell.When a truck is loaded at the distribution center,they will just load the skid of coal for store #301456 on the truck,when the truck arrives at that store,the skid of coal will be unloaded along with other skids of whatever else they ordered.
For TSC,it is easy,the hard part will be to get the person typing the order to care enough to type that extra item number.

Re: Bagged Anthracite shipped to California?

Posted: Thu. Oct. 05, 2017 8:22 am
by Pacowy
As long as it's on a pallet, there's a chance you'll get a decent rate out of Fastenal, an LTL carrier or even U-Ship. I think you're likely to get the best overall deal by shipping from the origin point of the coal, rather than some dealer in the middle of the country (who would be charging prices that cover intermediate handling, storage, carrying costs, etc.). So you might want to try, e.g., sourcing a pallet of bagged coal from Frackville, Coopersburg, etc.

Mike

Re: Bagged Anthracite shipped to California?

Posted: Thu. Oct. 05, 2017 8:25 am
by warminmn
TSC does not deliver to every store anymore and it cant be delivered to any store. Of the dozen or so stores within 150 miles of me there are only 2 that get any now and the others will not order any.... they only kept delivering to stores where it sold well the 1st year. Thats not saying a pallet doesnt show up once in a while.

it is different in the east third of the country then further west. But the OP should check with a couple store managers as TSC doesnt seem to have any set rules. I learned last year not to trust them or what they tell me, but to accept it when it works out, especially during the sales.

Re: Bagged Anthracite shipped to California?

Posted: Thu. Oct. 05, 2017 8:41 am
by Richard S.
Pacowy wrote:
Thu. Oct. 05, 2017 8:22 am
rather than some dealer in the middle of the country (who would be charging prices that cover intermediate handling, storage, carrying costs, etc.).
That's true however the shipping/handling charges to get it to their location is less. The higher rates for the single pallet only gets tacked on from there onward.

I don't know what if any difference that will make and it may even be more but it's worth looking into.

Re: Bagged Anthracite shipped to California?

Posted: Thu. Oct. 05, 2017 9:10 am
by Pacowy
I'll bet heavily on the direct service, but there's no harm in looking at different ways to be sure.

Mike

Re: Bagged Anthracite shipped to California?

Posted: Thu. Oct. 05, 2017 11:24 am
by Redbopeep
Direct-to-me I can get a couple companies to send a single pallet but the shipping estimates are $1200 or more. The best deal per bag is definitely by truckload of bagged rather than pallet.

Blaschak anthracite, after shipping included for a truckload comes out to about 1/2 of their retail price in stores so if only I could do a truckload I'd be happy. Can't do it. Absolutely no place to store that much coal and no knowledge of anyone locally who needs it besides me. People who do need it only want a few bags for an outdoor pizza oven or similar.

Does anyone know what coal is being sold by Lehmans in Ohio https://www.lehmans.com/product/anthracite-coal/ Their coal (quantity 60 40#bags nut coal) with even their highest shipping (est $700) is about the same total cost as the shipping alone quotes from UShip or other sources before I've bought my 2400# of coal.

The picture they post looks pretty dusty for someone trying to sell anthracite. I've sent them a note confirming size (on the phone they say nut size but nothing on their site says it), type=anthracite.