How trading works
Browse wood, agree on the quantity and price, then arrange pickup or delivery.
Ways to find wood
Wood welcome: bulk receivers describe species, minimum and maximum loads, exclusions, truck access and any payment per agreed drop. Specific requests: smaller quantities for makers, cooking or gardens. Available wood: sale listings, urgent loads and permission-based free pickup piles.
| Market | How it works | First version |
|---|---|---|
| Ready to go | Time-sensitive loads from anyone who needs a quick match. State the available window, transport radius and unloading requirements. | Fixed total or a fast offer. Live local alerts come with the production system. |
| Wood for sale | Private and business sellers list firewood, logs, burls, slabs or garden timber. | Listed total or negotiated offer; quantity and logistics are part of the deal. |
| Wood wanted | Buyers describe what they need, their budget and whether it’s a one-off or ongoing request. | A supplier proposes the actual timber and total. A posted budget is not a promise to pay for an unspecified load. |
Timed competitive auctions are a later feature. They need bidding rules, reserves, closing times, cancellation handling and enforceable acceptance mechanics before real use.
Make the price mean something.
- Describe the actual lot. Identify the species or say unknown, give dimensions, condition, treatment history, quantity and recent photos.
- Use an agreed unit. Loose cubic metres, stacked cubic metres, weight and piece counts are different. Do not convert between them without an agreed measurement method.
- Spell out logistics. The total must identify whether delivery is included, who loads and unloads, the equipment required and the confirmed time and access.
- Both sides accept the same record. A price change, different timber or changed delivery requires a fresh agreement. No substitutions without consent.
- Record the handover. The production flow should retain the agreed description and delivery evidence, with a clear process for a shortage, wrong species, rejected load or failed delivery.
Earn a small cut. Show every dollar.
Our proposed launch approach is free standard listings and browsing, with a commission on completed sales. The working example uses a 5% seller commission; the final rate is not decided.
| Illustrative $200 deal | AUD |
|---|---|
| Buyer’s agreed total, including delivery | $200.00 |
| Platform commission at 5% | $10.00 |
| Seller proceeds before any processing fee charged to the seller | $190.00 |
Payment processing, GST treatment, refunds, chargebacks and payout timing still need to be confirmed. The example is not a complete final fee schedule.
Optional promoted listings and paid instant alerts could add revenue later. Paid visibility must be labelled and must never imply verified timber, priority delivery or a guaranteed sale. No one is charged for these features in the preview.
Payment needs to be real before we promise it.
The intended flow is an agreed deal paid through the platform’s payment provider, with the platform fee and seller proceeds clearly shown. Seller onboarding, payment confirmation, payout timing and dispute handling must be implemented and tested before launch.
No escrow, guaranteed payout, automatic refund or buyer protection is offered by this preview. A checkbox cannot establish a protection that the payment system does not actually provide.
If the load doesn’t match.
The live service needs a published process for raising a problem, supplying evidence and arranging a remedy. It must cover wrong or treated timber, short quantities, unsafe access, no-shows, duplicate sales, damage, partial deliveries, failed payments and chargebacks. Those rules remain to be reviewed and implemented.
Online businesses have consumer-law responsibilities. Rights and responsibilities can depend on the transaction and whether the seller is a business or a private individual. Marketplace disclaimers do not simply remove applicable rights. Read the ACCC’s online-buying guidance.
Your location is yours.
The preview asks for a suburb only. Listing drafts, photos, saved searches and offer drafts stay in this browser’s local storage; they are not public, synchronised or backed up. Clearing browser data removes them. Do not enter exact addresses, phone numbers, financial details or other sensitive information.
The production design should show approximate locations publicly and reveal contact or delivery details only to the appropriate participants. It still needs account security, consent-based notifications, deletion controls and a privacy policy reflecting the actual data flows.
A useful launch, then grow it.
Start with one service area and the three clear trading routes. Prove that people can find each other, agree on a load and complete a fair transaction. Add subscriptions, alert credits, auctions and assisted species recognition only once those foundations work.
Species recognition, if added, should produce a suggestion for human confirmation. It must never certify identity, burning suitability, cooking safety or children’s play suitability.
Try the marketplace ↗