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Alajane

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    candles soap
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    Alabama

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  1. Thanks, guys, for your responses. I do use mileage for shows and other business travel, but don't deduct a portion of my home expenses because my CPA said I could only do that if that's the only thing those rooms are used for--and all my house is double-duty! The only non-business items in one of the rooms are Christmas decorations in a closet, but the CPA said to be safe, it would be best not to claim it. Candybee, your response about the age of the equipment makes sense to me, and most of my items were purchased at least 10 years ago. It's my understanding that this does not include supplies such as wax, fragrance, jars, etc., right? Just the equipment used to manufacture? Thanks again, Jane
  2. I received a packet of forms ("Business Personal Property Return" stating that "while performing an audit of the business licenses purchased in ...., it was discovered that your business has purchased a business license, but has not filed a business personal property rendition." The forms have to be turned in by this Friday with an itemized listing of all personal property owned by the business. I've had a business license and been paying sales tax and reporting income tax since 2003, but have never seen these forms. When I went through my records, all the "business personal property" I could identify was the following: Folding Tables (4) (2 used as pouring stations and 2 for shows) Folding Chairs (2) (for shows) Presto Kitchen Kettle Pouring Pots (4) Single Burner Hot Plate Infrared Thermometer Heat Gun Glue Pot Shelving Units (4) 3-drawer storage cart Wooden Display Cases (3) (for shows) EZ-Up Tent (for shows) I also have a microwave I use to melt the small amount of soy wax I use but don't know whether it should be listed since it was a hand-me-down from my daughter and not purchased by the business. Have any of you filled out these types of forms? What really bothered me was the last statement, that the business could and probably would be audited. My business is conducted from a bedroom in my home where I have set up my pouring station and another bedroom with shelves of candles and melts. I have in the past done quite a few shows but have pretty much quit doing those; I have a few regular customers and do a few fundraisers each year. I don't know whether I want to just close my business rather than have to deal with this since I'm not making much lately anyway. As you can tell, this is really freaking me out and I don't know why! If there are any responses to this, don't think I'm not interested since I can't get back until lunchtime tomorrow since I no longer have internet access at home. I do my internet-ing during lunch at work. Thanks for any thoughts or comments, Jane
  3. I put labels on everything - but I'm lazy, I put all the info on one label! Logo, warning info, melting info, phone number - everything goes on one large label that covers the front of the package.
  4. puma52, actually I'm still feeling ambivalent about it. I don't think the scent throw is any better than a regular warmer and really can't imagine people wanting to pay that much. Another issue for me is that I only sell at craft shows (I'm also employed full-time) and won't have an avenue for show customers to get refills easily. That's why I plan to tell them they can refill from the wax melts. I have a show coming up weekend after next and am not sure whether to even take them or not because it's a yearly show a good distance from me, so I'm not likely to see any customers regularly. I may wait for my next "regular" market; there are several customers there who call me for orders so I think that might work better for me. I had a wholesale account with a more upscale boutique for several years but they recently went out of business; most of my customers are definitely concerned with cost, so I also plan to offer refills of the blanks.
  5. I agree about the expense, and I have no idea if they'll sell or not. I got mine unpacked last night and tried it out immediately. Of course I didn't have a filled scent container for it, but had ordered some so I emptied a full (3-oz) pack of wax melts into the "blank" and fired it up. The scent throw was fine--I really couldn't tell any difference between the scent throw from this and my normal warmer from the same manufacturer. I really don't believe people are going to want to pay twice what the regular warmers cost, and then the cost for a filled container that cost me $2 wholesale (the least I think I could charge for them is $5 when filled with 4 ounces of wax). And I really couldn't see a difference in the scent throw from that container (I had 3 oz of wax in it) and the 2 blocks (1 oz) I normally used in my regular warmer. For my purposes, I'll enjoy using it because it's covered and I won't have to worry about the cat getting into it, but I have a feeling I'll be giving most of the case I purchased as Christmas gifts! Because the "blanks" are so expensive (relative to clamshells), I'll probably tell customers they can refill them from their clamshells like I did--I can't really see any difference. Think I'll test it this weekend with just 2 chunks from a clamshell to see if the throw is at least as good as a regular warmer. I do know there are some people for whom price is no object, and I think they would like the convenience of taking out the old container and replacing it with a new one without touching the wax, but I'm pretty sure my regular customers are concerned with costs. I'd love to hear anyone else's comments if you try them. Jane
  6. Have any of you tried these new warmers from CandleWarmers? They require special 4-oz containers of wax and have a fan to distribute the scent better. It looks like you use them with the lid on since they have vents on the side. I bit the bullet and ordered a case of them--for my cat! At least he was my excuse; I wanted to try one but wouldn't pay the 40 bucks they cost, so I got a case at the wholesale price and will hope they sell. If not, I'll have some nice Christmas gifts on hand! Oh, about the cat--he's a long-hair and evidently got his tail in the wax, then swished it up onto his back. We couldn't figure out why his hair was so matted; on close examination it looked like wax, so I'm assuming that's what happened. Had to cut a swath of his beautiful hair (about 4 inches long), down to the skin. He looked really pitiful for a week until it started growing back in. So I figured a warmer I can use closed (hopefully) was a good thing for me to try, and maybe a marketing tool for other pet owners.
  7. OldGlory, I love your dust cover. What is the string on the corner tied to--a hole in the lid to make removal of the cover easier? I love these jars and haven't used them much because I wanted a cover, so I think I'll copy you! I'm assuming you don't mind since you posted it here. Thanks for the tip, Jane
  8. Dana, you said "I pay about $1.50 per warmer and Aztec's price is about $3 higher than Candlewarmers..." I was wondering what warmers you get for $1.50? I've been ordering from CandleWarmers for years and have never seen any at that price--is it a quantity break because it sounds like you order a lot more than I do?
  9. I had the brilliant idea that Crystal Light containers would make great molds for guest-size soaps, so I poured 4 of these containers for shower favors. Then came the fun of trying to get them out of the containers! I ended up putting them in the freezer, then had to use the heat gun to get them to release but finally got nice-looking logs out of them. Unfortunately, since I had put them in the freezer they were very wet and regardless of attempts with paper towels, only dried out with time. So I'm not sure if I'll try these containers again or not. Anybody else use them and have luck getting release without using the freezer? They really make nicely shaped bars!
  10. I wonder if it's the distance of the bowl from the bulb? I really don't think the throw is as good on mine as on my old one from CandleWarmers. Speaking of night lights, it's sure a bright night-light, isn't it!!
  11. I splurged yesterday and got the Brighton style--I love the looks of these warmers and would love to be able to purchase them wholesale! But the melt I put in last night didn't seem as strong as usual, so I'm not sure if these warm the wax as well. When I get home from work tonight I plan to put in a known-strong scent to retest. If not, this $20 warmer will be returned to Wal-Mart even though it's very pretty.
  12. Love Spell! Almost always sells for me but I think it's totally stinky!
  13. You're right, I could probably worh it out by phone. Meanwhile, I'm trying clamshells from Panic. Thanks.
  14. So glad to see this today. I ordered from eClamshell and they're backordered. I do wish there was a manufacturer on the east coast, though--that shipping cross country is rough!
  15. Ok, I promise I'm not totally computer illiterate but I'm stumped! I tried to order clamshells from Impact today and got to the point where I needed to create a UPS account and got stuck. I followed the link to the UPS website and filled out all the information to set up an account, but never got an account number. Any pointers? I've ordered from them once before and they agreed to ship to me from their account that one time only, but said I would have to get my account set up for future orders. TIA, Jane
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