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I HATE JARS!


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I have been looking for the perfect jar for months....in the meantime I have been learning about candle-making using cheap walmart mason jars. But what I really want are nice thin-bottom Tumbler jars. Like the ones at Candle Science. The problem is that they are just sooooo expensive. Especially once you get lids too. The cheapest I have been able to find them, with some neat custom wood lids, is about $2.10 a piece after jar, lid, and shipping. If I bought like a pallet of them it's like $1.90 a piece, but I can't afford that right now, and don't need that many anyway. Is that reasonable for jars? It literally doubles the cost of my candles. I just don't know if I can justify spending that much on them, since it will make my cost per candle so much higher. 

They would look a lot like the one in this picture, though this is not my picture. 

jar.jpg

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Trouble is, up here in Maine we are not near any suppliers of containers. So we have to pay shipping usually to this end of the country sadly. And yes, the more you spend the less your cost per container will be. But until you start buying at pallet rates you will just need to realize that your costs will be higher. Same will go for the other ingredients in the candle as well. More wax you buy, the cheaper per pound it is. Etc etc

 

Im my opinion, $2.10 is a bit high for a jar. But, it also depends on what kind of candle you will be making and your target customer. You could target the more "luxury" themed candles thus rendering your $2 per jar moot.  But if you are selling to a craft fair type demographic and trying to keep your retail prices under $20 then ya, $2 per jar is a bit high. So I would first figure out what type of candle you plan on selling and go from there. Who will your target audience be? And then start building your candle around this. I know TT has some input on this as I recall her having a customer base that her candles cater too. Me? I do not have this and will take any customer I can at this point lol

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Are you from Maine too? :) Shipping is the real killer for us Mainers....without shipping it would be more like $1.50 a jar. I've been really struggling with trying to figure out my target audience, but I really decided to go with what I enjoy! So my candles and other products (soap, B&B) are going to be fantasy/nerd themed, so more of a fun market. Not necessarily high-end. Do you have any recommendations for jar distributors with decent shipping rates to Maine? I could be persuaded to change my jar if I still thought it looked nice. :) I want my candles to be affordable while still making a profit haha. 

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I don't think $2.10 with a wood lid is all that bad.  Most jars with lids will run you from $1.25-$2.50 depending on the jar/lid.  Status jars at most places are close to $2.00 with lid and shipping.   We'd all love to be able to pick up all that heavy stuff locally but the reality is very few of us have 1 supplier near us that has everything we want.

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1 hour ago, LittleMissSunshine said:

Are you from Maine too? :) Shipping is the real killer for us Mainers....without shipping it would be more like $1.50 a jar. I've been really struggling with trying to figure out my target audience, but I really decided to go with what I enjoy! So my candles and other products (soap, B&B) are going to be fantasy/nerd themed, so more of a fun market. Not necessarily high-end. Do you have any recommendations for jar distributors with decent shipping rates to Maine? I could be persuaded to change my jar if I still thought it looked nice. :) I want my candles to be affordable while still making a profit haha. 

 

Yes, just outside of Portland!

 

And I would suggest looking at Fillmore firstly. Start there and see if there is anything you like then move on to anywhere really. Being this far removed from the rest of the USA we really tend to pay the higher end of shipping rates.  I actually mostly do tins, so I avoid paying for glass shipping as much as possible. I as well couldnt justify the added cost to get it out here

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3 hours ago, kfintoni said:

I am in the process of buying a house in Orono right now. Just drove up there twice this week right through Portland. @LittleMissSunshine  Where are you located? It is a nice drive up North once I get past Portland there is barely any traffic.

 

Karen in MA

 

Maine is starting to be a trend around here :D 

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3 hours ago, kfintoni said:

I am in the process of buying a house in Orono right now. Just drove up there twice this week right through Portland. @LittleMissSunshine  Where are you located? It is a nice drive up North once I get past Portland there is barely any traffic.

 

Karen in MA

 

I am up in Farmington, a couple hours from both Orono and Portland. Much more out in the boonies. It's so exciting to see so many Mainers! Love it! :)

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9 hours ago, LittleMissSunshine said:

 

I am up in Farmington, a couple hours from both Orono and Portland. Much more out in the boonies. It's so exciting to see so many Mainers! Love it! :)

We drive right by Farmington on our way always hoping it is actually the sign for Framingham where we live. I am getting the house for my daughter to live in for her last two years at U Maine. There is not too much to do in the Old Town/Orono area.

 

Karen in MA

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