TraciS

I poured Patchouli Rain. Heavy on the rain to my nose. I am not a patch lover and I really didn't notice anything but a very light touch of patch. Had one of my patch lovers smell it and she gave it a thumbs down. Said it would be great for somone who liked the rain part but didn't do anything for someone wanting patch. Anxious to see what others think of this one. I have Red Maple Leaf coming in a day or two.

The difference in eclamshells and impact is incredible. They call them the same item# but eclam is thin and hard to open/close. Thank God I only got one box. I am opening and leaving them out for a few days and then pouring only spicy things in them so they overcome any plastic scent.

Creme Brulee in a crock pot. It is my best seller but harder to sell when all you have to go by is cold throw. People come with noses in the air at every show and so far it hasn't ever bothered anyone like the Blueberry did when I tried it

Gen Wax used to carry garlic, basil, etc. Not sure if they still do but you could email and see if they have any left

Mine is $464 with 1M general liability, 2M Products, MFG Or Dist extension, damage to premises, medical expense (very small). I went thru an Independent Agent but policy is written by America First Insurance (member of Liberty Mutual Group). I hate paying the premium but am thankful I have it just in case :-)

Interesting info Blacktieaffair. I was a victim last year but have not been stung since. I used a CC anonymizer service the couple times I ordered from the company I feel was the problem location but kinda quit using them since then. I will use the service again if I go back there. I don't know how you would ever be really safe. I had my AE # stolen from a UHaul place in Dallas on a work trip where I rented. The employee used the hard copy and had everything he needed to rack up a lot of charges while I was on a vaca. Thank God AE caught it and held the orders until they heard back from me - he was going for big ticket stuff.

1. Avg batch size: approx 32lbs wax, I pour 74oz batches by scent always 2. Avg number fragrance on hand - approx 90 3. Typical frag oil purchase qty 5-10# per scent 4. Typical wax order - 10 cases 5. Typical glass order - pallet 6. How long keep wax - no idea, a month maybe 2 in the summer 7. Shelf life of frag oil - 1-2yrs 8. Shelf life a factor in qty of oil you purchase - no

Very cool! Can't wait to see how you do them

Is it heavy on the BB or the Sage? Thanks for the info :-)

Anyone test either of AH/RE's BB Sage? Or Peak's? I keep getting requests and KY was the one I used. Just thought someone may have tried them out side by side.

I have General Liability covering completed products/opeartions, medical, mfg extension and damage to premises with a 1MM-2MM limit depending on the incident. They also do a certificate for me covering the venue I am selling in if the event requires it at no additional charge. It is under $500/yr through Ohio Casualty (I do not live in Ohio). I got this policy through a local independent ins agent about 7 yrs ago and so far the price has remained the same each year.

Loved them! I never had a problem with slow shipping. I always got my orders in a timely manner until they quit shipping anything at all - lol. I was lucky and had stocked up one time and right after that is when they quit shipping & communicating at all. I will def get in on prebuys and see how they stack up now. They had awesome oils.

House of Soy is just a reseller of other middle man's oils. They buy from the same suppliers we do and then they mix them, name them and sell them or just flat out resell. Or at least that is what they told me 6-8 months ago when I asked about lb + prices. Some of their mixes sound great but nothing you couldn't do on your own. But might be fun to play with some of their mixes. Wax, I never got enough throw out of CBA or C3 but that was also a couple years ago. I have had great throw out of 464 and have never looked back. I know several people who mix 75% soy (464, 415, etc not positive which ones work for them best to be able to quote to you) with 25% 6006 and pour hot, love the throw and the appearance. So many possibilities. I would choose something close to home for shipping costs and then tweak it.

Portable heat/ac unit here too. Plus in the winter I use an oscillating Lasko space heater and between the 2 I can keep my workspace 70+ easily. If I had enough room I would store candle there but I am in a double garage and once you start making candles that is not much space. I store tart warmers out there and bags and all the rest is just actual candlemaking stuff. Next year I am planning to make the move out of the garage and into a small non-retail bldg.

Tired of Christmas scents, tired of heavy foodie scents. Mixed up a little satsuma/vanilla mix for a spring scent and I'm loving it. Gave out a few testers already and it's thumbs up so far. Thinking of a plumeria/ocean mist mix next.

Sure, I was nervous the first few times. I still am when I do a different type of show until I settle into just chatting and selling. A year from now you will wonder what you were so nervous about! You could spend your life checking out shows and hoping to get in next year...or you can get out there and start meeting your new customers. Just remember when you get nervous to act "as if"...as if you were a seasoned vet, as if you have sold a million candles, as it they will never find another candle as good as this one and as if they will be back to reorder from you as soon as they get home and light their new candle!

Well, you could go and check it out and do it next year...or you could jump in a give it a try. I can tell you that no matter how prepared you think you are, the first few show you do will be eye-opening as to things you forgot and things you don't want to do the same way again. I vote for jumping in and getting your first show behind you since you are confident about your products. You can't make a little extra money unless you go.

I use KY's Gardenia (at AR/RE) and it is a great seller year round.

I know this was old and dug back up but I love reading everyone's tips over the years. Here are the three things I always try to remember at shows: 1. Greet everycustomer like a friend you haven't seen in a while. I was by a vendor who really had it down. She has a big warm smile and always says how are you like she has known each one for years. She told me she had to practice to get the right tone to seem like a long lost friend and not a stalker and it increased her business almost immediately. 2. Never say Thank You unless you have made a sale. I read a book on sales techniques at booth sales and one of their most important tips was that when a vendor says Thank You it is a signal to a customer or potential customer that the interaction is over and they tend to move on without a second thought. So when a customer says you have great candles or unique scents you should say I'm glad you like them or We try to have the very best scents around, etc instead of thank you. It really hit home because Thank you is usually the signal that transaction is done and I don't want to let them off the hook that easily-lol. 3. Once you find your style, stick with it. Customers are creatures of habit and if you keep jacking with your booth display they don't recognize you as easily. If your color scheme is fushia and lime green, don't swap for a dark green cloth or exchange the fushia for red at Christmas - your customer is trained to look for fushia and lime. Seasonal accents should be complementary of your permanent color scheme and not a change. If you ever wonder if it is true, change your display colors completely and see how many do a double take before coming in or say I wasn't sure that was you.

Your label is clean and neat. I agree on adding the weight. Burn time? The warning label tells how long to burn on each burning...is that what is meant by burn time in this thread? I have never seen a candle with a total burn time for the candle on it anywhere. That is so variable depending on burn conditions.

They never update the site though, so you think things are in stock and they are not. I tried to get 4 scents in an order placed a couple days ago and was notified that of the 4 only 1 was actually in stock. When I asked when the others would be back in (one of which I have been waiting for about a month already) I actually got no response at all although they did email me back with the name of the one that was in stock...just the name, nothing else. Their customer service is horrible, they don't stock much of anything anymore. The Spicy Apples & Peaches was reformulated a couple months ago - still smells great and performs well in my soy-just FYI. I am DONE with them. It has been 14 months that I have dealt with non-existant customer service, misinformation about when scents would be in stock and in general disappointment every time I order. Life's too short to deal with suppliers like TCS has become.

Didn't KY carry it? Check RE/AH and see if they stock it now

I'm partial to the Longwycks version that is sold at RE/AH.

Hmm, typed out a long reply and it disappeared. The answer is yes, after all costs. Some shows are more per hr but we have really done a ton of different shows before deciding on the shows we go back to each year. You have to try them all to know what works for you. Wine Festivals-yes, chili cookoffs-fun, filling but not much money, they are all different. Our worst show was a baby fest where we didn't even make back our booth fee, and a 1-day show where we made just enough to cover expenses and have fajitas & a margarita and laugh at what a crappy day it had been. Even the crappy shows are a learning experience and a chance to reel in a few repeat customers :-)

Depends on the type of show. Little office show - any profit is good, they are mainly for exposure. Real, actual, organized one day craft show with fees less than $100 I can live with $500 in sales and return but that's the lowest. It is a lot of work loading in and out in one day. Weekend shows with higher fees, I need profit of $100/hr to make it worth returning.