lightmyfire

On 6/12/2018 at 11:05 AM, soshiegirl said:

I really like the Lavender Chamomile from Candle Source.  It smells just like  the Johnson and Johnson bedtime bath products.  I also love Bulk Apothecary's version too...smells more like an essential oil blend.  Candle source is definitely more cost effective.

I just received a pound of Lavender Chamomile from Bulk Apothecary and it is FABULOUS!!  You were right on when you said it smells like an essential oil blend.  Can't wait to get it in some wax.  Thanks again @soshiegirl       And yes it was $$ but so worth it; I took advantage of their sale.

15 hours ago, Marleigha said:

IMO... The absolute best Lavender Chamomile is from JS.  I do not have Lavender Chamomile from CS, but I have tried the one from RE as well as a few others and just LOVE the strength and powerful scent throw of the one from JS.  HTH!  

Thanks for the info!  I have ordered from JS a few times but their shipping is crazy high for me.  Ugh 

1 hour ago, Trappeur said:

I love amber jars.......matter of fact I have a 16oz amber jar that I'm so happy with.

As you said it depends on your market if the 4oz will sell.  And how much would you sell them for too.  Of course a smashing label creates the look.  You'll never know how customers will react to them/if they sell till you make them, so all you can do is try them.  I have one store that I sell a 4oz italian jar to a store and she sells them unbelievable and at 15.00 a candle....Is my biggest seller with this shop.  I love the fact I can make them very fast and produce a lot of them at a time.  Just bite the bullet and try....you'll never know till you do.

 

Trappeur

 

Here are the 4oz jars I sell and they retail for 15.00.

 

 

 

 

 

Now I have a 9oz amber jar already to go, just have to make a few presentations to a couple of shops I'm lining up to go to.   I put the little embeds on top of the finished candle for my signature look.  I love amber jars.  I believe you can get either black, gold or silver lids for these jars.

 

 

 

 

You make the most gorgeous candles!  Indeed, the packaging is so important and you have that nailed!!  Thank you as always for your insight.

Where do you purchase your 9 oz ambers? Is that a 2'X2" label you're using?  Also, where do you purchase your gold stretch bows?

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was checking out the amber straight sided jars on Fillmore today--they're pretty cute.  I'm wondering if that size candle is popular (I know it depends on the market) and it those are relatively easy to wick with 6006.  I'm looking at adding this as another offering with my 11 oz clear tumblers.  Fillmore also offers a 9 oz amber jar that I think would be cool also but they are out of stock.  

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated 

10 minutes ago, chevcher said:

I require a $150.00 opening order, $100.00 for re-orders. I had to set minimums, because in the past I would get a few customers that wanted to "buy wholesale", then would only place a $25.00 order 😡 So frustrating !
I used to offer 50%, but with the increasing costs of supplies, shipping, etc..I'm doing a 40% discount. I've seen a few companies that only offer 25-30 % discounts.
HTH

Did you have any pushback on the 40%?

On 6/3/2018 at 4:40 PM, chevcher said:

Back when I was making dried florals and herbal products, I wanted to add some candles to my line.
At the time (early 90's) I only made pillars and dipped beeswax tapers, something my aunt taught me when I was little.
After much trial and error on different styles &  techniques, I settled on a grungy primitive look to complement my floral decor and my passion for Early Americana. 
A friend of mine who dabbled in candlemaking, sold me all of her supplies for container candles. After much experimenting, testing, etc. I began selling them at the indoor market that I was in way back when.
Later, I began taking them to shops for potential consignment or wholesale deals. I also started doing local craft shows and worked my way up to the larger festivals. I've done a few cash and carry wholesale shows- those were fun but very hectic shows !  I've never experienced a buying frenzy until I did a trade show 😮
Now, 23 years later... I have several wholesale accounts locally, as well as fundraisers, 4 large Fall festivals  and 2 Christmas shows that I do annually.
I'm also in 5 primitive antiques shops that I stock year round, each one hosts open house events twice a year.
I've sold on Ebay a few times, also tried Etsy for a hot minute, but decided a website shop just wasn't for me. I prefer interaction with my customers and the thought of having a website on top of everything else I do scares me a bit 😱
I'm totally content with where I've taken my business since those messy kitchen candlemaking days , my clients and customers are happy and I still love what I do 😊
HTH
 

do you mind sharing what  your terms are with  your wholesale customers?  I have one wholesale customer and they get a 50% discount; after doing research that seemed like the typical arrangement.  They are a fantastic customer-they order consistently and allowed me to expand the offering with melts.  They also pay me upon delivery.

On 5/9/2018 at 12:13 PM, bfroberts said:

The first pic is what my products currently look like.  Then I found some great new containers I want to use (second pic).  I didn't think it though before buying them, and now I don't know how to label them.  I obviously can't put the label on the glass.  They don't really even fit in with my current product line, but I love them, and I bought a bunch so I have to use them.  Would you go with a label on the lid or maybe a hang tag of some sorts?  Or maybe no label at all, but sell them in a box?

the second jar is really cool---do you mind sharing where you found those?  I don't think I saw that in your post

On 6/14/2018 at 11:19 PM, Hopie said:

Aw, guess I missed it this time. No worries, next time. 

are you signed up for their emails?  They didn't have the sale posted on their website--the only way you'd know is via their email

I'm wondering if a hot, dry climate can impact how a candle burns?  I use the CD8 in an 8 oz tin with 6006 wax and it works great here in Texas where it's hot and humid. ; karinz40 lives in a hot dry climate..........can that have an effect?

So I have gotten into the habit of checking out the candle aisle at TJ Maxx and Marshalls because I love to look at all the containers and smell the scent combos.  I picked up a little $2.99 candle in a pretty purple jar because I wanted to match the scent combo of lavender/chamomile--it's fabulous.  I'm looking for suggestions for this premixed combo (I saw that CS carries one but buyers describe it as "powdery"--that's not what I'm looking for) or should I blend the separate FO's myself for a better outcome?  If you have done either or both of these I'd love to get your insight!! 

47 minutes ago, karinz40 said:

I  see lone star is having a 505  off sale on fo's so here goes.  i need to find strong scents.. Suggestions?

I think that's just on the 1 oz but I loaded up!  Those are great for making melts since I need an ounce for 4-5.  I'm excited to try the carrot cake!  Read the reviews that say the buyer used the scent in wax-you'll get a good idea of which are good throwers

Yes Grasshopper 

Now you have time to get online and order more scents.  That's how this works 

IMO since you're using a small container you'd be better off starting fresh.  When you start using bigger containers you will be able to pull out the wick that is the wrong size and go up or down in that container

1 hour ago, karinz40 said:

So my 8 oz tin is aprox 3 inches across.  I'm really sorry I bought the 6006, didn't know this would be so tricky. I should have gone with my first thought of 4625 but did not want to have to break it up.  Also the 606  was supposed to have an excellent scent throw. So the scent comes from the wick or the melt pool of wax? confused on that one.  When I smelled the Lavender Sandlewood in the bottle it smelled pretty strong to me. I guess it's hard to really tell from the bottle.  I like strong scents

I'm sure others will agree with me that 6006 is a pussycat compared to some pure soy waxes-that's where I started almost 4 years ago and landed on 6006 because for me it's more predictable.  Do not give up on 6006-most of your battle is over!  You just started with way too big of a wick which is part of the process.  But you did start with the right type of wick-awesome!  If the CD 10 is too big then the 8 will be great.  Keep us posted and hang in there; this forum shortens the painful learning curve immensely and you'll get honest, helpful feedback from people who feel your pain and joy with this craft! 

3 minutes ago, Paintguru said:

 

Do customers really like those high end containers?  I worry about pricing when the container alone costs ~$4.50.  They look awesome though.

Fortunately the specialty wine and food market that carries my candles has a very well off customer base that comes in from Dallas on the weekends; they're already buying another candle line there that starts  at $65 each!  My melts are $5 each and I can't keep them in stock.  

This will be the point where I renegotiate my wholesale terms to make up for the production cost or they'll have to raise the price.  

5 hours ago, ncraiders said:

I would think you are over wicked with a CD-18.  What is the diameter of the 8 oz tin?  Cd-18's are meant for containers with a diameter around 4-4.5 inches.  I would imagine that the wick is too large and you are actually burning the scent off rather than trowing it.  I would think for an 8 oz tin you should be somewhere around a CD-8 to CD-12 depending on the diameter of the container.  Not to mention having a full melt pool in an hour seems way to fast considering the normal rule of thumb is roughly an inch per hour in melt pool diameter.  My soy tins took roughly 3-4 hours depending on scent and color to reach full melt pool diameter before i switched to palm wax.  I imagine other users of 6006 will chime in on this one as well.

 

Yes to all of this!  I use 6006 and when I made 8 oz tins I'd use a CD8, sometimes a CD 10 with a hefty scent, but not often.  Think about using a stronger scent for your first candles so you can get a better gauge of scent throw; anything sandalwood based is usually a light thrower inherently.  Be happy that you found this forum and  you can get immediate feedback!  I didn't know about this site so it took me far longer to figure this stuff out.  Try again with a smaller wick and bigger scent and you'll be just fine. 

8 minutes ago, Paintguru said:

 

That seems......expensive. 

it's not too bad compared to a lot of other higher end containers.  Believe me, I'd rather stay with the clear tumblers!

6 hours ago, lightmyfire said:

I paid $23  for a dozen shipped to Texas.  I'll let you know how they look when I get them 

that was for the shipping--the jars were $2.40 each

I paid $23  for a dozen shipped to Texas.  I'll let you know how they look when I get them 

I just found these at California Candle Supply-$2.40 each with the pretty wood lid.  Going to give the white ones a try 

1 hour ago, GailC said:

 

I use the 8 oz frosted tumblers from C & S, but I don't buy the lids.  I make dust covers.  This Leaves candle is one of my best sellers in the fall.  (By the way, since I took this picture, I have redesigned my label adding the weight to it.)

 

You make gorgeous candles!!!  I love the dust cover and I have used those with several of my accounts.  I need a container that's a bit bigger with a lid so I'm going to give the white with the wooden lid a shot.  Goodness knows I have nothing else to do...........

29 minutes ago, barbaranj said:

Here is one place to look..

http://www.candlesandsupplies.net/Candle-Making/Straight-Sided-Tumblers

thanks-I was actually just looking at their white containers with the wooden lids.  Wondering if anyone has used these?

When I delivered an order to my customer today they asked if I make candles in a colored or frosted container along with the 11 oz clear rocks tumbler I'm currently using.  They carry another brand of candle that is VERY high end and they sell a ton of them.  They are doing very well with my candles as well but they think that with the option of a colored or frosted glass I could sell even more since my price point is lower.  Their clients do prefer that type of container and I think it would look nicer as the candle is burning down.  

I'd love some suggestions on suppliers who carry colored glass or frosted glass containers in the 10-11 oz range at a reasonable price point.  I have found some gorgeous containers but at $4-$5 each I'm having sticker shock!!    I'm getting a headache from Googling   

These are my current containers:     

1 hour ago, Lnewbie76 said:

I have been considering purchasing whiskey scented FO also, so I’m certainly interested in an update! I’m looking for a really great vanilla FO to use as the lone scent in a parasoy container- would this be a vanilla you would recommend? I have French Vanilla from (I think, I’m can’t quite remember ) from VCC  and I don’t care for it much after the sniffy test (all though I haven’t yet blended it with wax- I plan to pour a sample and reevaluate)

CS Very Vanilla is a lovely, sweet vanilla.  I guess it all depends on what appeals to you.  I think it would make a fabulous stand alone scent and blends really well also!

On 2/8/2016 at 9:34 AM, Trappeur said:

I know it has been a while since last August when Puma brought up a post on those new fragrance of Candlescience, whiskey and the leather and others were getting the scents in too.  I got the fragrances in myself and was wondering how many have tried it and what combinations they came up with as I want to get going on testing these scents....So could some of you put up what you have done and made and give your input of what you did or didn't like about these scents?

 

Trappeur

I came across this post today as I was getting ready to make a test candle of the CS Whiskey blended with CS Very Vanilla.  I use 6006 wax in an 11 oz rocks tumbler, just fyi.  I just poured the candle and I must say it smells FABULOUS!!  These's just something about that Very Vanilla that adds a sweet, creamy touch that isn't over the top sweet.  I blend it with CS Lavender and is one of my best sellers.  I'll light this one up in 2 weeks and update if anyone's interested