rascal418

Tony, Just when I was starting to like your enthusiasm... Spend the money, have the wax analyzed then proudly sell the product if it is what the company claims. It concerns me that cw doesn't proudly list the waxes. I wasn't messing with you when I stated cw candles set similar to candle I used to make with a soy/paraffin blend. btw I've seen cw reps encouraging people to put their hands into melted wax. Not knowing what's in the wax this could be a huge lawsuit - esp where allergies, unknown wax, fo, eo are concerned. You're the first buyer contact, your name's on the product so you'll be the one the buyer goes after first. I haven't read cw policies & procedures but I bet they leave the rep hanging. Tony, I hope you don't think I'm picking on you or cw. I would have the same problem with any company or vendor selling something as natural if they don't know what's in there. My biggest beef with cw reps (i've personally encountered & seen in action) is the in your face way they take on other candlemakers & put their products down. ie How can you compare an unknown ingredient candle to known ingredient candle? My gut feeling tells me y'all are going on mlm belief, faith & trust. Belief, faith & trust are good things when it comes to religion but when it comes to business I'm not so naive to toss my name on a product if I don't know what's in it. I sure as heck wouldn't risk libel, slander or a business suing me if I put their products down blindly.

Tony tony tony.... (my best soprano voice) How is my firsthand experience with candlewealth reps generalizing? If it will make you feel better I could post about a dozen+ names of cw reps that lacked product knowledge & didn't have any qualms about bashing someone else's candles or business. I suppose that would be more specific to my experience ~ although I personally view that behavior as unkind. Sure as I'm typing this I bet others could add names to that list many times over or at least personal experiences similar to mine. In the years I've been doing shows the last 2 1/2 years have held some interesting cw moments... not. Since you seem to know a thing or three (one of the cw reps told me they hold calls every week) I would implore you to speak on the calls & share knowledge. As a personal favor, offer a class in business etiquette. imho Under no circumstance is it professional or even cool to bash another persons work at a show I don't care what wax is being used. Which brings me to this question (not one of the cw reps i've met could answer it) what's in their wax besides soy? Not looking to steal it - matter of fact the only reason i even bring this up is because I've worked with soy blends that contain minute amounts of paraffin & they set similar to cw candles. Just curious

I've run into candlewealth reps at shows. Sure, they tout that their wares as homemade & I suppose they are but the reps seem to have no knowledge of ingredients except soy. They also seem to have no knowledge of business. Considering their business involves selling something with a flame I'm not sure which is more dangerous. If they leave me alone at the shows I play nice. If they insist on getting in my face & with that line of pre-packaged put down hooey I employ self defense. Things I've noticed with CW reps.. 1. No business license or tax id > promoters often require this & you better believe the states I do business in require these posted. Remind the promoter that the tax man may be around, good idea to check sales & use licenses at every booth (read cw reps will scatter) I guess depending on what state you're in - this may or may not apply but locally I need a business license, sales & use license + pay the tax dude every quarter & file a tax return because I sell things. 2. No insurance. noticed a cw rep with her name, address & phone on the candle. She didn't have any insurance & obviously no clue that if a customer had a problem with her product (with a flame) that the customer may end up owning her home & more. 3. Part of one CW reps pitch was that all natural doesn't dry nice, that's why her candles looked like the moon. She went on to say soy candles that look good aren't soy. I really didn't want to put anyone down but I spent the better part of the day explaining her faux pas to customers. I truly didn't appreciate her lack of experience that day. I have no beef with mlm, m&m's or legit opportunity - but how is this legit? From what I've seen these reps are on their own - no assistance from CW in actually establishing a real business. Yeah, yeah, everyone elses product is wrong their product will save the world. Hell, they don't even know what's in their product. I might add the reps I've encountered don't recognize soy when they see it. One rep came after me like I'm doing something illegal selling soy candles that looked good lol It burns me that folks without product knowledge are selling items with a flame. I wasn't so foolish to sell something (with a flame) without first doing my testing, research & then establishing a proper business. I predict lawsuits in that company's future. Nasty ones at that, where people are injured, homes are lost. In your shoes, as a friend, have her read up on CW here. btw one of their reps (that tried to convert me into their natural cult) told me they offer a refund. Something to think about

Maggie, jmho but your time would be better spent promoting your own products & preparing a professional response (to customers) rather than letting one inept chandler ruin your day. You had customers yes? That should tell you something I hear ya, it's annoying to be set up next to someone who has to drag products down to prop theirs up. Just scrape them off the bottom of your shoe like you know what. Tell the truth, label properly & try like hell not to trip into their booth because doncha know 100% natural doesn't break? I heard that zinger at a show not too long ago. If you're ever at a show & hear a crash, come running we'll all find out together if their 100% natural wax & glass doesn't break LOL (edited to correct spelling)

awickedscent, You got someone to cover this? DISH! My insurer burned the candle, liked it & were aware of the purpose. The reason for denial wasn't the actual product (or ingredients) as the liability in assuming the general public could reasonably follow instructions other than caution on a product with a flame. The insurer also brought up skin care FDA approval. Seems like another hoop to jump thru. What was the cost/process in obtaining that seal ? & If you don't mind my asking, whats your LC? Did you have to take out a separate policy? I have 3M for the bz & still they wouldn't allow this product. As sure as I'm typing this I'm certain if I added this to my line my insurer would cancel my policy lol (btw They know me I know them, 5 years now, no claims, it's not faceless nameless situation) I'm testing a workaround product but even if it were a go seems like I would still need the seal to market it. imho marketing lotion as a candle is an accident waiting to happen. I was told even if the product is labeled correctly when a consumer is injured it doesn't diminish product liability or claim.

When I first heard of these I started testing to duplicate anticipating these would be big sellers. I came up with a pretty cool trendy candle that will never see market. My insurer won't cover it read I'm not risking it. Although these buggers seem trendy cool - you better have a LOT of insurance to cya. Good luck finding an insurer that will take that risk! To quote my insurer " the concept is novel but this product is seriously lacking in common sense, places the consumer at high risk for injury" edited to add: I agree with my insurer

I use the site below for labels. Paper & ink are expensive + the cost was close enough that it wasn't worth the aggravation of printing them out myself. Ask about their bulk pricing - it's very competitive hth http://www.perkydesigns.com/ edited to add, sorry I don't know about pagemaker software

I'm a softie when it comes to kids.. if I was sure last years issues were gone & I could afford to sponsor the kids for a 2nd year I'd probably sponsor w/w out the fundraiser. I'd write it off advertising expense. Have you ever done a fundraiser where your child was a member of the group? Reason I ask is I'm often asked to lower my rate, (ie donate) when my rugrats are in the mis so the group can max their profit. The guilt some of these folks can lay on you is awful. I'm not in a position (yet anyway) where I can do a 100% donated fundraiser, guilt or no guilt!!

Did they support you last year? If they didn't use you (the season when your business name advertising was mia or out of whack), who did they support? btw what stopped them from updating their site to include your name for this long? That really bugs me. I could get past the misspelling but not the continued ommisson. That could/should have been updated immediately. imo I think theres a good chance youre being manipulated. Will you get the fundraiser if you don't sponsor this year? Either way from a business pov is it worth it? Business, money, sales & advertising aside, did you get any joy from sponsoring the kids? Would you hesitate to do it again if last year ran smooth?

Re-read my post & realized I'm letting 1 shop owner get under my skin ~~ <sigh & sorry> time to regroup Very true. Season affects my sales too. I sell a ton early fall to January then it drops off.

deja vu. I have a shop owner like that. Dumb like a fox. Even asks my costs to make & imho it's nohdm. Do I ask how much they paid wholesale for an item they sell ? Of course not, but it takes all kinds. What I do ->Smile, be polite, change the subject back to the quality, the convenience, the pricing. ex ->For repeat business shops it's nothing for me to stop by & give freebies, ie "hey would you test drive this new scent?" = orders. Work it, soon the $ issue will be overcome. If on occassion you lose a petty shop so what? NEXT! As much of a thrill as it is to get a store carrying your stuff there's many stores out there that are easy to get along with. hth btw edited to add> wholesale 2 1/2 * my costs, retail 4, your milage may vary depending on demographic

I'm curious what insurer the manufacturer of those candles uses? I've got a lotion candle right now that I could market if I get insurance on it. Current insurer says no go :(

A pallet of jars with the distributors I use =1656 jars or 46 cases. Shipping via motor freight is a heck of a lot less, <$200. If those same jars were sent 1 case at a time the shipping would be almost $800. Agreed the price break per jar isn't great but the overall cost (item + s/h) & convenience makes ordering by the pallet worth it. You just need space to store it all.

Just wanted to add that if you're close & get your order in before 11 am they offer same day pick up. I don't drive up there often but when I'm doing a fundraiser just knowing I can pick up whatever I need is a definite bonus. No s/h is wonderful too My favorite extra so far from NG was the easter egg with the little NG chick. That was so cute!

I'm so outta here LOL :yay: If only I could get back all the hours spent collecting, calculating & paying tax & put that time back into my business. It must be wonderful to live in the land of the free!

mags, my curiousity is picqued. Tell me of this magical place that doesn't tax. :yay: I can move in a week LOL

no. You have to charge & pay sales tax. The promoter has nothing to do with taxes. Candles are a taxable item. You charge tax & pay it every quarter. If you're doing a show in another state you'll have to apply for a license(s) there, charge & pay tax accordingly ie see mags advice above.

bella, Think every show> State & local license in place, collect & pay sales tax. Ask the promoter when you apply for the show if you need a local trade, peddler or transient license to sell & where to get it. Not every area requires a local license for craft shows. Display your state sales tax license & or any other local license at shows just in case the tax dude/ette shows up to cite. If you're planning on doing out of state shows you play by their rules - whatever licenses they require just like home. Gotta pay tax there just like home too. btw I used to think this was really intimidating but it gets easier once you see it in action. Break it down to a managable level it's not so bad

faith, Make a few calls & ask for the zoning commissioner, person in charge of zoning. You'll also have to find out if you have to register your business locally as well as at the state & federal level. What was necessary for me may not be necessary for you &/or it could be more involved. I can only speak to what I had to do. Ask a local business owner for the best local advice on setting up a business. The good news ~ it's really not complicated. You just have to do a little legwork & ask a lot of questions. hth

DBA = doing business as ..

just wanted to add you may be better off asking a local business owner what hoops they had to jump thru. Taxes in PA vary I'm sure local business regulations could vary as well.

PA100 form, you'll be registering a business name & obtaining sales tax license number. There's an a link on PA-100 site where you can pay your quarterly tax online. I do that. The timetable to the feds, IRS depends on your income & the amount of money coming in. Ask a CPA to advise you on that. My cpa is pretty smart about home business tax advantages & record keeping. Money well spent for peace of mind & to get off to a good start. btw You need to check locally to make sure you're zoning compliant. If not, you'll have to petition for a variance. Don't forget to register your business name locally & pay your local tax on income too. hth

I've been experimenting adding 'other' oils to soy candles. So far in my testing I've gotten to the point where it looks good, burns ok, burn time & scent throw seem unaffected. But I'm not going to add this candle to my line because I don't think my insurance will cover it & because I don't think it's worth the risk. Really, a candle made for the purpose of people putting their hands in=hands & hot wax inches away from a flame just seems like a lawsuit waiting to happen. I think I prefer my moisturizers the old fashioned way, without a flame

mizbizzyb, thats whats weird. I wasn't on my home computer nor was I logged in to eBay when my paypal address was displayed on an old completed auction. I've been both buyer & seller (mostly buyer) on eBay since 2002, displaying active seller paypal addresses on auctions is a risk & change I can live without. Instead of using eBay one of these days I'll post on the classifieds here. (Currently still in my packrat, might need it someday mode though... could be a while)

At the top of this page is a guide to wholesaling that may help you. Without knowing your products or product line, it's kind of hard to offer anything other than generic advice. hth