soapmom25

how about these: Democrat = Fields of Clover, Emerald City, French Trader (that one I would have to explain because the scents listed there are common at a local yearly festival that celebrates at a French Trading Post on the river) Independent = Yellow Brick Road Republican = Fruit Basket, Spring Medley, Harvest Blossom, Herbal Haven

yes, UPS is equally as fast for that specific area. OH to CT would only be 2 days, plus automatically insured (for $100.00 anyway, but you can buy extra), plus it's able to be tracked at every step, not just "delivery confirmation" If you haven't already, I would suggest you follow up to make sure they all arrived safely. Require your accounts to open all boxes right away so they can report any damage within a certain number of days (I usually allow 3-5 days). Any damage reported after that is "too late" Contacting them shows you care, which will go a long way

I've only had one supplier round UP on package weight, and it was actually to my benefit. They "padded" the label weight so that I could get the hundredweight (200 lb.) discount through UPS because I was technically just a few pounds short. On the flip side though, my ribbon supplier's website always over estimates on UPS and I asked them about it once and they said just to remind them via the "note" on the check-out and they would correct it. So I make a note every time because the cart charges me like $20.00 for shipping when it's really about $10.00 or less. Nice that they're willing to make that adjustment for me, but sucks for others that don't realize what UPS fees really are and just accept it. I would definitely ask your supplier. If they don't do anything to adjust your charges, or at least explain/validate them, then I suppose there isn't much you can do, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

that's what sucks about suppliers that insist on multiple packages, it really racks up the shipping charges

sorry, but I just think what you paid is totally insane. Admittedly, I still can't visualize the boxes you're referring to because I don't do candles, but the "large" P.O. boxes and priority boxes would so easily fit into a "standard" box that I use everyday. Even if you boxed 2 of the P.O. boxes into another box, you would have only had 2 cartons which shouldn't have totally more than $70 - $75 to ship. My personal objective is to ship as few cartons as possible, not only to keep the "per package" shipping costs down, but also to limit the "lost package" possibility. The P.O. especially is notorious for this, and shipping multiple priority mail boxes is risky IMO.

I personally wouldn't trust the P.O. with an order of 100 candles. Their insurance isn't worth the paper it's written on, whereas UPS has never failed me on claim ~ they're fast and easy to work with and have always reimbursed me or the customer right away! I've only ever been denied once, and that was truly my fault because I waited too long to file. How much do each of your boxes weigh? The biggest shipping box that I personally use is 16 x 16 x 16. I crammed one of those full of games, coats, etc. to send out to my dad's house for Spring Break and from Indiana to rural Washington (i.e. additional surcharge) was like $34.00 for that box. I do have a daily pick-up account, so I get a small discount. I ship heavy boxes of soaps all the time and rarely pay over $30.00 for ground service to anywhere. As far as buying supplies, I highly recommend ordering online ~ even split it with somebody if you have to because Walmart & Staples are WAY over priced on the bubble wrap especially.

so how many boxes do you have? If you're talking about getting boxes from UPS store, Kinko's, Staples, etc., yes you will have to buy them and they can ran anywhere from $1.00 - $5.00 depending on the size of the box. Walmart carries boxes too by the office supplies and they're cheaper although still more expensive than buying them online. If this is going to be a regular thing for you, you should consider looking into shipping supplies from Uline, Papermart, etc. whatever supplier is reasonably close to you. Boxes are expensive to buy and ship to you, but it has to be done if you're going to operate an online business. UPS stores, etc. will charge you fees for everything little thing, so again if this is going to be a regular situation, you should really look into getting a carrier account to save yourself time, travel/gas, and some of the shipping fees. Account holders get discounted shipping.

yes, it will cost more. All shippers charge "per package" until you reach 200 lbs., and then you'll quality for the hundred-weight discount. I'll give you a prime example ... I order soap in bulk from different suppliers. One supplier refuses to multi-pack blocks of soap, so I pay for each box ~ to the tune of about $20+ per box. Another supplier will package 3 blocks in one larger box and that box costs me maybe $50.00 for shipping ... saving over $10.00 for the same quantity of soap. Sometimes paying more is by far worth it over taking the chance of some getting broken, especially when dealing with glass! If you did try to pack all 100 pieces in one box, not only would it be extremely heavy (which some shippers will ding you on big time!) but it could end up being oversized too which they'll really ding you on and your surcharges would end up being more than just splitting it into 2 boxes from the start.

I used to work with those terms ~ not really all that unusual. That said, I quit drop shipping a few years ago because that site was taking up too much time/space and taking away from my own customers. I wanted to take the business down a different road, so I pulled out of the account. The first month is rough, but after that when you're seeing regular income, you learn to deal with the Net 30. Maybe I was just lucky, but the business I worked with paid like clockwork and was anally careful about calculations, just wasn't the right fit for me.

I use UPS on a regular basis and the few times I've had to file claims, I've always gotten results very quickly! I file my claims online and usually have resolution confirmation within 24 hours! I used to have to fax in receipt copies, but that can be uploaded online now too, which makes everything go incredibly fast. I've never had a customer get a direct refund from UPS for product, but have helped them get refunds on late air deliveries. For damage refunds, the money always comes to me, but perhaps the difference there is that I have a daily pick-up account. Maybe your supplier doesn't have that. I think you're getting the run around ~ if filed properly, the paperwork would have been done and over with a long time ago. I know UPS has a limit as to how long out a claim can be filed (I think it's 30 days, but not certain), so I would follow up. Call UPS, it's toll free ~ 1-800-PICK-UPS. Give them your tracking number from your package (it's on the label) and explain the situation. See if a claim has even been filed. If not, file one. You have the right ~ a claim can be filed by the sender or the receiver.

with 27 candles I wouldn't even fiddle with the P.O., but that's me! I would send it UPS knowing it's automatically insured and able to be tracked.

very interesting! We actually have one of our sub-domains for sale for $3500.00 and it comes up there as being worth $2897.00, so I guess I wasn't far off

I'm assuming that you discussed with her that not all candle scents can be rubbed on the skin/body? You better make sure that you ALWAYS use skin safe FO, or switch to EO because you are the manufacturer and you would be liable for any problems the end user/customer would have even though you didn't sell it to them directly. If it were me, I wouldn't let that leave my shop without strict labeling. It's not enough to trust/expect them (the wholesale account) to label them probably.

I can only speak for what I did/do, so to be 100% sure you should ask your accountant. Our tax ID is in the name of the original/parent company that we set up years ago. We have an LLC in a different name because by the time we got to that point, the LLC for the tax ID name was already taken. Our business owned 6 websites ~ all different names and URL's. None of this mattered one bit. Our bank account is in the name of the original company, our merchant account is in the name of the LLC ~ again, doesn't matter. We record everything accurately, report it honestly, and have never had a minute's trouble with anything.

oodles of choices here: http://www.flexiblemolds.com/halloween__fall.htm

very cool! You could call the 'baby hugs' BUNDLE OF JOY ~ that would fly for baby scents for sure, but just for fun too

have you tried JKM ribbon? I used to buy tons from them ~ low minimum. Ribbon Bazaar is another one.

I had one last year that was reversed several months after the transaction. Consumers have 180 days to dispute a charge on their CC, so it sounds to me as if the Pay Pal payment was funded with a CC that was later disputed. Hopefully it's a simple issue as they reviewed their statements and didn't recognize the Pay Pal transaction (sometimes they show up weird) and once it's clarified they'll make good on it. For my situation the customer would not respond at all, so I contacted our local police and the Town Marshall gave her a phone call. He said he never did get to talk to her, but left a message of who he was and why he was calling and if the matter wasn't straightened out (I had delivery confirmation, etc. proving she had received the product) that he would pursue it further. Pay Pal then asked for a whole bunch of info ... dates, confirmations, etc, and thankfully I had them all, so I ended up getting my money reinstated. It took quite some time though, and I had to really fight Pay Pal for it and stay on top of them. The very first bit of info they'll point out is whether or not the buyer used a "confirmed" address. If it wasn't, it could potentially be entirely false and unfortunately you'll be out everything ~ product and money unless you sue. If it was confirmed, look up that payment notice, get out your tracking info for the product you sent, and get it to Pay Pal. Good luck!

dictionary.com describes Anise as: a Mediterranean plant, Pimpinella anisum, of the parsley family, having loose umbrels of small yellowish-white flowers that yield aniseed. So perhaps Mediterranean Violet (got violet by looking up lavender in thesaurus.com ~ I realize they're matching color, not scent, so it may not work) Or just call it Aniseed since it has the soft, floral lavender blended with it anyway.

I have found that M&P really absorbs what is in it's surroundings, so where it was stored before you bought it and where you're storing it now could make a difference! I bought some once from a heavy smoker and ended up throwing it away because it reeked of cigarettes. I also used to keep all my supplies in one area (soap, FO, etc.) and now keep them separate for the same reason ~ the soap would seem to soak up the essence from the FO bottles. I think the M&P from WSP has a floral scent to it, so I can't use that anymore at all ~ it literally made me break out in a rash, so there is "something" it in that just didn't agree with me.

I'm not an expert by far, but my opinion would be that if you're wanting to sell it because sales are slow and you can't prove that it's generating a steady income, then it's probably not worth much. Kinda like selling a car ... doesn't matter what you paid for it (i.e. put into it), it's whatever it's worth the day of the sale, which is always drastic less than the starting value. When I was looking to sell my biz I was told to start at 3 times annual sales. With that you should be able to pay off any biz debts, plus give you plenty of cushion. Chances are you're not really going to get that much, but it's a high end starting point. If it were me I would just call my accountant and ask. Even if they charge you for the call and/or a bit of time to calculate the numbers, at least you'd have a "good" idea of what is realistic.

it might help to be specific ~ the general public might not be used to the phrase "low melt point". If you said "this wax will begin to melt at 98 degrees and will liquify at 110 degrees" (both numbers just examples, not really saying those are the correct points) people may better understand to keep the samples out of the sun, out of the unattended vehicle, etc.

no, I wouldn't be mad ~ you should have logged it properly and this never would have happened. If I were the hubby, I would be mad at you for not logging it, and I would cut up YOUR card seriously though, things happen. Our CC gateway company didn't charge us our monthly fee for 3 months in a row at the beginning of this year. Finally DH got curious and called them and asked them why and they said it was a glitch from when they upgraded their software, and they would have caught it at their next audit (done twice a year) and billed us for the whole chunk all at once. Wouldn't have mattered to us, it all added up the same because I logged it every month, but just giving you an example of why/when something can be charged well after it was due/paid.

perhaps she didn't think she needed to research the name online because she had already been in business?

very cool! if you want to rename the blue: Starry Night, All that Glitters, Treasures ~ something along those lines I think Gypsy still works for the other one ~ I actually prefer the pink/magenta over the red :embarasse