ubure

No, 12% is enough. I know this firsthand from a renowned German chemist who has his own cosmetic company and who worked for a lot of big cosmetic companies. He can be entirely trusted about this. Never had the impression this ratio would be too drying but there will be people for whom 12% is too much.

This is only because of the ignorance of some people. You can preserve a product absolutely satisfyingly by using alcohol e.g. or the above mentioned preservatives for oragnic cosmetics.

You have to use preservative in any product containing water! Meanwhile there are so many good preservatives available, even suitable for certified organic products. Or just use alcohol (around 12%).

OldGlory, I certainly won't ever do another order for him again. He was clearly unfair by letting me run into this. He won't be satisfied with the labels anyway because his logo lost so much quality by scaling it to a much smaller size. But hey, he should have paid a professional for creating a logo format that can be used to such things and this is what he didn't want. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, and it was gift, after all. The candles are great, but he will complain anyway, I suppose.

Thanks, that's a good idea! And I have a sugar cookie...have to try and see who#s the winner.

Hi there, I need to find an alternative to CP frosting for cupcakes. I have played with the idea of blending cocoabutter with some surfactant and other stuff to make the butter emulse with the water (or maybe only an emulsifier with the cocoa butter?) Have any of you tried this before? Thanks for any help!

They look awesome - I love these!!

I also can tell stories about such customers - or rather my stupid tendency to make it always right - for the customer. I just finished a wholesale order for a customer in Switzerland. I ought to tell you that it is extremely difficult to sell something to this country as it isn't member of the EU and so regulations and fees are tremendous. But hey, I'm Mrs. U. and I can do everything! *lol* So I made an offer for him for my regular candles. It was fine for him, he even asked how I labeled the scent of the candle, I took a pic and sent it him. He said it was fine. So he accepted my offer, writing in his order shipping costs of € 20,-. For a pallette of about 160 kg, to Switzerland. I told him no way. He wounded and wounded, saying he wouldn't order anything and this is where he got me. I wanted this order, no, I needed it. So I made an offer to cover more than 50% of the transport costs. He agreed. In the course of making my candles he later asked about the labels. I wondered because he said nothing against my labels. Now he wanted oval ones, with his logo on. I researched and tol dhim they'd cost about € 140,-. He answered that he was confused as he bought the candles WITH labels. I had made another mistake. I hadn't clearly written in my offer of what exactly consisted this offer. At this point I already had my materials for the candles ordered and paid for so there was no easy going back. I agreed. So I had to order those labels in the US again, had to buy two new toners for my laser printer, had to convert the logo he sent me because it was entirely unsuitable....and then the shipping company I had hired told me that the shipping portal where I got their offer from had made a mistake by telling the shipping company that it was in Belgium the candles had to go to. The price for Switzerland was double + fees for customs etc. So instead of € 180,- I have to pay € 370 now. He had paid his share of € 85,-. All in all I haven't earned a single cent with this order, not even that, I made a loss with it. During the time I had to do his candles I wasn't able to do much else so my business with which I earn money (my normal customers) had to wait. Not very good. Yesterday the candles went on their journey to beautiful, expensive Switzerland. And it was all my own fault. Okay I have learned a lot. I hope I will remember next time. I already told him I won't ship to Switzerland anymore. But what I am angry about is: he as a swiss knows exactly about all the costs that come with a shipping to his country. He tried to kid me when he wanted those € 20,- shipping costs. And he wasn't prepared to share the costs when I told him about the mistake the shipping portal had made. So he benefitted from my ignorance and he knew it. But I cannot change anything anymore. There is another wholesale request. I have to clearly define what my conditions are and I have to make sure that I don't outsmart myself by agreeing to everything the customer wants. Please remind me!

I can see all of that but no matter what I think it not entirely fair. She has closed the conflict now but my money still isn't on my PayPal account. Does this take some time to happen? Why? They keep the money even if there is no problem anymore. But then all the banks work likewise - they work with your money inbetween entry and credit. Somebody does a bankwire to your account and you recieve it several days later even if the money has already arrived . That is not legal as well but they all do it. Hate all this money stuff...

Thank so much for this hint! I've tried a mix of vanilla voodoo, a bit of creme brulee and a drop pink sugar. Not so bad!

But I even offered to refund the money for the missing items and that she could pay for them when she received them. I don't think it fair to retain € 58,- when there are only € 8,- worth in candles missing.... She got her parcel, I sent it on the day I promised and only because our postal office made a mistake I have no money at all even if she has the major part of her order? That#s NOT okay. I understand your case, they obviously hadn#t shipped until your opened the conflict, but I have shipped it.

Hi there, I hate this customer! She ordered stuff from me and paid via Paypal. I sent her the parcel but it was returned by our postal service due to problems with the barcodes. I apologized for the delay and announced a new shipment. In addition to this I offered her 2 clamshells of her choice which she accepted plus I put in another free clamshell. I re-sent the parcel last monday. Yesterday she opened a conflict on payPal saying she hadn't received her parcel even though I claimed I had sent it....PayPal of course retains the money now. I checked the tracking number and it says that the parcel was misdirected and would be delivered today which was the case. She got her parcel at about 12 o'clock. But she didn't do anything about the Paypal-Konflikt. Now she has written me an email saying that the parcel has arrived but that 2 clams were missing (which is true, I have misread the order). Two clams, that is € 8,- versus the € 50,- in candles/nuggets she has received today. She didn't solve the conflict but just wrote a comment that there are those two clamshells missing. I wrote her and apologized for the mistake and that of course I would send her the two items immediately but that I didn't think it was correct to maintain the conflict because of the two items. No answer so far. She knows that I cannot do anything. Or can I? Do you have any ideas? That#s the sh...t with PayPal - any customer can put up a conflict without Paypal asking you what happened...they just retain the money. The customer doesN#t have to prove anything. I won't offer this as a payment anymore, I'm fed up (and I remember now why I started hating doing business so much...it is so many customers who are complete idiots.) Am I wrong? is she right? I'm so pissed...

Hi there, is it possible to blend your own Toasted Marshmallows? I need this scent and have run out of it....maybe a few ideas? Thanks!!

I never had much luck with LX wicks in jars. For pillars they work great for me, but for jars there is only CD or CDN wicks for me. Candybee, Mexican Vanilla isn't such a sweet vanilla so poeple who normally don't like vanillas buy this scent.

I know several people who suffer from a fragrance allergy - and this is nothing that excusively essential oils are responsible fro. Just think of all the chemicals in FOs. These people have a lot of problems, cannot go to malls etc. because everywhere there is fragrance. We are exposed to a lot of toxic stuff, I'm afraid ( not to say fos are toxic, well, they aren't healthy either, right?)

I use it a lot and have no problems. Not even measure temps etc. I've found that CDN wicks work best with this wax - maybe that is the key?

Thanks for the encouragement! Needed it!

Hi there, business is growing, thank God, since I re-started in September and even though it is so much work (setting up all the products in my webshop and fulfilling the orders and doing some wholesale orders) it is starting being fun again. I fulfilled my orders very well, so far, but there is one customer who must be either really disappointed or think I'm plain stupid. First I didn't send him the right amount of each item he ordered, then forgot something and today he has written men that the brown candle dye has turned out to be a green one (which isn't my fault, actually, but that of my supplier, well..anyway). Of course I apologized a hundred times, sent him the right stuff and put in some extra goodies, but I feel so bad about it. Does this happen to you as well or am I the only one?:undecided

That's great, congrats! I wonder how you get bookings for such a home party? I would never ask somebody if they wanted to do something like that (guess that's my old problem). Do you leave flyers in shops etc? Thanks, Inez

Maybe I should write on my labels and on my website "Really, no kidding, these candles are so absolutely made in Germany you wouldn't believe it but you better believe because they are!" or something like that.....

Well, the main point for me is that I have exactly the same work for less money. I pack each ordered item, ship it and pay her a consignment or she pays me less than a normal client would. She has agreed, by the way, to purchasing my candles with a minimum order quantity. Thanks again for your input. Inez

Thank you all for your advice . I appreciate it a lot and can tell you I won't enter in this kind of business. Have a smooth and agreeable evening (or day), Inez

Yes, that's quite true. You said it in your post, Made in Germany is also quite attractive for the Chinese upper class (but only for them as they have the money, of course)....maybe I should offer my stuff over there? Here in Germany people don't seem to be especially proud or something like that of products made in their own country. Cars, yes. But not much else beyond that. Here people don't even care what they eat as ling as it is cheap as hell. They don't buy that crap because nobody has the money for better quality but because food has no worth for them. It only needs to make you full. Of course many people have to deal with financial tightness, but there are many, many people who have the money for expensive holidays, often more than twice a year, their cars, their houses, their clothing, etc. And these are the people who can afford extras like expensive candles - they wouldn't buy mine, because it is not fancy, not exotic enough, not from abroad like the US or UK (even that stuff from Yankee but also brands like Molton Brown, Diptyque etc.). So, guys, start marketing your products in Asia!

I know drop shipping works, but I guess it is more for big companies, not a home-based one. My margin of profit isn't very large and hand-made candles don't cost only centsas you all know, so what could I offer her? I guess not very much. If I offer consignment how many percent then would you think? Thanks again for your input, ubure

Try Pumpkin Coffee from Candle Cocoon. Such a great scent and Lyschel's oils are amongst the best you can get.