Sherl

Interesting thread and answers. Used to be a mans word and a handshake closed business deals. Things have changed in the world. However, my 2 cents worth is - business ethics are very imnportant to me, as a comsumer and a producer. If I find a business doing something unethical, like not reporting cash sales, fudging books or even the owner cheating on a spouse.. I don't care to do business with them. If they would compromise in some of these areas.. what makes me think they won't compromise the product I'm buying or how they deal with me. If you see deciet and dishonesty in one area, stands to reason it is in others. Play with a snake long enough and you will get bit. I'd rather pay more and support the honest business any day. Personally.. yes I try to run a very ethical business. I don't cheat my books, I pay sales tax on every sale.. including friends and other 'vendors', even if it means backing it out of the price they paid. If I say I will be there or do something.. it can be counted on. Yes, I test everything before I sell it, I figure my own prices.. sure I see what the competition is getting but I'm not going to lower prices to compete with someone that just wants any old sale. I believe in exceeding the customers expectations in product and customer service. Why? Because when I am that customer I am impressed and become loyal. I hate debt so yes eveyone is paid in a timely manner.. including my son who helps me at the shows. He gets his 'paycheck' at the end of each day. As far as how others are treated... we all will reap a harvest of what we sow. I try to sow kindness rather than ugliness. Even more important.. that son of mine is watching. Kind of hard to tell him to be kind if he hears me gossiping and backbiting others. If I don't have the walk I need to forget the talk.

Don't know about an ad.. made mine out of pvc and white sheets for about $10.

Nice site.. really like the colors and the graphics. Different and done well.

What is the best way to store soap to keep the fragrance? I got some plastic containers thinking they would keep the scent in but they don't seem as fragrant as they were a few months ago. Is this normal for cp? Most of the soaps are shrinkwrapped with open ends.

The dipped pinecones are more for decoration but can be used to help start a fire or burned after the fire is going to release fragrance. After they pass their useful time as decorations it is nice that there is further use for them when you dispose of them. Wicks are not needed and as they have already discussed, some one will try to burn as a candle. They are easy to light at the top where you hold to dip... mine don't get wax on this part because of my fingers. For actually helping to start a fire the firestarters made in the muffin cups with scrap wax and wood shavings are great. I used 2, one on each side, in my kindling and below a larger log... they burned about 20 min. and caught the kindling on fire. The wax did drip but on the kindling and was burned up with them. We use them to start brush piles and burn barrels too. When I lived in Tx I sometimes used pinecones to start a fire in the fireplace. I never had one jump out and did not use a lot of them. I also used some small branches that were pine.. they burn hot and quick! Pine is not the best in a fireplace because the she sap can mess up the chimney over time, at least that is what I've heard. I would not use pine logs. I had a fireman tell me that a fire in a pine forest was a nightmare. Those trees do explode when the sap gets hot so might do same in a fireplace.

Simple, with a country/prim feel. When I first started I wanted an upscale look.. but the shows and the people going to them were into the country. I went where the $$ is and developed a look that appealed to the buyers that are coming to the shows I do yet give me a look I like.

I got my cones for the labor picking them up. I dipped a bunch and kept track of how much wax I used and the FO. I packaged 12 to a bag and then figured my costs for x number of bagged cones in each FO. It worked out to 2 bags/24 cones per pound of wax for me. Then marked up accordingly.

My mother said she saw some candles that looked like they were a pearlized color.. pastel with a sheen. Is this a new wax or color??

In candles I can show 66 fragrances stocked 3 deep. The popular ones I bring another 2-6 that I keep under the display. Melts or tarts did well as I don't charge a lot for them.. they are placed to get people into the booth, next to the register. I am going to stock them a bit deeper. I had 32 of each in bins and they looked a bit picked over by the end of this last show. It's really hard until you do a show a few times to get a feel for the stock to carry. I ran out of a bunch of things this past weekend so will adjust for the next 2 day show.

WOW! I am having sooo much fun. 3 weeks ago I did my first $1,000 show and this past weekend had my first $1,000 day. Need to get pouring and ording to get ready for the next go round. Am tired still but very excited about the rest of the season. Want to sit down and start planning next year.

I took mine on the dining room table with a digital camera, then had several copies made of the best ones. They sat on a lace tablecloth with the table centerpiece behind them. So a close up of the product showed a little lace, basket and greenery.. the product being most of the picture area. I sent these in with my application and they have been kept on file with my promoters. After that when I repeat a show I mark the ap 'photos on file'. I too thought about a presentation folder but after researching on the net, it seemed it was not necessary. Just take the best quality you can. As I add products, I do take more pictures and send them with subsequent aps so nothing I have suprises them. Every show I do I try to take pictures... digital and old SLR. Often promoters want a picture of your setup as well so they are nice to have. My next photo project will be the 'workshop'. The basement where I do all my crafting is not very photogenic, so need to get a few homey touches down there and get them done as I've seen a few shows request them as well.

I use Tony's and it is a best seller in candles for me. I tell people it's not for everybody but it is truely unique... and they all take a sniff. It has such a warm, sensual scent that it hooks most people. Very few don't like it. And, because it is so different, people just got to have it. I added it to my soap line and it is doing ok. I'm selling more almond and oatmeal scents in the soap right now. Personally, I love to use in in the shower.

Years ago I loved their stuff. I got free samples and they preformed well in my wax. Here lately nothing it seems I put in wax is doing well. They have different grades, I always ask for the highest, but don't know what is going on with them. To top it off, they now have a $50 minimum. I'm thinking about one last order and replacing those fragrances with another suppliers. It's too bad as I like what I used to get and have always gotten good customer service. Too many other good FO companies out there.

I'm sorry to hear you lost a customer. She seemed very loyal and eager to promote you. Her actions make one think you were more than just a place to get candles.. she seems to have invested herself in you and your business and for what ever the reason, this hurt. I can understand her postiton about no longer wanting to do business with you because of your affiliation with this store, but I can not agree with calling you up and blasting up for it. That flat out was wrong. It is your decision who you wil/will not do business with. She really should have just prayed for you and quietly stopped doing business with you if she felt you went against her moral/religious sensabilities. I hope she is not as vocal with her dissaproval of you as she was with your praises.

Do the show and get experience with what you have. People will ask if you have this or that and you can tell them you will test it and try to add it to your line. You never know till you get out there what they like and don't like.

It is a bit late to find out that you have not been accepted.. bummer. Was it jurried? Were your products a good 'fit' for the show? Has your relationship with the promoter been good? If it were me I'd like to know why too. But with the show upcoming so soon, calling might not be the best approach if they are busy. Maybe a letter telling them how much you like their show and asking why you were not accepted this year, so you can make sure it does not happen again. Letters allow me to make sure I don't get angry or upset.. things I don't want happening if I want to be in that promoters show in the future. Last weekend I actually got 2 weeks out from a show that I was building up inventory for and realized my check had not been cashed. I called and they were not sure they could place me. Too late to make other plans, I asked if there was anything I could do to help the situation. They asked if I would mind being in a tent, a building other than what I had set as a preference. I told them would be happy to work with them on my placement. I will also make sure my ap for next year is paid for before I leave the show.

Most of my bars are $4.50 each, I offer 4 or more for $4 each. At shows I allow several people to combine their purchases to get that discount. It's fun ti hear them say 'I'm getting these 2, which 2 are you getting?'

Mine have been fall through winter.. the months I do the most shows, at least so far. I plan on doing more shows this Spring and have added a web site that I'm hoping gets some traffic and orders, but I still think the holiday season will be my biggest selling time.

You can take orders.. but what about payment? How do you know what it will be to ship the items they order? If you do credit cards, you can get that info, call/email them to let them know the charges then bill their card. But what if they pay cash or write a check? I'd want payment in full before I ship and that might mean waiting for them to send you additional funds. Just some things to think about....

I found I had to put little holes in the shrink wrap to keep from blowing holes as it shrunk.. but too many gave me those bubbles you have. So, I take a pin and put 2 holes thru the wrap and I shrink on low temps and low air. The bag will shrink but keep taunt because there is not a quick release for the air.. if done slowly, the air is gradually forced out and you have a nice, smooth wrap. I sure hope this made some kind of sense. I also had a 'professional' shrink gun but it blew hard, even on the low temps. After the thing died with very little use, I got one from Lowes that not only has temp settings, but the force of the air coming out is adjustable too. The low air setting has been just the trick to get nice shrink wrapping. Cost was $30 and it has a 2 year warrenty.

I use a 4" diameter square jar and 1 wick and get incredible throw. The double wicks are ok, but for me, they burn too fast. Mine go over 100 hours and I sell them on that note. The shape is wider at the top than the bottom, so I wick for the middle. Yes, I have wax hanging on the sides for about half the burn, but the heat buildup as it burns down brings it all down untill it consumes. It was a real PITA at first to get these where I wanted them, now its no problem. If you want a single wick, go up a few sizes and see if you like it. I use LX's and use the 26-30 range.

Not really sure what you mean by machine.. but I use a sealer and shrink wrap each one. Time consuming but they look better and last the show season better without looking so beat up like the bags did. HTH

Someone here recommended Zencart over OsC because of ease of use. Once I got the hang of Zen, I really liked it. I still need to upgrade to get the latest version but even what I have has been easy to use and set up and the forum is excellant for support. Maybe someone who has used both can comment.

Got mine at Lowes as I burned up [i guess] a 'commercial grade' one. It has variable settings and I use it to level candles and shrink wrap.

The ones in the muffin papers with wood chips and scrap wax I sell cheap.. 10 for $2. I'm not looking to make money, just get back some of my cost in testing. I've only sold a few even at that price, not a big seller, just something else I carry. I've dipped pine cones this year and have to put a pencil to it to see what those will go for. Those will go for more.