Sherl

I use Host-99 and have Zencart as my shopping cart. I have a nice shop [still under construction] and it's about $8/month. i get real time shipping with usps and ups, can run sales, coupons and can get help when I need it.

Zencart has the real time shipping.. and I use Host-99 for my web host. Have needed some help and the cs has been great. Zencart is a powerful cart that can be customized in many different ways. There is a little learnig curve but not once understood it is easy.. and the forum is great for when you get stuck.

The first one took me a second to realize the graphic was a candle. When I did I really liked it. It has a nice, Hollywood type of feel. If you are trying to convey who you are quickly.. the candle may need some tweaking. I think your trees compete with the candle.. maybe keep the candle but put the trees on the other side reversed. Do agree the font may not be quite right for your name.This logo fits what you have already established on you web as the 'feel' of who you are. I actually like the second one as far as design.. don't like the orange around the outside but I am not into orange as a whole. But then, the design isn't for me [heehee] for you the first one with some adjustments.

A softer wax will melt quicker than the pillar type wax. And that is the whole idea behind that type of product. You have to go with the economics of what is best with you.. and if that is only one wax, make it work. Use shallower containers so it doesn't take as much heat to make them liquid.

I can smell mine quite well after several days of 24/7. It's my customers that tell me 5-7 days. Of course.. some fragrances burn off quicker than others.. and it depends on the heat under them.. but as a general rule.. my customers love the long lasting nature of my melts.

The same wicks from different manufctures are not alike either. I learned to order from one place only. On occaision I get a dud of a wick.. not sure if got a different one in the batch by misteak or what. But using same company I have more consistant results.

I've got two and have no idea how I lived and made candles before that. Would actually like a smaller one for a wax I don't use as much of. DH cracks up when I head for a cooking section in a store.. it's not for food I looking.

Get mine from MMS and your right.. awsome scent.

You say you don't want to start a business.. but that is what selling is. Get a tax id number and collect and pay the sales tax. Many promoters are turning in a list of their vendors to the tax authorities. You don't want them to have your info and you not have collected and paid the right sales tax. Also recommend the insurance and an accountant to give advice. I have used my business to offset my husbands income and reduce our tax liability. If you are going to go through the trouble of selling a product.. might as well get some of the benefits as well.

I make mine with cup cake papers filled with wood shavings and old wax poured over the top. I put them in a large bushel basket and charge .25 each. I am not looking to make money on them.. just a use for my leftover wax. Use them here at the house to start burn piles of stacks that fall every winter. They were great for starting firplaces in my last house.. spoiled now with a button and instant fire.

I put them in the burner and let them go.. I like to still have fragrance 5-7 days later. Cusomers are the best judge for me as my nose tends to block out anything after a few days.

I use kraft labels and they got fuzzy and did sometimes smear with the ink jet. Bought a laser and now have no issues. A quality laser printer will be one of the best investments of both time and money you will make. It is really hard to keep the quality of ink jets where they need to be when you do tons of labels.. plus the cost of ink ends up eating you up too.

I think you are talking retail.. not wholesale... anyway.. you do need to get your product out in front of people. The best way to do that is shows, farmers markets and such. My experience is from the show they will take your card or buy product then come to a web site for more. Selling to family/friends is good to start but you do need to really go where the people are. Start small and make sure you have a great product and go from there. It took me a good 3 years of shows to really establish a reliable base of customers and also to perfect my presentation of the product. I did well enough I now have my own shop and they come to me For clarification.. retail is selling to the public.. wholesale is to shop owners that expect to buy from you and then mark up the product for their profit. When establishing your prices keep in mind a shop owner expects to double their money. If it cost you $2.50 to make the candle and you sell it for $6.00.. you might do great at shows because you are undercutting other candle makers. But a shop owner looking at your product would expect to get it for $3.00. Ideally.. you would wholesale at $5.00 and sell to the public for $10.00.. maybe offering a discount for buying 3 or more candles. These are things to think about when you establish pricing. You don't want to start too low then have to raise prices on regular customers to meet the wholesale expectation.. and they will not appreciate you selling lower than they can. Good Luck!

I use a combination of my container was and a votive/pillar wax.

Mine are individual shrinkwrapped 1 oz melts.

Forget her and focus on the customers that generate you a profit. It's your business, YOU determine the price. Wax prices have more than doubled since the first of the year. You have to look at the bottom line.. droping price and delivering?? Some things.. and people.. just are not worth the effort. If she doesnt like your prices she can TRY to find them cheaper somewhere else. Like to see Walmart drop prices just because someone demands them too. If she was such a good customer of the previous person whe would still be doing business with her.

They are horrible. I got some patchouli raspberry that was bad., 2 bottles. Emailed, called, sent registered mail... nothing. Even posted a comment on that fo on the website but they screen before allowing them to post. I refuse to deal with a company that I can not depend on and there are too many that have good customer service to waste time on these guys. Too bad because they do have some really nice fragrances. Sure would like to get someone reliable to dupe all their fo's so they can completely go out of business.

Have two of them and love them. I can fold a slab of wax into them. Harder wax i do break up.

I use it as a percentage in mine. Add just enough of another wax to get them out of the molds.

Candlemakers store are great for me. I did have some trouble getting them to stick once. After playing around with them I found my jars can get a bit of dampness in them. I warm the jars in a roaster to evaporate the moisture and they stick to the point of being difficult to get off. They also stick better when the wick tabs are the size of the stickums. When the metal wick tab is smaller then the stickum.. I've had them come loose. just a few things that could be affecting what you already have.

Depends on the size of the order and how much future business they will generate and the products ordered. I look at everything as a return on an investment now. Something like lotions I will send a 'try me' bottle with any good sized order. Candles, I send a few melts in fragrances other than what was ordered to let the shop owner sample other fragrances to get furure orders. As a shop owner I do not expect 'free' stuff in anything other than food items. There, usually with every dozen ordered, you get a free sample to put out for testing. So, if an order is large enough, I kick in a little extra. Since I have no minimums, this is the best way I have found to keep it in balance so as to not give everything away. In the shop, if I want to put a strand of lights out so people can see how they look, it comes out of my inventoy and I pay for it. The major candle lines out there don't just give stuff away so I feel I don't have to either. Offering samples a little over cost plus shipping might be an option too.

There are sooo many JJ candles out there. I did a few candles with them when I started then decided to find other jars because so many others were using them. You can be country or rustic in something that sets you apart from other candle makers. When you look like 6 other vendors at a show, it makes it difficult to show why you are different and you have to compete on pricing. And there will always be somebody practically giving away a JJ candle at most any show you do. I found it better to have a different look. I know there are some very nicely made JJ candles, but there are a lot more of this type just slapped together and just cheap looking. I feel you can get a better profit margin with something other than the JJ.

When you have to make tons of them and package them all, you look for the easiest. For me it is the regular tart shape. Have thought about shapes but buying the molds and being able to crank out serious numbers.. plus shrinking them.. is just time I don't have. People more interested in how long the scent lasts.

Call Art at National Shrinkwrap. Get all my stuff from him. I have several different products that take different wrap and he was able to advise what would be best in each situation. Great customer service as well. I use his wand system [18"] and it is the best investment I ever made as far as time and quality. http://www.nationalshrinkwrap.com/page/page/4625591.htm

Mine are on shelves under the pour station in my shop.