001

I guess it's true that I am assuming they are making a profit. As for wholesale, high volume low margin that was actually what I was thinking of now. I have had 5 wholesale accounts for some time now and I am looking to expand in that too and is why I was really looking at the online retailers and the way I found most of them was the almighty youtube which is the way to find low cost wax retailers. SOW I had encountered the same thing when it came to shipping locally she thought because it was an up front expense and had to be reported that way then they wouldn't include that into the cost which was a mistake, she also didn't include things like paper towels, paper for invoices, labels, She was selling her 8 oz JJ for $3... that was quite a fun show talking to her. I haven't seen her since though.

The thing that gets me is if they raise their prices they would be doing less and making the same or more. These people seem to be pretty popular but they are by no means the only vendors I see popping up, one very popular vendor charges $2 for their "two ounce" "Scent shots" This seems reasonable, and is in line with my prices and this particular vendor sells thousands of them per month. Now there is another vendor who does 3 fluted tarts for $1.50. Let's say they cost .20c each (conservative estimate) with 5c for packing they would make .85c per pack, now if they order over $35 they get free shipping. So that is 24 packs of 3 so give or take $20 profit, take out credit card expenses- about $1 and you have $19. Take the $7 on average for a regional A box it would take if it fits and you have a total of at most $12 to pour and pack 72 tarts? Absolute insanity. If they sold them for $1 each they would only have to pour and pack 15 of them. Now my online sales have begun to sort of 'take off' the right people are getting my product and the reviews are good so I am hopeful for this season. I have learned a lot about the buying patterns of the online wax community though which is very interesting, and I'm beginning to tailor it to the market and achieving success. A whole new world for sure.

So I have been working on pushing more sales online and while I was poking around the online wax world I have been looking at some of the most popular companies and the story is the same... 3 oz for $1.50 6 oz of tarts for $3, a good many of them right around 50 cents per ounce... Now, I am assuming they have the same (or more since they use fluted molds) labor then I do, and I know if I charged that much for my tarts when factoring in sales, packing and all that would be $6-8 per hour, why would they do that to themselves? Maybe they think that is enough to make it worth it? I guess this is a bit of a bitch fest but I sell my product for more, I value my time and I wish some other retailers would do the same. Am I just looking at the walmarts of the online wax world or is this sort of standard? -001

I had the exact same experience with them, in fact I got the exact same words, but when they told me if they called every time they had to sub out the order I told them every single time they sub out an order I will be calling like this and it would be much less time then getting this call every single time isn't it? I then kept them on the phone talking to everybody I could. I also got them to give me a UPS shipping label to ship the other ones back I did not order and have them credit my account. I have since found a more reliable supplier with a larger selection. They are more expensive up front but they don't put a $500 hold on my account for a $200 order, they sell better too. The one time they did put a $500 hold on my account my wax order went in which actually overdrafted the account. You better believe they spent a long time on the phone with me, and that was the last straw, I had them refund my order and I decided to drop them. Not worth it to me.

That is why I love Priority Mail Flat Rate.

So I was interested in Blankey Candles new like of Pure Radience candles and so far here is what I've learned... they are a new line of "soy blend" candles that have a contemporary style but... they have this new wick which I am mesmerized with. It is a flat cotton wick that is about 1/3" wide and just about as flat as a piece of paper. It burns hot, very, very hot (about an inch deep melt pool) and it has a flame height of about 2" after you get it going. I assume they went with a flat cotton wick because of the patent that wood wicks have on them, and I think they did it well. I was thinking about them, and seeing them burn they have the same style flame as if you were to zero space or place the wicks around 1/3" apart which I have been playing with. Here are some pictures of it from the Blankey Facebook page. (posted by fans) Now, on their facebook page the people who are "serious" YC fans are claiming they are not getting any throw off of these... of course these people are the same ones who claim that the smooth wax is smooth because Blankey has eliminated fragrance oils from them to "save money" and that the best candles are the most mottled ones because that mottling is the fragrance oil in the candle. I can't wait till we get commercially available flat wicks, I really think they will be the answer to the 4"+ single wick candle problem.

Thanks all! I believe I will be trying CandleWic's 145mp paraffin wax, they recommend it for cut/curl so it has to be solid. I also found an old style chandelier I think will be a good mold... now I just need to figure out how much I should get? I also think I will be making it in black instead of white.

When someone lands on your FB page the higher the like count imo the more they would trust your company... buuuuuuuut, the new facebook algorithm may take into account the % of participating fans when it determines the relevant posts for your likers, so it could eliminate the post from the feed of the people who truly are interested so it is a give and take. If you are just starting up, I would probably say go for the likes then go more organic later but if it is more established it wouldn't be worth it. Just my opinion.

Check this "candelier" out, it is absolutely amazing, and I want to make something similar... http://www.culturewick.com/2012/02/takeshi-miyakawa-candelier.html I don't work with pillar paraffin but I think I need to use it to make something like this, I guess I would need the hardest wax I can, since it needs some crazy structural support and it can't be a physical structure It would be a show piece more than anything (I really would love to have one of them in the shop!) so burn characteristics isn't too important, any suggestions as far as the wax goes? Thanks!

How big was the jar, and what kind of wax do you use? If the jar was a tall one, and the wax was paraffin or palm (double pours) what likely happened was the bottom of the jar was melted, it expanded, the top wax held steady until the glass gave out. It can obviously happen with single pours too but it usually doesn't. To get around this candlewarmers.com has a punch that looks like an apple corer, and they take a circle of wax out of the candles so the pressure doesn't build. If this was not the case I don't know what was going on, I've never seen a candle break on a warmer.

I actually just saw this, 464 has good fragrance throw with the scents that it works with and so does c-3 but c-3 works with many, many more fragrances than 464 does. In fact out of the 400 or so fragrances I've tested in it I have had maybe 10 or so that did not throw at all and I have a catalog of around 300 I thought that the fragrance throw was "good" or "excellent."

I add FO at 180 pour at 140. I don't warm the containers though, I pour them all and then go in and stir it up a little bit so it equalizes the temps to reduce wet spots while cool. I find this works better for me as I pour quite a few at a time and getting through all I have warmed before they are room temp again is not easy. I nestle them together too so they cool very slowly.

Boiling water with dish soap in it. The boiling water will melt the wax the dish soap will emulsify the water/wax so it will continue down the drain as it cools, keep it moving too. The more soapy water the better. These are referred to by the nerdy candle makers as waxidents. They happen all the time!

CD or CDN wicks are the front runners and I use about 6% fo. (one pound wax 1 ounce FO)

I think there are more 464 likers than lovers. And now that I was told that c-3 is American grown soy I will be singing it's praises from the rooftops. Its easy to work with, excellent hot and cold throw, if you're into colored candles it colors well, and its just an all around good wax. 464 got popular when CandleScience ranked it #1 in hot and cold throw. I don't know why, its OK, not as good as 415 and C-3 though.