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fmsojka

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Everything posted by fmsojka

  1. Yes I have. On two different occasions. But they were on commission. One place my stuff got very dirty. She had her building open much of the time. She didn't dust or take care of the product. When I got it back, it was very dirty and I had to repackage. Another one was the on commission. They set up booths too. I waited three months to get my money after the holidays. (Something about her partner quitting on her). She put a huge display of someone else's candles right inside the door, mine were put further and further out of the way as she got bigger companies. She said she wasn't doing booths, just displaying the product around the area. She ended up not doing that. Did not keep an inventory sheet, on and on. Started out a great deal, she had plenty of foot traffic, I was selling quite a bit of stuff and better for us than wholesale. I didn't have her sign a contract. (Neither of them). Not sure that would have helped. Short of it, I have not had much success with commission, maybe a booth fee would be better. Seems like I always end up with product back not in the same shape, or struggle with getting paid.
  2. Thanks, they really do like to 'help'. My grandaughter rearranges the store every chance she gets:) Part of the reason I started this business was to work a business with my daughter. My mom and I ran a restaurant several years ago and I so enjoyed working with her. My daughter is now going to nursing school full time, but my husband is working full time with me. Little different, but we both really enjoy it most of the time, unless I am battling something on this computer. Any suggestions about the web site would be greatly appreciated. I am still fine tuning it. It was a long time in the works setting up a new one. I hope I don't have to for a long time.
  3. I, for one, really appreciate the information about these guys. I have used them for a couple of years too, with what I thought wasn't a problem until I read the link. I had a charge of $9.95 on my credit card about a year ago. I had a heck of a time getting it off, some kind of membership thing that I never knowingly signed up for. Makes me wonder now. I can't remember where it was from, but could have been one of these companies mentioned. It has gotten to be a world of needing to build all these defenses against crooks. It bugs the heck out of me that I have to fight against being ripped off all the time. After reading all this, I am going to try the other company posted. It may cost more, but I really don't want to support someone so unethical and that has caused so much frustration, as well taken innocent people's money. Giving something for free to try a product isn't any different than what we do when we give out samples all the time. We sure don't do it with intention to set people up in order to rip them off, or to set them up for others to rip off. Clicking on something to find out information is not the same as willingly signing on. I don't care how much fine print there is. That is fraud in my book, if I keep buying from them I am supporting that fraud. And I am going to sure to check my card. I appreciate the other information about securing the card too. Bummer, I have told a lot of people about them, guess I will have to pass on this new information to caution them.
  4. All resolved. Yes, freeservers was the host, but my domain renewal was automatic each year through them. It was a mess, but my new host straightened it all out. Whew. I have had more help from the new host in the last couple of weeks, then I did 5 years from the other. Go figure that most customer service reps are in India, with very poor English. Does not make sense to me.
  5. I have spent the last 24 hours trying to switch a domain from them to a new host. It has been a nightmare. Has anyone else ever had any trouble with them, or with a domain transfer? The company must be based in India now, the people I am trying to talk to have very broken English, so that makes it even more difficult. I can not believe what a mess this has been. I have been with Freeservers for 5 years, their customer service has always been non existant, but this is ridiculous. I have always renewed my domain name through them, on an automatic renewal. It is showing up as being registered through a site in Australia, which I have no clue about. When I tried to go there, it asked for an account number and password, which I do not have because it has always gone through freeservers. I gave freeservers the DNS numbers, (three times now), of my new host, but they come back wanting an IP address from my new host. My new host says they dont' need it. Brother. I am so tempted to shuck the whole thing, (I have been working on the new web site for several months, finally got it completed), hire someone to build me a new one, and host it. Any suggestions?
  6. Thanks guys. Tammy is going to order 100 sheets for me, so I should be good for quite a while. She said the laser just don't move very well. I will go back to online or labels by the sheet, I suppose. Might try the last one some day. Sorry I was whining. Just about the third time lately that I have had to switch to another vendor, because something had changed. Just adds to the shipping costs, which are bad enough.
  7. Unfortunately, they have to be ovals. I use the 1/2 ounce malibus and love them, also have some 1/2 ounce rounds, but they don't want those. Of course. Thanks anyway.
  8. Yes, they are doing away with the laser ones. Does anyone know of where else I can get these? I have used the ones from Online and labels by the sheet, but they didn't seem to work as well. Unless I wasn't getting the right ones. I hate cutting out labels. I don't mind cutting the 2X4 in half, so there is a place to pull away the label. I also use the 1" circles, so will have to figure out something else for that. Seems like every time I find something that works, the vendors discontinue. Bummer.
  9. One more question. I have been getting laser 2 x 4 clear labels from them. I just loved them, they worked perfect for my bath and body products, didn't smear, waterproof. I just found out thye are dropping their labels. Anyone know who else has these? Thanks
  10. I am really needing some half ounce ovals. Does anyone know of anywhere I can find these? I have done search after search with no luck. I can find ounce ones, but not half ounce. I did find some with Container and Packaging, but they were way out of the price range I need them to be for samples for a company. Thanks
  11. I second BCN Baby Powder. I have used this for several years for shower gifts, I think it smells dead on, so do customers. Also, very strong. A little goes a long way.
  12. Okay, I mean with mostly shea butter.
  13. I make a whipped body frosting with Shea Butter. Only trouble, it melts easily, and it gets pretty hard after a while. Does this recipe do that, or does it stay fluffy? Thanks
  14. I have been dressing bears for years. Just do it before they set up all the way, then use a heat gun when they are set up to fix it back up. They look great. Good luck
  15. Hi Cathy, I know this is an old thread, but I am trying to make forever candles for a wedding. You said you put chunck in the mold, then set the glass tealight holder on top of the chunks. Do you do your over pour after the tealight is in place, or before? Also, what type of wax do you use for the chunks and over pour for a pillar? I have done chunk candles in a container, in the past I have used 4794 for the chunks, with my container blend as the over pour. Thanks for any help.
  16. Congratulations! Your product must be awesome, for a company like that to want you to make them candles. I have done what I call volume manufacturing for a large company. If there is enough volume, the price for me goes way down. Volume is such a good deal, it takes me as long to do one or two candles as a bunch, same as with bath products. I would much rather have a check for a few thousand instead of working my b*tt off for a few bucks. The volume stuff helps me keep in business to sell the smaller orders. If the company is supplying the packaging, or whatever, I subtract that from my cost. I wouldn't care if the company wanted to furnish the FO. And as you said, lots of testing. As would be the case if they requested a special fragrance and you bought it. Although I haven't had someone furnish the fragrance. I have had them furnish the packaging, if I couldn't find what they wanted. I figure I am the manufacturer. I know the other day we poured a bunch of candles for a fundraiser, then I had some folks want a candle of this scent, then a candle of that scent. took me about as long to make the few candles as to pour the fundraiser. Same with bath products, we make up custom lotions. Mixing up one lotion is a pain, takes a bunch of my time as well as waiting on the customer. (And waiting for them to make up their mind:) Lots more efficient to crank out a bunch of the same scent. Know what I mean? So if you don't make as much per item, you spend a bunch of less time to make it. (After you get done testing, which may take up some time up front). I say go for it. Even if the account doesn't turn out exactly as I had hoped, I always learn something. And the volume helps pay the bills.
  17. We just did a fundraiser with a girls track team that didn't do near what we were hoping. Lot of work, and only about a third of the girls even tried at all. I am wondering if people are just fundraised out. But what we always figure, it gets product in to the hands of people that might not have tried it. We have had much repeat business from fundraisers, even a couple of them we thought were busts. Really, if you think about it, pretty cheap advertizing, even if a lot of work. We, too, had a fundraiser in the spring that sucked, then one in the fall with the same Day Care that did several times the sales.
  18. Thanks for the help, but I have tried both of these and they won't work for what I need. Yes, I can find the 1 oz, but not the .5 oz ovals. thanks anyway.
  19. Anyone know of where I could find some of these? I have tried several companies, but having trouble finding them small enough. I need them to be able to fit a flip top cap. I need at least a couple of thousand. Thanks
  20. We are going to the BCN one, but the Chicago sounds good too. We too went to one in Chicago a few years back and had no desire to go back. Didn't get much out of it. I am glad to hear it has been taken over by Kangarou Blue. Pretty close for us, the other places are way away. What really sounds good right about now with zero weather and snow up to our arm pits is an excuse to head south.
  21. Okay, I give up. Ordered the wax as was suggested, (thank you very much). It is beautiful wax, I added the 180 at .5 oz per pound of 5055 wax. Tried the dipped picture, not much luck. Tried without the dipped picture. Still the picture is fogged over in spots, and a chunk is still sticking to the mold, even with mold release. Used a thermometer all through the process. I think I am cursed. I had to turn down a couple of orders and just won't take any more until I figure this out. They are such neat candles, I hate to give up for good. So, I am really looking forward to the hurricane workshop. I am sure it is something really simple. The good news is that I had followed the suggestion of using 1343, have found out that that one doesn't have a high enough melt point. I have power burned it, for 8 hours with no problems. I use a very heavy votive holder. But sure like the idea of cork under it. Great tips. I want to say again how much I appreciate the help. I have since went to check out Donita's web site. My heavens, those candles are amazing. I also saw where she has tutorials on her candles. I know she helps on here all the time as many others do, but I plan to order a couple of the tutorials.
  22. I had the same problem, the .com was taken. I went with the .net anyway. It has worked out fine. If I google my name, even if I use .com, I am the first on the list. I didn't want to use any of the other stuff, and I definitely wanted to use my business name. As someone said, it isn't that big of deal, I don't think. If they are looking for your business, they will use the name and call it up. If they are using a generic, such as candles, you probably will be on page million.
  23. Hey Bruce, I see you are in Missouri. Where abouts? We are in south eastern Iowa, and have a place on Bulls shoals lake. In your old post you said something about Quincy. Not that far from us. Do you ever do workshops? Those are amazing, amazing candles. Works of art. If you would throw one together, I would love to attend.
  24. I don't know if this will help, but we have a Dell 3010 Laser. We fought it, and fought it for the first few months. I was just sick. We kept calling tech support, they didn't help. Same thing about the transperancy setting, but that didn't help. Finally, I got a woman one day that was pretty snotty, but had me start from scratch, even turning the machine on. I got pretty snippy with her, because I had went through this so many times. But what ended up happening, was a couple of little steps that I had somehow missed. Believe me I apologized. First, using the menu on the machine to make sure it was set to labels. I had to scroll through the menu, until I came to paper tray settings, then scroll to label. If anyone had told me that, I missed it. Then, for everything that I printed, I had to make sure that it was also set on labels. Bingo. I had always used inkjets, and this whole thing was foreign to me. The paper had to be slowed down to fuse, if that makes any sense. I didn't have to mess with any other settings. She also said, as others have mentioned, to feed one at a time through. A lady where I get my laser clear labels at elements bath and body, (which by the way are by far the best I have found), said to feed one sheet at a time, and to put a small pile of regular paper under the clear sheet. It helps it to feed through evenly. It helps a great deal. My labels have never looked better, for the most part. They do not smudge, and are waterproof. I still have fits on very small circle labels, getting them to stay within the circle, but with her suggestions, that has gotten better. This may be way off of what you need, but just in case.... I love the clear waterproof labels.
  25. I really appreciate all the help an ideas. DH ground up two batches, added the oil and repoured. I think he added quite a bit of milk in one, to get it to melt. Pretty soft. It looks like it might be all right. It was an order, so hopefully it will be okay in a few weeks. He made it for a Bed and Breakfast, but they didnt' need it for quite a while, so we are probably okay there. They are switching over from our melt and pour for guests soap to our cold process soaps. They also sell our products, so want to especially make sure it is awesome. He was wanting to wait until he saw what these did before going on to the other 3 batches. (Yes, I found out it was 5 instead of 4 batches that he left Olive Oil out of). But I like the idea of trying at least one with the crockpot, just to see what it does. We have not attempted HP yet. They were soaps we were trying to have ready by Valentines, so it would be nice to have at least one batch ready, but may have to wait since we are running out of time. The would have been ready easily by now, oh well. Thanks again,
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