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Number of Scents You Carry


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Hi all!

I am trying to cut down on the number of oils I carry! I have soooooo many it's just plain crazy! How many do you all carry? I'm not including our seasonal oils..just like your everyday ones. I have made up so many lists, trying to cut down, put this one in, take these out..I'm driving myself nuts! So thought I would ask your alls thoughts :) I haven't been able to be on here much and it's all changed :( I'm like a deer in headlights! Lol thanks so much for your help.

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I wish I could cut back myself! I haven't gone "public" yet, just selling to women at work and banks etc. I really can't say how many I have but it's in the hundreds which is ridiculous! I keep thinking I'm going to blend some more and get some "unique" scents but haven't made it yet LOL! And the worst part is, I keep buying! I have oils from months ago that I haven't even tried yet. It's such an obsession!

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I make tarts as a hobby and only sell a few tarts here and there to friends and family but I checked my list of scents that I have on hand at all times in wax - 73 different scents. Gulp! That doesn't count the 500+ sample bottles that never made it into wax.

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Guest OldGlory

You guys are scaring me! LOL! As much as I enjoy trying new scents, this is a business for me. So I don't go wild trying scents from every supplier because it's not cost effective for me. Shipping is high. When I buy bottles of fo, I usually buy 2 lbs at a time so the cost is pretty low. The thought of spending $2 or more for a sampler makes me crazy.

Having said all of that, I offer about 30 fragrances to my wholesale clients. Maybe a few more around the holidays. That's enough for me.

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I only sell melts and I have 50 scents in my line. My goal is about 60. I have 47 FO's that make up the scents I offer.

I always buy 1 ounce bottles first to test before committing to larger bottles. SO many do not work with my wax/system. I just did a count on my spreadsheet and I have tested 611 different FO's. My retention rate is very low. I cannot imagine what I would have spent if I had purchased pound bottles of each of those. I also cannot imagine where I would store the 564 big bottles that I did not choose.

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Old glory I envy you and wish I could be as controlled!

I have over 100 offered and do not even sell regularity on top of at least 200 samples sitting around

I just boxed up 2 large boxes of FO that went rank to drop off at the hazardous waste plant

I have a problem with this - everytime I re-order fragrances I add more samples to my cart or if I get bored I get a bunch from new suppliers and if I don't like them OOB they sit as last resort- and then time goes by and I find I had no time to use most of them! It's a horrible cycle

I try to condense and get rid of ones that don't sell but I like them so I keep them- when I do getting rolling on sales I know I have to change my ways- but it's so hard

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I am just like you too Belinda, I'm always going to mix scents to come up with these amazing, unique oils that everyone doesn't have..only problem is I very rarely do that! :( Old Glory..I am so jealous of you! How awesome it would be to sniff them first cause I also am terrible, if I don't like it, huge chance it don't make it in wax..and I KNOW how wrong that is! And Moonshine..I think we might be twins! Lol if I didn't know, I would of thought I wrote your post! I just boxed up 20-16oz bottles to get rid of. Makes me sick thinking of all that $$$ I spent on them oils..only to have them get old and thrown out! So..so far I have only 40 on my list, which is seeming so very very small. And it doesn't include seasonal oils. Thanks girls for sharing! So appreciated!!

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I have 85 on my list of available scents. I keep thinking I should stop but I still have a list of ones I want to try. lol.  I don't know how many I have tested though. Lots.

 

I am also one that has hopes to mix my scents but I haven't yet.  I do it all the time with my lip balm but haven't with my other products.

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Is there a 12 step meeting for FO addicts? LMBO

I have kinda did the "going overboard" with other things..I love primitives and have gotten carried away with things to decorate my house. But candle oils are the absolute worst. If I would stay off supplier websites, it would be so much better for me. But then I start reading all these awesome sounding oils and can't help but thinking..what if this is THE ONE? You know, the best ever candle! Lol does anyone else think that?

Edited by Daisymay66
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I rely on sales to drive that decision. Fragrance is an unpredictable animal in this business but I sure ain't gonna kep buying and pushing it if there are no sales. Testers are so helpful, because out of bottle isn't the same as in wax. You might need any variation on an amount depending on the quality of ht and ct in the finished and or cured product. I'll make up a couple and take them around to customers and get their feedback. I have about 10 fragrances that are sure sellers year round (Creme Brulee, Royal Sugar Cookie, Muscadine, Caribbean Breeze and Black Cherry) and seasonal (Apple Jack and Peel, Vanilla Bean Noel and Hansel and Gretel's House) the others are limited to a brief time, unless they become winners. I really wanted LIttle Black Dress to sell, along with some other big time hits but they didn't. I haved seen a fragrance suddenly take off (Kudzu) and die just as quickly. Its better to have a lab full of 1 oz testers than pounds of oils that never get used IMHO.

 

Steve

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I only ever have 11 fragrances for customers to choose from at my market  stalls.  I couldn't even begin to imagine having more.  I do mix it up a bit  and have removed or stop selling particular ones which don't sell quickly.  However - on my stall I only ever have 11 fragrances for people to choose from.  Don't' customers get confused if you offer them too many choices to choose from?  Just my thoughts.  Perhaps I'm doing it wrong.

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I've seen customers open and smell every jar and then buy nothing. Too many choices seems to discourage a decision at times. The best customers are the ones that only buy one fragrance that they claims is the best. It's the random request that usually gets me  in trouble, "Say, don't you carry a  leather or bacon candle?" and then you research and buy the oils and your're stuck. People tend to think out loud these days and never really intended to buy a bacon and leather candle, lol.

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It depends on your business model. If you are selling in person (events, to shops, etc.) then you do not need as vast a line. If you are selling online you will need more. I sell primarily online. I have 50 scents in melts and it is considered that I have a "tiny" line. Most online sellers offer many scents and then allow for blending and layering which can take their scent offering into the hundreds.

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I only offer about 20 at a time, but depending on mood there may be additional "limited edition" scents available .I have 100's of fo's, but that is because most of my bestsellers are blends comprised of 3 or more fo's. I'm a tinkerer and LOVE blending. All my scents are renamed because they are custom blends. Sometime the name for the fragrance comes to me first and I'm left trying to figure out what the blend should smell like.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I wish I could cut back myself! I haven't gone "public" yet, just selling to women at work and banks etc. I really can't say how many I have but it's in the hundreds which is ridiculous! I keep thinking I'm going to blend some more and get some "unique" scents but haven't made it yet LOL! And the worst part is, I keep buying! I have oils from months ago that I haven't even tried yet. It's such an obsession!

I thought it was just me! I have hundreds in my craft room, I can't stop! lol!

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I know I already posted on this thread but I'm laughing because I just got in 18 new scents. :)  Some I've already tested and have been waiting to add. Most are brand new.   I can't stop!  And I've already thought of a couple more that I wish I had purchased to test.  It's never ending.

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Hi all!

I am trying to cut down on the number of oils I carry! I have soooooo many it's just plain crazy! How many do you all carry? I'm not including our seasonal oils..just like your everyday ones. I have made up so many lists, trying to cut down, put this one in, take these out..I'm driving myself nuts! So thought I would ask your alls thoughts :) I haven't been able to be on here much and it's all changed :( I'm like a deer in headlights! Lol thanks so much for your help.

I did not see this post before I just posted almost the exact same question!! 

right now I have 168 so I am of no help to you... 

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