How did you start selling and promoting your candles?

[jasondigitized]

How did you specifically get started selling and promoting your candles?  I know all about testing of candles before selling thanks to you guys.  I would love to hear everyone's stories about the road leading up to selling your candles and how you changes your approach since then.  Any great stories you want to share?  Did you start by giving away to friends and word spread?  Did you take the plunge and just started setting up at farmer's markets?  Tell me your specific story on how you started in the business.  I'd love to know.  I find it inspiring.  

[chevcher]

Back when I was making dried florals and herbal products, I wanted to add some candles to my line.
At the time (early 90's) I only made pillars and dipped beeswax tapers, something my aunt taught me when I was little.
After much trial and error on different styles &  techniques, I settled on a grungy primitive look to complement my floral decor and my passion for Early Americana. 
A friend of mine who dabbled in candlemaking, sold me all of her supplies for container candles. After much experimenting, testing, etc. I began selling them at the indoor market that I was in way back when.
Later, I began taking them to shops for potential consignment or wholesale deals. I also started doing local craft shows and worked my way up to the larger festivals. I've done a few cash and carry wholesale shows- those were fun but very hectic shows !  I've never experienced a buying frenzy until I did a trade show 😮
Now, 23 years later... I have several wholesale accounts locally, as well as fundraisers, 4 large Fall festivals  and 2 Christmas shows that I do annually.
I'm also in 5 primitive antiques shops that I stock year round, each one hosts open house events twice a year.
I've sold on Ebay a few times, also tried Etsy for a hot minute, but decided a website shop just wasn't for me. I prefer interaction with my customers and the thought of having a website on top of everything else I do scares me a bit 😱
I'm totally content with where I've taken my business since those messy kitchen candlemaking days , my clients and customers are happy and I still love what I do 😊
HTH
 

[jasondigitized]

Awesome answer and exactly the inspiration i was looking for. 

[Scented Creations]

Honestly, I didn't even mean to start selling candles. I was looking for a new hobby and wanted to try soap making, but it seemed dangerous,  so I tried my hand at candle making. My goal, at the time, was to make a candle as good and Yankee Candle (this was in 1998. Well, it quickly became an addiction! After much, much trial and error, I had boxes and boxes of candles made. I wasn't even sure what I was going to do with them all. I didn't even burn candles!

 

A friend came by and asked what that wonderful smell was, I told him  I made candles. He mentioned he loved candles, so I unloaded 1/2 of my boxes that day. He called me a few days later and said he needed more candles because he had sold them all. He ended up hosting my first candle party and it just went from there. Thinking back on it, I guess my brand became popular just by word of mouth.

[Hopie]

Since we already have a very successful traveling vending business, and I already dip and sell a good amount of incense, I decided to add scented candles to our booths. I'm currently testing wicks, waxes, jars and pillars to come up with incense and earthy scented candles. Some people won't burn incense due to the smoke, so they may just like the scents in candles, instead. That way, our scent lovers have a choice. I have mentioned my intentions to several customers lately, to get their reaction...and if they were on the table this past weekend, I'm confident they would have sold. 

[chevcher]

14 hours ago, jasondigitized said:

Awesome answer and exactly the inspiration i was looking for. 

Just wanted to add that no matter what type of market is in your area, be true to who you are and whatever your product / style is.
I've encountered some potential clients over the years that have come right out and asked me to blatantly copy my competitor's packaging, etc... Of course I refused, because I don't do business that way, no matter how much money is at stake.
It's very tacky and doesn't say much for one's integrity... I politely suggested they order from that company instead   

[lightmyfire]

On 6/3/2018 at 4:40 PM, chevcher said:

Back when I was making dried florals and herbal products, I wanted to add some candles to my line.
At the time (early 90's) I only made pillars and dipped beeswax tapers, something my aunt taught me when I was little.
After much trial and error on different styles &  techniques, I settled on a grungy primitive look to complement my floral decor and my passion for Early Americana. 
A friend of mine who dabbled in candlemaking, sold me all of her supplies for container candles. After much experimenting, testing, etc. I began selling them at the indoor market that I was in way back when.
Later, I began taking them to shops for potential consignment or wholesale deals. I also started doing local craft shows and worked my way up to the larger festivals. I've done a few cash and carry wholesale shows- those were fun but very hectic shows !  I've never experienced a buying frenzy until I did a trade show 😮
Now, 23 years later... I have several wholesale accounts locally, as well as fundraisers, 4 large Fall festivals  and 2 Christmas shows that I do annually.
I'm also in 5 primitive antiques shops that I stock year round, each one hosts open house events twice a year.
I've sold on Ebay a few times, also tried Etsy for a hot minute, but decided a website shop just wasn't for me. I prefer interaction with my customers and the thought of having a website on top of everything else I do scares me a bit 😱
I'm totally content with where I've taken my business since those messy kitchen candlemaking days , my clients and customers are happy and I still love what I do 😊
HTH
 

do you mind sharing what  your terms are with  your wholesale customers?  I have one wholesale customer and they get a 50% discount; after doing research that seemed like the typical arrangement.  They are a fantastic customer-they order consistently and allowed me to expand the offering with melts.  They also pay me upon delivery.

[chevcher]

On 6/16/2018 at 11:40 AM, lightmyfire said:

do you mind sharing what  your terms are with  your wholesale customers?  I have one wholesale customer and they get a 50% discount; after doing research that seemed like the typical arrangement.  They are a fantastic customer-they order consistently and allowed me to expand the offering with melts.  They also pay me upon delivery.

I require a $150.00 opening order, $100.00 for re-orders. I had to set minimums, because in the past I would get a few customers that wanted to "buy wholesale", then would only place a $25.00 order 😡 So frustrating !
I used to offer 50%, but with the increasing costs of supplies, shipping, etc..I'm doing a 40% discount. I've seen a few companies that only offer 25-30 % discounts.
HTH

[lightmyfire]

10 minutes ago, chevcher said:

I require a $150.00 opening order, $100.00 for re-orders. I had to set minimums, because in the past I would get a few customers that wanted to "buy wholesale", then would only place a $25.00 order 😡 So frustrating !
I used to offer 50%, but with the increasing costs of supplies, shipping, etc..I'm doing a 40% discount. I've seen a few companies that only offer 25-30 % discounts.
HTH

Did you have any pushback on the 40%?

[chevcher]

Not at all... They've been in their respected businesses for many years and a few of them are also makers of handcrafted items, so they totally understand.