kandlekrazy Posted April 24, 2020 Share Posted April 24, 2020 Honestly right now I see it going up if you have an online presence. If you did fairs/shows they have been cancelled everywhere in the US and I notice reschedule dates are late June or July and who knows if that will happen? I have seen a slow down in getting any kind of supplies and soon our suppliers won't have the items sourced from any overseas company and I'm not sure how long it will take for a catch up. I recall years back when everything was sitting in the docks in Long Beach & Los Angeles for over 4 months and some suppliers were wiped out of supplies. I remember because my candle warmer order was sitting there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanfordP Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 Hey everyone... my online business doubled between March and April -- it's been madness (especially since my employees can't work, and I'm cranking out candles solo). I've had some wholesale orders coming through from customers who have an online presence or are doing in-store pick-ups. My contract manufacturing clients were also banging down the door to get their orders. I talked with a marketing guy a few weeks ago, and he says that people want their comforts, and spending $15-25 on a candle isn't a huge mental or physical investment. So, we should take advantage of this time while we can. Move some inventory. Then batten down the hatches, because who knows what'll happen. Key is to remain nimble. I guess the point of the story is to keep doing what we're doing. But not really a good time to launch anything new! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candlesinflorida Posted May 5, 2020 Share Posted May 5, 2020 On 4/30/2020 at 6:16 PM, StanfordP said: Hey everyone... my online business doubled between March and April -- it's been madness (especially since my employees can't work, and I'm cranking out candles solo). I've had some wholesale orders coming through from customers who have an online presence or are doing in-store pick-ups. My contract manufacturing clients were also banging down the door to get their orders. I talked with a marketing guy a few weeks ago, and he says that people want their comforts, and spending $15-25 on a candle isn't a huge mental or physical investment. So, we should take advantage of this time while we can. Move some inventory. Then batten down the hatches, because who knows what'll happen. Key is to remain nimble. I guess the point of the story is to keep doing what we're doing. But not really a good time to launch anything new! Do you mind sharing who you use for shipping? I have really focused on local orders and wholesale but finding it tricky to figure out the best rates for shipping an individual candle across the country. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanfordP Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 On 5/5/2020 at 12:56 PM, candlesinflorida said: Do you mind sharing who you use for shipping? I have really focused on local orders and wholesale but finding it tricky to figure out the best rates for shipping an individual candle across the country. Don't mind at all... My online store is hosted through shopify, and I take advantage of their reduced shipping rates. For the most part, the consumer pays for this, BUT consumers nowadays have fallen victim to the Amazon effect (expecting free shipping). So, I created a "no rush" shipping option. Pay a flat fee for reduce cost, and I take my time to get the order out the door. And, I run free shipping campaigns occasionally--have one going on right now. All the carriers work on a dimensional shipping model now. It [relatively speaking] no longer matters how much a package weighs, but the size of the box. This is where trial and error come in. Gotta figure out what your average order is going to weigh and which type of box it'll fit in, considering that most consumers will place an order for multiple items (requiring bigger box). Plus the cost and weight of the box and packaging. If you have a robust enough online shop, your store should be tracking the analytics to make figuring all this out fairly easy. Prior to shopify, I used shippingeasy.com. I tested out a few other platforms, but liked SE the best. Shipping, regardless of who pays for it, is NOT CHEAP. I dread looking at my shipping bill each month. But, cost of doing business! 🤷♂️ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilosCandles Posted June 2, 2020 Share Posted June 2, 2020 On 5/5/2020 at 12:56 PM, candlesinflorida said: Do you mind sharing who you use for shipping? I have really focused on local orders and wholesale but finding it tricky to figure out the best rates for shipping an individual candle across the country. Read this is may help - https://716candleco.com/candle-business-usa-shipping/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candlesinflorida Posted June 6, 2020 Share Posted June 6, 2020 On 6/2/2020 at 11:27 AM, MilosCandles said: Read this is may help - https://716candleco.com/candle-business-usa-shipping/ You are always so helpful; thank you. And your post office cart is #candlegoals 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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