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How far are you willing to go?


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I think it depends on how often you have to go to get supplies. Driving a long distance a couple of times a month to pick up a few items may not be worth it. Personally, I pick up supplies when I visit family in NC. I go there a few times a year and always stock up on whatever I can. However, it wouldn't make sense for me to drive 5.5 hours each way just to try to save some money on supplies. If there was a supplier within 1-1.5 hours of my home, I would likely drive rather than ship. But, time is money too and my time is very valuable. Spending a few extra bucks on shipping would likely be worth it. But I don't really have that problem because the nearest supplier is still about 3 hours away.

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I usually figure out how much the round trip gas would cost and then compare it with the shipping quote from the supplier. If it's cheaper to have it shipped, I won't be driving to pick it up, for in addition to cost of gas, there would be extra wear and tear on your car. If the supplier is 5-6 hours away, then I wouldn't even consider it because I wouldn't be able to do it in one day and with one night of motel cost factored in it really wouldn't be worth it.

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I have a Suburban and it would cost me about $40 to make a 4-hour round trip. Considering it now costs about $20+ to ship single cases of wax, the savings can add up quick.

I usually purchase with the 200# weight discount so shipping that way is much less, but still......IF i had the option (which I don't :mad: )I'd gladly drive that far, maybe a bit more. BUT...the order would have to be heavy enough to justify, like wax, glass and/or oils. Things like wicks and molds, etc. might not be worth it.

You just have to figure on an individual basis.

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I drive about 4 hours one way to pick up wax and other things that I get from one supplier. We did that this past Tues, and we left @ 8a.m. and got home @ 10.30 p.m. of course we stopped and ate here and there and we had to pick up my in-laws truck.

So just for traveling about 8 hours.

When I pick up my jars though, I buy by the pallet and travel about 6 hours oneway so that is a long trip. but it sure beats paying for a semi- truck to pull up to my front door, and for me to hire guys to unload it :P

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It would cost me more to drive and get it than it would to truck it. By the time I pay for fuel and tolls and time.

I just spent 4 hours dealing with a wax order and all I can say is G(&*#)( FJF(** UGH!... I think you get the point.

I'm at $.70 a lb. delivered and that is for straight 140 MP. This is getting out of hand. Materials alone are costing me $1.10 to make an unscneted 3x6... I can buy it for $1.60 and not lift a finger... so can one of you folks tell me is it worth $.50 extra to wick and break-down a mold, and then buzz the base? I dunno.

I just want to vent.

If anyone wants to share what they're paying for their wax that would be great. Not sure if it's a super-secret or something.

Oh well.

:)

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It would cost me more to drive and get it than it would to truck it. By the time I pay for fuel and tolls and time.

I just spent 4 hours dealing with a wax order and all I can say is G(&*#)( FJF(** UGH!... I think you get the point.

I'm at $.70 a lb. delivered and that is for straight 140 MP. This is getting out of hand. Materials alone are costing me $1.10 to make an unscneted 3x6... I can buy it for $1.60 and not lift a finger... so can one of you folks tell me is it worth $.50 extra to wick and break-down a mold, and then buzz the base? I dunno.

I just want to vent.

If anyone wants to share what they're paying for their wax that would be great. Not sure if it's a super-secret or something.

Oh well.

:)

I pay .89 for pillar and votive wax

I used to pay .99 for container wax but now I pay 1.02 since it went up. So consider yourself lucky :tongue2:

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I'll drive 2.5 hours to Dallas for very large supply runs. Pallets of glass, several cases of wax, case or two of lye, is more cost effective for me to pick up than have delivered. Even with gas prices what they are now. Smaller orders, I'll ship in. It costs me roughly $40 - $50 to drive to Dallas and back, so if shipping cost is less than that, they can ship it to me. I do like the Dallas run though, because there are so many suppliers in a small area of the metroplex. I can grab several orders in one day. My best friend lives in Fort Worth, and when I visit her I can stop at Lonestar too.

My favorite thing to do is pick up supplies after a company meeting in Tyler or Dallas... nothing like getting paid mileage to pick up supplies on the way home.

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I'll drive 2.5 hours to Dallas for very large supply runs. Pallets of glass,

I was wondering where you get your pallet of glass from. If you don't mind me asking.

Thekla

Thekla's Creations

You might try Reike's in Dallas...they have tons of glass..or try Taylored Concepts

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I live right between NG (10 minutes from home)and WSP(10 minutes from work). I go often. I drop in on my way to work. Oils by Nature is close too. I haven't gone there yet but want to.

I will stop at Makes Scents when I am going down to the Columbus area (about 2 hour drive for me) I don't go often now though, my best friend graduated from Ohio State and I don't make the trip as often. When I go camping in southern Ohio I will try to stop in at JS in Jackson it will be about an hour additional driving out of the way. I have debated heading over to supplies 4 candles. It is about an hour or so away. I will next time I go to visit the family I have near them.

I am supplier spoiled. I even thought about hitting the chemistry store on my way down to Florida for vacation. It is right off the highway.

I guess I never really go just to get supplies. I go for other reasons. I am not sure if picking up supplies justifies those reasons or if those reasons justify picking up supplies.

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I'd drive two hours to save on shipping if I was done testing the wax I was buying and knew that I'd be using it long term.

I live in NH so it's not an option. I think the closest distributor is Ohio, NY, etc.

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I live right between NG (10 minutes from home)and WSP(10 minutes from work). I go often. I drop in on my way to work. Oils by Nature is close too. I haven't gone there yet but want to.

I will stop at Makes Scents when I am going down to the Columbus area (about 2 hour drive for me) I don't go often now though, my best friend graduated from Ohio State and I don't make the trip as often. When I go camping in southern Ohio I will try to stop in at JS in Jackson it will be about an hour additional driving out of the way. I have debated heading over to supplies 4 candles. It is about an hour or so away. I will next time I go to visit the family I have near them.

I am supplier spoiled. I even thought about hitting the chemistry store on my way down to Florida for vacation. It is right off the highway.

I guess I never really go just to get supplies. I go for other reasons. I am not sure if picking up supplies justifies those reasons or if those reasons justify picking up supplies.

The Chemistry Store moved to South Carolina the rats. Camden Grey is still in Miami and right off the interstate and soapsupplies.net is in Daytona Beach. Those are the only suppliers close by ( well Tropical Butters is 10 min. away from me but they only sell soap oils and butters ) with the price of gas continuing to go up so far it's still cheaper to have things shipped in. I don't know if living that close to 2 big suppliers is a good thing or not because I'm sure I could think of something that I wanted every day:tiptoe:

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I can't find a site for Reike's in Dallas with a Google search. Do they have a website?

Why does Dallas have so many suppliers and Houston has so few?!? As far as I know BCS is the closest to the Houston area and they're still 1-1/2+ hours from me. There's Houston Candle Supply, but they are VERY limited on their supplies. I'm not big enough in 'the biz' to need pallets of items, but I would buy more than I do if I could find someone fairly close that was making the trip & I would help them pay for their gas. Why don't more people do that? It seems to me that it would be benefial to all involved.

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I drive about 35 min. one way for wax right now, and about the same for glassware when I can find what I want...( still working on that one)

As far as scents i HATE the ones from the wax supplier that is close to me so I still order those in from another place.

If I could get it all from one supplier I think I would justify a couple of hours each way for sure.

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