UGH..pricing b&b

[pamperme]

..ok..had it figured out for 8oz..decided to go 4oz..now I had to refigure my prices..and it seems low to me for the work involved in making these..what do you think?

I use bases if that helps..but it is still time consuming mixing, pouring, labeling etc.

all these are 4oz..cost listed does not include labor

(bottle)shower gel cost is $1.01 wholesale would be 2.25 retail is $4.95

(bottle) silk & satin lotion cost is $1.18 wholesale would be 2.25 retail is $4.95

(jar) body butter cost is $1.49 wholesale would be 2.50 retail is $6.95

(jar) salt glow cost is $.92 wholesale is $2.25 retail is $4.95

(jar) sugar scrub cost is $1.09 wholesale is 2.25 retail is $4.95

these jars and bottles seem soooo small to me I used 4 oz aluminum and they did not seem this small ...why does the clear ones seem smaller?

I should have went with big honkin 8oz or 16oz containers.

[CareBear]

Does cost include ALL ingredients, packaging, labels, etc?

How about utilities?

Remember, you can charge whatever the market will bear... Look around and see what similar stuff with a similar image sells for. And also remember there is a premium on smaller packages - you don't want to just charge by the oz!

[pamperme]

It includes all costs except utilties... No one else close to here makes handmade bath & body stuff..it is all Avon, Mary Kay and companies like that. :undecided oh and the Body Shop..

other than that I can only compare prices with wallyworld and the dollar store.

Guess I am looking to see if those are average from everyone else..what is the high and what is the low..I know areas are going to be different..

guess the bottle is throwing me off..when I first started I used the 8oz cosmo bottles...I liked those ..have no idea WHY I switched...plus the front was nice and flat for labels...these little suckers are PITA to label...esp the jars..I have to cut some of the top and bottom off the label for them to fit

[Crystala25]

It includes all costs except utilties... No one else close to here makes handmade bath & body stuff..it is all Avon, Mary Kay and companies like that. :undecided oh and the Body Shop..

other than that I can only compare prices with wallyworld and the dollar store.

Guess I am looking to see if those are average from everyone else..what is the high and what is the low..I know areas are going to be different..

guess the bottle is throwing me off..when I first started I used the 8oz cosmo bottles...I liked those ..have no idea WHY I switched...plus the front was nice and flat for labels...these little suckers are PITA to label...esp the jars..I have to cut some of the top and bottom off the label for them to fit

I sell Avon now and just stopped selling the Body Shop about a week ago. If you look at the price of the body shop they are pretty high priced, but people will buy them because of the quality. With Avon I sell a lot more than the body shop, but I don't hear how much they like the products compared to the body shop, mainly more of the makeup and gifts sell, not so much of the body lotions and such.

Anyways, what I am trying to say is your products are handmade and people value that more, if I were to buy a 4oz. body butter, I would probably pay around $7.50 or even $8.00. If you look at the body butters from the body shop they sell at $16.50 for a 6.9 oz. container. For silk and satin lotion, I would pay about $5.50 or up to $7.00 and for the sugar srcub about $7.00 also.

If I found a good sugar scrub around me for $4.95 I would be doing a stock up on sugar scrubs. Maybe it's where I live. If you do sales online also, I would maybe compare to some online stores or even raise your prices online for those that are out of state. I myself would definetly pay more for good quality products.

[pamperme]

Thanks for that info..I guess I just see how small they are but I guess when you have body butter that goes a long way it is better to sell it in smaller quantites anyway..

body shop has containers that are flatter and larger..so it looks like you are getting more..maybe cause my jars are smaller in diameter but taller they just seem like they are ity bity to me.

[sudsnwicks]

Thanks for that info..I guess I just see how small they are but I guess when you have body butter that goes a long way it is better to sell it in smaller quantites anyway..

body shop has containers that are flatter and larger..so it looks like you are getting more..maybe cause my jars are smaller in diameter but taller they just seem like they are ity bity to me.

It may help if you let the customers know how long each item should last if used daily. They may not realize that body butter goes a long way and might mistakenly think it's such a small amount for so much money. It is just like our candles where we are able to say how many hours it will burn.

[pamperme]

Excellent point! I am going to test out my shower gel as well and see how many quarter size blobs it takes to empty a bottle. Sugar scrub if used over the whole body is probably 2 uses. :undecided of course that is in my standards..and I am a sugar scrub aholic..I slather that stuff as much as possible. I think eventually I will have to up the scrubs to 16oz..esp if I get customers that like it like I do...or just maybe offer both sizes.

[KristinesShower]

You know what I would do is to take the same product all the other people are offering (comparable), add them all up and divide by how many vendors offer that product. See what you come up with - if it is too low, add a little - if it is too high, subtract a little.

That is how I got my prices when I first started. I took 10 sites and looked for comparable products - that is how I came up with my pricing. Looking at it now, I am very glad I did that because I am still doing very well and only had to raise my prices maybe 10% in the last 3 years!

[beesweet]

IKS, that's a great idea. Be sure you have at least a mix of high and low pricing for comparable products. I am appalled at some sites that offer wholesale or less pricing for retail. Guess they have more money backing them than I do!

Be careful not to underprice yourself and consider your time spent making the products. There are a couple of items where you aren't even doubling your cost for wholesale...no way could I do that and stay in business. Also, I noticed that you have a website. Don't forget that you'll have Paypal/credit card fees deducted from those prices, as well. Add to that the cost of hosting, time spent working on your site, peanuts and packing material etc. etc. I build the fees into my wholesale price before arriving at retail because that's where all those little fees and costs you don't think of really take a bite. You can always have a sale...raising prices when you realize you won't be able to stay afloat will only alienate more customers.

[pamperme]

Thanks for the info..I adjusted a few and also kept a few ..easy ones lower..

I sold a decent amount in my booth today..gave away ALOT of magnets with my website..and product info sheets.. will see if it stirs up any internet orders..I have the order online..pick up at booth option...people did not seem like my prices were high..at all

HOWEVER...the people who own the market place told me my candles would not do well..that no ones had..I am selling more candles than B&B...HA! to them...he he

[sockmonkey]

Take a stroll through Bath & Body Works--it will become your best friend.

[SouthernGal]

Take a stroll through Bath & Body Works--it will become your best friend.

I took a stroll today and they have came out with alot of body butters, 14.95 for 5oz. And here I've been scared to charge $6 for 4oz. all natural butters. Not anymore!!!!