Annoying Pricing Question

[Kelly]

My friends and I got into a discussion at work about prices of soy candles. Two of us thought $5.00 for a standard 8 ounce jelly jar (in the midwest) was a fair and common price. The other gal, said that was too much, $3.50 is more accurate.

What do you sell your 8oz JJ's for? Help settle the arguement! (Especially if you are in the midwest!)

TIA

Kelly

[Accents]

You wouldn't make much money at $3.50. I sell my jellies for $6.50 here and $6.00 downstate in a rural area. Where does the other gal buy her candles? Have you tried figuring your cost yet?

[KFTS]

3.50 is way too cheap. I sell mine wholesale more than that,

[Kelly]

The other gal buys paraffin. So she's expecting paraffin prices even though she said she used to make soy candles. My cost is about 2.50 per jar (it's like 2.47 or something, I don't have the paperwork in front of me).

[Lorrie]

They only way that I would price my jjars at $3.50 is if it was wholesale or if I was trying to get rid of a scent that I wanted to discontinue. Mine are $6.00 for one or 3 for $15 so basically $5-6 is about where I am at. I have also been to a couple of shows and their was a lot of soy candle makers there. They had them priced from $5- $7.50 each. The main thing you need to do is figure out your cost to make that candle. You should be pricing them somewhere btw 3 to 4 times your cost. But you also need to take into consideration what your market will bear for pricing. HTH

[Lumina]

I sell my 4oz tins for $5.00 and do very well with that price range.

[Bev]

I sell my 8 oz. jj's for $6.00. Good grief, my little 4 oz. quilted jj's are $3.50. I can't imagine selling an 8 oz'er for that.

[SSR Candles]

Depending on the price of the jar, my 8 oz ones come out to $6 or $6.50. If I tried to sell those for $3.50, I think I'd only make a few cents each...

[islandgirl]

$7.99 for mine.

ETS: I really think it all depends on the area you live in.

$7-8 is typical for an 8 oz JJ in my area.

[sudsnwicks]

The other gal buys paraffin. So she's expecting paraffin prices even though she said she used to make soy candles. My cost is about 2.50 per jar (it's like 2.47 or something, I don't have the paperwork in front of me).

I am not aware that paraffin prices are any cheaper than soy. In fact I thought paraffin was higher priced. I agree $3.50 is too low. Most 8 oz jars I see are much more than that. For example there is a place near me (rural area, population less than 2,000) charging $12.95 for their 8 oz jar.

[prairieannie]

LOL, I thought soy wax was cheaper!! In fact, in many cases, I know it is. I really don't get the "expecting paraffin prices" thing. I sell my 8oz jelly jar candle for $7, or 3 for $18. They will go down to $6.00 each for a boutique show this coming weekend where the 3fer deal won't work with a centralized cash register. My cost per candle is $1.80.

[Laura]

how can you make anything at that price? we sell out 8 oz jj's for $9.00

[KristinesShower]

No offense, but are your friends insane or just cheap?

I get $7.99 for my 8oz mason jars and my shop is located in a town of just under 1,000 people.

I think all of us as candlemakers should take a stand and say we will not charge less than "X" for all jelly jars starting in 2007. Those of you charging so little are killing your own businesses & making it hard for the rest of us to charge a fair price.

[CC on Maui]

[quote=KristinesShower;353415)

I think all of us as candlemakers should take a stand and say we will not charge less than "X" for all jelly jars starting in 2007. Those of you charging so little are killing your own businesses & making it hard for the rest of us to charge a fair price./

I couldn't agree more. I s*&% when I see some of the devalued pricing that candlemakers and B&B makers charge. Grrr.........

It really makes it hard for me to sell in my market -- where my costs are way, way, way higher (supplies, rents, etc) than what mainland locations run. I Hate the tourist who tells me they can get that same candle at home for XYZ. Okay....then buy it at home -- but don't go telling it's recipient that it came from Maui.

[SSR Candles]

No offense, but are your friends insane or just cheap?

I think all of us as candlemakers should take a stand and say we will not charge less than "X" for all jelly jars starting in 2007. Those of you charging so little are killing your own businesses & making it hard for the rest of us to charge a fair price.

I agree. In the years that we've been crafting, I've seen a lot of people run out of business by the "hobbyists" who don't care about profit - they get into something as a hobby, then they sell what they make for next to nothing since they don't care about profit. These are the people that make it unprofitable for the rest of us to even try to sell on eBay anymore, much less get a decent price at retail locations without the inevitable "I can get that for less somewhere else". Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Of course, we'd then be committing "price-rigging", but who cares...

[debscent]

I think you are cutting yourself short just to make a sale. Candle lovers will buy candles as long as they are in line with other candles of similar quality. I try to keep my candles low, and the typical rule of thumb is $.50 over the weight of the candle. For instance, if it is a 6 ounce candle it's $6.50. No one even bats an eye at that. My 16 oz. goes for $16.50. I know it's tempting to make your prices "really good" so people will buy them, but really, they will buy your candles provided the quality is there.

[Ahuff]

I price my jelly jars as an introduction to my products - $6 each. New customers like a less expensive way to try my candles, and they usually come back for my larger, more expensive tumblers.

My tumblers are $11 & $16 for 7.5 and 11 oz containers.

I have seen newer chandlers attempt to sell their candles for a lot less - and they don't sell very many. Most people equate price with quality, and are more willing to pay more for my candles. I think the wide variety of candles that I have on the table also helps, as well as a fully decorated booth. A lot of people bring maybe 20 candles in 5 scents, and don't try to make their one table very attractive. So, a multitude of stock, fully decorated booth and reasonable prices equal an established crafter with quality products to most shoppers.

HTH,

Alex

[Candle Makin Momma]

$7 online and $6 locally

[ohkellygirl]

I live in WI too and charge $6.00 for my 8oz JJ's. I've been told by some customers that I'm not charging enough! BTW, I sell Paraffin and love it

Di

[Kelly]

I live in WI too and charge $6.00 for my 8oz JJ's. I've been told by some customers that I'm not charging enough! BTW, I sell Paraffin and love it

Di

Good to know! My one friend agreed with me, but I guess my other friend likes to just get her candles from Wal-Mart, Target, etc. She expects to pay less I guess. And yes she is cheap! And probably a little insane too.

Thanks for the replies. I feel a little better now, especially since I like winning arguements, I mean discussions!

Kelly

[katy]

I charge 6.75 for my 9 oz jar and 6 for my 8 oz tin. 3.50 you will be out of biz real quick.

[7 Pawz]

I use J223 and sell my 8 oz jj for $5. Another person in my area raised her price on her 8 oz jj from $3.50 to $5 when she saw what I was getting for mine. She has sinced raised her price again to $6.50 for an 8 oz jj, but in my area, that is going to be hard for her to sell: unless she drives about 20 min. from here and sells in the larger town. Then again, I have sold my 22 oz apothecary jars for $15, just by doing that very thing. Different market conditions.