Tell Me What You Think

[Late Night]

Is this your site too or just a similar name?

http://www.southernscents.com/

[southern.scents]

I make candles curently for my own use and as gifts and evenually will sell them, about another month or so. I mainly set up the website as preparation for selling my candles, but went ahead and decide to do this too.

No, southernscents.com is not mine, Tried to purchase that site but never got a response from anyone.

[gngrbrdmtn]

Um, okay... why would you choose to use a name that's virtually identical to someone else's?

[Erin Lea]

hehe..this is a wierd thread...it reminds me of that one with the wierd yellow blob candle with no wick that is the "hottest seller" right now...lol

[Sherl]

I don't want to sound negitive but I do not like it. Reasons are as follows:

I too had to hit shop after hitting tab to shop. I hate having to click too much to get anywhere.

Choose fragrances and get a listing of sniffie packages? As a fragrance buyer I have no interest in that. I want a name of the fragrance, a description and the price per whatever. This entire section would need to be changed to even get me to consider your products. At this point, I would be gone.

Navigation really needs to be thought out better. It is not natural to most other sites. I found myself having to look to get to the next place. If I am in a category, have to hit back to get the next product. Need a next button. Again, as a consumer I really don't want to spend that kind of time on a site.

Pictures are too large and quality is lacking, descriptive text too small, text feeds horizontally to far to the right. I have a wide scree laptop and had to resize my browser to make it more comfortable to read. Text justified on the left too far as well. There should be some 'white space' on that left side.

There really does not seem to be a 'theme' with the site that makes it look pulled together. Looks like a generic template that info is just stuck into. Don't really want to come accross as harsh, but for me to buy from you, there would need to be some major improvements on the site. I read somewhere that if you don't capture someones interest within 10 seconds on the web, they are gone. Be careful what image you put out there.. if consumers get the impression you are slapped otgether.. they won't be back when you get a really nice site together.

Can't get to home. No 'About Us' that tells me why you do what you do. What are your shipping policies? Order and refund policies? How do you use the information you collect from me? How am I to know my CC info is safe with you? Only way to contact you is a phone call. Didn't find an email addy.. but then again, I hate to have to look for anything. I stumbled into help [not a good name for what you have listed here] and ckeck out payment options. You list 3 then tell me you might not accept them.. I need to place and order and read the checkout page?? Either you do or don't accept these forms of payment. You appear more interested in taking my money than providing me with a service.

If this is the best you can get with this web host.. I suggest you look further. I don't care how cheap it is.. it will cost you business. Search the boards.. many recommend DIY, I have Sashbox as a host and use zencart. Starter package is less than $9/month if you pay monthly.. gets cheaper if you buy more months at a time. If you want to be a supplier, it will take more than cheap prices to get people to buy from you. Sorry if I come accross as harsh.

[Tee]

According to this other topic, she's making a killing selling "free" stuff from these people, or at least that's what I got from it.

http://www.candletech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=41600

[lindsaycb]

Consensus says...if I have to click more than three times to see my product...I won't shop there. You've lost my interest just following buttons to get there.

[soycrazy]

I think I smell a rat here. sniff sniff....

I have pet rats and they don't smell

[southern.scents]

Thanks guys for all the suggestions and i will work on it. I am working on having my product pics displayed without having to click on the item so that should make things better. I am also working on the shop button. Sherl, you are not harsh, this is what i need to make my business better. Please tell me what you mean by the scents thing. The way it is setup is you pick a size and then select the fragrance or you can select sniffie packs that are already put together. I am also gonna work on the pics. that will take lots of time though. I like the actual webpage but i agree with others, the shopping page is not the best looking thing, not even close. You said that you could not get to home? please explain. I have an about page , it is a short about page but i will work on it. What would you like in the shipping policies thing? What do you want there. I am also adding the refund policy today. I have several ways to be contacted. There is the phone number, the contact page and an email button at the bottom of the website. All the things in help and payment options is things that i cannot change. they came with the shopping page but i will see what i can do. You are not harsh and again i thank you all for your help as people who deal with candles and suppliers all the time. many of the other people who visited the page, no one i knew, said that it was great. i am seeing that it is not. The southernscents.com is not a seller or evena business, it is search page that someone host and has adsense or one of those type programs run through it to make money. the whole sale cost me nothing... i make it right back. i do make my own products but that has been for myself and family. I am going to start selling my own products eventually. Thanks for all your help.

[katie]

Your website just isn't that user friendly.

I went to look at you bulk B and B products and clicked on soy lotion, I have to say that a spoon full of lotion just thrown down on a table top looks a bit unappealing and not too professional.

Just looking at that photo I don't think I would want purchase from your site. Sorry but that's the truth.

A am bit confessed that you said you didn't know what wick size you use but you sell wicks? One should know what size they use and what kind ie...eco's, cd's, rrd's, list goes on.

Also in earlier posts you didn't know what Flashpoint meant but you sell FO????? If you are a seller I think you have certain responsiblities to your customers as to the knowledge of the products you sell.

But this whole thread has been entertaining.

[NattyCat]

This is just utterly bizarre.

In the last few years, I've seen so many candle-making suppliers close their doors for business and just drift silently away - and they KNEW what a wick was and they KNEW about flashpoints. They also had some clue as to how a webpage should be laid out to attract customers (isn't that just common sense???) It may just be me, but an attractively laid out website with clear pictures, concise descriptions and proper grammar/spelling just seems....well.....MANDATORY??? Go Figure.

It may also just be me, but blurred, crappy pictures that do nothing to accentuate a product just don't get my juices flowing. A sea of aqua blue with some text on the left hand side just doesn't get my shopping finger twitching.

Your products are just a few cents cheaper than Peaks....but have you SEEN their website? The professionalism leaps off their pages in waves and I'd be glad to spend that extra 50 cents on some fragrance oil, if only to save my eyes from being abused by an aqua blue fugly-fest of a webpage.

Even Just Scent - who's marketing and web design is about as subtle as a sledge hammer, is distinctly more preferable to use - I wouldn't feel like I was giving my hard-earned money away to a dreamer who threw some html at their monitor, called it a website, bought a load of products that can be purchased directly elsewhere and then had the nerve to call themselves a candle-making supplier whose only experience was successfully selling batteries and calculators to snotty school kids?

Forgive me if I belittle the fast-paced and exciting world of electronics retail - I'm a candle-maker and wouldn't want to even try to pretend I knew anything about electronics, but obviously we can't ALL be that ethical huh?

So anyway, what happens if the webpage gets improved beyond all recognition and woo hoo, it works beautifully! How about the fact that if someone asked "Can this FO be shipped by air or would it burst into flames and send the aeroplane hurtling towards the ground like a dart?" your reply would be a confused stare and a shrug of the shoulders? Cool. That's my kind of supplier.

This reply is harsh and I know it. There are so many NICE people on here that just don't have the heart to tell you that what you're doing is ridiculous. I'm not that nice, and I don't really care if I hurt your feelings.

The fact is, you need to spend time researching the candle industry, you need to find out HOW a candle is made properly. You need to study in-depth the many issues that can arise when making candles. You need to KNOW your product if you want to sell it. If you want to sell candle-making equipment and supplies then for god's sake please at least take the time to study all the different variations of products that there are and ensure you know what they do without just lifting the descriptive text from your suppliers webpage.

Most importantly, you need to ensure that you sell products safely and responsibly. How can you sell FO if you don't know the flashpoint or what a flashpoint is? - it is incredibly dangerous for you to NOT know these facts at least!

Lastly - web design is obviously not your forte (along with photography). I would suggest that if you are trying to achieve a professional, easy-to-use and easy-to-navigate website - you need to spend some money and get some help from a professional web designer.

[southern.scents]

I understand and i realize that my site nor my pictures are even decent but that is something that i am working on. I will change the color because that seems to be a common complaint. By the way, no, FOs can not be shipped by air because of the possibility of a flash fire. I make candles and have many many peoples oppionions on my candles and they are all great and I m not talking family or friends, im talking about people who i have never seen before in my life loving my product, ive even had any employee for a rival company come up and tell me, You will put her out of business. I knew what the flashpoint was, the point at which a liquid burts to flame if in contact with fire but, i wanted to be sure for this purpose. Thanks for your opinions and I will work on them. I just wanted to add that i fixed the shop button which is one thing marked of my list of many. Thanks everyone for your opinions and help.

Also, I am a professional photographer for weddings and other events but these pics are not mine. I have said that i will work on them, but, he only camera i have is a 10 mp camera that has file sizes that would fill a cd in about three pics. I have to purchase a new camera.

[mountainmadness]

The definition of flash point is actually copied and pasted below. You were not quite right.....

Definition: Also, flashing point. Physical Chemistry. the lowest temperature at which a liquid in a specified apparatus will give off sufficient vapor to ignite momentarily on application of a flame.

I think this thread and your website will just be like a flash point..... a quick momentary spark or flame that then it is out.

[Erin Lea]

I noticed that every scent you offer is good for soy wax. You've obviously been busy testing as you offer a ton of FOs.

On your "Survey" you ask "Do you like the way our site is layed out?"....layed should be spelled laid.

[soycrazy]

I noticed that every scent you offer is good for soy wax. You've obviously been busy testing as you offer a ton of FOs.

On your "Survey" you ask "Do you like the way our site is layed out?"....layed should be spelled laid.

She didn't test anything she drop ships everything from a different company.

[Erin Lea]

This is confusing to me...Either it's piss-poor communication skills on her part or all lies.

On another thread she she talked about needing to order candle making supplies and never having smelled certain FOs that she wanted to try...if she is selling/dropshipping them, why would she need to order the FO? The obvious reason is that these FOs are not in her possession, nor has she ever even smelled them.

Doesn't sound like good business practices to offer a product you say is great for X, Y, Z applications and yet you've never even had the bottle of FO in your hand, much less tested your claim!

Southern-Have you ever been in the same room with the products you are "offering"..?

[NattyCat]

By the way, no, FOs can not be shipped by air

I think you'll find that any fragrance oil below 140 flashpoint is illegal to ship via airmail. Please also read the shipping policies for USPS, UPS and Fedex who will give full details of what they will and won't ship by air with regard to combustible or flammable liquids. Any fragrance oil below 200 flashpoint is a sticky issue with USPS, although UPS are slightly more lenient but only up to about 170 flashpoint.

So, I think you'll find that there are indeed FO's that cannot be shipped by air if their flashpoint is below 140, whereas other FO's are perfectly fine - I should know, I get my FO's by airmail to the UK all the time except for those that have too low a flashpoint.

[Nanasnecessities]

There was a sign in my ups, it said they do not ship perfumes and other scented liquids. It did not appear to be new. I asked if that would include fragrance oils and they said yes.

I get most of my scents through the ups, so if your not supposed to send them airmail or ups, how are you supposed to get them.

ps to the website lady, drop shipping is okay, but don't try it on ebay, you have to state it in your auction.

[Grumpy Girl]

Also, I am a professional photographer for weddings and other events but these pics are not mine. I have said that i will work on them, but, he only camera i have is a 10 mp camera that has file sizes that would fill a cd in about three pics. I have to purchase a new camera.

Bullshit.

Any "Professional" digital photographer knows how to manipulate a photo to reduce file size. You do not buy a new camera to accomplish this. If you actually had such a camera, which you doubtfully do, you'd realize that there are settings on it that will reduce the file size. Especially a 10MP camera. If you indeed shot professionally, you would have taken the time to learn about your gear, what it's capable of doing, as well as the limitations.

Any "Professional" photographer would not put crap like that on a website. They just couldn't allow themselves to do it.

[Grumpy Girl]

This is just utterly bizarre.

In the last few years, I've seen so many candle-making suppliers close their doors for business and just drift silently away - and they KNEW what a wick was and they KNEW about flashpoints. They also had some clue as to how a webpage should be laid out to attract customers (isn't that just common sense???) It may just be me, but an attractively laid out website with clear pictures, concise descriptions and proper grammar/spelling just seems....well.....MANDATORY??? Go Figure.

It may also just be me, but blurred, crappy pictures that do nothing to accentuate a product just don't get my juices flowing. A sea of aqua blue with some text on the left hand side just doesn't get my shopping finger twitching.

Your products are just a few cents cheaper than Peaks....but have you SEEN their website? The professionalism leaps off their pages in waves and I'd be glad to spend that extra 50 cents on some fragrance oil, if only to save my eyes from being abused by an aqua blue fugly-fest of a webpage.

Even Just Scent - who's marketing and web design is about as subtle as a sledge hammer, is distinctly more preferable to use - I wouldn't feel like I was giving my hard-earned money away to a dreamer who threw some html at their monitor, called it a website, bought a load of products that can be purchased directly elsewhere and then had the nerve to call themselves a candle-making supplier whose only experience was successfully selling batteries and calculators to snotty school kids?

Forgive me if I belittle the fast-paced and exciting world of electronics retail - I'm a candle-maker and wouldn't want to even try to pretend I knew anything about electronics, but obviously we can't ALL be that ethical huh?

So anyway, what happens if the webpage gets improved beyond all recognition and woo hoo, it works beautifully! How about the fact that if someone asked "Can this FO be shipped by air or would it burst into flames and send the aeroplane hurtling towards the ground like a dart?" your reply would be a confused stare and a shrug of the shoulders? Cool. That's my kind of supplier.

This reply is harsh and I know it. There are so many NICE people on here that just don't have the heart to tell you that what you're doing is ridiculous. I'm not that nice, and I don't really care if I hurt your feelings.

The fact is, you need to spend time researching the candle industry, you need to find out HOW a candle is made properly. You need to study in-depth the many issues that can arise when making candles. You need to KNOW your product if you want to sell it. If you want to sell candle-making equipment and supplies then for god's sake please at least take the time to study all the different variations of products that there are and ensure you know what they do without just lifting the descriptive text from your suppliers webpage.

Most importantly, you need to ensure that you sell products safely and responsibly. How can you sell FO if you don't know the flashpoint or what a flashpoint is? - it is incredibly dangerous for you to NOT know these facts at least!

Lastly - web design is obviously not your forte (along with photography). I would suggest that if you are trying to achieve a professional, easy-to-use and easy-to-navigate website - you need to spend some money and get some help from a professional web designer.

Natty, you are my friggin' hero. I love you.

[jenniejr]

Natty, you are my friggin' hero. I love you.

AMEN!!

Just can't believe the f'ing nerve of some people!

[candlesprite7]

Also, I am a professional photographer for weddings and other events but these pics are not mine. I have said that i will work on them, but, he only camera i have is a 10 mp camera that has file sizes that would fill a cd in about three pics. I have to purchase a new camera.

I'm not a professional photographer but I know how to make a large file smaller in size....:undecided

[Trish]

I make candles and have many many peoples oppionions on my candles and they are all great and I m not talking family or friends, im talking about people who i have never seen before in my life loving my product, ive even had any employee for a rival company come up and tell me, You will put her out of business.

Let me remind you of this thread you started 12/30:

http://www.candletech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=41040

So in a week you've made, tested and sold to MANY MANY people that you've never seen before and will put your competition out of business?

You're kidding, right?

[southern.scents]

I had no choice about the pics, that was what i had at the time, like i said i am working on them, i have reduced all the file sizes on the current pics and i am bought a new digital camera today. About the FO's, thanks, that makes more sense than what i heard. I dont ship any of my products by air though because of the risk.

i have had plenty of FOs in my hands and, i never stated that i had never smelled the FOs that i was posting about or selling, i was just trying to get other peoples opinions on what fragrance i should order.

Thanks mountainmadness for copying and pasting the def.

By the way, most of my FO's i did test in soy wax. Not all but most.

[southern.scents]

DID I NOT EXPLAIN THAT POST???????

I meant my first large order.