Setting no minimums for wholesale

[cybersix]

Hi all, everytime I get a wholesale request I ponder on the minimum to ask.. I know many of you do so to assure an assortment of your products on shops shelves.. and setting a minimum for small candles as votives and tarts makes things simpler.. but, if the shop owner would like to do a selling test with your products? I mean, maybe the owner doesn't really know if he can sell your products well, maybe he wants to test his clientele. Does this makes sense?

What do you all think? Any experience to share?

TIA

[sudsnwicks]

I understand what you're getting at. Maybe in such a case you could have a lower minimum. But there still needs to be some sort of minimum. Or else it wouldn't be fair to retail customers who might be buying the same amount.

[silkysoycreations]

Ditto sudnwicks...what's to stop someone from just order one at your wholesale price?! Maybe tell them this is an intro min. amount (10, 25, 50...whatever you think might be low) but next time it'll be higher.

[CSAS]

My though is. . .

If their first order isn't a good selection, then they won't sell, and they won't make any reorders. If you set a good minimum for first orders and then lower it for reorders, it insures that they have a good sampling of your products on the shelves and that the customers will have good choices and will make purchases.

Think of it this way. If you were at a store and you saw 12 candles on a shelf. Would you pass them by or would they grab your attention? Now, if you saw maybe a couple dozen of the larger candles with more choices and some smaller candles, wouldn't you stop to take a look? It's all in the presentation, and you can't set up a good presentation with a small amount of candles.

Create a minimum and stick with it, or it will be a pain to keep changing once you figure out what you need to do later for your wholesale customers.

My mimimums are in case quanitities, they have to order full cases, but they also have a $250.00 1st time and then a $125.00 reorder. You can lower the opening to whatever you feel is right, but I would put a minimum in place.

Are you going to want to fill reorders of 1 or 2 candles. Think ahead and you'll be fine.

[cybersix]

Thanks to all, I do have a minimum which is 150 euros (more or less $200).

Mine was just a thought.

I tried to imagine the owner's hsop but maybe (surely) it is not my problem.

Following the concept I should raise it, since my price are not so low. Anyway I'll stick with it, I don't want to refill 1 or 2 candles at a time. It wouldn't be worth for the shop also, because they have to put in shipping.

Just some thinking while I'm updating my catalogue.

Thanks!

[Candybee]

Sabrina

I always do a "trial" selling period when I have a new shop account. There is some risk but for me my approach has paid off. What I do is give the shop a small 'sampler' pack of what they are interested in selling. I let them take it and pay me for only those items that they sell (at my wholesale price). I then check back with the shop to see how sales are going and keep in contact with them. This establishes a relationship and lets them know I stand behind my products. So far it has worked everytime. Once the items start to sell then you take your first wholesale order with them. (I have accounts with every shop I approached this way.)

I think I got the idea from someone who posted their approach. Forgot who it was but they said they started out telling the shop that they would buy back anything that didn't see. That would guarantee the shop wouldn't lose anything and helped to build confidence in the product. They also mentioned that they never had to buy anything back and the approach always worked.

This is not for everyone as I mentioned there is always risk. But that risk is minimal and the payoffs have always been good for me.

Now if you are a big business you would never do this but I am a small business so I look for ways to get my products out there.

Hope this helped to give you some ideas.

[cybersix]

Sabrina

I always do a "trial" selling period when I have a new shop account. There is some risk but for me my approach has paid off. What I do is give the shop a small 'sampler' pack of what they are interested in selling. I let them take it and pay me for only those items that they sell (at my wholesale price). I then check back with the shop to see how sales are going and keep in contact with them. This establishes a relationship and lets them know I stand behind my products. So far it has worked everytime. Once the items start to sell then you take your first wholesale order with them. (I have accounts with every shop I approached this way.)

I think I got the idea from someone who posted their approach. Forgot who it was but they said they started out telling the shop that they would buy back anything that didn't see. That would guarantee the shop wouldn't lose anything and helped to build confidence in the product. They also mentioned that they never had to buy anything back and the approach always worked.

This is not for everyone as I mentioned there is always risk. But that risk is minimal and the payoffs have always been good for me.

Now if you are a big business you would never do this but I am a small business so I look for ways to get my products out there.

Hope this helped to give you some ideas.

Candybee, great idea.

But since I know the average italian people I don't feel I can trust them.

I'm afraid this could lead to complaints and excuses to make me rebuy my stuff.

It's a nice idea, and you are lucky in your business, I already met not honest people and so I'm always scared.

I take my time in this, I have no hurry to sell yet because this is not my primary business.

Thanks for letting me know!

[Candybee]

This is true! The people you deal with have to be basically honest for this approach to work.

You know best and I'm sure you will figure out what you want. Trust your instincts!!

[cybersix]

Thanks! I whish life could be simpler! I already got three fake wholesale requests! But when they see the minimum, and that I offer them to buy a "sample pack" (no free samples!) before they place an order, they disappear.

But I like your approach.

The fact is that Italy in these things is different from US. Italians are not used to small business standing behind their products.. so often when I ask an opinion, I ask them if they enjoy what they buy, they are disoriented.

But I'm "born" here, and I'm growing with you, so often I act like I was in US!

[David Fields]

We have been selling candles for going on eleven years. Here's what we have found. Have minimums and stick to them. Anyone who is interested in buying your products and reselling them should not even blink at your wholesale minimum. They should have already researched your products ahead of time. Anyone who quibbles over your min will not be a good customer. Over the years we have had hundreds of people who made ONE wholesale purchase and went out of business. A minimum lets retailers mass the products which sells them better. A few candles does not make an impression on customers. Plus, if the retailer is heavily invested in your products, he will push them and display them prominently. Having low or no minimums is like hving very cheap prices on your stuff. If you are not proud of them, why should anyone else be?

[HeavenScentU]

You really have to have minimums or you won't make any money. When I first started my minimums were 6 in a case so I adjusted it and now sell 12 in a case. It was good for me to do this because I didn't want to have alot of supplies sitting on my shelves. When I did this change I see alot more of a profit and now I am able to order large amounts of supplies and order less often. I wish you lots of luck...

[barncat]

We have been selling candles for going on eleven years. Here's what we have found. Have minimums and stick to them. Anyone who is interested in buying your products and reselling them should not even blink at your wholesale minimum. They should have already researched your products ahead of time. Anyone who quibbles over your min will not be a good customer. Over the years we have had hundreds of people who made ONE wholesale purchase and went out of business. A minimum lets retailers mass the products which sells them better. A few candles does not make an impression on customers. Plus, if the retailer is heavily invested in your products, he will push them and display them prominently. Having low or no minimums is like hving very cheap prices on your stuff. If you are not proud of them, why should anyone else be?

Exactly!!!! Being in business is also about taking chances. I have many companies that when purchasing from for our store they state right up front, our minimum is $1000, no exceptions. There are just some lines that you need to sell a large amount of, one of them being candles. Our wholesale minimum is $200. We have trade show specials sometimes that we allow them to go under or have a few customers that only order one item once a year. But after the shopw, no exceptions, $200 min. If a store can't spend that, they'll be out of businees anyhow in the next year. I've seen min for candles ranging from $100-$1000 for an opening order.

[cybersix]

thanks to everyone. I'm already upset because I updated the catalogue (and yes, I there is a minimum for orders), sent to the lady with email reading notification, she go the email, went again on the site and she didn't even wrote me "thanks".

Why don't people at least give an acknowledgment?

<GRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!