clane Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 Ok, just venting for a minute but, to be honest, I am so tired, I just don't know if I am thinking straight.SHORT synopsis - have a candle web site for 2 years. A week ago, it got hit hard and after 2 yrs of 10-20 orders a month, (including first one's free, a full-size sample melt), my site got posted here there and everywhere.After the first 500 new orders that rolled in within 4 hours (currently, one week later coming up on 3,700 orders) I updated the "First One's Free" to a drawing of 20 new orders per week to receive the freebie.However, after lots of prayer and advice I admire, I bit the bullet and began filling the first 500 I committed (inadvertently) to.One week later and about 2k in costs (costs $1.30 per RoomEssence Melt to mail), we have shipped nearly half of the 500.My packaging is very very classy. Each melt is wrapped in tissue paper, sealed in a cell, labeled and warning-labeled and for freebie shipping, sealed in a regular envelope.So today, first batches shipped a few days ago began hitting mailboxes and this customer writes in, "thanks for the melt, but where's the wick?? Where's the instructions? And, even though I know it was free, I might hesitate to order because it was raining today and had the envelope gotten wet, well, it may not have made it..."I will skip my first 40 thoughts... I did write the customer back and explained that instructions are on the site BEFORE the ordering options. That when orders are paid for, the cost of packaging, shipping, etc are covered and the full-size freebie melt was to give customers the opportunity to review our scent strength, quality, et.Initial thoughts? Could use them...C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
logcabinmomma Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 I would never do a freebie on a website with no strings attached. I would do shipping only or free with your order of $X or more OR the price would be credited to their next order. Web crawlers pick up the freebie stuff and it gets posted to a freebie board, which posts to another freebie board and WHAM. Not fun, and most of these people are serious moochers, but not serious buyers.-Kristi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clane Posted February 4, 2008 Author Share Posted February 4, 2008 I don't believe most people are moochers. I just would not expect crankiness at something free and sent within a week...Thanks for sharing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CareBear Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 oops - sorry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane42 Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 I don't believe most people are moochers.The shopping boards that I am on has a separate thread JUST for freebies. I have shopped online for years and even the big companies get bombarded as soon as someone posts it on a shopping board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clane Posted February 4, 2008 Author Share Posted February 4, 2008 Well, I am calmer now. I went into this venture knowing quality ingredients, excellent recipes, hard work and integrity combined with excellent customer service is/was the way to go and success is keeping the faith.I will keep everyone posted on outcome!Be blessed!C. Lane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
logcabinmomma Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 I googled your "room essence melt" and the word "freebie" and came across 5 different freebie boards that it was posted on... several now have updates that it's been changed to a "random drawing" for every 20 accts... with a roll eyes next to it... Looks like it was posted on most of them last weekend, January 26th.I hope you get business out of it, I really really do!-Kristi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clane Posted February 4, 2008 Author Share Posted February 4, 2008 Power of positive thinking is what I am going with. I was a bit negative for a minute just because I was/am tired. Bottom line is, is that if samples didn't work on some level, folks would quit doing it.I have made a strategic business decision to fill the first 500 orders that came in before I changed it to a drawing (which still is not slowing 'em down) and as finances increase, I intend to fill all of the samples. Postage is the main issue and I am going to roll over orders right back into the business and pray.Thanks for the kind words. Keep us in your prayers!C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcroome2005 Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 Wouldn't your instructions be on your warning label or are you not doing warning labels? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clane Posted February 4, 2008 Author Share Posted February 4, 2008 Yes, each melt has a warning label attached. Basics - remove all packaging before burning, burn only in approved candle etc etc etc...I will see if I can improve that. Good thought.C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SliverOfWax Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Power of positive thinking is what I am going with. I was a bit negative for a minute just because I was/am tired. Bottom line is, is that if samples didn't work on some level, folks would quit doing it.I have made a strategic business decision to fill the first 500 orders that came in before I changed it to a drawing (which still is not slowing 'em down) and as finances increase, I intend to fill all of the samples. Postage is the main issue and I am going to roll over orders right back into the business and pray.C.You honestly call this a strategic business decision? Apparently you haven't heard that as long as you keep handing out freebies, freeloaders will continue to take them. Thanks to our "Chicken in every pot" President of years gone by, not only will people take freebies, but they will think they're entitled to them. It's become the American way.If you must give out free product, at least make them pay for shipping. Or give them free shipping if the buy X amount. But to give away the store? Wow! I feel for you, I really do, and I've definitely learned what never, ever to do.Good luck to ya.!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clane Posted February 5, 2008 Author Share Posted February 5, 2008 I believe in my post I stated that I was obligated to the first 500 free and then I changed my website to a 'sign up for account' and 20 names per week will be drawn for free samples.I am not 'giving away the store' but until someone else comes up with a way to sniff through the internet, all and all, freebies are kind of cheap marketing plan.Recommended reading:http://www.seobook.com/archives/001877.shtmlThe gentleman mentioned wrote a book. Instead of selling it initially, he allowed folks to download it for free for 30 days. It created so much chatter about the product that when he printed it, copies sold placed it #5 on Amazon.com bestseller list.Like I said before. This was not planned. It happened. Now it is my job to parlay it into a great opportunity. For starters, sticking to our word of when it says First One's Free, we do it.Now we pray and work hard.C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SliverOfWax Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Good luck to you. There's got to be a cheaper way to send them. Doesn't seem like these freeloaders have been paying their way in return business so far. I agree you have to honor your commitment, but to continue to give free stuff, even with the "customer" paying shipping, is something I'd be discontinuing at least until I caught my breath and recovered. This is a big financial hit on you. You truly have my sympathy. I like to try new things to reel in customers, too. Wow! Makes me nauseous thinking about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justrightcandles Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 i did the whole free sample thing and never again will i. It did get posted on all of the freebie sites and i got those emails too asking me where the wick was and yelled at (over email) that they would not buy something from me where you would have to buy something else (the warmer) first to even use it. Hello?! my whole site is wickless....i honored every single request before i pulled it but never made any where near enough to cover the cost of doing it. like i said never again. And yes there are moochers out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twoscentsworth Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 I commend you for sending out the 500 samples you felt you were obligated to send...that is integrity.However, 10% is considered a very good return on something like that and even if you get 10% of the people buying from you I don't think that is going to even cover your initial out lay. Allowing people to down load a book you have written costs nothing compared to having to make up and mail out samples.Please do some more research because I do believe you are spending a lot more than you will ever see in return. If you want to get scent out to people why not do some snippets from room freshener paper? Cut a little piece, spray some fo on it put it in a small polypro bag and mail that. Will cost you the price of a regular stamp and won't run your business into the red.And yes, unfortunately there is a whole big wide world of moochers out there...and they have formed a network. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clane Posted February 5, 2008 Author Share Posted February 5, 2008 Back to the faith thing honestly. I started making candles the old fashioned way 20 years ago. Took a hiatus and came back 2 years ago. Honestly, the way I look at it is that for 2 years I have honored every freebie asked for and right now, even though it was sparked by a freebie posting, I honestly believe even non-candle lovers can be converted, just by a blessed product arriving when it said it would.Nieve, maybe. Exercise in faith..., yeah. Gotta run with it.I truly have faith in what has happened. Gosh, I know I sound like dumby, but, not how I sense/believe in my spirit. So, for those of you of faith, all good thoughts/prayers are welcome. Those of you without faith, watch and learn lol.C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharon in KY Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Yes, each melt has a warning label attached. Basics - remove all packaging before burning, burn only in approved candle etc etc etc...I will see if I can improve that. Good thought.C.One way to improve is to change the wording from burning to melting and melt. If these are tarts that you melt in a tart warmer either electric or heated with a t-lite, then say melt. Even when you explain melt a lot of people have never heard of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ring of Fire Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 I will pray for lots of things and lots of people but I am not praying for this. These people are moochers and I seriously doubt anyone is interested in buying again. That is a flawed program from the get go. Is there a reason you can't understand that? I do respect you for following through on the orders but sure wouldn't waste any more time on stupid questions from people who in reality will probably not order again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coconut Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 I am no web expert but my company has a big web site and here is what our experts tell me: if you want to put something on your web site and not have the crawlers pick it up, put it in a graphic so it is part of a picture. Any kind of text can be picked up by crawlers. That is the source of a lot of spam. The email addresses are picked up by crawlers as would be the word free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twoscentsworth Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 I am all for faith and I have a lot of it....but we are told to be wise and not foolish.You can have all the faith in the world but if you are not using wisdom it will not help you and there are wiser ways to go about promoting yourself.People of faith fail in business all the time..it's not because they weren't faithful it's because they didn't use good business sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBE Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 I have the belief that you have to give to receive. I do applaud your faith in your business, and keeping that positive attitude (hey... think positive, you get positive right?). Did you get any customers from doing this freebie thing? If you did, then you did accomplish something with your ideas. In a way... I totally understand your point of view. Because many times, I've been afraid to purchase something online, because of not knowing the quality. I've done that many times before, and always been dissatisfied with the results of my purchase. So your freebie thing IS a good idea... have you thought about just charging the customer shipping? How much does it cost to ship one melt? I know I wouldn't mind paying what... $1.00 or 2.00 for shipping if I wanted to test the quality of the product before committing to buying it. IMO... I would offer a free gift (the melt) with any purchase, or any purchase over a certain amount of $$. For my online orders, I do send in free samples with every purchase, and sometimes those samples are full sized items. Can you imagine the customers response when they open up their package, and have a little surprise they weren't expecting? 9 times out of 10... that customer orders again and guess what... they reorder the product that I sent as a "sample gift". I think you are doing right by giving freebies, but maybe you need to go about it a different way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GirlWithTheCurl Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 I believe in my post I stated that I was obligated to the first 500 free and then I changed my website to a 'sign up for account' and 20 names per week will be drawn for free samples.I am not 'giving away the store' but until someone else comes up with a way to sniff through the internet, all and all, freebies are kind of cheap marketing plan.Recommended reading:http://www.seobook.com/archives/001877.shtmlThe gentleman mentioned wrote a book. Instead of selling it initially, he allowed folks to download it for free for 30 days. It created so much chatter about the product that when he printed it, copies sold placed it #5 on Amazon.com bestseller list.Like I said before. This was not planned. It happened. Now it is my job to parlay it into a great opportunity. For starters, sticking to our word of when it says First One's Free, we do it.Now we pray and work hard.C.The strategy involved in marketing is just that; a well thought out plan.The crucial point that was overlooked and not mentioned in the link you provided is when offering anything free you need to target a *select* market, i.e., people who would most likely BUY your product, certainly not the entire worldwide web.As far as undoing the damage in your particular situation, I'd add some targeted guilt into your recovery plan. All that have taken thus far, has to be a few that are not completely without shame. Best of luck to you. If nothing else, you have a valuable lesson to learn by. :smiley2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecandlespastore Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 A lot of companies give away "freebies". But the buyer always has to pay shipping and handling. Often the cost to ship the item is hiked up just a bit to cover the cost of the materials and time. I would never give anything away scott free with no strings attached. You could say free melt with every $15 order or something. Or free shipping on all orders over $X amount. Give a free sample with each order. But giving things away free and coming out of pocket for it:confused: I am sorry you were hit like that. I would much rather invest that money in advertising so that I would get more hits on the website that may turn into sales. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidsngarden Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Have you thought about putting your melts in a sample box like the little black box? (www.thelittleblackboxes.com) there are other sample box places too. Little black box seems to have a lot of candle clientelle. This way you are only paying one shipping fee for as many samples as you want to send. I have benefitted from doing the little black box (three months in a row is good!) before and have loyal customers coming back for more.I give out samples to people who order from me, I don't advertise it, cause what if I forget to put one in a box or something? Paying to ship out 500 samples individually is not good business sense in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michi Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 I am all for faith and I have a lot of it....but we are told to be wise and not foolish.You can have all the faith in the world but if you are not using wisdom it will not help you and there are wiser ways to go about promoting yourself.People of faith fail in business all the time..it's not because they weren't faithful it's because they didn't use good business sense.Well said! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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