Going to our first market tomorrow

[RichardLOZ]

Well the day has finally arrived. We are heading to our first market tomorrow to see how our products are received.

All a little freaky really thinking about people buying products that we have put so much work and effort into to get it just right. All the late nights pouring and testing, along with the disasters that just were not going to work.

We have to be up at like 4:30am in order to get there for about 6:00am. Market opens at 7:00am through till 2:00pm.

I just hope that some people buy our stuff. Could not think of anything worse than sitting there all day and no one buying anything.

We have actually taken a bit of a risk with our fragrances here. Australia is a strange kind of place when it comes to certain things. They just dont get the whole "Primitive" thing here at all, which we both love and are planning on adding some of that to our line in time. We have also chosen some of the typical US fragrances that you just dont find here, the homey food type smells that we loved when we were in the States 10 years ago.

I guess all we can do it to try and educate the people here about certain things. Will post some pics of our stall setup once we have completed the day, along with a report on how well or otherwise we did.

Wish us luck for our first one of hopefully many many more to come.

Cheers

Richard

[TraciS]

Good luck!

[islandgirl]

Good Luck...

The first presentation to the public of your candles is very exciting and scary.

I remember mine well.. I think we only made $50.00 that day.

It was a total bomb!!! LOL.. Hopefully yours will not be..

Anyway.. I did not let it get me down and continued to do shows after that.

Each show got better and now I do this full-time!!

Have fun and enjoy!!!

[Stella1952]

Have fun, Richard! Hope y'all sell out!

[Judy, USMC]

Much luck to ya! I'm looking forward to the pictures and report.

[franz]

I'm new here, but also belong to a FM!!

GOOOD LUCK!!!

[KoalaGirl]

Good luck Richard. Ive learned that my fellow Aussie's arn't too adventurous when it comes to different scents. What Ive also learnt is not to assume anything! There are lots of people that hate what you love and love what you hate.

I learned a valuable lesson on my first market day....take plenty of stock of the scent you intend to burn. So many people say ''I want whatever that is!" and of course, we sold out fast!

Looking forward to the pics.

P.S. Its a fun day regardless

[RichardLOZ]

Well we survived the market today and did not loose any money, which is a definite bonus. We are not going to be able to retire on what we made, but we made our stall easily. Did not sell a lot of jars and no pillars. All of the sales were basically our mini melts, some large melts and the crystal potpourri.

We were not really able to burn any candles due to the wind. For those that dont know Perth, it is somewhat like Chicago. Its the third most windy city in the world, so although the weather today was fine, it was still blowing a gale, just like most other days here. People did comment though how good the stall smelt as they walked past. I have breathed so much fragrant oil over the past few months thats its hard for me to smell anything

Aussies are a strange bunch. You are right Koalagirl, we were somewhat surprise at the fragrances that did sell to some degree. The mini melts were basically all pretty soft fragrances, moonlight path and baby powder being the biggest sellers.

In the single melts, creme caramel and maple pumpkin bread, which are two totally American type scents, that we happen to like and did not really expect any other Aussies to like, so that was a surprise.

The biggest seller was of course the cheapest product being the crystal potpourri, which we had packaged up in 2 oz batches in white organza bags. I am surprised what people will pay for a bit of coloured and fragranced salt

All in all not a bad day. We didnt make a killing, but we did come out ahead which is the aim of the game. We dont really expect to turn a profit for the first 6 - 12 months in any case, so we are going to be very happy if what we sell at the market covers our raw material costs for now.

We still have some molds to purchase, which for us is going to be quite expensive as we have to get them from the states. There are very few if any people here doing prim or bakery and we think that will go down particularly well if presented and named to suit our market here.

Tracy (my wife) and I were in stiches the other night discussing this, and what we might have to call it. An Aussie would just not get what we were talking about if we have something labeled "Prim Fixins"...LOL..... I think here it would be more like "Rustic wax bits"....LOL... its certainly is a stange place when it come to some things.

Anyway I have rattled on enough. have added some pics of our stall for you to have a look at and comment on if you like. Feel free to make any suggestions, both good and bad. Pics are not the greatest but will give you some idea anyway.

Cheers

Richard

[Karen M]

Well your display looks nice as do your products!!

[KoalaGirl]

Hi Richard, wow you have been busy making all those things! Do you mind if I ask what you use to make the labels on the small tins? Im after some coloured {cream or bone} labels for my jars, but can only buy them in huge lots!

Do you put your email address with each purchase? I found that people email me a few weeks after I do the markets, wanting more.

Packs have always been a good seller for me. Not everyone that likes the idea of the melts, has an oil burner, so I do packs that include an oil burner, a few t-lights and a selection of melts. They can take it home and start enjoying it straight away! Think: Mothers Day!

I'm not sure about the bakery molds. You can buy that type of candle at discount shops etc, really cheap. I just think that that type of thing was popular about a decade ago. Factoring in the cost of molds {and shipping from USA}, I wouldnt go down that track but hey, thats just me, and given the unpredictable nature of buyers, they might just sell like hot cakes....or cinnamon buns....or apple pie wedges.....{sorry, couldnt resist}

Take heart,that each market experience generally is better than the previous. Customers get to know you and make a point of returning.

Oh and isnt packing up all the stuff to go home.....fun!

[RichardLOZ]

Yes we have been very busy little candle makers over the past months, what with testing, testing, testing and testing. The kids are pretty much over it and would probably like to smell unfragranced air for a change

I got my tin labels from www.labelsbythesheet.com in the US of course. Typically AUstralia has absolutrly nothing to offer along those lines here at all. I ordered the prarie craft labels so that the tins would have the rustic look to them. This lot were printed on a laser printer, however I think that they will in fact print far better with the inkject, so I will use that next time. I also ordered mt 1 1/4 inch plain round labels from there as well to make my own warning labels. What pay $3.00 and up / 100 locally when I can get sheets of 48 for abount 42c USD. I ordered 15 sheets of the craft labels and 12 of the round which worked out at $29 USD posted and got to us faster than things we order from the East coast.

We did have a coupld of the melt gift packs, which had a bit of a look in, but didnt sell. I think that wax melts are still pretty new in the Australian market, with most people still burning FO and water.

Yeah I know what you mean about the discount shops doing the bakery stuff, but it was mainly cup cakes and the like. We are looking to go for more of the cutesy market with much more realistic looking product. I know its a risk that may or may not work here, but one that we are thinking about trying. I guess if it doesnt work, we will have some great shaped ice cubes to offer guests when they come over.....LOL.

We will do the "Prim" line first I think. Its a little less risky I think. Still an expense as the molds do have to come from the states. We are just so limited with what we can get here and it is so damn frustrating.

Overall I am pretty happy with the result today. Lets face it we could have paid our $26 stall cost and sold nothing. We also had some competetion. There was another women there selling palm wax melts (60c each or 4 / $2, which we thought way too expensive) and we dont think she sold too many as we had ours packaged in the organza bags for $8 / bag (and still made a nice profit on them, so she would not have been too happy I dont think), and there was another women selling sml / med & large soy bulb pots. All white. Her small were $3 cheaper than ours (and the same jar I think), her large were $5 more than us, although we do the Apothecary rather than the bulb in the large (dont know why as double wicking is a PITA...LOL), and we still managed to sell a couple of each of ours. Also out presentation was so much nicer then both of the others, and I really think that that makes so much difference, and if you make a good product, they will return for more.

Well I have raved on way too much now. Its gone almost 11pm here and we were up at 4:30 am this morning to get to the markets, so probably time to crash. Thanks for putting up with my rave....LOL

Cheers

Richard

[Judy, USMC]

I really enjoyed the pics of your setup! It makes me happy to see all those perfectly centered wicks. Glad you did "well", too.

Looking at the votive display ~ looks as if you sold a few of the red ones. What aroma was that?

[Carriegsxr6]

Your products look beautiful, especually your jars. I am suprised you didnt sell more of them.

[FireStarter]

Wow Richard!

Your set up is absolutely beautiful..!! I totally love the frosted jars, especially the shape of the smaller ones. I would have definitely purchased from your booth. Outstanding! Thanks for sharing your pictures!

Keep up and keep on.. I hear it only gets better!

Kudos!!!

[RichardLOZ]

I really enjoyed the pics of your setup! It makes me happy to see all those perfectly centered wicks. Glad you did "well", too.

Looking at the votive display ~ looks as if you sold a few of the red ones. What aroma was that?

Judy

We actually only sold the one solitary votive. They hardly got a look in. If you ask me votives are generally pretty good value for the burn time they give, such is life. The fragrance was Pomegranite & Sage which is really nice.

We are still trying to sort our fragrances at the moment to try a determine what the "Aussie taste" is. We are trying to educate them to the more homely and prim American type but I think thats going to be pretty hard. We can only try and see what happens.

Cheers

Richard

[RichardLOZ]

Your products look beautiful, especually your jars. I am suprised you didnt sell more of them.

Carrie

I think the problem with this particular market is that there is also quite a lot of "trash & treasure" rather than crafts and handmade products. That makes it more difficult I think to sell a quality product as people are after a real bargin. As someone once put it to me........ people go to the market with $5 in one pocket and 50c in the other. They want to come home with a car load of stuff and still have the $5.

Makes it tough, however as we are moving back to the East Coast in July this year, we are not too concerned about it all right now, and are using this time more as a marketing test to see just what products are likely to sell and which dont.

As is typical the Crystal Potpourri was the best seller at $1.50 for a 2oz organza bag. Its amazing what people will pay for salt....LOL.

I enjoy experimenting and making different things, but if people want scented salt and I can sell 1000's of those every week, I will happily make scented salt to sell

Cheers

Richard

[RichardLOZ]

Wow Richard!

Your set up is absolutely beautiful..!! I totally love the frosted jars, especially the shape of the smaller ones. I would have definitely purchased from your booth. Outstanding! Thanks for sharing your pictures!

Keep up and keep on.. I hear it only gets better!

Kudos!!!

Hey Firestarter

Yeah we hear that also. We can only hope. The main thing is that even though we did not turn over a lot of product, we did come out nicely ahead of what our costs for the day were. We still have a long long long way to go to catch up to what we have spent already. I still have all of my receipts here which I have yet to add up to determine just how much we have spent.

I would say right now it is probably getting up around the $1500.00 point. I can accept that though as you have to invest money to formulate and refine your ideas. I think it will be some months yet before we finally manage to get out of the red and into the black, but as long as we keep going in a forward direction then its all good

Cheers

Richard

[RichardLOZ]

Just a quick thanks to everyone for their nice comments. Tracy does an amazing job when it comes to decorating the products and laying out the stall and such. I am not allowed to touch anything in that area. I am not even allowed to colour anything....LOL.

I guess we each have our strong and weak points so they tend to go well together. Just like our fragrance choice. The ones that I choose she cannot stand, and I hate most of the ones that she likes. This is not such a bad thing really as it doesnt really matter whether we like it or not, but whether the customers like it, so at least this gives them a selection from both sides of the fence.

Cheers

Richard