ldoebler Posted July 11, 2009 Share Posted July 11, 2009 Hello, I am new here. I was wondering what the cost of making candles is for the types of waxes. I have some soy wax, and some 16 oz jars, and I figured it would be about $5 to make per candle, which seems a little high. I have not tried any other kinds of wax yet, as I have only made 6 candles so far :rolleyes2 How much should the cost of jars/containers be? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuck_35550 Posted July 11, 2009 Share Posted July 11, 2009 That seems awfully high to me too. I calculate an 8oz candle runs me about $1.65 apiece, using high end fragrance oil. It makes for a reasonably priced retail candle. Large orders lower the cost due to bulk is always less expensive. Maybe after you've done a lot of testing, reading boards and comparison of the different available venders; you will eventually be able to lower the cost. Good luck and happy testing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
van_yulay Posted July 11, 2009 Share Posted July 11, 2009 You need to buy in large supply. If you are going to really do this. I have my pie candles down to 1.09, Tin , fragrance, clam shell and all. And they are quality candles. But I buy huge, huge amounts to keep the cost down. Also if you can find local suppliers and pick up your supplies, it saves on shipping. But that is not always the case. Test in small batches. Try to buy from the same supplier all the time , so your product is the same everytime, after you have them perfect. But I find it is hard to find a one stop shopping on your supplies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella1952 Posted July 11, 2009 Share Posted July 11, 2009 Containers & FO are the highest priced parts of a container candle, so buying these items in bulk helps drive down the manufacturing cost. Keep an eye on shipping costs - buying things locally will almost always save a lot of money over shipping them from ??? to you. Because we all live in many different regions, there is no one wax that's cheapest, etc. for everyone. You simply have to study supplier sites, costs & shipping and decide what's least expensive for you. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredron Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 Not to throw water on your enterprise, but if you've only made 6 candles, you are not ready to sell them. You have some serious testing to do first.However, $5.00 manufacturing cost for a 16 oz candle is high. Buying jars, wicks and wax in bulk, ordering fragrance oil in large quantities, and printing my own labels and disclaimer labels, I have my 16oz candle cost at $2.67.You will not be able to match that until you're producing in quantity.Fredron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella1952 Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 I totally agree with Fredron. Remember that ingredients & containers are not the ONLY costs in manufacturing a candle. There's stuff like labor, labels, packaging (if any), cost of shipping raw materials, etc. that one has to take into account to arrive at a total cost per candle. Candlemaking is very costly, especially at first when one is testing and cannot buy in bulk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joanncat18 Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 Hello, I am new here. I was wondering what the cost of making candles is for the types of waxes. I have some soy wax, and some 16 oz jars, and I figured it would be about $5 to make per candle, which seems a little high. I have not tried any other kinds of wax yet, as I have only made 6 candles so far :rolleyes2 How much should the cost of jars/containers be? Thanks!I don't think the OP is asking for business purposes...just wanted to know what the usual cost would be to make candles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vicky_CO Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 At hobby level you are not saving as much as you would wish too, nothing wrong with hobby level. I know quite a few candle makers that never go beyond that and are perfectly happy. When you are able to check out the classy section you can get some really good deals there. If you are just doing this for a hobby check out place like the goodwill and thrift stores a lot of times you can find neat containers at them but please do not sell them as you really do not know much about that type of glass or what it been through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuck_35550 Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 I would recommend starting with a votive set up. Votives are a good way to get started and relatively inexpensive. Just a word of caution....you can get addicted. No matter what the level. Don't say I didn't warn you. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joanncat18 Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 Lol, yep...that's how I got bitten by the bug...darn votive starter set..."it's only 59.99"...hah! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darbla Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 At hobby level you are not saving as much as you would wish too, nothing wrong with hobby level. I actually have wished I had never started this hobby. I thought I'd have a better selection of scents I like instead of relying on what the local stores had that I didn't care for most of, and they'd be cheaper to make than spending $15 for a pillar or container bought ready-made. But I have spent FAR MORE on supplies, time, and frustration trying to make good candles than I would've spent on outright buying good candles. Not to mention the space in my home taken up, and the time spent on this when I could've been doing other enjoyable activities. This is definitely a love/hate relationship. The silver lining is that I give away my various scented creations as birthday and Christmas gifts, so I'm not spending still more money there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NrthTxWind Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 Very good advise here. Co-op/Classied are good for looking for cheaper supplies.I stopped making candles 2 years ago.Long story.(other than for a few customers and friends).Went back to work full time. Husband decides he wants the shop/garage back. Starts building a shop on the back for me. Though all of the building for the last 3 months. While moving all of the supplies ( wishing that I had my money back from) It dawn on me that it looks like I`m back in the business again! LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenscandles Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 I thought I'd have a better selection of scents I like instead of relying on what the local stores had that I didn't care for most of, and they'd be cheaper to make than spending $15 for a pillar or container bought ready-made. That is exactly how I started! Thinking I buy so many candles I'd be better off making my own. Little did we know... :rolleyes2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darbla Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 Just be careful on the classifieds. If you don't ask enough questions (or the seller isn't honest) you get somebody's old junk that's turned for the worse and become unusable in some applications it originally would've been fine for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wookie130 Posted July 18, 2009 Share Posted July 18, 2009 I actually have wished I had never started this hobby. I thought I'd have a better selection of scents I like instead of relying on what the local stores had that I didn't care for most of, and they'd be cheaper to make than spending $15 for a pillar or container bought ready-made. But I have spent FAR MORE on supplies, time, and frustration trying to make good candles than I would've spent on outright buying good candles. Not to mention the space in my home taken up, and the time spent on this when I could've been doing other enjoyable activities. This is definitely a love/hate relationship. The silver lining is that I give away my various scented creations as birthday and Christmas gifts, so I'm not spending still more money there.I totally hear you. I stopped making candles for 4 years because of the expense, and I just started to buy them...Now, I am realizing that I wasn't really giving myself enough credit. While there are good manufactured candles out there, and nice hand-crafted candles available as well, I never have gotten the satisfaction burning any of them that I get from burning one I slaved on for two hours making in my kitchen. I miss the process...the mad scientist aspect was always kind of fun. And once I found something that really worked, and I could share the end-result with friends and family. There's no accomplishment or fun involved when I burn my store-bought candles. And quite frankly, when I was making candles, I did work hard to create something that surpassed the quality of product one can find just anywhere.But I DEFINITELY get the love/hate thing. :rolleyes2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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