Suppliers who ship internationally?

[jonsie]

I usually pay close attention to shipping, especially the international charges. Fortunately, I can have things like labels mailed to my husband's company in the U.S. and it is forwarded to Perth with no charge. Unfortunately, that does not apply to the pricier things like FOs, glassware, wax, hehe. I can only use that service for things like media.

[RichardLOZ]

Jonsie

What you mean you cant go ahead and get us a couple of pallets of jares from the Jar Store in CT. Damn shame I reckon

[jonsie]

Ooooh, Richard... I have definitely fantasized about trying to work out some kind of system to get pallets of stuff here!

My husband's company payed to move our stuff here and gave us a whole shipping container to fill. Would you believe we only filled HALF of it? I wasn't doing candles at the time but if I knew then what I knew now...

I have a friend here who hears about others making the transfer from the U.S. to here, and she has stuff delivered to their houses to be loaded on their containers. I've definitely thought about asking to load up waxes and glassware, but, my house here in Subi has no extra space to store it!

[RichardLOZ]

Jonsie

Well if you do manage to work something out, I will take a full pallet of Libby Lucida 10 oz jars and a pallet of genuine Mason jars please

[jonsie]

Lol, you bet! And I'll take a pallet of Libby Interludes I need something to stand out against all those Libby Status jars floating around Perth now. And the Status/Metro won't be available from our local supplier for a few weeks

It is an absolute long-shot, but if anything works out, I'll be glad to let you know

[bart70]

Hi Jonsie,

I too have found it frustrating trying to source supplies here in Australia. With only 2 main players the choice can be limited at times.

I have used both suppliers in Oz but am now looking at transitioning most of my purchases over to ACS. David offers a better customer service and his freight charges are often cheaper than I get charged from the Sydney based supplier (who is 4hrs down to the road....David is across the other side of the country!!).

I too am interested in suppliers who will ship to Oz - I am really wanting to try some different wicking options that are not available in Oz (Although ACS has offered to try to source me the wicks I want which was a much better response than I got from others).

Interesting to note that it can be cost effective to ship out fragrances - I did not realise that. Might be worth considering in the future.

Cheers,

Bart70

[jonsie]

Hi Bart, I'm sorry that you are in the same boat as the rest of us, but it is nice to meet you

You might have also heard of AussieSoapSupplies.com.au (mentioned earlier in this thread). I have relied on them for a few items for chandling and some soap making. They are so friendly and helpful! However, most, if not all, of their scents can be bought from the U.S. for less. I haven't had anything delivered from them (I usually do a pick-up), but I am guessing that you would receive your orders from them faster than you would from the U.S.

If anyone in Australia can suggest some companies that carry candle glassware, I'd be very grateful. I am VERY happy with the prices and customer service at AussieCandleSupplies, but the selection is limited and the Metros are currently out-of-stock. I've called around to wholesalers but they usually have little-to-no selection. I've seen some nice options on Alibaba.com but I am terrified to pursue that seriously.

[8-GRAN-ONES]

i don't know if it has already been mentioned but.

Bert's at Heaven Scent does international shipping..

She handles Fo's..and she has some very good ones..

[Tribalvixen]

Hi Jonsie

You could try gala imports they are in Adelaide SA. I think they do mostly bulk but its worth a shot. I personally dont use the metro jar because....everyone else does....lol. At least ACS try to keep there stock in....the other have been out of glassware for 6 months....very annoying. Shipping to here is about 5 or 6 days from WA which is kinda annoying.

Can I get some interludes too LOVE those jars...

Tammy

[bart70]

Jonsie,

Thanks for the heads up about Aussie Soap Supplies......Might have a look at their product line.

Just a thought that you may have already tried......Have you considered asking ACS to see if they can source the glassware you desire?

Quite often the suppliers have huge inventory's that cannot be financially kept on stock but are available to order.

Might be worth a shot to ask ACS if they can get the type of glassware you are after - if they know there is a market for it they may not only source it for you, but decide to stock it on a regular basis.

I know in the future I have some molds I want to source and I will be asking ACS to see if they are able to source them for me.

Just a thought....You may have already tried this avenue.

Bart70

[jonsie]

i don't know if it has already been mentioned but.

Bert's at Heaven Scent does international shipping..

She handles Fo's..and she has some very good ones..

Thank you 8-Gran! I had no idea so that is great to know. I've read many good things about Bert's but I had no idea the provided the international shipping. Yay!

Hi Jonsie

You could try gala imports they are in Adelaide SA. I think they do mostly bulk but its worth a shot. I personally dont use the metro jar because....everyone else does....lol. At least ACS try to keep there stock in....the other have been out of glassware for 6 months....very annoying. Shipping to here is about 5 or 6 days from WA which is kinda annoying.

Can I get some interludes too LOVE those jars...

Tammy

Thanks Tammy! And yes, I'll share some interludes with you

Jonsie,

Thanks for the heads up about Aussie Soap Supplies......Might have a look at their product line.

Just a thought that you may have already tried......Have you considered asking ACS to see if they can source the glassware you desire?

Quite often the suppliers have huge inventory's that cannot be financially kept on stock but are available to order.

Might be worth a shot to ask ACS if they can get the type of glassware you are after - if they know there is a market for it they may not only source it for you, but decide to stock it on a regular basis.

I know in the future I have some molds I want to source and I will be asking ACS to see if they are able to source them for me.

Just a thought....You may have already tried this avenue.

Bart70

Bart, I think it's a good idea to approach ACS about it, I just need to follow thru with it. When I was picking up an order, I asked David if he was open to carrying any new styles of glassware and he said he was, but storage was becoming a problem. He suggested I send him a link of the styles I'm interested in but I haven't done it yet.

Another item I'd like for him to carry are the flip-top dispenser caps for the 500 ml FO bottles. I couldn't find any available here in Australia so I had some sent to me from the U.S. and I LOVE them. They make measuring out FO a breeze.

This is what I'm talking about: http://www.qorpak.com/store/catalog/Flip-Top-Caps,245.htm For the 500 ml Amber Bottles, the correct size is the 28-400 series. So if you see 28-410, that will fit also, but it might look a little different. I need to forward that link to David as well. But if any of you Aussies know where to find something like that locally, please let me know!

[bart70]

Hi Again,

Interesting when you start talking to others how wants and needs are similar....

I buy all my FO's in 2500ml Jerry's (wish I could get larger..) and am looking for a screw on lid that has a 'tap' incorporated. This way I can line up all my FO Jerry's on their side on the rack and pour out easily through the tap.

I have been unable to find these taps on their own - I noticed Bunnings have a 10 litre jerry with the screw on tap fitting - just cannot get the tap on its own! I must do more looking around to try to source them. If anybody knows where these can be bought please advise!

Certainly give David a try - He is much more helpful in finding supplies and helping you out than his opposition (in my experience). We could certainly do with one like him on the east coast. It is often hard for smaller operators as they usually have limited space and limited funds to tie up in stock - they need to try to decide which items to bring in that will sell without becoming a burden when they don't. If he knows he has a market for a particular line the decision to justify the stocking becomes much easier.

Hope it works out.

Bart70

[jonsie]

Hi Again,

Interesting when you start talking to others how wants and needs are similar....

I buy all my FO's in 2500ml Jerry's (wish I could get larger..) and am looking for a screw on lid that has a 'tap' incorporated. This way I can line up all my FO Jerry's on their side on the rack and pour out easily through the tap.

I have been unable to find these taps on their own - I noticed Bunnings have a 10 litre jerry with the screw on tap fitting - just cannot get the tap on its own! I must do more looking around to try to source them. If anybody knows where these can be bought please advise!

That is so interesting that you were looking at those at Bunnings. I was looking at the same thing when I was on my quest for dispenser caps. That was the closest thing they could find for me there

I know this isn't exactly what you are looking for, but if you don't have any pumps already, this might work in the meantime: http://www.aussiesoapsupplies.com.au/Pump-for-Jerry-Can-pr-737.html

And you must do a lot of candles! I feel pretty big-time buying 500 ml worth of FO

And I'll keep y'all posted on what I discuss with David. I am somewhat resigned to the fact that I'll be doing all my candles in the Metro jars. But it will be nice to get some selection

[RichardLOZ]

Jonsie

As Tribal suggested I think, Andrew from Gala Glass in Adelaide is another option. Again not a huge range for candles, but his items are usually in stock, such as metros. Minimum $400 order and you get delivery to any capital city for $25 dollars, regardless of quantity.

You can actually get Libby jars in Australia, however they are very expensive. Are you sitting down? I had a quote on the 10 oz Lucida jars and they worked our at about $4.00 each NOT including lids!!! The lids were almost the same price again, making for a pretty expensive jar! The lead time was also 16 weeks, which is a little crazy.

Alibaba has some nice options, however unless you are buying like 30,000 pieces you dont have too much chance sourcing from there.

Jars are not the only issue. try finding some decent melt burners here in Oz. I have found a few but not a great selection at all, and as yet I have not been able to find any kind of electric warmer with a deep bowl or any kind of candle warmer for wickless. Again from Alibaba you can get them, but I dont know what I would do with 20.000 electric warmers, or where I would put them.....LOL.

Such is life. Perhaps a group of us should seriously look at importing a few pallets from somewhere like the jar store in CT and then we could split the shipping and customs costs perhaps.

On pallet loads you can get substantially cheaper prices then what they have currently listed on their website.

[KoalaGirl]

Hi Richard, do you happen to know where ACS get their oils from? I'd like to be able to read reviews about the oils before I buy them {so many to chose from!} I'm rapidly losing patience with the other supplier.

[Tribalvixen]

I too am losing patience with them ...and now the discontinue so many fragrances. Never any jars etc etc. I dont know where ACS get there oils from but most of the ones I have tried are good. I dont like there Dragons Blood as much its kinda dirtish.

Thanks Tammy! And yes, I'll share some interludes with you

Yay thanks Susan:yay:

You can actually get Libby jars in Australia, however they are very expensive. Are you sitting down? I had a quote on the 10 oz Lucida jars and they worked our at about $4.00 each NOT including lids!!! The lids were almost the same price again, making for a pretty expensive jar! The lead time was also 16 weeks, which is a little crazy.

OMG

[bart70]

Hi Richard, do you happen to know where ACS get their oils from? I'd like to be able to read reviews about the oils before I buy them {so many to chose from!} I'm rapidly losing patience with the other supplier.

The majority of my FO's are from ACS - I find the scents to be good quality and throw well with the way I make my candles (I make palm not soy though ). I am not sure where they source them from.

What I did was whenever I placed an order, I would look through the scents and order a couple of the 'small' bottles to test. This allowed me to make a candle or 2 and get a feel for what the fragrance was really going to present like in the products I make.

I still have a couple that are supplied via the other supplier - over time they will be transitioned over to the equivalent at ACS - cannot risk having a product go out of stock for months. One fragrance/color that we were thinking of running with has been out of stock for several weeks!

Like you I was rapidly losing patience - after the last couple of weeks I have completely lost my patience. I dont'use glassware but find the same attitude applies to pretty much all their product lines. They rarely return phone calls these days either. I am now in the process of testing ACS waxes and will pretty much transition the majority of my business to them over the coming months. You will get better service and a bit of flexibility with ACS.

Drop me a PM is you want to discuss my experinece with the FO's I use in more detail.

Cheers,

Bart70

[jonsie]

I don't know if this is true, but I do wonder if ACS and CandleScience use the same FOs. CandleScience doesn't ship internationally (yet) so I can't compare scents. But I wonder if they use the same source since many of the FOs have the same names (like 'Himalayan Bamboo'), but that may be a stretch

[RichardLOZ]

I have also wondered that for sometime. Both NCS and ACS seem to have a selection of scents very similar to CandleScience. They both carry good strong throwing scents, but availability is an issue.

NCS have now discontinued Apple Maple Bourbon which is a great seller for me. I am sure they get it from CS and there is nothing on the CS site to say that they are discontinuing it all all, so dont know what is happening there.

Extremely frustrating which is why we now bring in the bnulk of our scents from the States as out of stock is very rare, prices are way way better even with the shipping charges and the selection is so much larger.

[KoalaGirl]

Tribalvixen, I agree that the Dragons Blood is not quite as good however, I had MAJOR problems with NCS {CandleScience}Dragons Blood. Suddenly, it just wouldnt burn properly, wick almost dying like it was clogging up. I thought it was the different batch of wax, but no other oil was affected. I noticed that there was a 'residue' in the bottom of the oil bottle {black sludgy stuff} that was noticable when I swirled the bottle around. When I shook the bottle up, you could see the 'bits' floating, so much so, that it made the oil cloudy! I have 2x500 ml bottles of it. Cant say I noticed it in previous bottles but I do know that my dragons blood candles used to work perfectly! Has anyone else noticed this 'sludge' in the Candle Science Dragons Blood oil from NCS? I dont know if its supposed to be there or not.

In desperation I bought a bottle from ACS and it was crystal clear {of sludge} and burnt beautifully.

Jonsie, ACS may get some oils from Candle Science but the majority of them arn't {unless the've changed the names}

NCS used to always answer emails promply but Ive been waiting two days for a reply re their t-light cups {Im starting to freak out....I need them for a wedding in a months time}. Hopefully they will soon revert back to their 'old self' so I can stop stressing if Im going to be able to get supplies in a timely fashion.

Bart, thats a generous offer that I will take you up on. I have used some of their oils and I do like the fact that they are ALL phlatate??? free! I have used LOADS of Candle Science oils so can give you the benefit of my opinion on those.

Cheers

[bart70]

NCS used to always answer emails promply but Ive been waiting two days for a reply re their t-light cups {Im starting to freak out....I need them for a wedding in a months time}. Hopefully they will soon revert back to their 'old self' so I can stop stressing if Im going to be able to get supplies in a timely fashion.

Bart, thats a generous offer that I will take you up on. I have used some of their oils and I do like the fact that they are ALL phlatate??? free! I have used LOADS of Candle Science oils so can give you the benefit of my opinion on those.

Cheers

You are lucky with your email if you get a response in 2 days - I am still awaiting my return phone call from over a week ago :rolleyes2:rolleyes2

Happy to help and will drop you a line if looking at some of the CS FO's in the future. Do not hesitate to PM if I can help.

Cheers,

Bart70

[KoalaGirl]

Bart, nooooooo I emailed them on Sunday and am still waiting for a reply. I hope its not the cleaning lady who answers the phone when I ring them tomorrow!

[bart70]

Bart, nooooooo I emailed them on Sunday and am still waiting for a reply. I hope its not the cleaning lady who answers the phone when I ring them tomorrow!

Shane apparently runs the show - he is very rarely there or the phone answerers are well trained to keep you away from him!

My last call the guy who answered told me ''he just works in the warehouse"....LOL Could not answer questions or make a decision without the 'boss' - although he was well versed in defending their processes and those of their freight company. Sort of gave me the impression that he has done that before...:rolleyes2

Still waiting for the 'boss' to call me back......LOL :tiptoe::tiptoe:

[curlycoat2]

No one mentioned Big Tree Supplies in Qld? Karen is fantastic on customer service, is an ex chandler and can tell you a bit about the scents etc. Currently having a baby but will be back online soon. I cant speak highly enough about her.

I soap but I too bring in a lot of my FO's from the States, and I have been known to purchase from both companies you are discussing. Big Tree is good for small sizes to test and her variety is wonderful.

Berts Heaven Scent is wonderful and super fast. She is lovely to deal with also and uses flat rate boxes, charges on the actual shipping. Wonderful supplier

We soapers are in the same boat with FO's as you are.

jo

[jonsie]

Thank you Jo, I wasn't aware of them, and I'll definitely look them up. It definitely helps to read good references on a company.