Jump to content

Template for calculating cost?


girlieinsd

Recommended Posts

I am super new to this candle making business and have had requests already for people to purchase candles from me. They have enjoyed my "samples". YAY for me.

Does anyone have an excel spreadsheet or somewhere I can go that will help calculate cost per candle for me. I have an excel worksheet that was made but it is sort of confusing. For every item it asks about shipping and handling but I obviously didn't buy just that one item. In any event, if anyone has something they could share that would be great!

Thanks!!

:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just figure it out from scratch..

wax cost per ounce... FO cost per ounce.. wick cost.. color cost (if you use it)...container cost... then decide if you are adding in cost for your time (not alot of people do but they should and can!) and boom... you know how much it costs you to make a candle.

So then, just add it all up, and double "cost" is a basic "wholesale" cost.. and double that is a basic "retail" cost. Of course you can set your own prices based on competition and materials used, but thats a general guideline.

There are so many factors.. a spreadsheet wouldnt work for me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great question. Search the forum and you can find some of these that people have used in the past. I agree with the previous post though that you are better off calculating from scratch. While it seems daunting, once you put "pen to paper" its gets a little easier.

I also break everything down to cost per ounze when it comes to wax, scents, and dye. I use liquid dye and as an average their is about 600 drops in an ounze. good to know if when adding dye in small quantities. depending on how much you use. This is almost nothing though in the per candle cost (for me) as the amount used will price out to be a penny or less per candle, just my experience.

Wicks, jars, glue, lids, or anything else you may use in candle are simply firgured out by the quantity you purchased divided by what you paid.

when it comes to shipping cost you have incurred for supplies, two ways you can do this so do what ever is simple for you. You can spread the shipping cost out over all the items in your shippment received. Or what I do because its easier, is just add the shipping cost to one item in the order (my wax) and then average out the per ounze cost of the wax with all shipping charges included in my cost. Splitting it up between jars, wax, scents, wicks, etc just seems tedious.

Hope this helps a little. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am super new to this candle making business and have had requests already for people to purchase candles from me. They have enjoyed my "samples". YAY for me.

Does anyone have an excel spreadsheet or somewhere I can go that will help calculate cost per candle for me. I have an excel worksheet that was made but it is sort of confusing. For every item it asks about shipping and handling but I obviously didn't buy just that one item. In any event, if anyone has something they could share that would be great!

Thanks!!

:)

Check your email I hope these help.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I sat down one day and did an excel spread sheet that calculates everything. All I have to is add in my costs per for everything and it calculates it out to the price per candle, wholesale, consignment at different percentages, and retail. Now all I have to do is change the price per pound/item and I know exactly how much it costs and what I have to sell it for.

Like the others said it is a little overwhelming at first but well worth it. Now to see if changing scents is worth it all I have to do is change the price for the scent and the rest is automatic.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

http://www.box.net/shared/5dda16w4kk

Here is a cost calculator a lady from WSP shared :)..It is awesome. You just put in the cost of your products ( butter,oils,additives,packaging) and it calculates the price per product and then tells you an average price to sell for retail as well as wholesale!

:yay:Thank you this will definitely help with my bath products.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I sat down one day and did an excel spread sheet that calculates everything. All I have to is add in my costs per for everything and it calculates it out to the price per candle, wholesale, consignment at different percentages, and retail. Now all I have to do is change the price per pound/item and I know exactly how much it costs and what I have to sell it for.

Like the others said it is a little overwhelming at first but well worth it. Now to see if changing scents is worth it all I have to do is change the price for the scent and the rest is automatic.

Lord I'd love a program like that! We have everything entered, but still, something that would be ultra cool is if it would pull from one's inventory and calculate the cost since some FOs and ingredients can vary greatly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lord I'd love a program like that! We have everything entered, but still, something that would be ultra cool is if it would pull from one's inventory and calculate the cost since some FOs and ingredients can vary greatly.

Check out the link I posted, it is a excel download that will do all the above.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good Luck getting it from her I asked for a Fund Raiser form along time ago and never received it. I even sent pm's

Hmmm.... I sent out loads of fundraiser sheets.. I must of missed yours.. i do work a full time "regular job" have a brick and mortar store and also am a single mom.. I have moments of scatterbrain I guess.

I do take offense to being slammed on the board.

Anyhow,

The excel template i use is at the shop and I will send emails tomorrow probably mid-afternoon before I can get to it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...