Have you ever been in the FO selling business?

[rachelb5499]

Hey there,

Please move this if it's in the wrong area. I really wasn't sure where to post.

Lately, I've been considering going into the fragrance selling side of business, but I really don't know much so it would just be "dumb" for me to just start buying scents and re-selling them. LOL So this post is just a starting point to help my crazy mind.

Have you ever been a reseller of Fragrances? Do you have any contacts/information you'd like to share about contacting manufacturer's? I've noticed some resellers just seem to say all of their fragrances are body safe but don't really seem to know which is scary. . .Is this just ignorance or do you think manufacturer's just tell resellers that? Meaning, do you think you could easily find out what is skin safe, etc. from manufacturer's before listing fragrances for sale and be sure they were safe or?

One thing I know for sure, I wouldn't want to be "huge" like some of the companies, but I like the "size" Bert's seems to be (though I know she's having a lot of difficulties here lately) and a few others her size. All of you as "customers" what would get you to start buying from a new vendor?

Any advice/questions/thoughts, etc. are welcome. Like I said, I may just be totally dreaming, (LOL) but I LIKE discussions!

[carol k]

I would connect some manufacturers & have them send you samples. Then if you have alot of money (most require 10-25lb purchases) pick 10-20 & go for it. The manufacturer will tell you if it's skin safe. It's also a good idea to test in different waxes so you can tell your customers how they preformed for you. Bert had/has customer testers, that way she can put on her website how a certain fo works in this & that. Good Luck.

[B@BlissStreet]

Rachel,

You are not dreaming. You can definitely do that. Just decide what you want to sell, what your profit expectations are, and consider shipping. Oils are somewhat light, and I don't mind what I pay for shipping from my normal suppliers. You are taking on a crazy hard thing, though. My advice would be to talk to Lorrie here on the boards. She has a great handle on all that, and you are a competitor at this point, but tell her you are new, and in CA, and not really a serious challenge to her sales. If you are wanting to go big with oils, m&p bases, etc, she is the Einstein of this group! Imo

[rachelb5499]

Thanks, Carol. I actually contacted some manufacturer's months ago then got distracted. LOL I'm not a chandler so I'd definitely want some customer testers. NG has a "reviews" section (like Bert's) in addition to suggested uses, etc., I'd like to do something like that. I have the money but definitely "scary" to just "jump in" so wanting as much feedback, ideas, etc. as possible.

[rachelb5499]

Rachel,

You are not dreaming. You can definitely do that. Just decide what you want to sell, what your profit expectations are, and consider shipping. Oils are somewhat light, and I don't mind what I pay for shipping from my normal suppliers. You are taking on a crazy hard thing, though. My advice would be to talk to Lorrie here on the boards. She has a great handle on all that, and you are a competitor at this point, but tell her you are new, and in CA, and not really a serious challenge to her sales. If you are wanting to go big with oils, m&p bases, etc, she is the Einstein of this group! Imo

Thanks, Bliss!

Yeah, asking "competition" might be tough. hee hee But I get what you're saying. Part of why I'd like to do it is to offer good pricing like SOME of the FO suppliers I've seen AND to be a CA supplier. . .because honestly, when I've done searches for ALL kinds of ingredients for bath and body in CA, they are outrageously expensive, non-existent or the websites are difficult to navigate....or all of the above! I'd LOVE to offer flat rate USPS shipping whenever possible and UPS when not (flash points, size of order, etc.). I wouldn't want to go toooo big, but could contact SFIC and see what their rules are (as far as how far apart each reseller needs to be geographically, etc.) for resellers. I'd certainly like to get as much advice, and comments as possible especially from those who have done it, do it, etc. Thanks for your advice about talking to Lorrie. I hope more will comment!

[bugtussle]

I do a large coop on another board every year. I only get a hostess fee and reimbursement for pet bottles, pouring, packaging and hauling to PO. It is a lot of work. I do it because I can get a good price on 25# buckets and we use a lot of FO in our business. I buy from Agilex (IFT) and you have to spend $10,000/annually to even get samples from them, therefore, I have about 15 FOs which I have codes for and can't request new FOs. It would scare me big time to order that much unless I already had 1/2 of it sold. We just don't have enough $ to stock FOs. Maybe other mfgrs don't require such high volumes, but I trust these FOs. Carole

[rachelb5499]

That makes total sense, Carole. That's kind of what part of my concern is as well. I just re-wrote most of the FO manufacturer's I'd written a couple of months ago again and outlined more of what I was thinking....I'm sure they'll "weed themselves out" for me before I get too much further along. It may be biting off more than I can chew, and I know it. LOL So debating, debating. Your experience and input is MUCH appreciated!

[EricofAZ]

As a consumer I want uncut FO. I see these sites that say for $10 more you can get FO that is 245 percent stronger, etc. That's all BS to me. Even the folks who claim to not have their FO's cut, I find the same fragrance at another supplier to be stronger.

You come up with truly uncut FO that is strong, and I'll be interested. Berts has good FO. The Bold stuff from Candlewic is also pretty good. I am kinda partial to snowdriftfarm since it is local. That's about it. Everything else I bought was not so exciting.

One other thought might be to ease into it with a coop. You can buy 25 pounds from southern soapers, or the actual manufacturer when you get commitments in the coop for half that (or whatever threshold you want) and then order it and re-package. That way you know what folks want. Just a thought.

Edited April 28, 2011 by EricofAZ

[adamsboro]

Hello,

I am a small FO supplier who just started a year ago. I can offer a few tips.

I have several manufactuets that I go with, not just one. Just like with suppliers, some will have hit or misses, those that I don't like, I tend to blend and make those "my special scents".

It does take alot of money to invest but if you start small the business should be able to support itself. The more lbs you can purchase on one scent the better the profit.

There is alot of competition. The hard part is getting others to give you a chance since most shop at the bigger stores. Customer service is the key to get repeat customers. Offer quality products and include some other items besides FO's.

I've been doing this for alittle over a year and 100% of sales are re-invested. Don't plan on living off of sales for awhile because you really need to have a great selection to attract customers.

Sorry if this is all rambling but it's early and haven't had much coffee yet.

Deb

[carol k]

Hello,

I am a small FO supplier who just started a year ago. I can offer a few tips.

I have several manufactuets that I go with, not just one. Just like with suppliers, some will have hit or misses, those that I don't like, I tend to blend and make those "my special scents".

It does take alot of money to invest but if you start small the business should be able to support itself. The more lbs you can purchase on one scent the better the profit.

There is alot of competition. The hard part is getting others to give you a chance since most shop at the bigger stores. Customer service is the key to get repeat customers. Offer quality products and include some other items besides FO's.

I've been doing this for alittle over a year and 100% of sales are re-invested. Don't plan on living off of sales for awhile because you really need to have a great selection to attract customers.

Sorry if this is all rambling but it's early and haven't had much coffee yet.

Deb

adamsboro (Deb) do you have a website? Sorry to hijack the thread.

[rachelb5499]

One other thought might be to ease into it with a coop. You can buy 25 pounds from southern soapers, or the actual manufacturer when you get commitments in the coop for half that (or whatever threshold you want) and then order it and re-package. That way you know what folks want. Just a thought.

THANKS! That IS a good idea!

Hello,

I am a small FO supplier who just started a year ago. I can offer a few tips.

I have several manufactuets that I go with, not just one. Just like with suppliers, some will have hit or misses, those that I don't like, I tend to blend and make those "my special scents".

It does take alot of money to invest but if you start small the business should be able to support itself. The more lbs you can purchase on one scent the better the profit.

There is alot of competition. The hard part is getting others to give you a chance since most shop at the bigger stores. Customer service is the key to get repeat customers. Offer quality products and include some other items besides FO's.

I've been doing this for alittle over a year and 100% of sales are re-invested. Don't plan on living off of sales for awhile because you really need to have a great selection to attract customers.

Sorry if this is all rambling but it's early and haven't had much coffee yet.

Deb

Thanks, Deb. That's very helpful. I'm certainly not money hungry. LOL I wouldn't be in the bath and body business if I was...let alone working full-time on top of it. heh heh I second the other person's question though.....do you have a site for your FO's? My biggest issues would seem to be (to me) generating leads/business (as you said) and then getting them to switch over. Sounds funny, (maybe) but I'd love to have bought someone's FO business...really see the inner workings. I like making money. There's no doubt, but I also like SAVING money and love helping OTHERS save money so that would be part of my interest in doing something like this. I did hear back from a few manufacturer's this morning since last night......some "removed" themselves from the mix when I gave them my parameters. Others are "still in it," but definitely want me to do a lot more work, tell them what scents I'm interested in, etc. so I'll probably pursue that more and keep reading this thread for other people's thoughts, advice, etc. Any more things you think of would be greatly received, Deb! [AND EVERYONE ELSE!] 8)

[adamsboro]

Sorry for not getting back sooner. Very busy day at my other job. I do not have a stand alone site yet. I sell mostly on Etsy and a few other places. I thought I would be create a site this month but I think I'll wait it out a couple of more months.

My other job is in the auto industry and when gas goes up, I see first hand what can happen. I work at chrsyler and we make the transmissions for the big trucks. People just don't buy the gas gusslers when gas gets over $4.00 so I may have some time due to being laid off to give it my full attention.

I would be happy to answer any questions you have.

[carol k]

Do you live around logansport?

[adamsboro]

Yep I live in old Adamsboro on the Eel. You must be the Fantastic FO supplier that has great oils that everyone raves about. I hope to one day be as great as your business is.

[carol k]

Nope, I'm not Millcreek. I'm just a candle/incense/b&b maker. I'm all the time interested in new suppliers (especially in IN) I support them very well. Heehee. If you would click on my profile & shoot me an email letting me know what you have to offer I'd appreciate it. My daughter works at rural king.

[leisa2003]

Yep I live in old Adamsboro on the Eel. You must be the Fantastic FO supplier that has great oils that everyone raves about. I hope to one day be as great as your business is.

Could you post your Etsy shop? I would like to see what you have and possibly try some of your fragrances.

THANKS!!

Edited April 29, 2011 by leisa2003

[adamsboro]

Oops I meant to post it earlier.

adamsborosundries.com

Edited April 29, 2011 by adamsboro

[rachelb5499]

Thanks, adamsboro. I'll definitely keep you in mind as I keep kicking this around! Checking out your Etsy site now too.

[EccoLights]

Oops I meant to post it earlier.

adamsborosundries.com

ARRGH! Competition =) *runs away*

[rachelb5499]

ARRGH! Competition =) *runs away*

Awwww, Eccolights, don't run away!

[EccoLights]

Awwww, Eccolights, don't run away!

Oh no worries, I was just playing around =)

[rachelb5499]

Oh no worries, I was just playing around =)

Yeah, it was cute. 8)

[rachelb5499]

I'll keep looking and evaluating, but it doesn't look like there's enough interest and/or people have figured out great ways to save money/buy SFIC without going with one of the current resellers so I'll probably back off on that for now and just keep my eyes and ears open. I had also thought about getting into the FO business as you guys know but researching more, getting feedback from others, etc., I think I'll hold off on that as well. [i hadn't posted it here, but I was thinking of becoming a SFIC Melt and Pour base reseller AND looking into FO's, but there just wasn't enough positive feedback. (Which is fine. I wanted HONESTY. hee hee) As far as FO's and SFIC, I'll just keep thinking, evaluating, etc. Adamsboro, EccoLights, etc. mentioned Etsy, etc. so I DID look more at Etsy, Artfire, Ebay, etc. just to see "what was already out there" and wow. There IS a lot of competition! I was thinking of doing it more like Bert's and NG but probably kind of hard to do and get customers to start buying from me, trusting me as a reseller, etc. so I'm STILL Thinking....just hanging back a bit more to see if I learn something new, hear some great feedback/requests/reviews, etc. Thank you everyone so far who has responded!!!!

[carol k]

You know you might contact some of the east coast suppliers to see if you could resell for them. Kinda like a second store, but on the west coast.

[rachelb5499]

That's a good point, Carol. I'm not discouraged or anything either.....just being cautious and analyzing, etc. That COULD be quite the idea though! I'm just amazed at how little there is out here in CA specifically...although there are people like brambleberry, MMS, etc. out here on the West Coast.......just prices are better from NG, Berts, and Texas usually for me to buy as an "individual" and pay the shipping than to buy from some of those others out here on the West Coast and CA is so big.....hard to believe we don't have more to offer in that realm!