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Photos of what a candle should NOT look like?


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I am trying to educate customers on things to look for when purchasing candles. I have been trying to explain that not all candles are equal. Not saying that my candles are the best there is but I know mine are better than a lot being sold at the discount stores. I took the label off of some discount store candles to illustrate candles with wicks that were not centered and candles that burned right down the center leaving a lot of wax hang up on the sides. I was really surprised that most people told me they never noticed that when burning a candle. The only thing they paid attention to was if the candle smelled good when burning and how much it cost. One of the main comments I hear from people is "why does this candle cost more than Walmart(Kmart, Dollar Store)?" One local craft store has a large display of 26oz candles for $5.00. I can't compete with that price but I would like to explain to customers the difference in the quality of candles. One other comment that surprised me was from a lady that told me the candles she purchases are so highly scented that you can actually see the fragrance oil on the top of the candle. That's how she knew that she was pruchasing a "freshly made good candle.":eek: :eek: I explained seeping and curing to her and she told me that the lady she purchases from was the one that told her visible oil was a sign that her candles were strong! Frightening!

I think a visual gets the point across better. I was thinking of placing a flyer that would remain on the sale table showing photos of poor quality candles(no company names shown in the photos) and illustrating...

1. wicks that aren't centered(had one - mentioned above but accidently left it at sales booth)

2. excessive wax hang up on the sides

3. candles that produced excessive black soot

4. tunneling

5. dips in the center from candles that needed relief holes and re-pours

6.oil seeping

I wanted to place this on the table next to some of my candles with one of them burning to show the difference in the quality. I have one photo of tunneling and excessive wax hang up but I need illustrations of the other points. Does anyone have any photos of the other problems or anything else you think I should include?

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I buy other candles Name Brand & cheap Dollar Store and burn them side by side with mine. I take photos every hour and at different angles. This includes Votives, Pillars & Jar Candles. I print out the photos and put in an album & write how many hours this photo was taken at & no photo editing was done to these photos. I also keep the burned candles mine & the bought ones and display them with the photos. I leave the names on the candles and tell people where they came from.

This is not to put down other candles but to prove to my customers why they should buy my QUALITY candles. It simply shows them that my candles will burn longer, burn completly & with little to no soot (when burned properley). I also tell them that when they burn my candles they are stronger scented than these others.

PS - I title the album "Why should you buy from us"

Candle Man

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Good suggestions - thanks for the help. I've seen photos of candle problems posted in the past but no matter what I type in the seach box I can't find any. I need some photos of candles with sink holes - which wouldn't be a problem if I still made paraffin candles.

I am always amazed at the misconceptions that are out there concerning candle making. One person told me that she is planning on starting a candle business after a someone told her how to make candles and how easy it is. She said that all you have to do is buy some wax from the craft store, microwave it, add dye and 1 1/2 FO or a little more if you want a stronger candle "She even shared what wick I need", and then pour into a pint size mason jar. She said that this person sells them for $5.00 and "Makes a killing." I explained that not all wax or FO required 1 1/2 oz FO, FO's should be weighed, too much and you have seeping which is dangerous because... I discussed a little about wicks and why there are so many, using different wicks for different FO' and containers...Most of all I stressed how important it is to test and if you want to make a quality product you need to invest alot of time in testing. She said in a very dismissive type of tone "Well, this person sells tons of candles and I buy from her all of the time. Her candles smell good and they are at a price most people can afford." It wasn't that I was trying to convince her to purchase my candles it just concerns me that there are some potentially dangerous candles out there. I don't make the mason jar candles but I can't sell a large container candle at 5.00 and make any sort of profit. People with very limited experience are telling others how to make candles that may be a hazard. The bottom line with most people is does it smell good and is it cheap.

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The bottom line with most people is does it smell good and is it cheap.

That says it all, right there. People don't care. I had someone explain to me once that she would NEVER purchase candles from my website, because she could buy them at Walmart, and get more for the same price.

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I am so happy to hear that someone else has had this problem. Well, I am not happy that it happened to you, you know what I mean. I know alot of it depends on the area. Some people have great success in explaining the quality of their candles. In some areas people just tend to not care. That is what it is like here. I am very proud of my candles but I can't afford to just give them away. I had someone tell me that my 10oz candle shouldn't cost more than 3.00 MAYBE! Just like what is mentioned above - because they can get a large candle for 5.00 at Walmart or even a 26oz candle from the craft store for 5.00. I feel that they are right! If they are satisfied with those type of candles then they should stick with Wallyword because I feel I make a better quality candle and I can't do that at discount store prices. It's just fustrating because it isn't a matter of just explaining the quality.

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That says it all, right there. People don't care. I had someone explain to me once that she would NEVER purchase candles from my website, because she could buy them at Walmart, and get more for the same price.

Gosh that is funny. I guess it is a regional thing or something. People here are competely opposite. Just about every customer I get has a complaint in the store bought candles. The biggest being, "I hate when I buy a 25 dollar designer candle, and it burns right down the middle, so I am left with about 20 dollars in wax I cannot use." People here LOVE hand-poured candles if they are done properly.

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Well, look at it from the customers viewpoint. Most really just care about the smell & price as an oversimplification, not whether it gets black or has a large flame.

Most of the complaints I hear are "can't smell it while burning". So that's easy to fix in the customers mind.

But the smell/$ thing. If they like the smell, try to figure out how long they can burn that cheap candles. Maybe you can get it down to cents per hour of smell or something like that. If it burns down the middle, or has a short burn, or the wick only goes 1/2 way down the jar (my mom's bought some like that), it's not as good a deal as they think. Yours might last longer, and so be a better value.

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That says it all, right there. People don't care. I had someone explain to me once that she would NEVER purchase candles from my website, because she could buy them at Walmart, and get more for the same price.

Ditto here, my ex boss said this to me. When I tried to explain the quality difference, he said that he could burn 2 of those to get the same scent throw, and still have 2 left (it was a 4 pack for $10) and still have to left so they'd still last longer in the long run. I couldn't even argue this and didn't care to.:undecided

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Some people love candles, but the trend towards highly scented candles has melded the candle market with the air freshener market. Some people buy a candle just because they think it works better than a can of Glade. A few may turn out to be nascent candle lovers who can be sold up once they've developed an interest, but not all.

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When people start telling me my candles are too expensive and they can buy cheaper ones at Walmart, I just tell them politely that by all means, they should buy them at Walmart but that Walmart does not handcraft or test their candles and you get what you pay for. Not that I really want them to go there, but I'm not out to try and educate the world about good candles, I'm afraid I've given up :embarasse on those types of people.....besides, you can't educate anyone who doesn't want to be educated.......

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