sockmonkey

That is gorgeous. Do you mind me asking what your technique is for grubbying those candles? I've got some of the yucky things that someone gave me and I never used them because I hate that cheap plastic look.

Did they inquire about picking it up? I wouldn't want customer coming to my house for a variety of reasons. 1. You never know what kind of kook might be knocking at your door. 2. If a business deal goes sour, you sure don't want people to know your home address. 3. One customer might wind up telling other customers to pick up their orders at your home because they do it. 4. Very important one here--if you're not zoned or licensed for retail business out of your home, you shouldn't have customers picking up orders there.

Just because someone else actually agreed to place an ad with the company doesn't makes them any more legitimate. Maybe the person who agreed to it is quite happy with it. But maybe they aren't aware, or don't care if the school receives any proceeds from the sale of the ad. I'm not saying this is the case with the calendar people, but I had solicitors from a "phone book cover" company. They implied the Chamber of Commerce had authorized them to sell ads for them. I happen to be friends with the Chamber's secretary, and asked her about it. She said they had nothing to do with them, they did not authorize them to sell ads on their behalf and they didn't receive any money from them. The only connection was that the Chamber allowed them to place their covers in their office, available for free to anyone who stopped by and wanted one.. The secretary told me that she still had a big stack from the year before, because nobody ever wants one.

Leisa has good advice.

Would you mind citing what law you refer to?

If they said you said yes over the phone, then they should also have it noted that you asked for further information. If they record their conversations, then they should have it on record. More than likely, they don't have it recorded, otherwise how did they come up with something that contained errors (city spelled wrong, private cell phone number used, etc.). It's simply notes the company rep took, but failed to add "contract pending approval, customer requested further information." Since you can't get in touch by phone, in your letter, state that you are requesting an immediate call from an official of their company to discuss the matter. Also state that failure to contact you within 72 hours from receipt of your letter will be considered acknowledgement on their part that the bill in question has been canceled and the matter is resolved. Why not call the school they supposedly represented and ask them about their connection. It's quite possible that the school does not authorize the printing and has no affiliation with the company. Does the school receive any proceeds from the calendars? If not, you might want to mention that in your letter as well, because then it becomes a situation of selling ad space under false pretenses.

You may have said yes, but you also told them you wanted information in writing first. People that pull those scams are very conniving. They pump information out of you, as though you're just having a routine conversation, but what they are really doing is filling out an unauthorized work ticket for you. Usually, when you request something in writing, it's enough to make them hang up on you or tell you they don't have anything, so at that point you know not to do business with them. These people though, obviously got enough info so that they could make it look like you ordered an ad and they ran with it. You ought to send them a certified letter stating that you requested information in writing before proceding and never received anything except a bill AFTER they printed an ad for your company WITHOUT your permission, reproducing images taken illegally from your website, and publishing your private cell phone number without your consent. As a result, you do not owe the bill for which they are trying to collect; and you intend to hold them liable for any increased charges on your cell phone up to and including the cost for obtaining a new cell phone number, or for any additional charges that may be incurred as a result of publishing your private cell phone number on their calendar.

Credit card fees will eat into your profits. This is a dangerous time of year to take manual credit card orders since people will be out shopping for the holidays, and it could be easy for them to max out their cards before you submit your totals. If it were me I wouldn't do it. I haven't paid attention, is it common to take credit cards for fundraisers now?

Very nice. There are a few errors on your fundraiser page that need to be corrected, but other than that, it looks perfect.

Steer clear of those folks. Take a look at their website. http://netinchina.org.cn/Aboutus.aspx Pretty sad for a site selling web domains to have their own site full of boo-boos.

I don't have a source for you right now, but I can tell you--stay away from any that only cost $.79 or $1. I went all cheap and bought some and they scorch. Stick with a name brand like Candle Cappers (available at retail stores like Linens & Things or Bed Bath & Beyond). Buying them at wholesale is more expensive (maybe $3 each) but well worth the difference in quality. After I tried the cheap ones and saw how inferior they were, I never even put them out for sale.

You know it's not a good thing when someone starts out saying "since you asked," but here goes... I understand where you're coming from and wanting to protect yourself, but this is way over the top. I would have to wonder whether a business owner would even be willing to read all the information to the end before they decided to look elsewhere for their candles. I've never heard of a buyer having to get an order form/agreement notarized to buy $100 worth of candles. If you expect to be taken seriously as a business, then you'll have to make your policies look legitimate. It is very obvious by your policies that you have been taken advantage of in the past, and now you expect everyone else to pay the price. If you're so afraid of being ripped off, just make them pay 100% for everything up front. Businesses are used to that. Remember, the customer is doing you the favor by purchasing from you, you're not doing them a favor by letting them spend their money with you--they can take it anywhere. They don't care how much selling wholesale benefits you, they only care what benefits them. It seems like your information reads more like random thoughts in your head, not a finished document. First you say you don't want to do private label, then you give prices for doing private label. You say wax, fragrance oils, and the suppliers you get them from are trade secrets and may not be copied. How are you going to prevent anybody from buying from any of your suppliers? Those cannot be considered trade secrets. I think your wholesale document needs a bit more fine-tuning before you publish it.

Was the candle she was burning a free sample? A lot of people will quickly snap up any free item you offer to try before you buy with no intention of ever buying anything and will later make up phoney reasons why they aren't interested in buying them. Another theory, maybe she's a smoker. A lot of smokers reek of nicotine and don't have an accurate sense of smell. Their noses are just messed up. Tell her you would like the candle back to analyze it, because hers is the first complaint you've ever had and you're very concerned, because quality is your top priority. Then give her the alternate candle and assure her that the second candle will be fragranced throughout.

Who do you plan on reporting this to, and do you think they will accept hearsay information?

I can't imagine that product being a big hit for them. But there have been wax candies--wax lips, harmonicas and drink bottles that kids ate in the 70's without any harm. I guess the candle wouldn't be too much different.

Here are some potential sources that don't require 100 pcs. http://www.kitsforcrafts.com/pack/pack_desc.asp?product_id=acesoapbox&cat=Acetate http://www.canwax.shoppingcartsplus.com/catalog/item/623336/3253708.htm http://www.goplanetearth.com/gift_boxes.html#BO3 http://www.cierracandles.com/detail.aspx?ID=2799 http://www.naturesgardencandles.com/candlemaking-soap-supplies/item/Pack-4 If nothing else, you might go in with a few other people and split the cost of a case.

Here's some info on it from an old thread: http://www.candletech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19770&highlight=VOIP

In my opinion, she's a supplier who doesn't get nearly the praise she deserves. She doesn't have a huge range of products, but what she does have is priced competitively, and I can't think of another supplier who can top her customer service. I wish she carried FO's, but sometimes you're better off just focusing on a few things and doing it right, rather than trying to be all things to all people.

As I said in my post, I think free candles is certainly more of an incentive than a discount. Kandlekrazy's plan for free candles per $100 worth of sales sounds like a reasonable one. But then again, only you know if that is something feasible for you based on your cost for making candles and what you charge for them.

Without knowing how you price your candles, it sounds kind of chintzy to me. How much do you have invested in a single candle? How badly do you want business? Giving her free candles will probably mean she will work much harder for you than offering her a 20% discount for selling $50 worth of merchandise for you. People who sell sell ready made goods (like Home Interior, etc.) and recruit others can't offer substantial discounts because they don't make the products themselves. You are in a unique position to do that.

I just sent you a pm, but maybe a simple answer is all I need. What material do you use to print your art on? The tiles I saw in a store don't look like they used clear labels, which is the only thing I thought of to make them.

Non compete isn't relative here either. But maybe you're on to something. Maybe they meant offering exclusive territory. That's about the only thing that makes sense to me.

Typically, disclosure agreements are only necessary to protect proprietary information. You see them used with employees and perhaps with other businesses that you rely upon to manufacture your products. It does not seem practical in any way that I can imagine for use with wholesale or retail policies. A retailer would not be privy to how you make your candles, where you buy your supplies, etc. It seems to me that disclosure would be the best tool for selling more candles!

Why would they?

If a retailer approaches you for wholesale policies but doesn't like that you have an online store, explain the advantage they have over your online business--their customers can smell the product in person before they buy it. There is not a limit on what they can charge for the candles they buy from you. You may charge them $2.50 each, but it doesn't mean they can only get $5 for them. They can charge $10 or $12, depending on what their particular market will bear as well as their salesmanship. Another positive is the ability they will have to promote your candles as locally made (assuming you're not going after out of state accounts). Shoppers love to buy quality products made in their home state. Most gift shops will be filled with items imported from China that can be found in every other gift store. Yet another possibility is that your website can actually enhance their sales. Customers can see what the latest fragrances are by visiting your site. The gift shop will be catering to the locals. Your website can potentially cater to anyone across the globe, so you're not really going after the same customers.