sockmonkey

I like that name--"butter nuggets."

I found a way that works for me to keep those dang tubes from falling over. I used ice cube trays, filled the cavities with epsom salts and stuck my tubes in the cavities. That allowed my tubes to stay put and the salt caught any excess wax, which when hardened easily flaked off in a solid piece. I guess if you're frugal you could keep those pieces and add them to a salt scrub. It's a very cheap solution for anyone who doesn't want to pay for a real holder which can cost $35. I bought ice cube trays 3/$1 at the Dollar General Store, and we all know how cheap epsom salt is.

I just checked out their link, and discovered that it is expensive! To me, the whole thing just seems too time consuming. Pour your water, drop in the powder, wait 5 minutes, soak, pour in dissolving powder, add more water, wait 15 minutes, drain. Then, when you go to order you basically receive a warning telling you not to copy their stuff. It's probably nothing more than Knox gelatin with color and fragrance added anyway.

I don't know if these might work for you, but I've found the company to be very reliable and has super speedy delivery: http://elementsbathandbody.com/1-oz-Shallow-Tin-w-Lid-pr-411.html

I grew up there. I wish I could take that class--the price sounds like a bargain. Do you think you might be willing to post some of the tips you learn there? I'm sure everyone would appreciate it very much.

I haven't tried theirs, but I bought some spray lotion at a retail store, and I once I got it home and tried it, I thought it was pretty stupid. I don't even see that stuff marketed anymore, so I guess a lot of people might think the same way. It's nothing more than super thin lotion.

This business arrangement seems unusual to me. In my business dealings, I am free to order directly from the vendor or through a rep. I have never ever seen any type of agreement from any merchant specifying how I must order my products. Companies can send reps to my store and I can order through them, or I can go online and order. I have had a rep tell me that it doesn't matter if I go online or not, because they will still be getting a commission since I was their assigned account. Of course, they would rather I deal with them personally, because they can show me all of their new stuff, etc. Most of the time I prefer to order online just because I don't like the reps wasting my day and trying to sell me things I don't want. I tell you this just because I'm certain that in most cases, this situation is resolved between supplier and their rep, not the supplier and the merchant. Telling the merchant they must order from you and not a rep seems unprofessional. I think I understand why you want it that way--to avoid having to pay commission, but I don't think many businesses are actually told how they have to order.

Don't put the burden on the store--they should be able to go what ever route is most convenient for them. The burden should have been on you to think of these things first. I know, a lot of things never occur to you until after the fact, but now it's a lesson learned. Some businesses will have contracts that exclude commission to sales reps on accounts already in existence, and give commission only on sales to new accounts. Your rep should have received a list of accounts when she was hired for the job. If this account was already ordering from you on a regular basis, I see no need to quite some time since they ordered, then perhaps you should pay commission. Another alternative is to pay commission, but on a lesser scale (maybe 1/2 to 1/4) of the regular amount. Whatever you decide I suggest you sit down with your rep now to address the issue before it happens again.

This is pathetic. If you know that there are people here who work for the owner, why not just send them a PM? They are very easy to find. This is total abuse of CT in my opinion. Since August, this place seems to have become a forum for DIY questions, and a way to promote individual DIY sites. It is preposterous that CT should serve as an information branch for the DIY web owner.

I bought their beeswax and it was fine. I bought some from a different supplier that had a strong odor to it, so I switched to SC and was happy. They were quick to deliver and offered great customer service.

I'm just curious how long you've been making b&b products. Of course, since you ask if you're forgetting anything, you know what's going to come up...insurance. Have you got that covered?

Gold Canyon is a "home party" type of candle supplier. He probably wasn't really buying in a true wholesale fashion at all. I think he just wanted to buy your candles at a reduced price. Does he have a store, or how does he plan on selling them? I could see a person wanting one candle to see how it burns before making an investment, but buying 5 or 6, 10 or 12 is just personal shopping in my opinion.

Bullying might work for you, but it might not work for everyone. What appears to work in one instance can result in a bridge that gets burned for future ones. If the promoter is acting like the first one in gets the spot, then why hold on to the check for so long? Before I would attempt to get nasty with her, I would let her know that I was puzzled by the fact that you didn't receive a spot, since you are a repeat vendor and you only recently had your check returned. Then I would ask her if they don't give preference to returning vendors, since in your experience that's the way most shows are run. I would explain that since things appeared to progress as they had every year, you assumed you were accepted and now you have an overflow of inventory and no way to get rid of it. If she doesn't bite at that and scrounge up a booth for you, ask if she can help you out with a discount for next year's show, because you think they really dropped the ball this time. As a loyal vendor, I think they owe you something for this major inconvenience. I wound up getting free booth space at a show once because I complained about they way things were handled. I wasn't nasty about it--I just explained that I was out a lot of money because of the way they mis-managed their show.

Suppliers that don't allow you to use your own UPS number must be making a lot of money off of shipping--why else would they begrudge a person saving a few bucks? Doesn't it seem more likely that a person might order an extra bottle of FO with the money they save on shipping when they can use their own account?

I would like to try more of their stuff, but I think their shipping is way too high.

Aren't they a Canadian company? I don't do business with Canadian companies because in the past it took a long time for merchandise to clear customs, so I don't bother anymore. Then there's the whole exchange rate...

Does he have dry or itchy skin anywhere else? So many things could be at the root of the problem. It could be over productive oil glands, thyroid problems, excema, psoriasis, or vitamin deficiency as a few reasons for the condition, which might warrant a trip to the doctor.

It appears to me that Sweet Cupcake is doing nothing more than selling SMC crap judging by the descriptions. I did not wait long enough to see the junk load, but the titles tell it all.

I'm new at making them, but I've yielded a couple of good batches. I've also made some duds. Right now, I'm looking at one from a bad batch and one from a good batch. I used the exact same recipe and got drastically different results. I'll have to post a picture later.

I think it's better to have a small booth packed with too much inventory than a large booth with a lot of empty space. I've gone past booths like that, and it makes it look like the seller is someone just starting out or something when they don't have a lot of inventory.

The SFIC base you're using could make a difference. I use their goat's milk, cocoa butter, shea, and oatmeal bases, and I can tell you that the cocoa butter and oatmeal bases make much more firm bars than the goat's milk. I don't consider what I make with the the goat's milk or shea "soft," but there definitely is a difference. PrairieAnnie gave me a tip to add beeswax to make a harder bar (I hope she doesn't mind me sharing). You could do the same with cocoa butter. Here's a tip. Melt it all together. It takes a while, but you'll end up saving time in the long run. The first time I melted beeswax with m&p I thought it took too darn long for the beeswax to melt, so I got the big idea of melting it in the microwave and then adding it into my melting pot with the liquified m&p. Bad move. The beeswax was way hotter than the m&p, so when I poured it into the soap it solidifed again, so I had to stir, and stir, and stir to get it fully incorporated into the soap.

You can raise the price on your site. You could give the people who buy one of your candles in person your card with a discount code on it to use when they check out on the web. That way, they continue to get the lower price that they expect, and you won't be missing out on extra dollars from first time buyers.

I've heard of TricorBraun. They are huge, and supply a few well known suppliers with at least some of their products.

I think you've got the right attitude Lynn. You know your market. Some people never understand that no matter how great their candle is, it doesn't mean people will be willing to pay over a certain amount for them. It's easier to sell a candle for $5, than it is for $20, or even $12. I've seen people at craft shows (and wholesale shows) that ask way too much for their stuff, and as a result end up not making any sales. For some people I think it's a matter of pride, like their personal self worth is tied to how much they can get for their candles, and they don't really concern themselves with the actual market value of their product.

We criticize Hallmark and others for their expensive candles and sometimes expect that sellers at craft shows ought to be getting the same prices because they consider what they make better than what Hallmark offers. A lot of it is just how you market yourself, but honestly, most people would not be willing to shell out as much for homemade candles at a craft show as they would for a candle purchased in a well-lit brick and mortar store. Most crafters do not have anywhere close to the same expenses Hallmarks and other retail shops do. Rent can run in the thousands; they have to pay commercial rates for their utilities (which are substantially more than residential rates); they have advertising costs; they also have additional inventory in their shops worth thousands, hundreds of thousands, and for larger chains, millions; they also have insurance to pay which of course, costs more than a homeowners policy (that is not even aware the homeowner is making candles or b&; they have employees to pay among other expenses. Since the Hallmark and other retailers don't make their own candles, they have to pay wholesale for them, so assume they paid $12 for that $24 candle. You might be able to make the same candle for $3. Now who do you think is really making more money if you could sell that same candle for $24--even if you sold it for $12? When you look at it like that, the $24 candle in the Hallmark store doesn't really sound like they're asking too much for it.