sockmonkey

That's interesting to know. I did wonder how many employees they had. It's funny, with the internet you really don't have any way of knowing how large or small a company is. If you have an impressive website you can really give the impression you are a successful, trustworthy company, and I might order from that company. Yet, there are businesses who may have websites that are hardly professional in appearance, containing spelling and grammar errors, and I would never order from that company, yet they may have the best products and customer service around. I dont' know if I will ever order from them again. Anyone can make a mistake. If this company would have done what they promised originally after my first phone call, I would not have a second thought about ordering from them again. But, they didn't. I have already waited a month and a half to get what I was promised, and as of 1/22/06, I still don't have it. I think as long as a company is willing to correct a mistake and treats you with respect, they are meeting minimum expectations. I want to do business with a company that will exceed minimum expectations. How could they have exceeded my expectations? #1) They could have shipped my order the same day I called about it. #2) They could have offered a discount or coupon for my next order because of the "inconvenience." #3) They could have responded to my inquiries in a timely manner--meaning the same day.

If you have lids, couldn't you put your label inside the lid so that "advertising" wouldn't hinder the appearance of the candle? I wouldn't be opposed to a tag. I think most candle buyers would rather have a clean jar, than one with a label on it.

Fortunately, I never ordered from this lady. But I have to say, after reading numerous posts about her, this latest round of excuses sounds like a total load of garbage. How can she possibly pretend she was unaware of problems? You know she had to be receiving emails or phonecalls from irate customers on a regular basis, so why didn't she start investigating when she noticed a trend of emails asking "where's my order?" I like the way she's placing the burden of straightening up this mess on her customers. I learned the hard way from a different supplier, one excuse after another probably means you won't be getting your stuff. For this lady (candleandsoapstuff), who was trusted with your credit card number to come back and say she doesn't know who got their orders or not, tells me it's very risky to provide her with that information again. It's probably best to contact your credit card company IMMEDIATELY to see if they can reverse the charges on your card. I'm in the beginning steps of doing this myself. I foolishly waited too long before I contacted my credit card company. Now I have to write a letter to the credit card company to "dispute the charges," stating the issue--I was charged and never received my merchandise, and send a bunch of supporting material as evidence before anything can be done. I believe they told me I had 118 days from the date of the charge for them to automatically credit my account upon my request. I was unware of the time limitation they have, so now I'm stuck doing extra work I shouldn't have to do. Good luck to everyone. I hope this gets resolved quickly.

If you could use a 3 oz lotion bar, WSP has substantiall lower prices ($.25 or less) : http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/ProductDetail.aspx?Tab=4&CatalogID=9&CatalogTitle=Containers+And+Packaging&ProductID=5051

UPDATE: I was finally contacted by email one week after my last email to them. They apologized for the delay and said they would be shipping the goody bag.

Forget about 'em. There are too many companies out there you can do business with to waste your time with them. I had a situation with Snowdrift Farms--I'm still trying to get my free "goody bag" of samples from them. They had an offer in November and December, that if you spent $65 you would get a free goody bag that contained 5 samples of various products to try. Well, my order for the things I needed came to $46, so I added additional products I could use to get to the amount needed for them to give me the goody bag. I got the items I paid for, but never received the goody bag, and that really irritates me. I called them in December, and I was assured they would send it out right away. I called again in January and left a message, and never received a return call, so I sent an email and they still have not offered the courtesy of a reply. I called again, and got their answering machine again, but I didn't waste my breath with a message this time. This was my first time ordering with them, and I'm sure it will be my last. I don't believe in giving my money to companies who fail to communicate with their customers and do not honor thier obligations. How stupid can companies be to not provide customers with samples--especially ones you have to pay for! What better way is there to get people to buy your products than for them to try it for themselves? The only thing we can do is to share information with others when we have received poor customer service to prevent others the same aggravation.

Oh my God, $30 for peanuts! How much did you get? I've thrown so much of that stuff away, I can't stand it. I would have gladly sent it free of charge to ANYONE for just what it costs to ship it, or to swap for some oil or something. Maybe we should I should start a recycling program for peanuts. Well, now that Christmas is over a lot of shipping is over, so I shouldn't be seeing so many peanuts. But, I do have Yankees on the way, so I will have a lot of cardboard packing for the 22oz jars. It's a heavy duty molded cardboard that the 22oz jars sit in--sort of like what loose apples sit in at the grocery store. Could anyone use those?

The first thing I noticed was that the header says "wholesale soy lotion", but nowhere on the first page is there a photo of your lotion.

You need to contact your state's Department of Revenue. They can provide you with information about requirements for obtaining tax ID's. If you're selling stuff you're supposed to be collecting tax. Plenty of people work fleamarkets and craft fairs and don't. They are breaking the law. As far a zoning goes, yes, you should inquire with your Board of Zoning to find out if you can legally manufacture candles in your home. I don't know what scale you plan on doing, but if you're keeping a large volume of flammable liquids (fragrance oils, etc.), I think that's something the fire department and your neighbors would want to know. Zoning looks into things like that as well as traffic issues that might develop--such as if 18-wheelers will be making deliveries in your residential area, or if chemicals might leak into the sewers, etc. There are thousands of people who make candles out of their homes and who sell without collecting taxes, and their all getting away with it. Then there are those who make someone mad and suddenly the IRS gets a little tip about their home-based operations. Just a few things to think about...

I think Hobby Lobby has them. Look in their crafts section around the stained glass. Hardware stores might possibly have them.

Anyone ever order from them? I placed an order at the end of November for some bottles and I think I got a real good deal on them. It was my first time ordering from them and I saw that I could get a "free goody bag" of 5 samples if my order was over a certain amount. Since it was my first time ordering and I wasn't familiar with their products, I decided to bump my order up to meet the purchase amount I needed in order to get the free stuff. I think it took about 2 weeks to get my order, and when it came I did not receive the free samples. I called them to let them know I didn't get them and they said they would send them right out. A couple of weeks have past since that call and still no samples, so I sent them an email telling them how disappointed I was not to get them, because I have literally spent thousands of dollars on products because of samples I was able to try. To date, they still have not responded to my email. Anybody else have trouble getting "free samples" from them?

When you called the company did you only speak to one person? I'm wondering if you called and asked to speak to a manager or owner if you might get a different result. As an owner/manager I would want to know if my employee was rude to a customer. I would also want to know if my packing/shipping department was not doing their job correctly. I would certainly call back and ask for the supervisor of the person you spoke to previously about this matter. Hopefully, the person you spoke to wasn't the owner! Politely explain that you thought they would want to be informed of the quality of customer service their employee is providing by telling you never to order from them again. Then describe how your order got goofed up, etc. Maybe getting through to the right person will help you solve your problem.

You're only looking at this from one point of view. What you said that I've highlighted works both ways. The sender show UPS delivered the package, but they don't have a signature. You sent the package back to them and you don't have a signature for that either. Does your receipt just show how much money you were charged, plus the zip code, or does it have their address written on it somewhere? If the address doesn't show up on the receipt how can you prove where you sent it to? How is this company supposed to know that they sent you the wrong product if they never get it back to verify it? According to their paperwork they sent what you ordered. Is it good customer relations to treat you the way they did? No. Some companies would have sucked it up and simply sent out the correct product to you at no charge, without you having to return anything because it was THEIR mistake. That is the way to handle problems in order to keep your valued customers. Does every company do that? No--just the smart ones.

It's obvious from the link someone supplied that the graphics/design are really what is for sale. The supplies being sold seem scant for someone in business raises a red flag to me.

You can't just sue your supplier. You'll also have to go after UPS, and good luck suing them. They are the ones who negligently left the package without a signature. Did you inform your supplier not to send deliveries on the day you are closed? If you didn't, that would be construed as negligence on your part. The supplier isn't obligated to give you a refund for items it never received back. I'm sure now you realize the value of always getting a delivery confirmation when using the post office for returns. It sucks what happened to you. How many dollars did you lose over the special order? You need to take a look at that, plus the cost of small claims court fees and determine if it's really cost effective to take any action. Do you need any recommendations for new suppliers?

Interesting...I never really thought of fear of success--more like fear of no success. I've got a retail store, and recently started selling lotions that I make from pre-made bases. I want to get out of gifty shop type merchandise and focus on just lotions and stuff. I sold a nice amount of lotions during Christmas and even sold more today (January is notoriously a slow month for me). I'm thrilled when people buy it and rave about it (knowing how ridiculously simple it was to do). I want to go up another level or two and do wholesale and internet. I see other people doing it, and I question whether I could be successful at it. But then I think why wouldn't I? It seems like success is always for other people. It's hard to imagine that I could work hard enough to ever become the next Bath & Body Works. But, someone else did. What's the difference between those people and all of us sitting around talking about doing stuff? It's just a matter of committing to it and getting off my lazy but to make things happen.

I don't know if that is a good deal or not, but I would ask these questions-- 1) Why is she selling the business? 2) What will keep her from starting another company with a new name, but selling the same candles, possibly to the same customers? 3) How much repeat business does she have? Don't be tempted into buying her business just because you are attracted to the look of the labels, etc. For less than $7000 you can take some candle making classes if you want, AND have labels designed and printed. So, it sounds like what you're really paying for is her customer base and her "proprietary" blend of wax. I'm not saying don't do it. I would hold off judgement until after some of the above questions are answered favorably, and you've tested her candles and LOVED them. If you aren't absolutely 100% THRILLED with the quality of the candles then I would say it's a no-go. You need to feel pride in the product you will be selling. Without it it can't be successful.

Oh yeah, you need to start collecting taxes immediately. Now that you've got your tax ID, they'll be waiting for it. Whatever you don't collect taxes on is what YOU will be responsible for paying. I don't know why someone would offer to pay taxes on a small order of $5 or less. It's usually the opposite--sometimes a company will pick up the taxes on a large ticket item. It seems that paying the tax for orders under $5 would encourage people to buy small amounts just so they wouldn't have to pay tax. I wouldn't want to attract customers who purchase only $5 or less at a time. I know it all adds up, but to me, it's annoying and a waste of supplies. Heaven forbid, if they want to charge it too.

It sounds like Kristine's pricing is in line with Bruce's. I believe both of them are in the business at this time. I would listen to them--it sounds like your idea of $1 per candle was right on target.

I love those frosted jars. I've never ordered from them, but I'm curious to know where they are located--something to consider when calculating shipping costs.

How about cozyaroma.com, thecozyaroma.com, cozyaromaz.com. None of those appear to be in use at this time. I'm with you about not changing your company's name. It's ridiculous to think about it, once you've got your license in place, and people have already bought your products--it would be foolish to change your name just for a website domain.

I understand where you're coming from Dust, however, there is nothing wrong with calling the competition and getting prices. Yes, you certainly will have to lie. It's done every day in business. It's a simple way for her to educate herself on what real businesses charge for their services and products. I think it would be a smart move on her part to do so. Learning what they charge does not change her costs, it only serves to give her a better idea of a price range she might be able to charge. She might learn another manufacturer would charge $5 for the same thing, or even $1.50. Either way, it should help provide justification in her mind, since she seems worried about asking for $1 per candle. Another good thing to do, is to ask the buyer if they have a budget in mind. She might learn they only expect to pay $.50 per candle, so she shouldn't be wasting her time with them. I disagree with you that it doesn't matter what the end use of the candles is for. It's absolutely important to know and understand your client's needs if you want to stay in business to gain repeat business. If this company Serk's dealing with is just going to use the candles as free giveaways to employees or possibly clients at a party, that's one thing, but if they intend on re-selling them, then they might have higher standards and could be watching the "bottom dollar" a lot more closely to maintain or increase their profit margins. I'm not suggesting she cower and ask for a pittance for her candles. She absolutely should make a profit off of her candles, and to make the most profit, she needs to understand her costs, including all of the extras she will be forced to buy if she gets the job. I don't know if that was already factored in or not. I also don't know what her financial circumstances are--whether this is a hobby or her occupation. I believe she said she had $.30 worth of materials per candle. How long do you think it will take to pour 2000 candles? Can it be done in a day? Is it reasonable to get $1 per candle plus whatever amount per hour in wages she would charge? For example, two 8 hour days x $10 per hour = $160 + $2000 = $2160 for the job, which then breaks down to $1.08 per candle. In my head it doesn't sound too bad, because when she said small candles, I'm thinking tealight size. Sometimes the amount you can get away with charging is actually a perceived value of the item. So, who knows? If we had a little more concrete information it would probably be helpful.

What about cozyarom-ahhs (even though it has the evil dash in it)? The thing is, if people are going to look you up, they likely already know your name. If they don't know about you, then it is more prudent to use the C for cozy.

Hey, don't go laying guilt trips on her because she might have gotten an opportunity for herself! Being too greedy could make her loose out all together. Who knows how many other people could possible be in line to get this job. Another question might be what these candles will be used for. Are they going to be re-sold, or are they give-aways? Is she acting as a sub-contractor for someone else? Who knows. There are large companies who could do the same job instead of her. Maybe this other company isn't aware of them. My advice is to contact one of the larger companies and get a price quote for yourself to see what they would charge for the same job to give you a guide as to what would be fair and realistic.

I would choose kozyaromas.com, not kozyaromasonline.com simply because the last one is too long. I wish I could find an email I received from a friend to show some examples. It was a bit about internet websites, and basically showed how people lose out on business because no one ever finds them due to their site's name, and the funky spellings and dashes they used that no one could remember or figure out. Sometimes you have no choice, but the best plans are always the most simple plans, I think.