Caroline Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 I hope it's ok to post it here instead of the business one, I wasn't sure which one I should do. I am just wondering who here sells their melt and pour soap, and is good at it? I am wanting to sell m&p soap at our local farmers market this year, but I'm just wondering at the response since it is not the cp soap. Thanks! Caroline Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raggedy Dani Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 are you looking to make some or to wholesale some??I make MP soap. Not just Primitive MP soap but reg MP soaps.Just wondering exactly what it is you're looking for?Dani Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jldorrington Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 i make it. if your gonna make it play with it. my biggest seller is my oatmeal scrubbie soap i use a goats milk base add ground oatmeal, honey and powdered goats milk everyone loves it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sockmonkey Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 My experience is that most people don't care or know the difference between m&p and cp soaps (unless they make soaps themselves).People will buy your soap based upon what it looks like and what it smells like. But even though it's m&p you should still know your ingredients to be able to talk it up and tell people, for example, that it has goat's milk added for extra mildness. Once they hear that, usually it's all they need to hear. Most soap buyers will be familiar with buzzwords like goat's milk, shea butter, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumpy Girl Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 I never had much luck moving regular MP soap at shows or locally, but I sell the crap out of embedded fishy slices MP soap. Around here, it's got to catch their eye, they don't care what's in it or how good it is for their skin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisR Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 My experience is that most people don't care or know the difference between m&p and cp soaps (unless they make soaps themselves).I have to heartily disagree with this statement. More and more people are reading ingredients in this day and age and can immediately tell the difference between a lot of the surfacants listed in M & P ingredients list and just oils, butters and lye listed in CP soap. I never underestimate my customer's knowledge of the products they buy........it can bite you in the butt if you do!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapermom Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 I have to heartily disagree with this statement. More and more people are reading ingredients in this day and age and can immediately tell the difference between a lot of the surfacants listed in M & P ingredients list and just oils, butters and lye listed in CP soap. I never underestimate my customer's knowledge of the products they buy........it can bite you in the butt if you do!! I agree with you both in part.. its about knowing your clientele.My clientele, rarely read my labels, unless they have an allergy, they buy with thier eyes and noses. I know this is subject to change based on venue, so if I move it could be totally different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline Posted February 28, 2007 Author Share Posted February 28, 2007 Thanks for all of the responses! Yes, I am looking to making it myself. I hope that it goes over well! I'm in Missouri, and it will be a nice town that I'm selling, so we will see. "use a goats milk base add ground oatmeal, honey and powdered goats milk everyone loves it" That sounds wonderful! So you take oatmeal, and just blend in the blender, then add? Should I just add ingred. till it looks right?Also, do you all take supplies, then x by 3 to get your price? That is what I have read to do. I guess I'm just nervous to be asking people to pay 3-5 dollars per bar of soap for melt and pour. If people would pay that, great! Is that the price you all normally charge? Thank you so much for your replies, it helps me out a lot!Caroline Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sockmonkey Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 I don't know where you sell your soaps Chris, but I'm speaking from my personal experience. I sell my m&p soaps in my store at $5 per bar, as well as wholesale to other gift shops, and I have yet to have one single person ask me about surfactants, or for that matter, how I make my soap at all.I stand by my original statment that most people don't know the difference, or care. The people who are reading labels are doing so for a reason. If they are educated in soapmaking, or have allergies they are looking for specific things to avoid. How is that a problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sudsnwicks Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 Yes, more and more people are reading ingredients these days. But even now, they are still in the minority. Of course, if that's your target audience, then you would want to be sure to get a good M&P base. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisR Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 Sockmonkey I never said it was a problem.......I said more and more customers know the difference between ingredients listed for M & P soaps and CP soaps and do read labels and not just those with allergies. It's not just soaps, it's all products people are becoming more aware of what they contain. Natural and/or organic products and foods are booming because people ARE educating themselves and demanding less chemicals in their everyday lives!! They may not be in your area, but in mine they are.......different strokes for different folks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sockmonkey Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 When you say something will bite you in the ass, to me, that means it's a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisR Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 I guess you can read it anyway you want. I just personally don't underestimate the intelligence of my customers by saying they don't know or care about differences in products!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michi Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 I sell both, and find that most people who buy the M&P soaps are looking for aesthetics-cutesy soaps that smell good!I agree more and more people are looking at labels nowadays, but again, it really depends on your region etc. Living in CA it's all about the "au natural" lately, and yet I still sell LOTS of "cutesy" soaps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CareBear Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 I think that one thing that goes over big especially in farmers' markets (around here, from a shoppers POV, I don't sell yet) is soap made from local ingredients. So if you can add something produced locally you could probably sell either (local beeswax, for example, or herbal extracts or something). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jldorrington Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 Thanks for all of the responses! Yes, I am looking to making it myself. I hope that it goes over well! I'm in Missouri, and it will be a nice town that I'm selling, so we will see. "use a goats milk base add ground oatmeal, honey and powdered goats milk everyone loves it"That sounds wonderful! So you take oatmeal, and just blend in the blender, then add? Should I just add ingred. till it looks right?Also, do you all take supplies, then x by 3 to get your price? That is what I have read to do. I guess I'm just nervous to be asking people to pay 3-5 dollars per bar of soap for melt and pour. If people would pay that, great! Is that the price you all normally charge?Thank you so much for your replies, it helps me out a lot!Carolineyeah for 2lbs of gaotsmilk i add about 2tbsp of honey 2 tbsp of powdered goats milk let it form a skin mix the skin in and add about a cup of oatmeal.. i pour it a little warm so some of the oatmeal suspends and some settles on the bottom i pour into a silicone muffin pan and charge $3 a bar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 I use a honey base M&P and add honey I get from a local bee farmer. It either sells like crazy at one show or barely sells at another. It does well overall thou.I sell more soap than candles since I added the soap. I gotta say people love to pick em up and sniff em. When they do that the soaps sell themselves. I label them and also put up signs so they know if its got shea or cocoa butter, etc. I often felt the same that people tend to buy by the smell and appearance more so than whats in it. Hardly anyone asks. But like I said I do label them so maybe thats why. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline Posted March 2, 2007 Author Share Posted March 2, 2007 Thanks so much for your replies! One more question...Do you all wrap and label each bar of soap, or do you just put up one sign and leave your soap unwrapped for selling? I'm leaning towards leaving it unwrapped, and having a sign for each type of soap saying what is in it. Do you think that would be good? I love the bare soap look. I think that the SFIC base is good enough that I could leave it unwrapped in the heat. Any thoughts on this?Caroline Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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