Lids

[CandleMakinCutiePie]

A glass lid costs a frickin dollar.Are they that important?I gave out candles as gifts last Christmas,I paid over $2 a piece on a jar and lid.When i've gone over to peoples houses whom I gave candles to,the lids are nowhere to be seen.The candles are there but without lids on them.So,my question is,are they really that important?Once I test out all of my scents,I plan on selling my candles eventually.If I don't include a lid,I can charge $1 less for them.Yesterday I used press and seal on a couple of jars and just poked a small hole in the top so you could smell the scent.Thought about using a tulle circle and a ribbon to fancy it up a bit.Any thoughts?

[Wessex]

I think it depends on what type of customer you are going to be selling to. I think of the lid as part of the packaging and merchandising. It goes along with the labels, etc. Also, for a lid costing a dollar, the ideal markup would mean you would have to sell it for 3-4 dollars more. Would your customer be willing to pay that? Or you could always just charge the actual cost of the lid. We all know that the lid does not make the candle any better, but a customer may feel better buying a "classy" looking jar with lid. Don't get me wrong, there are many, many candles out there that look great without lids. There are also many candles with inserts and other nifty ways to close the top. But many of them are from big companies that have the funds to buy 10's of thousands of specially made lid-type thingies. To me, the lid is the cheapest way I have as a small manufacturer to make things look nice. So, it is pretty much up to you. Not much of an answer I know, LOL.

Of course, everyone is going to have a different take on this.

Cheers,

Steve

[Stella1952]

Lids serve many purposes. They help "seal in" the FO so the candle smells really great when the customer opens it. They also seal out fragrance and other odors that may be absorbed by the candle. It keeps people from touching the candle surface, so the candle will not become "shopworn." Lids keep out dust and fine particulate matter that exist even in the cleanest of homes. Lids give a more professional finished look to a container. Many chandlers do not just use lids, they also package their candles in boxes so that they display, ship and stack nicely. Presentation means quite a bit when selling!

Having said that, lids do add to the cost of a candle. When one is buying in small quantities, the unit price is far higher than when ordered in large quantities, by cases, pallets, etc. Until one can afford to order in large quantities, sometimes one has to lower their profit margin to accommodate for the higher price of materials to make their products competitively priced with other similar products. Are you aspiring to be a small hobby business or are you trying to actually make a reasonable income from candlemaking?

All of this depends on where you are marketing your candles, how many you can make and sell, etc. This is really more a question for the business forum than the veggie wax forum...

[jennyjo]

I use a more expensive lid on my jars because it makes a nice presentation....but I offer a recycling program to my customers. If they return the lid after the candle is done, they get 50 cents off the next candle. It saves me a lot of money because I wash and reuse them (the lids only, not the jar) and many of my regular customers participate. I reuse them as long as they look nice.

[chuck_35550]

Lids can be tricky. I used a jar that would only take lids with plastic fitments and the customers never could figure out how to get the lid off. I switched to a jar that used a lug (twists off) and comes with the jar and saved money. I would suggest using a plastic lid that just fits over the opening and maybe putting your label or warning label on it to improve appearance. I try to keep my jars well under a $1.00 apiece (lid and all). The only jars my customers won't buy are jelly. HTH

Steve

[Shewill5]

I just bought plastic lids that cover and have a center hole so that customers can still smell the fragrance. They look great and are very inexpensive.

Personally, I always threw away the lids on the Yankee jars because I had toppers prior to candle making and my fave candles came from a local small business that didn't use toppers at all but cheap cello wrapping. Quality comes in all kinds of packaging.

[blwoods]

I get my jars from The Jar Store. The majority of their jars come with the flat glass lid, included in the price. When I order in bulk, I can get my jar with lid for .94. Even if I don't order in bulk, I can get my particular jar for 1.24.

Depending on where you live, shipping could be bad. I live ner enough to DFW where I just drive in for my supplies from various suppliers once or twice a quarter.

[CandleMakinCutiePie]

Thanks for the comments.I think I will probably get lids.I just need to find a supplier close enough to me so I don't have to pay the outrageous cost of shipping.I do like the idea of the plastic lids,as long as I can find them in the right size for the jars i'm using.Thanks again.