Candle making can be great fun. Some people choose to take their love of this art and make money doing what they love to spend their time doing. There are many areas of the candle making business that you need to consider before embarking on such an adventure. Knowing how to make quality candles is not enough. You need to educate yourself on ways to promote your candles, order supplies, offer customer service, and price your candles.
We all know that candles are a very popular item, so there is a market for such products. But that market can't buy your candles if they don't know about it. You will need to create a plan including where you plan to sell your candles and then figure out a way to get attention for them. There are many places where candles are sold. You can do this from your home or rent space at craft shows. Word of mouth often results in orders. You can also choose to advertise on the Internet.
Online advertising can be expensive, but it doesn't have to be. Write about your business on a blog or buy services from a web hosting company. They often offer excellent tools for setting up a website and driving traffic to your website. In addition, they handle shopping cart processing and even credit card processing for you. Most web hosting companies charge $20 per month, which is not a bad investment.
Placing candles on Ebay or other online auction sites is a great way to generate sales. As you gather feedback to sell a quality product, you will get more buyers. Before you can do any advertising, you will need to decide what types of candles you will be selling. You will generate more sales if you show pictures of your work with each type of candle you sell. People buying candles want to visualize the product they are buying. Once your business starts to show a profit, consider buying inventory in bulk to get a discount.
The secret to a successful candle business is selling the product at a fair enough price that the consumer will buy it. However, you also need to cover the cost of your time and supplies while making a reasonable profit. Don't be tempted to cut back on the quality of your stock, as this can make a huge difference to the quality of your product. Once it is said that your quality is poor, you will have a hard time keeping the sale.
Offer promotions to build business. You can offer free shipping for your candle products on online auction sites to give you an edge over the competition. Many auction surfers will buy a product with free shipping over a product with low shipping. You can also offer a free candle when you buy three or even send a personalized card if the buyer will be using the candle as a gift.
Many successful candle companies offer personalized service. This means that customers can request a specific type of candle in a color and you will make it for them. This often costs the customer more, but they are likely willing to pay for it. Before embarking on such a project, make sure you communicate well with your customers and know exactly what they want.
Every business has problems that arise. That is to be expected. Customers are likely to be more forgiving of such problems if they are provided with quality customer service. Make sure customers have a way to get in touch with you. Work out a solution to all the problems that you both are happy with. It is best to outline your return policy on your website as well so that there is a place where customers can view such information.
Deciding to start your own business is an amazing and exciting time. Selling your own candles gives you a business where you can be proud of the quality product you make. Taking the time to learn the basics of the business before you jump in will help ensure that it is a fun venture for you and hopefully quite profitable.
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