Teach Soap

I was at my Farmer's Market booth this morning when one of the local store owners asked me to come by her shop after the market ended. She said she had a business proposition for me. Intrigued, I went. Her store is in an old house and she rents out space to people to sell their goods. One room was antiques, another area had crocheted items, etc. The entire upstairs was clothing. Everything was very upscale and not like a flea market. She said that she liked my soap and wanted to know if I would be interested in renting some shelving space from her to sell my soaps. She would rent me the space for a certain amount per month, I would keep it stocked with product and she would handle all the sales, taking 10% of each sale. Honestly, I had never considered this and told her so. She also mentioned that if I didn't want to do that, she would buy soap from me wholesale, which sounds like a better deal for me right now, as I wouldn't have any additional expenses.

She gets a lot of tourists in her shop and they love BIG bars of handmade soap so much that she can't keep it in stock. I'm really interested in following up on this, but it would mean creating an entirely new line of 6 oz. bars. (mine are all 4-4.25 oz) I only have enough stock now to get me through the next couple of months at the Farmer's Market. I'll be working on Fall/Winter soaps over the next several weeks so they'll be ready for sale in late August. I don't have enough stock to try and wholesale anything at this point. I would welcome any advice or suggestions on how to proceed with this. Thanks!

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

Go with wholesale. I will not do consignment again. I've had too many problems.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

That was my thinking as well. I really don't want to pay to have a space in her store and then have her take 10% of each sale. I'll have to talk to her about wholesale and find out how many soaps she wants, etc. It will be at least 6 weeks before I can get anything to her. Darn cure time!

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

Congrats Linda! You are doing so fantastic. Did she buy a bar of your soap and try it? I am assuming so. Not that I sell, but consignment is alot more risky - damaged bars, stolen bars, stock that does not sell, more money on your end. It would be interesting to hear from someone with a buisness major as to the comparison of the two forms of sales. If you take your loaf mold and cut so that you get 6 bars will they hit the 6 oz mark? I don't think I could get 6 oz bars out of my slab mold.

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Susie
Sometimes A Mistake is so much fun, You just have to do it again!

Linda, I don't know if you have a slab or log mold, but with the cutting guide I use with my log molds, I have an option to cut either one or two inches wide.

I've always used the one-inch for the whole log, but I'm thinking about alternating on a single log, so I'd have some at one and some at two-inch width from the same log. My one-inchers are about four ounces after curing, so I'm guessing the two-inch width would be about eight.

Anita

You could ask to talk to other vendors in her shop. That would give you an idea if it's worth it. My best set up is a consignment. They sell a lot more than the places I wholesale to, and they take less than my wholesale discount. it can work out well!

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Lesli Sagan
Avital's Apiaries
Like us: http://www.facebook.com/AvitalsApiaries

Anita, I have both log & slab molds. I usually do 2# batches and in my slab mold it makes 9 bars that weigh about 4.5 oz. each. I could always increase my batch size to do a thicker pour and increase the finished bar weight to 6 oz.

Mellifera, it's not a true consignment deal - I would have to pay a monthly rent for the space in addition to her taking a percentage of each sale. She wants me to fill an entire bookshelf with my soap/lotions and there's no way I can do that much product right now. I'm going to talk with her about wholesale for now and maybe doing the other next year if my soaps sell well.

Thanks, Susie! Yes, she did try the soap and she also likes the packaging, etc. I'm so glad I changed my labels. I'm going to make 2 batches of soap - one in the loaf and one in the slab mold - and cut them differently to see if I can get a true 6 oz bar. I should be able to cut the loaf slices 1.5 inches thick to get a 6 oz. We shall see!

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

That's so exciting! I'd also go with the wholesale deal - and give her a time frame that's reasonable for you and works with your schedule. Maybe set a delivery date for 60 days out?

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

I would write up a wholesale sheet with your terms. Not all of my bars have the same price for wholesale.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

Linda, that is awesome!!! Congrats!!

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Debbie

I sell wholesale but the order has to be a $30 minimum. I also sell consignment but I have the greatest deal. The store only charges $20 per month for the space & they take no commission. The lady running the store sells her product also but she just wants to help the local artisans in our area & our main street!!!

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!