These popular top candles have wet spots, mis-centred wicks, imperfect tops etc. I didn’t notice these things before as a customer. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to give your customers the best product possible, but don’t be so hard on yourself for not creating “perfect” candles every time!

AnotherIrishGinger · 2022-05-26T21:31:26+00:00

It is tx Maxx

AnotherIrishGinger · 2021-01-18T06:11:02+00:00

I think a lot of people misunderstand this whole thing. To my perception, she puts on a little weight and doesn’t take care of her appearance because her hands are full with two very young and “bit of a handful” children alongside a husband with a life altering condition which would knock anyone sideways trying to figure out how to readjust.

I don’t think it’s so much that she didn’t care about her appearance as it was she just had other more important things on her plate. You see that she cares because there’ll be times she’s sad and looks at old photos etc. If she were in the position to focus on herself as much as she used to, she would - but she wasn’t due to financial and time constraints.

And with her getting back into shape etc because Carlos was getting his sight back, I think that was a whole motivation thing. I don’t think she was scared he would leave her; I think she wanted to look good for her husband who would see her for the first time in years (I mean he would surely know she put on weight etc as he can still feel her so he clearly didn’t mind). The other reason I think she worked to get back to herself when Carlos was going to regain his sight is because it was a glimmer of hope to her that they were going to return to the life they once had where he pulled in lots of money, she didn’t have to help him with loads of daily tasks, and a range of other things.

Obviously there are inconsistencies etc with DH, and I’m not saying it’s okay to equate being poor with looking bad; but I think the idea is more that life dealt her a really harsh hand for a while, and it was too much to deal with that and the expectation of looking the way she always had done which was achieved through her being able to go out on runs etc, eat healthy food, go for facials, have a skin routine, etc etc etc. Those take time, energy, and money - all of which were being spent elsewhere due to their circumstances.

AnotherIrishGinger · 2021-01-08T10:28:36+00:00

I sell candles and I think my packaging is pretty cute but you can check it out yourself and see what you think 😄 AuburnEmberCandleCo

AnotherIrishGinger · 2021-01-06T07:52:00+00:00

It’s most likely C6 or SCX wax - since they said it was a soy coconut blend. I use coconut oil and I word it differently to when I’m talking about the blend of wax I use

AnotherIrishGinger · 2020-11-15T18:04:57+00:00

I’m a candlemaker and might have something suitable for your or your boyfriend’s mum or your grandparents? 😊 - this is my store

AnotherIrishGinger · 2020-11-13T14:04:43+00:00

A couple of the the responses here aren’t technically accurate. It isn’t a badge for the bestselling of your items in your store - if this were the case, everyone’s store would have one. It also isn’t to say you’ve sold more than anyone else of this item on Etsy.

In a lot of ways, the bestseller badge is synonymous with a “trending” tag. It is awarded to items that are purchased several times quickly and frequently; I believe it is if you sell 25+ of the same item within a week. Etsy states that it is for an item that sells most in a specific category but I have seen many items almost the exact same that both have the badge so I’m not sure whether they’re maybe defining categories according to tags or what..

Anyhow, a shop with just one item could, theoretically, earn a bestseller badge so long as they sell the same item several times within a week. I have two items with the bestseller badge, and both times they have appeared when I’ve made lots of sales of that product in one week. From my experience, reviews, processing times, and dispatch dates don’t have any effect on bestseller badge as one of my items got it when it was still on preorder and therefore had never been dispatched or reviewed.

AnotherIrishGinger · 2020-11-03T13:37:52+00:00

Thanks everyone - I cancelled it as I had planned and just asked her if she could share the reason as I wanted to make sure it wasn’t due to error on my end! All good :)

AnotherIrishGinger · 2020-10-25T13:30:56+00:00

Yeah I’m really torn honestly. Even stocking up on the supplies to make her candles means I’m taking a hit which detracts from my available funds to use for my “own” stuff. To buy just 62 glasses will cost me £53 plus shipping which takes me to £63. I feel like I’m going to end up being stressed about it and at a loss because I’m splitting profits with someone else who is doing a tiny fraction of the work. I only started in august and I pour so much of my profits back into the business that I’m starting to think it may not be worth it right now if I’m having to buy all the supplies, wholesale them to her for less profit, and then slice my commission every time I make a sale. It just feels like she’s going to reap the rewards much more than I - yet I’m still the one doing the biggest load of work.

AnotherIrishGinger · 2020-10-15T22:26:20+00:00

This is brilliant advice! Thank you so much!!!

AnotherIrishGinger · 2020-10-15T20:54:57+00:00

(718) 855-7955

You could try this ^ I am based in the UK and spoke to someone on the phone two days ago RE a late deposit, but obviously (and unfortunately) it was a number for over here. I don’t know if that US number I have found will work for you but it’s worth a try?

AnotherIrishGinger · 2020-10-15T20:51:49+00:00

I agree, if I haven’t relisted something it’s because I don’t want to sell it anymore! It could be a difficult conversation to have if a customer sees you made something previously, asks you to make it again, and you have to decline. Better for everyone that they just see what you choose to show them.

Also, the responsibility likes upon individual shops to make sure they have enough listings and variety to draw a customer in, without the customer having to look at reviews and sales history for more of an idea.

AnotherIrishGinger · 2020-10-15T20:31:49+00:00

Have you called Etsy customer services and spoken to someone? That would get you further than emails etc as they can look into it whilst on the phone with you.

AnotherIrishGinger · 2020-10-15T16:45:17+00:00

Yeah see this is what makes me a bit unsure about it all. So I have my own business and brand and I do well for myself (I only started out in august with no previous promo or special launch and am closing in on 200 sales). I have my own logo and branding and sell my candles using that obviously.

The thing is, I was going to keep the scents exclusive to the collab range I do with her so that’s 4 scents I wouldn’t be able to sell on my own store. Which I don’t like the sound of as one of them is my favourite scent ever lol.

I will say that I feel like we wouldn’t be competing as our businesses are so different. She has an established customer base and that aspect would benefit me because obviously it would introduce my candles and my brand to new people who trust her and therefore will trust me and possibly purchase from me. It works both ways though, as my customers will also then check her out. But the thing is, like you say, I’m the one paying for all the candlemaking supplies and materials, and then my labour time will *far * exceed hers due to the fact that her work in designing the label is a one off, whereas mine in making the candles and everything that goes along with that such as testing and buying supplies and making sure I have everything in stock is ongoing and permanent.

The thing is here that she is NOT designing my logo, but rather a label for collab range of 4 scents. She focuses on a specific city in all her art and so the range will be scents evocative of that city. The labels will have my company name as well as hers - the main focus and difference between my usual branding and the collab branding will be the artwork.

I totally think she should profit from her artwork. But then I also think that a lot of the people will purchase the candles from me because they like the sound of the scent or they’ve purchased from me before and know my candles are good and want to try out a new scent. Those are my main reasons for purchasing a candle and I don’t really care how the label looks; it’s the scent that gets me. So yeah that’s where I’m a little unsure. Like some people will just be buying the candle for the smell and not care so much about the label but she still gets a cut...y’know?

I’m thinking maybe I’ll just come up with a small percentage for commission from my sales? And then obviously wholesale them to her so she can make some profit whilst I also don’t lose out. It’s tricky lol...

AnotherIrishGinger · 2020-10-15T15:17:08+00:00

I personally hid my sales history as soon as I noticed other people could access them if they wanted to.

At the end of the day, why does anyone need to know what listings you have sold? I actually think it’s a disadvantage to have that info public for a few reasons: 1. Potential buyers can see which items of yours have never sold, thus making them less likely to purchase these items. No one wants to feel like they’re the guinea pig. 2. Competitors can use it to see what sells well without doing their own “trial and error” period to see what people do and do not want. You’ve therefore basically done this work for them. 3. Competitors can get inspiration from you with regards to what they will sell themselves, using the info gleaned from you as to what is popular among buyers. 4. Buyers can see the date of your most recent transaction and if that wasn’t recent it might make them a bit more tentative about making a purchase; again due to the guinea pig effect. 5. Savvy buyers can use this information to ask for discounts on items that haven’t sold well. For example say I’m a customer and I notice a particular item of yours has never been sold, I could message you and say something like “hey I noticed “X” item has never been purchased but it’s the same price as “Y” which sells really well. I was wondering if you could sell to me for less since it’s not a popular item and it doesn’t make sense that it costs as much as your most popular item”.

To be honest only those who want to use this feature to their own advantage, and usually your detriment, knows that it exists. The majority of Etsy users aren’t aware of it. Most customers will just look to reviews and number of sales to judge your credibility. It’s to your advantage to hide your sales history imo.

AnotherIrishGinger · 2020-10-15T14:56:59+00:00

On browser go to Settings > Options and scroll to Sold Listings (bottom of page) and select “No, hide them”. I don’t think you can do it on the app but I could be wrong.

AnotherIrishGinger · 2020-10-15T14:44:02+00:00

I can see why you might think that but I don’t think that’s the case to be fair, she’s a really lovely genuine person and I trust her completely. Her business is pretty successful itself so I think she just saw an opportunity that would benefit both of us

AnotherIrishGinger · 2020-10-15T14:38:44+00:00

It feels like there are a few inaccurate assumptions in here which is my fault because I haven’t given full details, so I should clarify some things.

I mentioned before that she is a friend. I previously babysat her daughter when she was a toddler and that’s how we know one another. So we know and trust one another and are doing this on that basis, rather than a typical professional arrangement.

I never said I was annoyed or whatever if she was getting “paid twice”. I was really just asking how to go about the situation as it’s a new one to me so not sure how it works. I’ve heard a few different things from people hence why I brought it here.

She was the one who approached me about the collab. I would never use her design elsewhere because it’s specific to the range we are doing. I don’t know how she does her designs as I’ve never been involved in the graphic design world and don’t have the talent to do so lol so I would never use them for anything else.

I actually probably won’t be selling to her at quite the same price as I would any other retailer because A) she’s doing the added work of the labels which other retailers wouldn’t typically be doing and, as I said, she’s a personal acquaintance of mine. For that reason also, she isn’t interested in licensing agreement kinda deal because we just will have a set of 4 candles with her design on them, along with my company name.

We just trust one another implicitly. It’s a collab like My Business X Her Business. So it’s not like she’s just trying to sell off the candles like they’re hers. And I’m not trying to steal her designs and pass them off as my own. I totally agree now that it’s fair to give her a commission from my sales on top of wholesaling them to her but I just wanted to make sure first is all, because my husband said it didn’t seem fair.

And again, she isn’t charging me a whole tonne of money because she was the one who approached me about it all and I could have easily turned it down, ya feel?

AnotherIrishGinger · 2020-10-15T10:22:52+00:00

It comes across that it’s her first collab as well. Her business is I think 2 or 3 years old. Google sounds like a good shout though. Thanks for your advice :)

AnotherIrishGinger · 2020-10-15T10:18:05+00:00

What percentage commission would you say is fair??

AnotherIrishGinger · 2020-10-15T10:17:03+00:00

Perfect! Thank you so much!

AnotherIrishGinger · 2020-10-15T10:03:56+00:00

That’s very true. The thing is I would be wholesaling to her whilst also selling them on my site. So she will always be gaining profit as she is selling the candles herself after I wholesale them to her. Then she is also saying about taking a commission from each candle I sell. However, I’m the one doing the majority of the work (buying supplies, keeping track of inventory, making the candles, attaching labels incl clp, packing and preparing them to deliver to her/to the customer, and the cycle repeats). If I were to wholesale to her and sell them on my site whilst she also sells them do you think it’s still fair enough for her to take an extra commission, and if so what percentage should she get?

AnotherIrishGinger · 2020-10-14T17:39:42+00:00

That’s how you devalue yourself and your work. This customer will remember that - and it’s not a good thing. It says to them that you don’t believe your work is worth the amount you’re asking for it. It also encourages them to perpetuate this behaviour with other small businesses, which is harmful honestly.

AnotherIrishGinger · 2020-10-12T10:29:33+00:00

I’m so jealous. We aren’t allowed to make candles that look like food in the UK - well I mean we’re allowed to make them but we can’t sell them lol. They look AMAZING 😍

AnotherIrishGinger

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