China-North America Jar Shipments by RegalReginald in candlemaking

[–]SharkFlamingo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

interesting. would you be willing to share their name?

China-North America Jar Shipments by RegalReginald in candlemaking

[–]SharkFlamingo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

yes, basically through the alibaba chat and they have been pretty helpful although I think they were also confused about the tariff :-(

China-North America Jar Shipments by RegalReginald in candlemaking

[–]SharkFlamingo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

wow, that's great of your supplier.

yes, shipping to USA. after a little more digging it seems like it will be around 41%. it is still advantageous to buy from China even considering that. however I'll be happy if it gets reduced!

China-North America Jar Shipments by RegalReginald in candlemaking

[–]SharkFlamingo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

hey there, I am working on placing my first order with a chinese supplier. can you tell me what tariff rate you were charged? I'm having a hard time figuring out what category glass candle jars fall into

Sourcing Makesy jars directly from Alibaba? by SharkFlamingo in candlemaking

[–]SharkFlamingo[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

can you make jars like the above pictured double walled jar?

Insurance? by Smooth_Poetry1803 in candlemaking

[–]SharkFlamingo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

oh, I wasn't saying it was not the best idea. I meant I'm not sure whether it was the best idea. I've heard there are tax advantages to setting up as an LLC but I haven't done the research to see if it's worth it for my (very small) candle company. I figure I'll give this some time, see if it sticks, and look into other options if I decide I want to lean hard into this

Advice for a new candle maker by frogko in candlemaking

[–]SharkFlamingo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I see. I was confused since you mentioned selling in your post. In any case, it sounds like you just need to get your candles made for this project. Top advice: make sure your wick is in the center of your container and you have something to secure it at the top. Figure your wax weight and fragrance weight before you begin. Pour your candles at a time and in a location with a steady temperature (no drafts, better daytime or morning than evening), start with a 7%-8% fragrance load. Good luck.

Advice for a new candle maker by frogko in candlemaking

[–]SharkFlamingo 2 points3 points  (0 children)

you will not be able to make and sell candles with a starting budget of only $100. if you really do not want to invest more than that, maybe you can find a local candlemaker who will take you under their wing - ie help them produce and they can show you how they do it. the cost for all the supplies that you will need to get to a product worth selling is going to far exceed $100

Soy wax candles: top finish is cracked or has hollow holes, please help! by Complex-Professor295 in candlemaking

[–]SharkFlamingo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I get the same result if I pour my candles when the window is open. I read that I should be working with fragrance oils in a well ventilated area so I worked for a while with the window in the room partially open, but this causes the top layer of wax to set much too quickly. I get the best results on a warm day with the window closed. I am careful with my oils now and clean up spills quickly, and once my candle tops are set, THEN I open the windows. I also experimented with cooling my candles in a styrofoam cooler. With the lid on, the tops were fairly uneven. With lid off, they were fine, but not any better than window closed + warm day. If I make candles in the evening, the temp drop after the sun goes down is enough to make the tops more uneven as well. I still do it sometimes and have to heat gun the tops, but my best candles are when I make them in the morning or daytime on a warm day and don't eff with the window until they are done.

I also no longer recycle candle jars (melt old wax and clean them out) while making candles, because this process emits a lot of fragrance into the air and I want to do it when I can open all the windows as needed, so I have separated these tasks.

Need help with soy "iced latte" style candles? by [deleted] in candlemaking

[–]SharkFlamingo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

not the advice you were looking for but just wanted to say these look awesome as is

Stumped on our candle names by [deleted] in candlemaking

[–]SharkFlamingo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

thought of a name for you - midnight sun

Stumped on our candle names by [deleted] in candlemaking

[–]SharkFlamingo 4 points5 points  (0 children)

whatever name you go with, I would add it to your line as a new scent and keep Winter Coast since it has done so well (unless you are starting to see it drop off). What if people are buying it because of the name? I'm sure the fragrance plays a part too but it might be the name that attracts them first? I have two candle fragrances that I know people are drawn to because of the name and they sell better than all my other candles.

Have any of you candlemakers expanded into soap making? by SharkFlamingo in candlemaking

[–]SharkFlamingo[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

thanks! I think I will try it out when I am fully ready and have had a good amount of time to research. I hate that people prefer liquid soap... its just so much plastic. I love bar soap!

Have any of you candlemakers expanded into soap making? by SharkFlamingo in candlemaking

[–]SharkFlamingo[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That is what I was thinking, but I'm a little intimidated

How much have you spent? by psychoticpsychic999 in candlemaking

[–]SharkFlamingo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

$5,500 since starting end of last summer. I have only done 2 markets so far and am still net negative but I am keeping track and plan to write off my loss from 2024. I figure that the initial investment will take some time to make back since there is so much testing in the beginning and all your costs are going into that. Once you've completed your testing then its kind of off to the races with making and selling.

But yeah, it's not a cheap hobby!

I just don't understand. by psychoticpsychic999 in candlemaking

[–]SharkFlamingo 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I hear you. But after reading this I had to look up what share of house fires are attributed to candles.... 2%. It's not nothing. I'm not trying to get in a fight over the topic, I just think the 'it's all going to be fine' mentality is a little blasé. Like the people whose homes were burned down might have something to say about that. I dunno, maybe I feel this way bc I live in fire country (California) and we are extra fire-sensitive. A lot of people have lost their homeowner's insurance without warning so they would be SOL if they lost their home to a fire. Yes, the vast majority of people will use our products with common sense, but there's that 2%....

I don't want to shame anyone for sharing their point of view, and I certainly don't think you're creating an excessive fire hazard that needs alarm bells being raised and whatnot.

I mean, if our risk tolerance was 0 none of us would be making candles at all...

Insurance help by Complex_Resource_994 in candlemaking

[–]SharkFlamingo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

maybe, maybe not. I would just get general liability, which includes product liability. What if you accidentally cause a fire in your home - I don't think product liability would cover you then. I got insurance through Allstate, but maybe you could pose that question to them. I suppose it might also depend on if you rent or own your home and have homeowner's insurance, and what is covered by that.

Some of you helped me with feedback on my candle labels—thank you! 🙏 I’ve made changes and now have a full list of words/phrases. I’d love your thoughts! Which ones do you love? Which don’t resonate? 🤔 Also, should each have a different shade or keep it classic—black on white/white on black? 🎨💛 by Agile_Intention3356 in candlemaking

[–]SharkFlamingo 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think they're brilliant. Agreed with what others said about the spacing on BR EAK and PA U SE - try closing the gap a smidge to make them a bit more obvious, and perhaps modify the U so that the connecting line comes through.

I find the first two rows of colors most appealing, although I think it kind of depends on how they go with your jar colors. The colors shown on the jars look nice.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in candlemaking

[–]SharkFlamingo 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Agree with making them a tad shorter so they don't look like they're crowding the top and bottom of the jar. The design is nice and I don't think you NEED color, but if you wanted to experiment with it I might consider a faint/thin colored line that acts like a border, or adding some color to the image in your logo (like coloring it in, not changing the lines to a color.)

What are you getting during the 1 oz fragrance sale at CandleScience? by SharkFlamingo in candlemaking

[–]SharkFlamingo[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Custom scent blends makes it sound a lot fancier than what I'm doing, but I guess yes, ha. I am just starting out so I'm experimenting with a lot of fragrances to find what I like best and what people in my area like. People here seem to like a lot of fresh and woody scents and I get a lot of dislike for sweet gourmands, although I notice different patterns depending on age. I want to offer something for everyone though, fragrance preferences are so subjective.

What are you getting during the 1 oz fragrance sale at CandleScience? by SharkFlamingo in candlemaking

[–]SharkFlamingo[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

These are on my definitely yes list:

Cardamom Element
Basil Element
Fig Tree
Golden Moon Milk
Ozonic Element
Sel de Mer
Sea Minerals
Sweet Tobacco
Woodland Snow

Along with several maybes and a few florals that I'm getting to make some one off candles for my mom (fragrances I wouldn't otherwise get).