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Because you’re reading this I think it’s safe to say that you’re looking for tips on making money selling your handmade candles from home.
Selling candles can actually be a pretty profitable business if you do it right. Not only can you make a side income selling candles, but some makers are able to earn a full-time income selling their candles.
Make Money Selling Candles from Home
In this post, I’m sharing my best tips for earning money selling your candles. If you follow these tips, you’ll be on the road to having your own candle business.
Important Note! I won’t be covering the legalities of starting your business; however, you’ll definitely want to make sure you have a Terms and Conditions for your business. I highly recommend The Contract Shop for attorney-approved Terms and Conditions. This is one of the BEST ways to protect your business!
Master Your Formula
Before you begin selling candles, you’ll want to make sure you’ve mastered your formula. This will ensure that your customers receive the best quality product from you.
Recommended Reading: 10 DIY Candles Recipes
To do this, you’ll need to first determine what type of wax you’ll use. Paraffin is the most popular wax for candles. You could also use beeswax, soy wax, gels, and more.
Other additions you should consider are essential oils, dried flowers, and dyes. Rit All-Purpose Powder Dye is great for coloring your candles.
I recommend spending some time researching different waxes, essentials oils, dyes, etc. Expand your knowledge of candle making by watching YouTube tutorials, and reading books and blog posts.
Additionally, make sure you practice making candles until you’ve gotten your technique and formula just right.
Buy Your Supplies from a Wholesaler
Wholesalers are manufacturers who sell their manufactured products in bulk or retailers who purchase the product in bulk to sell in bulk to various retailers and customers (like yourself) at a fraction of the retail price.
If you were to buy your supplies from a craft store, it would be nearly impossible to earn a profit from your candles. To make the most profit from your candles, you should definitely purchase your supplies from a wholesaler.
Because you’ll need to purchase your supplies in bulk, you will receive a substantial discount on the price of the products.
You can buy nearly any item that you can think of in bulk. That includes your shipping boxes, the jars or tins you use for your candles, wax, dried herbs and flowers, etc.
Check out AliExpress for wholesale supplies in every major category.
Recommended Resource: Make Your Creative Business Uniquely Irresistible
Work on Your Branding and Packaging
I don’t know about you, but when I order handmade candles, I love seeing them arrive in beautiful packaging. Your packing is what will give your candles a unique look and make them stand out from the crowd.
You can purchase beautiful candle label templates on Etsy. These labels from Rainbird Design can be edited to include your business name, the name of the candle, and more.
You’ll also want to make sure you’re mailing your candles off in attractive packing. Keep in mind that beautiful doesn’t have to mean expensive or complicated. You can pack your candles in a box using shredded paper as a box filler along with a handwritten note thanking the customer.
Pricing Your Candles
Before you price your candles, you’ll need to consider the cost of your supplies, equipment, and overhead. Once you know these numbers, it’ll allow you to determine the best price for your candles.
Candle Science has a great guide that goes into detail on how to price your candles. I highly suggest reading this guide.
Open Your Shop
Once you’re ready to start selling your candles, you’ll need to decide what platform you’ll use for selling your items. I highly recommend opening a shop on Etsy.
Etsy is a handmade marketplace that’s perfect for selling your candles. I like Etsy because it already has a built-in audience, making it easier to promote and sell your products. It also makes it easier for people to find you via the Etsy search engine.
To make sure your candles are found in the Etsy search engines, and that people want to buy once they find you, read my article What I’ve Learned After 1,000 Sales on Etsy. In this post, I share some of my best tips for getting found and making money on Etsy.
Another platform you can use for selling your candles is Shopify. Shopify is a popular online e-commerce platform. Currently, Shopify powers over 600,000 businesses and is a popular choice for small businesses.
If you want a unique and customizable candle store, Shopify is definitely the way to go.
Promote Your Candles
Once you’ve got your shop open and products ready to sell, you’ll want to make sure you’re promoting your store. Some places you can promote your candles are on Instagram, Facebook groups, and Pinterest.
You can also send free candles to YouTubers in the candle community in exchange for an honest review. Simply contact the YouTuber asking if they would like to receive a free candle in exchange for a video review.
As a small business owner, starting your blog can be an excellent way to promote your candles. You can write blog posts sharing your latest products, you can share a free DIY candle recipe, etc.
Your blog can also be a great way to get to know your customers and potential customers, as well as a way for them to get to know you.
When you have a closer relationship with your customer base, you’ll gain a better knowledge of how best to serve them. I recommend starting a blog and using this blog to promote your candles.
UPDATE: Bluehost has a great deal! If you purchase your hosting through Bluehost for just $3.95 a month they’ll give you a free domain name.
While it might take a bit of time up front to get your candle business going, it’s a relatively low cost business to get into, and once you get into your groove, you can make a good living selling your handmade candles from home.
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