For those who sell soap

Would you mind giving me a rough estimate as to how many bars of soap you sell per year?

why?

Its my first yr, but guessing, 800.

why?

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I'm just trying to get a general idea on the numbers, thinking of possibly starting a business.

i guess it depends on who you know, how you market and how well you can get your product out in front of the public.

i could have a thousand bars of soap at home that is the best product ever invented but if i don't market, promote and sell myself then i will have 1000 of the best soaps sitting on my shelves indefinitely. you have to know who you are marketing to, what the market is interested in and needs.

how saturated the market is with products similar to yours? what is better/different about your soaps than the other homemade soaper that also wants that customer. Are there other soapers in your area that are more well known and will be hard to compete with? what do your products offer? once you have an idea of those, it will be easier to guess what you will need in merchandise.

carebear said:

why?

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why ask why?

That will depend greatly. Some people sell 40 bars a year; others tens of thousands. It will depend on the money you have to invest, the time you put into research, if your prodct is any good or not & how well you can sell/advertsie/market.

Tabitha said:

That will depend greatly. Some people sell 40 bars a year; others tens of thousands. It will depend on the money you have to invest, the time you put into research, if your prodct is any good or not & how well you can sell/advertsie/market.

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And some part luck.

I couldn't agree more though, what someone else says has no bearing on what YOU will sell. Just like how much widgets Walmart sells would have no relation to how many Widgets you might sell. I have been self employed in various craft businesses (not soap related however) only since 2004 but I can tell you it takes several things to be successful.

1- A great product
2- A fast way to reach the largest number of people possible with that product
3- Time

That's pretty simplified and of course there is a lot more to it, but choose whether to start selling based on other things than what a person on a message board will tell you. Mostly, do you have such a passion that you can do this 12 hours a day 7 days a week for 6 months or more with little profit? On the inside estimate, that's how long it will take many small businesses to start to see a profit.

If you're looking for a sales number specifically, maybe try setting a goal number for yourself that you personally need to make it worth your time and effort. When you meet that goal you can always revise it, but it helps me to have a certain number to strive for every month.

Good luck, whatever you decide!

Thank you all for the advice. I'm certainly not naive to all the variables involved. Just trying to get an overall consensus on how well soap tends to sell in general. That is, assuming you have exactly what people want, and they know you're there, etc...

I'm not asking if you sell soap full time or part time, just how well your soap sells.

soap1234 said:

carebear said:

why?

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why ask why?

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why not ask why? should we blindly share that kind of information? would you care to tell us something personal about yourself or your business, soap1234?

anyway - my soap sells well, but the number is not relevant as no one else's business model is likely similar to mine.

Recent event have caused many soapers to hold their secrets a little closer. Many of aren't so willing anymore to hand over hard earned knowledge to someone looking to go into business and compete for the same customers.

General soapmaking - we love to help.
Business - maybe not so much.

Deda said:

Many of aren't so willing anymore to hand over hard earned knowledge to someone looking to go into business and compete for the same customers.

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This is why I say "don't make decisions based on other things than what a person on a message board will tell you" because you don't always know the motives.

(Not directed at you Deda or anyone else specifically. Just generally good, honest advice from someone who's been on both sides of the fence as both newbie and old timer.)

JenniferSews said:

Deda said:

Many of aren't so willing anymore to hand over hard earned knowledge to someone looking to go into business and compete for the same customers.

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This is why I say "don't make decisions based on other things than what a person on a message board will tell you" because you don't always know the motives.

(Not directed at you Deda or anyone else specifically. Just generally good, honest advice from someone who's been on both sides of the fence as both newbie and old timer.)

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Very true. Over the past year or so there have been a few "Experts" whose advice made me cringe.
When you're a soaper research is your best friend.