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congrats on your etsy shop!

i quite like the banner. products are also described with ingredients listed. i would try to improve more on the photography of the products. your current pics are clear, so that's good, but a few things can be improved to make them more eye catching. perhaps do them in the same background, so it looks more uniform and professional.

here is an interesting article about setting up a cheap light box for taking product photos: http://www.handmadeology.com/studio-quality-product-photography-with-a-12-set-up/

Seven, the light box worked like a charm!! My pics are a far cry from professional, but they're WAY better than they were before. Here's an "after" photo with the light box of my Oatmeal Honey soap. Such an improvement (and it didn't cost me a dime - I had all the stuff at home to make the light box!).

20141104_111816.jpg
 
"Soap" does not fall under the FDA cosmetic regulations (as long as it is true soap and you call it nothing other than soap and say only that it cleans - anything more than it falls under FDA rules for cosmetics or drugs) BUT falls under the consumer product safety commission (CPSC) and must still adhere the their labeling requirements (ingredient list is not required) for the front and back panels. Should you choose to include an ingredient list, then it must conform the rules for listing ingredients.

Some really good links:

http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/GuidanceRegulation/LawsRegulations/ucm074201.htm
http://mariegale.com/soap-and-cosmetic-labeling/labeling-faq.html
 
"Soap" does not fall under the FDA cosmetic regulations (as long as it is true soap and you call it nothing other than soap and say only that it cleans - anything more than it falls under FDA rules for cosmetics or drugs) BUT falls under the consumer product safety commission (CPSC) and must still adhere the their labeling requirements (ingredient list is not required) for the front and back panels. Should you choose to include an ingredient list, then it must conform the rules for listing ingredients.

Some really good links:

http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/GuidanceRegulation/LawsRegulations/ucm074201.htm
http://mariegale.com/soap-and-cosmetic-labeling/labeling-faq.html

EXACTLY my point!

"Sometimes (often, actually) a soapmaker has a true soap for which no cosmetic claims have been made, but still wants to tell their customers what is in the soap. Since it’s not a cosmetic, the FDA regulations don’t apply, so there is considerably more freedom in what you say. In this case, you could use “saponified oils of ___”. The ingredients don’t necessarily have to be in descending order of predominance – they don’t even have to all be included." (Source: http://blog.mariegale.com/ingredient-labels-soap/)

Thanks, FGOriold! :)
 
Only my personal opinions and it may not matter to others so take with a grain of salt. I would try taking your pictures either outside in the lightbox or use a bright "white" light for the box inside. Your pictures are nice but have a "yellow" hue to them. You might be able to fix that in a photo editor program too.

Another thing from a consumer standpoint, all your soaps are priced the same no matter how many ounces each kind is. I personally wouldn't pay $6 for a 2.3 oz bar when I could get a 3.3 oz bar for the same price. Now I don't know if in the 2.3 oz bars you used a higher dollar oil/butter/EO, etc, maybe that would make up the difference in price but to a person that has never made soap before, this could be a concern and deter them from buying maybe. JMO!
 
.....Another thing from a consumer standpoint, all your soaps are priced the same no matter how many ounces each kind is. I personally wouldn't pay $6 for a 2.3 oz bar when I could get a 3.3 oz bar for the same price. Now I don't know if in the 2.3 oz bars you used a higher dollar oil/butter/EO, etc, maybe that would make up the difference in price but to a person that has never made soap before, this could be a concern and deter them from buying maybe. JMO!

A very good point. There would have to be something to make it stand out that the recipe is different or some such.
 
Another thing you might add in your descriptions is how your soap will be packaged especially since your pictures don't show labels or anything. Some people are all about the packaging, some could care less but I would want to disclose how the soap will be packaged.

Examples:
Each bar will be individually packed in a glassine bag with a raffia ribbon as an accent; ready to be given as gift. I also wrap each bar in kraft paper to protect it on its way.

All bars come simply packaged in a biodegradable bag.

Professionally packaged in cello & labeled.
 
Only my personal opinions and it may not matter to others so take with a grain of salt. I would try taking your pictures either outside in the lightbox or use a bright "white" light for the box inside. Your pictures are nice but have a "yellow" hue to them. You might be able to fix that in a photo editor program too.

Another thing from a consumer standpoint, all your soaps are priced the same no matter how many ounces each kind is. I personally wouldn't pay $6 for a 2.3 oz bar when I could get a 3.3 oz bar for the same price. Now I don't know if in the 2.3 oz bars you used a higher dollar oil/butter/EO, etc, maybe that would make up the difference in price but to a person that has never made soap before, this could be a concern and deter them from buying maybe. JMO!

I too agree with this. When you have that great of a difference in the size bar your price should reflect that as well. I don't think I'd pay 6.00 for a 2.3 oz bar of soap unless it had something really good going on. But that's just my thought.
 
I notice that a lot of sellers (NOT all) price their soaps per ounce.
Again, this is subject to change based on the oils/butters/EO/Additives, Embeds, etc that you use.
If I were to sell my soaps, I would use the $1 per ounce as a reference then factor in all the other stuff including the amount of difficulty and my time spent.
 
I notice that a lot of sellers (NOT all) price their soaps per ounce.
Again, this is subject to change based on the oils/butters/EO/Additives, Embeds, etc that you use.
If I were to sell my soaps, I would use the $1 per ounce as a reference then factor in all the other stuff including the amount of difficulty and my time spent.

Sorry, but that is plain wrong. Take your costs, all of your costs, for the batch and then divide that up by the number of bars. Multiply that by 4 and you have your retail price.

Anything else and you are doing the market, not only yourself, a big disservice.
 
I did say "not all" sellers. It is what it seems like from what I've seen at my local craft fairs and I did say to factor in your time. Also I don't sell and probably never will so of course this is just my opinion and it may not be right.
 
I actually did figure my cost once on the 3rd batch of soap I made (Castile) and I think I figured it up just by product used that it cost $1.35 per bar but it was just olive oil soap with fragrance.
Figuring your costs this way does make more sense come to think of it.
 
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Only my personal opinions and it may not matter to others so take with a grain of salt. I would try taking your pictures either outside in the lightbox or use a bright "white" light for the box inside. Your pictures are nice but have a "yellow" hue to them. You might be able to fix that in a photo editor program too.

Another thing from a consumer standpoint, all your soaps are priced the same no matter how many ounces each kind is. I personally wouldn't pay $6 for a 2.3 oz bar when I could get a 3.3 oz bar for the same price. Now I don't know if in the 2.3 oz bars you used a higher dollar oil/butter/EO, etc, maybe that would make up the difference in price but to a person that has never made soap before, this could be a concern and deter them from buying maybe. JMO!

Great points, Luckyone80! I'm still working on the photos. I'm great at making soap and marketing, but not so great on the graphic design/photography aspect of it. It's definitely a work in progress on that front!

As far as the bar sizes go, I list the weights as being "at least" a certain size (another awesome tip I got from a poster on this forum!), so the weight I'm listing online kind of represents the weight of the "runt of the litter" in each batch. I'm still cutting by hand, and as hard as a I try, there's still quite a difference in bar sizes. I need to get one of those Bud Haffner cutters that everyone speaks so highly of! I did price the holiday-themed soaps at my "usual" price even though they're a little bit smaller. My thought process was that they're a "limited edition" scent, and my assumption (maybe I'm wrong here) is that most people would be okay with a smaller size on these, since you probably don't want to be still using pumpkin spice soap (or some other holiday fragrance) next February or March. At least I wouldn't - I'd want to be on to the next holiday! LOL

My last several batches are weighing much closer to about 4 oz. each, and I've been able to keep my costs steady by buying some items in bulk.

Thanks for your honest feedback. This is really, REALLY helpful to me as I start out, make mistakes, and fix them. :)
 
Another thing you might add in your descriptions is how your soap will be packaged especially since your pictures don't show labels or anything. Some people are all about the packaging, some could care less but I would want to disclose how the soap will be packaged.

Examples:
Each bar will be individually packed in a glassine bag with a raffia ribbon as an accent; ready to be given as gift. I also wrap each bar in kraft paper to protect it on its way.

All bars come simply packaged in a biodegradable bag.

Professionally packaged in cello & labeled.

Another great suggestion! I use recyclable, kraft colored soap boxes that I think are pretty complimentary to my evolving brand, and would be easy for a customer to "re-gift." Now if I could just channel my inner photographer... :)
 
Sorry, but that is plain wrong. Take your costs, all of your costs, for the batch and then divide that up by the number of bars. Multiply that by 4 and you have your retail price.

Anything else and you are doing the market, not only yourself, a big disservice.

That's the principle I've been using as a guideline (I also include my time in the "cost of goods" formula - the first time I've worked for minimum wage since I was 16! LOL). Now that I'm buying supplies in bulk and am fairly streamlined, I think I'm pretty close to that.
 
I just wanted to thank everyone for all of the helpful suggestions. I can't tell you how much I appreciate you all checking out my shop and items, and giving notes. I regard the people I've encountered on this site very highly, and getting notes from you all is really helping me along in this endeavor. I just had my third sale yesterday, from a repeat customer!
 
Sorry, but that is plain wrong. Take your costs, all of your costs, for the batch and then divide that up by the number of bars. Multiply that by 4 and you have your retail price.

Anything else and you are doing the market, not only yourself, a big disservice.

Sorry, but I think that when people take the cost of ingredients and multiply it by 4, then you are doing the market, not only yourself, a big disservice. Why should buying in bulk make your labor not as worthwhile?

I know the cost of ingredients per bar. I know my monthly expenses. I also know how much I want to be paid per hour and how many hours goes into making and wrapping soap. Plus, I need 10% so that I can be profitable. Then I multiply that by 2 for retail price. With this equation, I know that I need to make x amount of bars per batch, and I need to sell x amount of bars per month to make ends meet.
 
Sorry, but I think that when people take the cost of ingredients and multiply it by 4, then you are doing the market, not only yourself, a big disservice. Why should buying in bulk make your labor not as worthwhile?

I know the cost of ingredients per bar. I know my monthly expenses. I also know how much I want to be paid per hour and how many hours goes into making and wrapping soap. Plus, I need 10% so that I can be profitable. Then I multiply that by 2 for retail price. With this equation, I know that I need to make x amount of bars per batch, and I need to sell x amount of bars per month to make ends meet.

Eta- by costs, I mean the whole costs! I always mean whole costs. Ingredients and time taken, including clean up.

That is the standard practice for manufacturing to retail. It takes in to account eventualities that may not have been planned for to ensure robust business. It is aimed at a business, not someone doing it as a side line where 3 months of no sales is disappointing but doesn't result in closing down.

People who make their living from selling need to use this formula. Their business advisors would be horrified if they didn't. So if you come along a sell at a 10% profit because that is all you need, you bugger up the market for everyone, simply because you don't need to have a stable business and so charge what you think is a fairer price.

Then you make it big and you get an advisor, maybe from the bank or the tax office or a freelancer. They will tell you the very same thing. So you have to change your prices - but what has changed in the soap? Nothing. Except now you're charging the market rates which is not going to go over well with your customers who are used to paying lower prices for your products.

If using this formula makes you much more expensive than other people selling soap as a business, then your costs are simply too high. You need to reduce them.

But in any form, undercutting the market unfairly is a terrible thing to do. If using the formula makes you cheaper than the going rate - perfect! You have a very good edge. But it is also worth looking in to why they are more expensive - is there something you have over looked?

I do not care at all if this and previous posts on the subject come over as harsh because this is not something to be played with. This is business, not a hobby. When you sell, it stops being a hobby.

You might think differently, but when people would be losing their livelihoods because of your practices I think my response is proportional.
 
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Eta- by costs, I mean the whole costs! I always mean whole costs. Ingredients and time taken, including clean up.

That is the standard practice for manufacturing to retail. It takes in to account eventualities that may not have been planned for to ensure robust business. It is aimed at a business, not someone doing it as a side line where 3 months of no sales is disappointing but doesn't result in closing down.

People who make their living from selling need to use this formula. Their business advisors would be horrified if they didn't. So if you come along a sell at a 10% profit because that is all you need, you bugger up the market for everyone, simply because you don't need to have a stable business and so charge what you think is a fairer price.

Then you make it big and you get an advisor, maybe from the bank or the tax office or a freelancer. They will tell you the very same thing. So you have to change your prices - but what has changed in the soap? Nothing. Except now you're charging the market rates which is not going to go over well with your customers who are used to paying lower prices for your products.

If using this formula makes you much more expensive than other people selling soap as a business, then your costs are simply too high. You need to reduce them.

But in any form, undercutting the market unfairly is a terrible thing to do. If using the formula makes you cheaper than the going rate - perfect! You have a very good edge. But it is also worth looking in to why they are more expensive - is there something you have over looked?

I do not care at all if this and previous posts on the subject come over as harsh because this is not something to be played with. This is business, not a hobby. When you sell, it stops being a hobby.

You might think differently, but when people would be losing their livelihoods because of your practices I think my response is proportional.
You are spot on with this. A while back a new soaper appeared in my Friday market, whom sent her husband to my booth. At first I did not know who he was when he asked how much for a bar of soap, I do have a sign but many seem to not be able to read, I told him $6, he proceeded to inform me they sell their soaps for $4. I informed him it is very bad practice to undercut the market and that goes for any business. In our former business we had a partner that could not figure out the concept. That is why is a former partner. I might mention that $6 is much to expensive for a 2.3 oz bar of soap unless it is made of gold
 
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