ACK! NDA's new $100 minimum order policy!

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Voyageur is actually the fastest for me... But I don't like their lip balm flavours at all, and they aren't the cheapest for oils. I do like their micas though. And they have packaging that NDA doesn't have.

I actually have to use three different suppliers to get all my stuff. Which sucks because of shipping costs.

I'm in the same boat. Oils from one & bulk of f.o.'s from another. If you're wondering, I, for the most part, change my scents from year to year, with the exception of a couple bestsellers. It keeps me and my customers interested and diminishes the likelihood of another soaper copying my recipes.
 
NDA's prices are terrible! Every single oil I priced out I can find in various other places for cheaper. I didn't even bother looking to see how much it'd cost with shipping, because even with shipping I can get my oils from elsewhere cheaper.

I must be getting old, I wrote them an angry letter saying how I won't be buying anything from them.
 
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Really? Everything I have priced out and compared has had NDA cheaper. It's not like Canada has a whole lot of choices...

The nearest soap place to me is Soaps and More in Calgary and their prices are insane! So I compare Voyageur, NDA and Saffire Blue usually, and sometimes others. Voyageur has the best customer service hands down.

NDA's prices are terrible! Every single oil I priced out I can find in various other places for cheaper. I didn't even bother looking to see how much it'd cost with shipping, because even with shipping I can get my oils from elsewhere cheaper.

I must be getting old, I wrote them an angry letter saying how I won't be buying anything from them.
 
They got back to me with a form letting, saying it just costs them too much to ship small orders. I still call BS. NDA and WSP used to be great when I got started - both catered to the small soaper. Even though I always end up ordering more than $100 from NDA, I don't think it's right to have such a high minimum; this is an expensive hobby and that makes it even more so; and possibly unattainable to those who can't to pay the jacked up prices elsewhere. I'm truly disappointed with them.
 
Really? Everything I have priced out and compared has had NDA cheaper. It's not like Canada has a whole lot of choices...

The nearest soap place to me is Soaps and More in Calgary and their prices are insane! So I compare Voyageur, NDA and Saffire Blue usually, and sometimes others. Voyageur has the best customer service hands down.

Neve, check Canwax. Their prices are slightly higher, but their shipping costs are excellent. They have really good customer service. I very much like their fo's.
 
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I share in the same shock as well, NDA is my only supplier . since i started soaping i only purchased from them ,even though my orders are over $100 i am in total agreement that the small soap maker is the only ones hurting here.
i hope that they take it to heart and find a way to keep the small soapmaker in mind.
 
see for me , i don't see any one company that has low prices straight across the board. everyone has something cheaper than another carrier, so sometimes in comparing prices online i see one place have something lower but the shipping may still get me. i like soapers choice / columbus foods and come to see that they are better for buying in bulk. then there is JEdwards out of Boston. All in all , if you are able to save few dollars here and there i say its the way to go..i just hope that NDA come to respect the hobbiest & homecrafter / and as someone stated , i can't see how shipping me a order less than $100 is hurting them when i am paying for shipping and they are paying a order picker by the hour...... have them pick my order while in the general vicinity filling a bigger order :) jk :)
 
You folks need to start jotting down some numbers. I'm a fiend on sourcing product and NDA absolutely crushes the competition on pricing, often by over 50% on many of the same or similar products. And it says nothing that have a *much* larger selection of everything all around.

Shipping isn't a problem for me with them because I pick it up at the warehouse. Have you ever been there? It's huge. That means overhead. And what they're doing isn't unsual. I see plenty of companies - US included - that do this. They've obviously established that the work involved in smaller orders simply isn't cost-effective. That's fine because the market will dicate whether they can pull that off or not. If they lose enough business it'll change, if not, it was the right move. Like the rest of us, they're trying to make money. No need to take it personally or get angry about it, just talk with your consumer dollars and take your business elsewhere if you don't like it.

My only contention is that they use UPS. No one should. At the very least give your customers some choice in shipping options. Besides, what's a $100 anyway? If you're doing this solely as a hobby you can go to Michaels and buy what you need. If you're doing this as a business you're going to be dropping a lot more than $100 on a regular basis.

Really, the major problem are courier companies in NA. It's ridiculous that I have to pay $10-$15 shipping on a bar of soap from someone in the US on Etsy. And if it's over $20 then you get hit with the extortionate broker fees unless you self-clear - which is a PITA.

Yet, I just ordered $50 worth of stuff from Hong Kong....free shipping. I can't even get free shipping from US Amazon so how the eff does that work?!?!

Meanwhile, I still like Canwax, Voyegeur, etc. and you should too. :p
 
People doing this as a hobby can want better quality ingredients than sourced from Michaels and need to fund it in bulk to keep the price low.


I totally agree with Lin. I also agree that I'll order from somewhere else as I am a lowly home crafter who expects better quality than craft stores offer ;)
 
Cutter: I'm sorry, but I have to dispute a couple of things you have stated. No, actually, NDA does not beat competitor's prices on quite a lot of EOs. I bought from NDA, Liberty and Lebermuth all at once, because even with additional shipping, purchasing from each place saved me money. You're spending too much if you're ordering only from them for EOs. Their packaging prices did not impress me at all (except lip balm tubes) and I ordered those from elsewhere too.

And really, you think the hobbyists/small-purchase businesspeople should just buy their supplies at Michaels? Does Michael's even sell EOs, or FOs rated for anything but melt and pour? I think more helpful advice would be to turn to companies like Liberty Naturals (minimum purchase $50), Wholesale Supplies Plus (minimum purchase $40) or even (risky though it is with their business reputation) Camden Grey.
 
Ha - I would never buy soaping supplies from Michael's, even if they had what I needed. I object to the minimum, because not everyone who soaps is into making a million bucks, or producing 1000 bars a month.

The only EO I buy from them is their Lavender 40/42, because they have the best price on it and it's good. Their shipping times and prices should mean they don't need a minimum; they definitely jack the shipping cost.
 
And here I was thinking that I needed to use quality ingredients for soap I make for my family, only to find out it doesn't matter because I don't sell it. Thank goodness! Off to find some used motor oil and M&P base made from chalk and baby seal tears for my next batch!

Nah - Michael's has what you need! You can get some nice, old, pre-made lotion base there too. Or even some nice gray lavender buds.

However, if you could make a bar of soap with motor oil in it, I know some guys who would buy it :)
 

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