$/Bar

[DWinMadison]

Do any of you home/amateur soapers calculate or have a target cost/bar? How much is too much? What’s reasonable? Last I calculated, I seem to recall I was running between $1.50 and $1.90, depending on the EOs used. Is that even in the ballpark? Note: This figure does not calculate the cost waste, and I seldom totally lose a soap. As I said in another thread, “worst case I can usually use them myself as kitchen soap, foot scrubber soap, dog soap...something”

 

[lenarenee]

You're asking about retail? Or if we put our soap on a budget and won't make a soap that costs more than a set price to make - whether we sell or give away?

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I'm not an amateur... been at it too long for that... but I am a hobbyist, so I don't think 1.50 - 1.80 is too much for personal use... especially if using essential oils. When in the creative zone, the sky's the limit! If you like pricey Babassu oil vs. pennywise Lard/Tallow, go for it. Once you develop a basic bar, you can feature as little as 5% of an additive, exotic oil or butter to create a "specialty" bar without adding much cost to a bar.

 

[DWinMadison]

You're asking about retail? Or if we put our soap on a budget and won't make a soap that costs more than a set price to make - whether we sell or give away?

Budget. Lol. Been trying to do this with my beloved

Do any of you home/amateur soapers calculate or have a target cost/bar? How much is too much? What’s reasonable? Last I calculated, I seem to recall I was running between $1.50 and $1.90, depending on the EOs used. Is that even in the ballpark? Note: This figure does not calculate the cost waste, and I seldom totally lose a soap. As I said in another thread, “worst case I can usually use them myself as kitchen soap, foot scrubber soap, dog soap...something”

Um, thanks for moving my post, but it has absolutely NOTHING to do with retail. I even specifically addressed it to home soapers and amateurs.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Budget. Lol. Been trying to do this with my beloved... Um, thanks for moving my post, but it has absolutely NOTHING to do with retail. I even specifically addressed it to home soapers and amateurs.

I see your thread got moved to the Business Forum! ACK! Probably my fault for talking about cost to wholesale customers. I'm SO sorry, Daryl. I edited my post #3 to see if it can be moved back to where you intended... cross fingers

 

[SideDoorSoaps]

Before we started making soap, I would buy soap at about $2 a bar from the store and it was my goal to make a bar of soap just as nice for the same price. It took a lot of research to find ingredients at a lower cost at the consumer level! I managed about $1.75 for ours and we only used unscented for the longest time!

 

[amd]

When I started making soap my goal was 80cents a bar - but my soaps were uncolored and unscented. I was playing with a lot of different oils and buying in small amounts. I think if I went back to those plain unscented bars and buying in the quantities I currently buy, they would be much cheaper.

 

[DWinMadison]

When I started making soap my goal was 80cents a bar - but my soaps were uncolored and unscented. I was playing with a lot of different oils and buying in small amounts. I think if I went back to those plain unscented bars and buying in the quantities I currently buy, they would be much cheaper.

Yeah, it the waste that kills me from batches I don't like. Don't get me wrong, I use virtually everything I make, but I intend most of them for other people as gifts, and I'm not going to give someone something I not proud of. I've noticed many commercial soapers stick to simple soaps choosing to focus more on ingredients and scents than elaborate colors that introduce more variables and variation in end products, which I totally understand.

 

[karon L adams]

Don't be afraid to price your soap well. and remember, you have time and creativity in the soap, as well. Also, remember, Packaging sells as does color. but, if you price it "cheap" your customers will think of it as cheap. Don't be afraid to put a price tag on it.

as for "waste" don't worry about it. chop it up into chunks, toss it in a mold and fill with unscented cream colored soap and call it "Confetti" that's how you sell the leftovers.

 

[Misschief]

I found it really interesting that, at the last market I did, I raised my prices by $2.00, from $5.00 per bar to $7.00 per bar. No one batted an eyelash. I agree with Hendejm that, as crafters, we tend to undervalue ourselves and our products.

For another example, when I worked in a yarn shop (I'm multi-craftual), one customer was making scrap scarves for a Christmas market; they were gorgeous but she didn't sell a single one until someone told her that her prices were too low, compared to other vendors. She doubled her price and sold every single scarf she had brought to that market.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Um, Karon, Hendejm & Misschief: Please read post #3 & #4. As I now understand it, this thread was meant for "home/amateur soapers"... specifically for those not selling their soap. But it (unfortunately) got moved to the Business Forum where it is less likely to reach the intended audience. Hoping one of the mods see this so it can go back where it was... Beginner's Forum, I think.

I believe the question is how much do members budget for soap for personal use.

 

[Misschief]

ooops...

 

[midnightsoaper]

Do any of you home/amateur soapers calculate or have a target cost/bar? How much is too much? What’s reasonable? Last I calculated, I seem to recall I was running between $1.50 and $1.90, depending on the EOs used. Is that even in the ballpark? Note: This figure does not calculate the cost waste, and I seldom totally lose a soap. As I said in another thread, “worst case I can usually use them myself as kitchen soap, foot scrubber soap, dog soap...something”

I just hit the 3 month mark so I can reply here!

I do calculate the cost of my recipes (keep an excel file with a materials price list and a sheet for each recipe that calculates the cost).

My current favorite recipe is at 70 cents per 4.5-4.9 oz bar. This includes generic $32/lb FO and all ingredients/additives that go into the soap except colorant (because I haven't figured out the cost in the measurements I use, like per tsp). I also calculate if I use any disposable items like plastic cups, paper towels or freezer paper, but I rarely use them. I'm using an old supply of gloves I've had forever, but when I have to buy more, I'll have to include those too. I don't figure in any packaging because I don't currently package.

And I think I've hit my limit in buying in larger quantities (either because I'm not sure I'll use it up within a year or I don't have any place to store it), so the price isn't likely to be reduced any time soon.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I just hit the 3 month mark so I can reply here! ... My current favorite recipe is at 70 cents per 4.5-4.9 oz bar.

So happy to see you here, Midnight! 70¢ a bar is impressive. Well done! I'm sure you have many tips to share. Keep up the good work!

 

[penelopejane]

So happy to see you here, Midnight! 70¢ a bar is impressive. Well done! I'm sure you have many tips to share. Keep up the good work!

Thread hijack:
Zany I can't reply to your other thread atm.
I get this message: "You have insufficient privileges to reply here."

Am attempting to have it fixed. I will get back to you on the other thread as soon as I can.

 

[I_like_melts]

The price sounds about right for a hobbyist. Unless you are buying supplies in bulk, then it gets much cheaper.

Also, .70 a bar is amazing!

 

[cmzaha]

I do sell but I will say I cannot make a bar for .70 to fit the quality I require of my soaps. I do purchase in bulk and it does help some. Sorry, yep I mentioned selling....

 

[amd]

My current favorite recipe is at 70 cents per 4.5-4.9 oz bar. This includes generic $32/lb FO and all ingredients/additives that go into the soap except colorant (because I haven't figured out the cost in the measurements I use, like per tsp).

I'm trying to figure out how this is even possible... at $32/lb the FO is $2 per ounce - assuming that one is using the "usual" 1 oz PPO... My bars weigh 4.3-4.7 oz range, in a 32oz batch I can cut 9 bars and use 2 oz FO... Fragrance alone would be 44 cents per bar. I don't think I could squeak out even a simple bar of soap for the remaining 26 cents, just counting lye, water, and oils. Even if I didn't have to pay shipping costs, I don't think I could pick up oils and lye that cheaply.

Not that I'm trying to call BS, but a calculation of my unscented and uncolored soap mentioned in my previous post at bulk prices is 63 cents. I don't want to give the "home" soapmaker an unrealistic expectation for making a nice scented pretty soap, and have them feel that they are failing simply because someone claimed to be able to do it for 70 cents.

 

[I_like_melts]

I'm trying to figure out how this is even possible... at $32/lb the FO is $2 per ounce - assuming that one is using the "usual" 1 oz PPO... My bars weigh 4.3-4.7 oz range, in a 32oz batch I can cut 9 bars and use 2 oz FO... Fragrance alone would be 44 cents per bar. I don't think I could squeak out even a simple bar of soap for the remaining 26 cents, just counting lye, water, and oils. Even if I didn't have to pay shipping costs, I don't think I could pick up oils and lye that cheaply.

Not that I'm trying to call BS, but a calculation of my unscented and uncolored soap mentioned in my previous post at bulk prices is 63 cents. I don't want to give the "home" soapmaker an unrealistic expectation for making a nice scented pretty soap, and have them feel that they are failing simply because someone claimed to be able to do it for 70 cents.

I have been able to find FO for under $1 oz from a few different sites. Since I started buying in larger quantities, the price went down a lot. I was paying about $2.50/oz for my wax melts before then. Still in aw over the .70 though lol

 

[amd]

I have been able to find FO for under $1 oz from a few different sites. Since I started buying in larger quantities, the price went down a lot.

I've found that too, now that I've started shopping around. Buying larger quantities is great for us that sell, but as a hobby soaper buying larger quantity of FO isn't as appealing. (Hobby! that's the word that I was looking for in previous post... der...) I couldn't justify the cost of color and FO when I was a hobbyist for the quantity I was making and thus my business was born because I could justify it if I was "making money". Anyways... the point I wanted to make is that as a hobbyist buying smaller quantities of this is probably more practical, and though you might be spending more to make a bar than someone selling it, you're still paying less per bar than if you were to buy it from someone. Unless you're me and need to hoard all the colors and all the FO's.