Different packaging?

[AshleyR]

Do any of you that sell your soaps package them differently depending on where/how you'll be selling them?

I am planning to wholesale my soaps and I feel like I should box those soaps to avoid them getting banged up or shrinking too much for their wrapper. I also think some store owners might prefer a more "professional" wrapping so I have found some nice boxes that can easily be dressed up or down. They're a tad pricier than I had hoped to pay but I think they will really appeal to customers.

I'm also going to be selling online through my website and wonder if I can get away with using a simple cigar band label for those soaps since they'll most likely get used pretty quickly (don't have to worry so much about the soap shrinking out of the label!)

For craft shows I'm thinking of even just leaving the bars unwrapped on display and then into glassine bags when people purchase. I'd put a business card and a card with the ingredients in the bag.

What do you think?

I'm finding that the cost for ingredients in my soaps is pretty high (I have to order EVERYTHING online since I live in the teeniest town). People that live around here aren't really into paying $6+ for a bar of soap, so I think I need to focus on keeping my prices relatively low. The only area I can really cut back on is the packaging. I don't know if it is a good idea considering some say packaging is the MOST important, but I don't know what else I can do to lower the costs. All of the packaging ideas that I like and feel would appeal to others are adding on an extra dollar or so to the price of the soap. Kinda steep!

Anyway, I was just curious how the rest of you package your soaps. Do you use the same packaging for all, or cut back where you feel you can?

 

[Tabitha]

Packaging is important if it is your 1st impression, but you could use pretty paper on your cigar bands or an inexpensive ribbon to get the same eye-candy appeal as a bix would at a fraction of the price. Your logo & labels are as important or more important than the acual bag or box IMHO.

It is possible to offer several packaing options in the same area. You may even want to offer naked or boxed to your wholesale customers & allow them to make that choice. The same at shows. Maybe have some boxed & some naked, you could then see which otion people are drawn to the most.

As for your website, packaing is not your 1st impression, the website is, so packaing is less important for website sales I believe. On etsy, etc, you see a photo of the raw soap but have no clue how it will be packaged when it arrives, which is less important in that arena than the actual item listing/description/photo.

Hope that all made sense.

 

[Lindy]

I do agree with Tabitha - and I would recommend that when selling your soaps naked not to use the glassine but rather a paper product, paper bag, stuff like that. Just my opinion....I like spending 2 cents now and then!

 

[rszuba]

i was thinking if you try and tell people to go a little more green, then naked soap is good. at craft shows some of my soap has craftbook paper wraps and the some doesn't have anything. i put on my brochure that when reodering soap it would come naked unless label,wrap,box requested. and there is a craft mall i am thinking of putting my soap in-- i will definetely put in box-so less damage is done when i am not around. a friend wants to put in her spa and i will probably use fancier pillow boxes for that. or fancy little bags of some sort.