Question to those that sell CP in shops

[rodeogal]

Do you wrap your soap? I have been invited to share a booth in a 'craft mall' type setting and don't know if I should wrap the soap. I hope it wont't be on the shelf long enought to get dirty, but one never knows. I will be the only soaper so I hope that helps.

I don't use scents so that is moot. However, wrapped in paper will hide the soap. Can/should I use cello bags? That would allow the cigar band label and the soap to show but would protect them from dust.

Thanks for any opinions or thoughts!

 

[hoegarden]

How about wrapping the samples using food wrap to show the people buying so that they will know how the soap look like and the actual soap to sell in maybe baking paper or freezer paper with a logo sticker stick on?

 

[nebetmiw]

There is a business section further down on the main forum page. You might want to read the ideas there on this.

 

[LadyM]

I sell "naked" soap in two stores. They are displayed with small paper bags on the side to take with purchase, and I think being able to see and smell the soap helps sell (in your case mainly see!)

I sell to a couple of others stores with the soap packaged but I have unwrapped display bars out so again, customers can see and smell the soap.

Good luck!

 

[Aponi]

I'm always concerned about putting soaps in shops, at markets or anywhere there are hands and noses!!!!! Never can tell where those hands have been before and if whoever picks the soaps up to smell them has a cold or????

Remember this is just the way I feel about unwrapped soap so..................I sourced a contact in China where I get organza bags made for just .07cents per bag which includes shipping to my home address here in Australia. I totally understand that the bag won't stop everything but sure will help and I've doubled my sales because the soaps look so good in the bags. I have them made to size (9cm x 12cm) for the round soaps we make, it allows customers to see the soaps even seeing the Seaweed in the soaps and the coloured one, plus the scented soaps they can smell - this has worked out so well that now I've also sourced a place in China where I buy charms for our soaps and the most they cost is 0.8cents per charm this also including the freight to my home address - charms (all silver) like cherries for our Cherry Blossom soap, apples for our Fresh Apple soap, bumble bees for our Goatmilk & Honey - I have a vast collection of charms now and today received an order from a shop for 156 cakes of soap bagged with charms. So for an extra 0.15cents I increased our soap price by 0.50cents plus sell more soaps.

 

[MaitriBB]

I wrap my soaps with a cigar band made out of scrapbooking paper, with a 2-sided business card affixed to the front that has the details and such. But I do use scents and I want my customers to be able to smell the soaps. If you don't use scents, I'd think that shrink wrap would work well for you. I recently received a shrink wrapped soap as part of a soap swap and I thought it looked very professional.

 

[rodeogal]

OK. After a very unscientific survey of my friends, family, and offical product testers, I have made decisions!

Decision #1: I have raised my prices on my soaps as to allow me to offer wholesale. (I discussed price in another thread) I have one store that wants them, but I had hesitated because of price. I also got a new cutter that cuts a uniform bar that is bigger than my previous bars, so the price increase is not pure greed. The customer is getting more soap in the deal. I also feel that all prices need to be the same whether the person buys from me, a store, or online.

Decision #2: Based on my question for this thread. Since my soaps are all natural, without any scents or colors, the cigar bands I currently use are recycled paper. In keeping with this 'less is more' theme, I will wrap my soap in kraft paper to go to the craft mall. I will have one naked soap of each blend for display, but customers will actually purchase wrapped and labeled soaps.

I thank you all so much for the input on these two things and the resources that were offered. Feel free to continue to give me feedback! This group ROCKS!

 

[Aponi]

Excellent - sounds like a plan!!!! Hope you do well.

 

[Aponi]

Just thought of something else...........do you have a place where you live that would have cut off cut pieces of paper ???? A place that would perhaps make writing pads etc? This link is to a place here in Australia that sells lovely paper offcuts http://www.amazingpaper.com.au/shop/item/decorative-offcuts-pack - perhaps you have something like this where you live - it would save you a little expense and your wrapped soaps would look beautiful.

 

[siobhan1011]

I've been using wallpaper to wrap mine it is lovely and thick and sooooo cheap

 

[siobhan1011]

Here is some of my soaps wrapped with wallpaper

 

[Scentapy]

I'm always concerned about putting soaps in shops, at markets or anywhere there are hands and noses!!!!! Never can tell where those hands have been before and if whoever picks the soaps up to smell them has a cold or????

I said this before on another thread and I am going to say it again here....... just as something to think about when making the decision to sell unwrapped or partially unwrapped soap. I don't give the whole "people handling the soap" issue a second thought. Do you purchase fresh fruit / veggies? Apples, plums, grapes (even though they are in bags, people still put their hands in there and break up the bundle). Those fruits and veggies are handled by sooooo many people before you even get it home (farm, warehouse, grocery store personnel, customers, etc.).

I use cigar bands and I LOVE my new look (I used to use other stuff). So far, I have seen everyone that handles the soap grab it by the cigar band and take a little sniff (without touching their nose with it!). If someone with a cold is touching your soap and getting germs on it - it is not going to make a difference whether it is packaged or not because the germs will just be on the packaging that the next person is going to touch. Furthermore... people still try to sniff soap even when it is packaged and it is more likely they will actually put their nose on the packaging if they can't get a whiff without doing so.

Soooo...... I wouldn't let the handling of soap hinder your decision. I actually hated my packaged soap because the inside of the plastic would get slimy as the soap rubbed around in it. I think it looked awful. You would have to shrink wrap it or make sure there is no wiggle room.

 

[Aponi]

To wrap or not to wrap is up to each individual person selling soap. Yes I do buy fresh fruit and veggies but then again I do wash those fresh fruit and veggies before I eat them.

I'm not saying that if you do wrap a soap it'll keep all those "nasties" off, but sure will go a long way to helping and it sure looks good, plus the soapers that invent those great packaging ideas feel good also.

Ever wondered why sales people selling to the public have to by law wear gloves when they handle food - guess it doesn't help much as those gloved hands also take your money and touch the cash register - but it does look better than bare hands!!!

So soapers, if you want to wrap.....then wrap - totally up to you - but we'd sure love to see the great wrapping idea's - lots of different ways to wrap and one I wouldn't use is whrink wrap - soap sweats and mould can grow, even with the new shrink wrapping that has thousands of tiny holes in it - I've tried it and I've seen first hand - if you're going to wraps totally, wrap so your soaps can breathe.

 

[Scentapy]

Yes... it is absolutely an individual decision. I was just pointing out why I don't think the "handling" issue should hinder someone's decision if they were heading in the direction of unwrapped or partially unwrapped. There are lots of new soapers on this forum and I didn't want them to have the impression that there is something wrong with choosing to sell unwrapped or partially unwrapped soap.

 

[Aponi]

Exactly, totally up to each individual soaper, remember newbies, love to see the new wrapping designs - really loved the effort, time given and the look of siobhan1011 soaps - I'd buy them because they are different and you can see the TLC given to each soap wrapped - well done:clap:

 

[siobhan1011]

awww fanks, this was a family effort I cut the wallpaper into strips, one of my boys cut the border, the other boy glued it, then my daughter weighed the slices and I did the labels.

 

[tkine]

I've been using wallpaper to wrap mine it is lovely and thick and sooooo cheap

what a good idea...just the nonpasted kind?

 

[SoapPapaw]

There is a company that sells "green" shrink tubes. Not only are they biodegradable they allow the scent to pass through the band. So your soaps are completely protected and your customers can still smell the fragrance.

 

[Lindy]

The company selling the biodegrable shrink is National Shrinkwrap. They are amazing to deal with. I really recommend getting the whole shrink wrap system from them as that wand is fantastic! I have the system and I love it to death.....

 

[Mommysoaper]

I have been wrapping my soaps in muslin and then wrapping a cigar band around the muslin. I like the look and I can still smell the soaps through the fabric. If the fabric gets really dirty from handling, I can either re-wrap or wash the muslin wraps and re-wrap! Haven't had to do either methods yet though, but I like having the option. I love looking at other people's packaging and seeing sow much creativity there is.