My wife and I make hand made shave soap w/ natural oils -not necessarily organic, but natural and wholesome, you get the idea. Well some guy wants to start buying my soap, which I haven't sold yet. I'm thinking about pricing them in the 9-10 dollar range for a puck, he sells the bowls so I was thinking that with the bowl he could add an additional 5-6 bucks. The bowl is a very attractive wooden bowl made in india, has a lid, (mango wood). am I too high too low? What would you spend for a soap that had shea butter, lanolin, or other fancy ingredients in it? I apologize if this would be better off in the soap threads, but I thought general shaving discussions would cover it.
Pricing questions:
- Thread starter Oden_Flagship
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I would look in the Vendor Corner to get a idea of what others charge.
Good luck
Good luck
- Thread starter
- #3
I didn't know we had a vendor corner!
If you start selling here on the B&B you'll need to get familiar with it as you may soon be tagged as a vendor as well. Good luck!
depends on how many ounces the puck is and what her actual cost for her raw materials are.
Personally I found I need to order my supplies in bulk to keep the prices down.
Honestly, $8-10 a puck without a container seems really high to me even with a container it seems high.
Good Luck,
Edited to add it's not about the "fancy ingredients" it's about the quality of the product and how well it functions and in this case as a shaving soap.
Personally I found I need to order my supplies in bulk to keep the prices down.
Honestly, $8-10 a puck without a container seems really high to me even with a container it seems high.
Good Luck,
Edited to add it's not about the "fancy ingredients" it's about the quality of the product and how well it functions and in this case as a shaving soap.
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- Thread starter
- #6
I feel like I paid 22 bucks for some tabac, and colonial conks is like 3.99 and that there's too much competition in the cheap soap you can get a can of goo for 2.99 and you don't have to pay shipping. But too expensive and you'll price yourself outside the market. These are healthy slabs of soap, 4.4 oz or so and I'm thinking 10.50 retail is acceptable. I would pay that for these especially if someone recommended it to me or it had good reviews. I could be totally wrong though.
I don't know if I'd sell it on here, although I have considered it, at the very least I'd like to send out some samples to people eventually so that I can get some feedback, as none of my associates in the real world are into wet shaving. But I didn't want to join just to sell stuff. I joined because I really care about the hobby and sharing ideas with people who have similar interests.
I don't know if I'd sell it on here, although I have considered it, at the very least I'd like to send out some samples to people eventually so that I can get some feedback, as none of my associates in the real world are into wet shaving. But I didn't want to join just to sell stuff. I joined because I really care about the hobby and sharing ideas with people who have similar interests.
Tabac is 4.4oz, and sells for $14.99, and comes in a heavy porcelain bowl. If you were going to sell the product for anywhere near this cost, your product would have to exceed, or be equal to the quality of Tabac.
Just for purposes of comparison, "Susie's Bubbles" is a 3oz puck, and sells for $5.00 sans container. "Mamma Bear's" are 4oz in a plastic tub, and sell for $7.99. Both of these are highly regarded well established small batch made soaps.
At least for me, I could care less about the bowl, and would rather not pay extra for a pretty container; as it has no impact on shave quality.
So without the bowl, 5-7 dollars seems reasonable.
Its really about the efficacy, however where a product fits into the market ingredient-wise also plays a factor.
For a softer soap (ie, a soap that has not been milled), the price should be less than for a milled soap of comparable quality. This is because a milled soap is more expensive to make and as a result of the milling process is a denser, longer-lasting (generally much more so) product.
The other factor is the ingredients - if you're making a basic soap that is basically similar to the melt and pour soaps or the clear Conk type soaps, you are at the bottom level of the market. If you add some quality ingredients such as essential oils, shea butter, clay, etc. you can charge more (in the same bracket as TGQ, Honeybee, etc.). The fact that there was recently a group buy for a QED sandalwood/rose soap scented with essential oils (both of which are very expensive) that went for almost $30 a puck clearly demonstrates that knowledgeable purchasers will pay more for a product based on ingredient cost.
Another example is tallow - Penhaligons soaps sell for about $30 a puck and they had a very loyal following because they have great scents and the soap was (they're re-formulating) a quality product with an ingredient (tallow) that many members find works well for them.
So, lots of variables out there and the best thing is to figure out who you think your closest competitors are when you set your price.
And, as stated above, if you plan to sell here, best to read up on the vendor guidelines.
For a softer soap (ie, a soap that has not been milled), the price should be less than for a milled soap of comparable quality. This is because a milled soap is more expensive to make and as a result of the milling process is a denser, longer-lasting (generally much more so) product.
The other factor is the ingredients - if you're making a basic soap that is basically similar to the melt and pour soaps or the clear Conk type soaps, you are at the bottom level of the market. If you add some quality ingredients such as essential oils, shea butter, clay, etc. you can charge more (in the same bracket as TGQ, Honeybee, etc.). The fact that there was recently a group buy for a QED sandalwood/rose soap scented with essential oils (both of which are very expensive) that went for almost $30 a puck clearly demonstrates that knowledgeable purchasers will pay more for a product based on ingredient cost.
Another example is tallow - Penhaligons soaps sell for about $30 a puck and they had a very loyal following because they have great scents and the soap was (they're re-formulating) a quality product with an ingredient (tallow) that many members find works well for them.
So, lots of variables out there and the best thing is to figure out who you think your closest competitors are when you set your price.
And, as stated above, if you plan to sell here, best to read up on the vendor guidelines.
Excellent review Chris!
Another thought I had not seen touched:
If your just entering the marketplace with a new product from a unknown vendor your definately in a different position then those established names. Sure samples will get a few to know your product but you need it in LOTS of peoples hands. AKA a good introductory price. You can have the best shave soap, ingredients and fancy packaging but if people are not convinced that the price is set correctly (IE. "hey new soap, it's cheap enough to try) it will just sit there.
From someone who worked for a small business don't over price yourself, get greedy or expect too much too fast. Get a loyal following and you will truely be set.
just my 2 cents
If your just entering the marketplace with a new product from a unknown vendor your definately in a different position then those established names. Sure samples will get a few to know your product but you need it in LOTS of peoples hands. AKA a good introductory price. You can have the best shave soap, ingredients and fancy packaging but if people are not convinced that the price is set correctly (IE. "hey new soap, it's cheap enough to try) it will just sit there.
From someone who worked for a small business don't over price yourself, get greedy or expect too much too fast. Get a loyal following and you will truely be set.
just my 2 cents
I fully agree with this (+1).
There are so many excellent products already available, that many people are not going to be willing to try something new, and untested until there are enough positive reviews of the product coming in.
This is especially true of those on limited budgets, who can't afford to spend more, if the product they just bought is unsatisfactory.
"Susie's Bubbles" runs a contest every week to give a puck of soap away to a newbie. Free contests are an excellent way to get free recognition, along with getting your product into the hands of more people.
If your products is a superior one, you will have repeat business from the people who were given the free product.
- Thread starter
- #12
I also have to take into consideration that I will not be retailing the soap, I'm acting as a manufacturer so that means I will need to knock off about 40% so that the retailer can make his money too. So if i'm selling the soap at an msrp of about 9 bucks, I'm selling it to him for about 6.40 a puck.
I want to thank all of you for your feedback, you've given me a lot to think about. I think I'll come down in the price, an set it at about 7-8 bucks a puck. If I come in with a tallow soap, which is labor intensive I'll up the price on that one.
Thanks!
I want to thank all of you for your feedback, you've given me a lot to think about. I think I'll come down in the price, an set it at about 7-8 bucks a puck. If I come in with a tallow soap, which is labor intensive I'll up the price on that one.
Thanks!
