# Bulk Apothecary



## Badger (Feb 23, 2013)

I am looking for a place to buy lye for a reasonable price and so far, I have come up with Bulk Apothecary.  I am trying to figure in the price of shipping with orders as well, and I seem to be able to get a reasonable deal here.  Does anyone else have a suggestion on other places to buy lye either online or locally to Western or Central Mass?

I have read some questionable posts from some people on the forum regarding Bulk Apothecary, but I did not have a problem with the order that I did put in with them for some pigments.  Does anyone have opinions or dealings with them in purchasing lye?  Or other dealings I should know about? Thank you in advance


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## Crocoturtle (Feb 23, 2013)

amazon has good deals on Essentials Depot products and I hear great things about the lye guy. thelyeguy.com


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## Badger (Feb 23, 2013)

I checked out the lye guy and Essential Depot on amazon and because of shipping they would both be more expensive then Bulk apothecary.  I am not sure if there is a reason to not go through BA or not.  I just know that because of distance and shipping costs, BB is not much of an option for me.


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## Crocoturtle (Feb 23, 2013)

How much is the shipping on Bulk Apothecary? On amazon if you buy 10lb they give you $15 off so that almost covers shipping.


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## Badger (Feb 23, 2013)

At BA it is about $12 for 8 lbs of lye and $13 for shipping, so between $25-26 for 8 lbs.  Amazon is $25 for 10 lbs and $24 for shipping -$15, so about $34.


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## Mommysoaper (Feb 23, 2013)

Checkout Essential Depot on their website, not through Amazon.  (essentialdepot.com)  I was on their site today and they are advertising a 20% off domestic shipping discount on all orders under 150 lbs.  Maybe try figuring that out against Bulk Apothecary.  Somtimes if you you go directly to Essential Depot's site they may also have some items, even lye listed with free shipping.  That varies.  Good luck finding what you need!


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## Badger (Feb 23, 2013)

Hmmm, with the present deals at Essential Depot, it is about $28 for 8 lbs of lye plus a $3 discount if I leave a review on their site, so $25.


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## CCa1892 (Feb 23, 2013)

Try the Boyer Corporation.
I bought a case of lye late last summer, even with the shipping, the cost was very reasonable.
http://boyercorporation.com/


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## christinak (Mar 12, 2013)

I order lots of stuff from Bulk Apothecary and the more you add you get a really good deal on shipping!  I ordered about 30 lbs or so of oils and decided to throw in the 8 lbs. of lye...shipping only went up a dollar something.


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## Badger (Mar 12, 2013)

Very nice!  I might check them out again and do more comparisons.  I have been happy with ED and WSP, but I am willing to check BA and see how they are.  How fast is their process time?


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## VanessaP (Mar 12, 2013)

Not terribly long. I think about 4 business days or so for a friend of mine to receive her order. Now, she didn't order lye so that may have to go a different route due to HAZMAT issues.


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## Badger (Mar 12, 2013)

Thank you Vanessa.  I might try them out next month.  I think I ordered something from them last month, but I don't remember what it was now :Kitten Love:  I think I have been ordering too much soap stuff lately... is there such thing as too much?


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## danahuff (Mar 12, 2013)

Badger said:


> I am looking for a place to buy lye for a reasonable price and so far, I have come up with Bulk Apothecary.  I am trying to figure in the price of shipping with orders as well, and I seem to be able to get a reasonable deal here.  Does anyone else have a suggestion on other places to buy lye either online or locally to Western or Central Mass?
> 
> I have read some questionable posts from some people on the forum regarding Bulk Apothecary, but I did not have a problem with the order that I did put in with them for some pigments.  Does anyone have opinions or dealings with them in purchasing lye?  Or other dealings I should know about? Thank you in advance



I actually did see lye on the shelf at Lowe's in Worcester, but it was wicked expensive. I get lye from the Lye Guy online. Reasonable price. He's in Upstate NY, so shipping is fast to MA.

https://www.thelyeguy.com/store.php


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## Badger (Mar 12, 2013)

Thanks, Dana.  I am in Worcester on a regular basis, so I might check it out.  I bought 8 lbs when I ordered it from ED, so I have enough lye for a little while ;-)  I will check out shipping costs at Lye Guy also, there website seemed to be leading me to ED before...


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## christinak (Mar 13, 2013)

Badger said:


> Very nice!  I might check them out again and do more comparisons.  I have been happy with ED and WSP, but I am willing to check BA and see how they are.  How fast is their process time?


 
Funny you should ask :twisted:

The first order I placed was shipped the very next day but this time I placed it on the 7th and it's still not shipped......boo.


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## Genny (Mar 13, 2013)

My sister ordered from them last month & it took 2 weeks for it to be sent out and then when she got the package there were some things not in there because they were on back order.  But they didn't contact her before it shipped to tell her that any of her order was on back order & that she'd have to wait longer for the other stuff.


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## ruby61 (Mar 13, 2013)

I was going to order some lye from them but thinking of staying with ed.  They have some good prices on the butters but i can't wait two weeks for them to ship stuff.  They need to get their act together.


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## MaitriBB (Mar 13, 2013)

Another vote for The Lye Guy here.  His shipping and packaging is excellent and the lye is first-rate.


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## jcatblum (Mar 30, 2013)

I placed an order on 3/27, it shipped 3/29

I did notice they were having a free S&H promo for Easter when you spend x amount--- the Lye price is higher today, guessing because of the promo.


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## christinak (Mar 30, 2013)

My order got here in about a week and a half due to the weekend and no ups delivery.  Im just impatient.  Dont forget about the 10% off at BA....I don't know if they still have it but they have for like 2 months...


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## jcatblum (Apr 3, 2013)

Order came today 4/3 was ordered 3/27. The FO that I ordered had crooked labels on the bottles & the packing slip looked like the ink was on the last leg, but no other gripes. Glad I ordered mine a wk ago.  Todays price shows 8lbs lye $16.99 + shipping


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## Crocoturtle (Apr 19, 2013)

I ordered from ED on Amazon this week and got 10lbs for $27 total, including shipping. Just heads up, I've never seen it cheaper anywhere.


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## pamielynn (Apr 20, 2013)

I still like the Lye Guy. $5.25 for 32oz, buy 6 get one "free". Reasonable shipping. www.thelyeguy.com


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## cursivearts (May 7, 2013)

I had the same thing happen with Bulk Apothecary that Genny mentioned. It took two weeks to get my order (and I wasn't notified when it was shipped; I had to keep checking my account).  When I got it, half the items were missing, on backorder and it took another week or so to get them.  And their customer service was terrible.  When I contacted them about it, they were basically like, "Oh well, you'll get it when we do."  Even though they have great prices, I will never use Bulk Apothecary again.

ETA: I have used ED for lye and I really like their prices.  A lot of times they will have 2lb jugs on sale for 2$.


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## OliveOil2 (May 17, 2013)

Essential Depot usually has a discount code for a % off the entire order including shipping. Try http://www.retailmenot
to see if they have a current code for Essential Depot. I think the last one I used was 10%.


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## mel z (May 19, 2013)

Just a heads up, WSP is soon to carry lye, no pricing up yet, but keep in mind when they do put it up the price includes shipping but you have to spend at minimum of $30 for that "free" shipping:

http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.co...ryID=2554&CategoryName=Sodium+Hydroxide+-+Lye

So far I've been buying lye from ED. I only ordered once from Bulk Apothecary and while shipping was slow, (only ED is fast shipping for me), all went well. I've not been price comparing with BA and anyone else lately so...Also when WSP has something on backorder, they do the same, you get it when they do. Nothing a supplier can do about that. They don't know that 49 people are going to buy something on the same day and they only have 48 in stock. No complaints from me except all soap making supplies take forever to get here other than ED. ED has that part down pat.


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## jenneelk (Jul 5, 2013)

I've been waiting to see the price on wsp but think it could be higher due to low cost and free shipping they offer.
I buy lye at my local Ace Hardware for around $3.25 a pound since I have tax. 

As for Bulk Apothecary.. Yeah I will never never order from
Them again. One of the not too nice reviews out there is from me. They were slow and lied several times. Too bad since price is good. Likely because they don't have enough employees. :/


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## sarahcycled (Jul 30, 2013)

Duda diesel sells lye for bio diesel fuel purposes but its the best price I've found for lye.

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## Trinity (Jul 30, 2013)

I just ordered 8 pounds of lye from Essential Depot and it was under 20 dollars with shipping and I was very pleased to find out it will arrive on Thursday so they seem to be pretty fast as well. I checked around and they seem to be cheapest even with shipping. If anyone finds cheaper please let me know I am always looking to save a dollar


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## paillo (Jul 31, 2013)

Trinity said:


> I just ordered 8 pounds of lye from Essential Depot and it was under 20 dollars with shipping and I was very pleased to find out it will arrive on Thursday so they seem to be pretty fast as well. I checked around and they seem to be cheapest even with shipping. If anyone finds cheaper please let me know I am always looking to save a dollar



This has been my experience too, I'm a big fan of Essential Depot. Prices vary with the deals of the week, but I've always been able to find a BOGO, free or discounted shipping, or great deals on EOs when combined with a lye order. Have also heard great things about the LyeGuy, but don't tend to buy just lye.


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## ahutchins9 (Aug 12, 2013)

I get mine from Essential Depot except I order directly from their website and not Amazon. They were the cheapest I found with shipping on the east coast


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## heartsong (Aug 12, 2013)

I buy this one...free shipping and works out to $3.59 per pound...extra clean quality micro beads http://www.essentialdepot.com/servlet/the-76/10-lbs-Food-Grade/Detail


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## ahutchins9 (Aug 13, 2013)

heartsong said:


> I buy this one...free shipping and works out to $3.59 per pound...extra clean quality micro beads http://www.essentialdepot.com/servlet/the-76/10-lbs-Food-Grade/Detail


 
That's what I get too


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## yamalimama (Aug 13, 2013)

Hey there!
I have been buying from Wholesale Supplies Plus for 4 years now...since the beginning of my business. Yes, I would say I have been a faithful customer.  There prices are pretty good...they have gradually risen over the months/years, but then again everything has in this US economy. I love the free shipping and since they are located in Ohio and I am in Pennsylvania, it is (well used to be...waiting for my recent order!) almost 2 day or less shipping. Nice. They eliminated the 8oz and 32oz of essential oil - bummer - I was ready to take my "main oils"(lavender, orange, etc) up to 32oz and my "special oils" to 8oz (ylang ylang, etc). It set me back and I am sure other "soapers" out there can relate. Also, WSP's selection of essential oils went from VERY MANY to BARELY ANY over the years. I understand eliminating unpopular oils, but....?  

However.....I couldn't resist shopping around....and I found BULK APOTHECARY. I am sure other soapmakers have done the same.
I have not purchased from them at all...seemed a bit pricey on some things....and the reviews seemed to be too good to be true. I really liked the variety. But then I noticed how much the website looked like WSP website....and after MapQuesting it I found that they are located 40 minutes from each other. HMMMMMMM. Coincidence or could the 2 companies be connected? WSP is less natural and BA is more natural (I am the natural soap only type  ) I buy pure essential oils and few fragrances from WSP. I have noticed that WSP has a TON of fragrance oils and barely any essential oils. On the other hand, I have found BA to carry TONS of essential oils and barely any fragrance oils. The list goes on....

I am just confused.....am I the only one around here that has noticed similarities between BULK APOTHECARY and WHOLESALE SUPPLIES PLUS??? What do ya' think?

~Emma


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## MasqueradeMarket (Aug 13, 2013)

Newbie to the forum but not to soap making.  I have been buying Food Grade lye from ED for about 3 years.. never ever had a problem.  I had to order something that ONLY BA had and I needed lye so I bought their 8lb special.  It came relatively quickly.  BUT as soon as I opened the lye to pour it, it came flying out of the bottle like a volcano, I measured how far the beads went and the farthest one was 26.5" from where I was pouring it.

It stuck to my arms above my gloves and beneath my sleeves, up on my chest, neck and face.  Thank God I was wearing goggles and gloves.

So, I decided to make a 2nd batch of soap and I decided to pour it into my container while in the sink, same thing.  Lye was flying out of the bottle.

I called them, the receptionist said "yeah, we had a lot of complaints about that".. she forwarded me to the manager, left VM.  he called promptly back,  I told him what happened and he said. "hmm, we haven't heard that complaint before"  after stating his receptionist stated otherwise, he said he would give me a full refund and that he would contact the chemist to find a solution.

Has anyone else had this problem?  It's unbelievable! I have NEVER experienced anything like it!  I can't and won't even use it... it's too darn dangerous! I went back to ED food grade lye!


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## danahuff (Aug 16, 2013)

I bought lye from Amazon that tended to get static-y. The beads would stick to the sides of my container and even rolled a bit on the table. I never bought it again. I use the Lye Guy, and his is great. Never had a problem. It doesn't fly anywhere, and his prices are reasonable.


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## paillo (Aug 17, 2013)

I bought lye for years from a local hardware store, and had WAY too much staticky lye. Since switching to ED's I haven't had any problems with 'flying lye'. I hear great things about the Lye Guy too, but I love being able to try new EOs combining a lye sale with an EO sale at ED. Big fan!


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## Savvynurse (Aug 17, 2013)

I just bought 32 lbs of lye from ED for 3.76/lb with shipping. Love the 2lb packaging 


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