# Not happy with my supplier



## dbloomingdale (Apr 5, 2016)

So, the supplier that I have used faithfully for the last fourteen years has sneaked in a new charge.  They advertise free shipping for orders over $40. But now they are charging a handling fee of $5.00.  Really thinking about giving another supplier my business.  Anyone have a favorite that they can go to for almost all their soaping needs?

diane


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## Kamahido (Apr 5, 2016)

I use Brambleberry for my fragrance oils and essential oils and columbusfoods.com for my base oils.


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## shunt2011 (Apr 5, 2016)

I like Natures Garden, Fragrance Lab, Elements Bath and Body and Rustic Escentuals.  They all have great fragrances and other supplies. I don't order from Brambleberry too often as their shipping is slow to my neck of the woods and they are a bit more price wise. WSP only when they have a good sale.


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## maya (Apr 5, 2016)

I used to use a supplier for my olive oil, coconut oil, paper bags and other stuff like that, but the last time I went the worker was so unforgivably rude that I haven't been back. The only thing that I cannot easily find another supplier for is coconut oil but I am looking. So I empathize with what happened. I use columbus foods for several things, the lye guy is good, too.


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## cmzaha (Apr 5, 2016)

Yep, I know who that is and I have hated them for years. At one time they seemed to think it was good to short package butters.


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## KristaY (Apr 6, 2016)

Galaxy posted the other day that Big Lots has coconut oil, 1 gal, for $12.00. Who knew? So I popped in to our local store and sure enough, there it was. They were also having a 20% off everything in the store sale that day so I cleaned them out. Took every one they had and came home with....ONE. But I ended up paying $9.60 for a gallon when I usually pay $20. Now I have a new, local, supplier for CO without paying shipping and no waiting. Another bonus for me is we have no sales tax on food items so it was just $9.60.


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## Stacyspy (Apr 6, 2016)

Yes, it took me a bit to get used to that extra $5, but with the sales they've been having, I can stock up on FOs, and at the sale price, it doesn't bother me overmuch.


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## dixiedragon (Apr 6, 2016)

I'm assuming you are talking about WSP. I'm not in love with the handling fee. But they've got SUCH a good variety. I don't think anybody else carries the huge variety of tools, FOs, molds, containers, oils, butters, preservatives, etc that they do.


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## Earth_Artist (Apr 6, 2016)

WSP!!  It is taking FOREVER for them to ship my order!  It has been 5 days already and it still has not shipped.  Not happy with them now.


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## kchaystack (Apr 6, 2016)

Earth_Artist said:


> WSP!!  It is taking FOREVER for them to ship my order!  It has been 5 days already and it still has not shipped.  Not happy with them now.



Yeah they added another charge to get 'priority processing' so that your order goes out faster.


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## JayJay (Apr 6, 2016)

kchaystack said:


> Yeah they added another charge to get 'priority processing' so that your order goes out faster.



I plan to never pay the priority processing charge. Their shipping is usually fast unless there is a sale. Once I have loaded up on sale items, I am even less inclined to pay extra money for processing.


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## navigator9 (Apr 6, 2016)

I've never bought a lot from WSP, but they do carry a few of my standard FOs, and the Nag Champa that's better than any I've found elsewhere. So, i'ts not as if Soaper's Choice, or the Lye Guy started making these changes, (I'd be devastated if they went this route) but they're still enough to irritate me. I remember when their magazine was on line, and I used to get an email saying the new one was available, and I'd always look at it. Once in a while I'd be inspired enough by something I'd seen, to actually buy the ingredients and try it. Then came the day when it was no longer free, now you have to pay for it. Is it me? Moves like this just seem designed to aggravate people and lose sales. Having a free ezine, with pictures of products made with your supplies, and recipes to make them, seems like a fantastic way to increase sales! Why, oh why would you change that? And then of course, the big spike in prices, and the new shipping scheme. I never took a business course in my life, but all of these moves just seem self destructive to me. And big sales every few days, just make customers wonder what's going on.

If I were the owner of a business selling supplies to soapmakers, you can bet I'd be lurking in every soapmaking forum, to see what soapers were up to, what's the latest trend, what will they be looking for, and what do they say about suppliers. I'd find out what my customers want and do a better job of giving it to them than anyone else. Or at least try. People talk. Especially when they're dissatisfied, and word gets around fast. I'm really surprised that WSP just seems to be going hell bent in the direction they're going, and nobody's putting on the brakes. But what do I know? Maybe they're making more money than ever. Just seems kind of fishy to me.


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## shunt2011 (Apr 6, 2016)

^^^^^^ Exactly this!    I don't find them Wholesale at all.


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## Rusti (Apr 6, 2016)

Yup, I ordered in the sale on March 31st - still waiting on my FOs to ship. So far the only time I buy from them is when their fragrance oils are on sale. I can get soapmaking oils way cheaper at Kroger, given the eeny infrequent batches that I make.

I like some of the FOs I got last time they had a big sale, like the sea salt and driftwood, and freesia dupe but I totally wouldn't purchase anything from them at this time outside of their sales.


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## maya (Apr 6, 2016)

navigator9 said:


> If I were the owner of a business selling supplies to soapmakers, you can bet I'd be lurking in every soapmaking forum, to see what soapers were up to, what's the latest trend, what will they be looking for, and what do they say about suppliers. I'd find out what my customers want and do a better job of giving it to them than anyone else. Or at least try. People talk. Especially when they're dissatisfied, and word gets around fast.



Jesus this is the TRUEST THING EVER. Why would you NOT get the customer information, likes and dislikes, complaints and compliments, etc. etc. that you could? FOR FREE? I mean come on!

There are a couple of suppliers on other forums I am on, that occasionally or regularly post and it makes all the difference.


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## JuneP (Apr 7, 2016)

Have you ever tried Nature's Garden's Nag Champa?  I use that one and it's just like the incense. I also got some once from a place on Etsy, from a supplier called Angels Candles, I believe and I think it is probably the same one as Nature's Garden. She doesn't sell large quantities, so I'm guessing that she may be buying them wholesale and then selling them in smaller bottles. 

On another note, with Wholesale Supplies now charging a processing fee, then they are no longer giving free shipping. It's like a bait and switch operation and certainly doesn't feel good. I did get some molds from the sale a week ago, because the ones I wanted weren't to be found elsewhere, and they were on sale; but I do resent this new processing charge. That kind of greed really ticks me off and when I see that, I try to look for other suppliers to give my business to if possible. 



navigator9 said:


> I've never bought a lot from WSP, but they do carry a few of my standard FOs, and the Nag Champa that's better than any I've found elsewhere. So, i'ts not as if Soaper's Choice, or the Lye Guy started making these changes, (I'd be devastated if they went this route) but they're still enough to irritate me. I remember when their magazine was on line, and I used to get an email saying the new one was available, and I'd always look at it. Once in a while I'd be inspired enough by something I'd seen, to actually buy the ingredients and try it. Then came the day when it was no longer free, now you have to pay for it. Is it me? Moves like this just seem designed to aggravate people and lose sales. Having a free ezine, with pictures of products made with your supplies, and recipes to make them, seems like a fantastic way to increase sales! Why, oh why would you change that? And then of course, the big spike in prices, and the new shipping scheme. I never took a business course in my life, but all of these moves just seem self destructive to me. And big sales every few days, just make customers wonder what's going on.
> 
> If I were the owner of a business selling supplies to soapmakers, you can bet I'd be lurking in every soapmaking forum, to see what soapers were up to, what's the latest trend, what will they be looking for, and what do they say about suppliers. I'd find out what my customers want and do a better job of giving it to them than anyone else. Or at least try. People talk. Especially when they're dissatisfied, and word gets around fast. I'm really surprised that WSP just seems to be going hell bent in the direction they're going, and nobody's putting on the brakes. But what do I know? Maybe they're making more money than ever. Just seems kind of fishy to me.


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## snappyllama (Apr 7, 2016)

I find myself ordering from WSP less and less. They have a few things I like to one-stop-shop for.... like containers that I can lump onto an order with whatever ingredients I'm running low on. The "free" shipping has always annoyed me. I know I'm paying for that shipping in the cost of each product. I price compared a few things from BB, MO, WSP and NG. WSP was higher even when taking shipping into account. Now with their packaging fee it makes even less sense to buy from them. 

The fact that they don't sell FOs by weight really drives me insane. I still like their packaging for powdery things better then BB though so I get those items at WSP. BB, if you're listening - SLSA needs to be shipped in something stronger than Saran-Wrap weight baggies...

Speaking of BB (I know I'm just digressing here)... have y'all noticed their new FO packaging? It's really nice with FP and discoloration info listed on the bottle.


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## KristaY (Apr 7, 2016)

snappyllama said:


> Speaking of BB (I know I'm just digressing here)... have y'all noticed their new FO packaging? It's really nice with FP and discoloration info listed on the bottle.



Yes! I was pleasantly surprised because I usually write all that info on an address type label and stick it to the bottle. They saved me a bunch of time.


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## navigator9 (Apr 7, 2016)

snappyllama said:


> .Speaking of BB (I know I'm just digressing here)... have y'all noticed their new FO packaging? It's really nice with FP and discoloration info listed on the bottle.



And on their FO pages, they also have pics of soap made with that FO so that you have a visual of how much discoloration you'll get. Like Nurture Soaps has pics of soaps made with each mica, so you know before you use it, what color it will be. These are the kinds of little things that customers appreciate enormously and make for warm, fuzzy feelings toward suppliers. It's really not that difficult to figure out how to keep customers happy. Maybe there are things going on behind the scenes at WSP that we're not aware of, who knows? But I'd still be hanging out around here and other forums to see what's being said, and take that info into consideration when I'm making business decisions.


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## gdawgs (Apr 12, 2016)

I placed an order with WSP one week ago today.  This was my first time ordering anything soap related since I'm a newbie.  I saw the free shipping and prices looked reasonable, so I went with them.  I didn't even notice the extra $5 fee until I read this thread.  One week later and they still have not shipped my order.  That's pretty disappointing.  Maybe I'm spoiled with Amazon 2 day shipping, but over one week to ship is pretty poor service. 

This will be the first and last time I order from them.


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## shunt2011 (Apr 12, 2016)

I'm in Michigan and they always take too long to ship.  I only order when they have a good sale and then stock up.  It takes even longer when they have a sale.  I like Natures Garden, Elements Bath & Body, Nurture Soap Supplies and Soaper's Choice for their speediness and reasonable prices.  Brambleberry was just short of 2 weeks getting to me.


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## navigator9 (Apr 12, 2016)

gdawgs said:


> I placed an order with WSP one week ago today.  This was my first time ordering anything soap related since I'm a newbie.  I saw the free shipping and prices looked reasonable, so I went with them.  I didn't even notice the extra $5 fee until I read this thread.  One week later and they still have not shipped my order.  That's pretty disappointing.  Maybe I'm spoiled with Amazon 2 day shipping, but over one week to ship is pretty poor service.
> 
> This will be the first and last time I order from them.



It's obvious that a lot of customers are not happy. So as a business owner, do you just sit back and do nothing, while customers find another supplier, or do you try and do something about it? I'm really mystified that they keep going further into the woods, instead of turning around and looking for another path.


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## shunt2011 (Apr 12, 2016)

navigator9 said:


> It's obvious that a lot of customers are not happy. So as a business owner, do you just sit back and do nothing, while customers find another supplier, or do you try and do something about it? I'm really mystified that they keep going further into the woods, instead of turning around and looking for another path.


 
I so agree with you.  I know I find some of their prices really high even with their so called  free shipping.   And why order from them when I can get it at the same price or cheaper with shipping and way quicker delivery.


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## Serene (Apr 12, 2016)

I am on week two of waiting.   If I were to ship this slowly to my bead customers I would have no business left.


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## gdawgs (Apr 12, 2016)

Serene said:


> I am on week two of waiting.   If I were to ship this slowly to my bead customers I would have no business left.



Have they shipped it yet?


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## kc1ble (Apr 12, 2016)

I too placed and order with them on 4/5 when they had their last sale.  Just checking the status and it is still "processing".  It was my first order and likely will be my last.


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## Serene (Apr 12, 2016)

gdawgs said:


> Have they shipped it yet?



Nope, It is still Pending shipment.

Sere


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## Rusti (Apr 12, 2016)

My March 31st order was finally supposed to be delivered today. I think I've about decided that the only thing I'll ever buy from them is fragrance oils and then only when they have a good sale. Otherwise it just doesn't seem worth it, that's for sure.


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## Navaria (Apr 12, 2016)

I bought a lot on their last sale. Things I have been drooling over forever, like column molds. And lots of flavor oils. Unfortunately, I'm in the same boat. Nothing has shipped yet. Very frustrating. I'm spoiled by Amazon Prime too gdawgs. It's so nice to have things within a couple days of ordering!


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## snappyllama (Apr 12, 2016)

Navaria said:


> I bought a lot on their last sale. Things I have been drooling over forever, like column molds. And lots of flavor oils. Unfortunately, I'm in the same boat. Nothing has shipped yet. Very frustrating. I'm spoiled by Amazon Prime too gdawgs. It's so nice to have things within a couple days of ordering!



Be careful with those crafter's choice column molds. They tend to open up when you least expect it.

I've given up on mine and am back to using pringles cans. I get a better shape from them. Hopefully you'll have better luck!


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## Navaria (Apr 12, 2016)

snappyllama said:


> Be careful with those crafter's choice column molds. They tend to open up when you least expect it.
> 
> I've given up on mine and am back to using pringles cans. I get a better shape from them. Hopefully you'll have better luck!




Seriously? Crap! If I have to wait this long AND they open up on me, they're gonna get a nasty email!


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## Soapsense (Apr 12, 2016)

I like this for a round column mold  http://www.soap-making-resource.com/cylinder-soap-mold.html
I've had it for a long time and it is holding up great. 
My order from April 5th shipped yesterday, I guess I a lucky.


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## Serene (Apr 12, 2016)

Something else to try when it comes to that type of mold.

I have been using mailing tubes.  They are a lot more sturdy than the pringles cans  and come in different sizes.  

Sere


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## paillo (Apr 12, 2016)

Has anyone with complaints contacted Debbie at WSP? I've found her to be responsive and helpful. Haven't ordered with anyone for a long time due to disciplining myself to use up some of my overabundance of supplies before I order more. But if I do have a complaint I like to complain to the seller directly after getting some feedback here, feel it's only fair they hear it and consider solutions.


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## shunt2011 (Apr 12, 2016)

I use binder clips to hold the column mold together. I only use them for shave soap puck refills.


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## snappyllama (Apr 13, 2016)

Soapsense said:


> I like this for a round column mold  http://www.soap-making-resource.com/cylinder-soap-mold.html
> I've had it for a long time and it is holding up great.
> My order from April 5th shipped yesterday, I guess I a lucky.



It's in my basket now.  Thanks for the recommendation!


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## navigator9 (Apr 13, 2016)

paillo said:


> Has anyone with complaints contacted Debbie at WSP? I've found her to be responsive and helpful. Haven't ordered with anyone for a long time due to disciplining myself to use up some of my overabundance of supplies before I order more. But if I do have a complaint I like to complain to the seller directly after getting some feedback here, feel it's only fair they hear it and consider solutions.



When they made the change to have their ezine by paid subscription only, instead of free, I did write an email. Not so much to complain, but to explain why I thought it was a bad move on their part. When you have an ezine with beautiful photographs of products that can be made with your supplies, and you have the recipes and instructions to make them, and package them, and all the links to purchase each item are right there on the page, I think that's brilliant. And I have to admit, that there were several times that I was inspired to make something after seeing it on their pages. So to turn around and start charging people for something that was generating sales for you, just seems like a bad business move. I know that I never even thought about paying for a subscription, and I feel fairly confident, by the number of comments here from people who are dissatisfied with them, that I'm not alone. I just thought that the free ezine was such brilliant marketing on their part, that someone should let them know that this move might be a mistake, and why.

 So I did write an email, and I got a response, I can't remember exactly what it said, but something to the effect that they appreciated my concerns, but they felt that this was they way they wanted to go. Did you ever have a friend who was doing something really stupid and you wanted to take them by the shoulders and shake them and say "What are you doing?!" That's how I feel about them. 

When you raise your prices, but then decide to have frequent sales, customers will wait for the sales to purchase. But if they really need something, they're not going to wait, they're going to go elsewhere. And then they realize that they can actually get everything somewhere else, and they don't come back any more. Isn't it better to have low everyday prices? Isn't that why we love Soaper's Choice, and Costco, and Marshall's and TJMax for that matter? We know we don't have to wait for sales to get a good price. And if on top of all the rest of the changes they've made, they have slooooow shipping...isn't that just a recipe for disaster? 

Again, maybe there are things going on in that company that we don't know about. Maybe there are reasons for doing what they do. But from a customer's point of view, and also a small business owner,_* it just doesn't make sense!*_


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## penelopejane (Apr 13, 2016)

You can buy a cylinder mold from the hardware store.  It is a PVC rainwater pipe.  They come in LOTS of different diameters.  20mm, 50mm, 65mm, 80mm, 90mm etc.  Really cheap.  About $5 a metre.  You use a can to push them out and you can line them with a silicone mat or freezer paper (if you are in the US).


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## gdawgs (Apr 13, 2016)

Looks like my order finally shipped today.  1 week and a day.  :think:


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## Navaria (Apr 13, 2016)

gdawgs said:


> Looks like my order finally shipped today. 1 week and a day. :think:


 Mine too. So it should get here about the time I get too busy to use anything for a while. That's how life goes, isn't it??


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## Marshall (Apr 13, 2016)

penelopejane said:


> You can buy a cylinder mold from the hardware store.  It is a PVC rainwater pipe.  They come in LOTS of different diameters.  20mm, 50mm, 65mm, 80mm, 90mm etc.  Really cheap.  About $5 a metre.  You use a can to push them out and you can line them with a silicone mat or freezer paper (if you are in the US).



As Penelope Jane so eloquently put it... a column mold on a budget. Head mount for a base and 3 inch PVC for the body. Line it with freezer paper and pour away. When it's time to cut remove the body from the base and push the soap out.


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## dbloomingdale (Apr 17, 2016)

My order that I placed on April 5th will be here tomorrow.  That is 13 days.....


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## gdawgs (Apr 18, 2016)

I got mine 10 days after ordering.  I may have to cut them a little slack since I noticed that each liquid item (FOs, palm oil, almond oil, etc.) actually had a date on them a couple days before I shipped them.  So they aren't simply grabbing stuff off a shelf, packing and shipping.  They must have stuff in bulk, then repackage it, so that takes time.  However, if they are behind and it's going to take them more than a few days to get orders out the door, they should put a notice on their web page.  I've seen several other web sites do that.  If people had a heads up when ordering, they'd be less upset.  But now days, people expect things to ship quickly, so when they don't, we end up with threads like this.


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## Barbsbreakingbath (Apr 18, 2016)

*Sellers*

I had a good experience with WSP - i ordered a kit from them, and the spray pumps were the wrong size for the bottles. I called, and they shipped me the correct part for free, overnight, because I needed the product for an upcoming craft fair. And I have to give them credit, they do print a lot of negative reviews of their products, as does Brambleberry. I do hate WSPs handling fee, and I don't like a business that charges you 15.00 to get your product shipped in a timely fashion.
What I'm discovering about some of these suppliers, and I'm really unhappy about it, is that apparently some of them refuse to print any negative reviews about their products. I thought I'd found a great fragrance supplier- and so many of their fragrances had great reviews. I wrote a negative review of one of their products because they said it had "slight discoloration" and that it contained no vanillin, even though it had a very strong vanilla smell. Low and behold, it colored my melt and pour a deep chocolate brown. I should have gon with my instincts and used a stabilizer or another fragrance, but I believed what they said.
I gave the product a 3 star review, not even a one star review, and they refused to print it.
It's not about my ego. I don't care if I'm in print or not. I have read a lot of one star reviews on Amazon from Yahoos who can't figure out how to get the box open. And I also understand that there are unethical folks who will write a fake negative review for a rival's product. But if somebody has 20.00 worth of oils ruined because a fragrance accelerates or dis colors, or it doesn't stick it's a disservice to your customers not to let them know. Maybe that fragrance would be great with a stabilizer, or in candles, or melt and pour, or there's a work around for the acceleration.


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