Box sets?

[dixiedragon]

Sellers, do you find boxes sell? I am considering creating a few boxes for a craft show this summer.

Lavender Lullaby - (all scented with lavender EO), bath bomb, salt bar, regular bar, lip balm, lotion and whipped shea.

5'oclock Somewhere - Beer and wine scented soaps, lotions, lip balms, etc.

Peppermint Pick-me-up - all with peppermint EO.

My plan is that buying the box will be 10-20 % cheaper than buying each item individually. I plan to have maybe 3 each of the boxes put together, and the items also available individually.

My thought is that people who like peppermint will like it in multiple forms. Have you found this to be true?

 

[TBandCW]

I have some awesome gift bags that I think are great, but apparently no one else does. I don't sell many and have actually bought back gift bags that I have in retail stores. Give it a try though, just hasn't worked out for me.

 

[shunt2011]

I've not had any luck selling sets either. Though, I'm going to try one more time over Mother's Day weekend. I just make small sets (soap, scrub, bath fizzy & lip balm). Might try adding a roll-on perfume too.

 

[navigator9]

I think sets are a wonderful idea, but as stated above, customers don't seem to think so. I used to make gift baskets, and I think I only ever sold one. O...N...E. I have done some gift sets, a traveller's set, with soap fragrances tied to different countries, I think I sold one of those. My beer sets seem to sell the most, but still not that well. It seems that single bars is what people want, and what sells the best by far. I do Chinese takeout containers with 2 or 3 bars as a set, and I sell a few of those. Sets seem to do better at the holiday season, when people are looking for gifts. I'm still determined to figure out sets that people will not be able to resist...but I'm not there yet.

 

[Muskette]

Same as the others, I've had no luck selling sets at craft shows, no matter how pretty I think they are, lol. I do have a few customers that like to custom-order sets for gift-giving, but at craft shows they don't sell at all, even right before holidays. Go figure.

 

[shunt2011]

I have the same thing. A couple customers order 3-5 gift sets a couple times a year. Wish I could figure out how to get more to sell at the shows though. As I said, going to try it in May at a huge show over Mother's Day Weekend. They apparently get 100,000 or more folks through there. We'll see.

 

[Rusti]

A thought - what about a 'pick your own' set? I'm not selling myself, but the thought occurred while I was reading. Pick an item from category A, one from B, one from C, etc. have a few baskets ready to arrange them in and wrap up? Would that be something feasible for y'all to try?

 

[cmzaha]

No luck here selling any type of gift boxes or bags.

 

[snappyllama]

I don't sell but have bought a pick-your-own bath set from a craft fair before. They were selling pretty briskly... it could have been that one person started buying one and group dynamics brought over a bunch of others (me included), and everyone started buying them. Since it took a little time to pick out everything, the booth was filled with folks - bringing over more folks (you know how that goes at fairs). I think it was a lip balm, bath bomb, bath salts, bar soap and poof. They all fit into a box that was tied with a bow. I want to say it was $20.

Perfect easy Christmas gift for someone I had no idea what to get... I got one for a niece and aunt. My daughter got one for her boyfriend's mom. This was before I got into making my own.

 

[Saponista]

I seem to sell single items much more easily than gift sets too. The gift sets sell online but at fairs I sell far more single units.

 

[navigator9]

A thought - what about a 'pick your own' set? I'm not selling myself, but the thought occurred while I was reading. Pick an item from category A, one from B, one from C, etc. have a few baskets ready to arrange them in and wrap up? Would that be something feasible for y'all to try?

Even that doesn't seem to work. I don't know what the psychology is behind it. If it were me, I'd love to be able to buy a gift that's "done", I even have a bow on my sets, so they're complete. But they still want single bars. I have sold more of the Chinese takeout containers than any others, and those are "pick your own", but I can't say that they sell well. And they're cute! They're frosted plastic with polka dots, and I have colored tissue inside, and a decorative hang tag, and a bow. I love them...but customers...not so much. Go figure.

 

[shunt2011]

Yep, tried the build your own too. No luck.

 

[SplendorSoaps]

I've had people custom order gift baskets, but I've only ever sold one gift basket as-is for a customer (it was last Mother's Day). It seems like something that should sell like hotcakes, but for some reason, they just don't for me.

I did have some success over the winter holidays with little stocking stuffers in a small organza bag that included cuticle oil, a soap sample, and a lip balm. I think they went over well because they were small and relatively inexpensive, so people could pick up several at a time for gifts.

ETA: I did have some themed two bar sets sell pretty well. I called them "Beast Mode and Beer Soap Bundles" and they included a Beer Soap, a Eucalyptus Spearmint soap in Seattle Seahawks colors, and a wooden soap dish tied with a natural fiber string bow. I sold quite a few, but that may have been because anything Seahawks-themed was selling like crazy over football season. A lot of women bought them to give to men for gifts.

 

[Saponista]

It's really interesting that so many people seem to have the same issue.

 

[dixiedragon]

So, reading this, I started thinking about what I would like in a gift box - then realized I can't recall when I bought one! So, why don't I buy them?
1) I don't like a lot of packaging. I hate when a basket looks super full but it's mostly confetti or whatever.
2) There is almost always about 20% or more of stuff I don't like.
3) Even if I like everything in the basket it feels weird to buy a gift basket for myself.

So, my containers are a cardboard food container - like this:
http://www.nashvillewraps.com/food-restaurant-packaging/take-out-boxes/sku-ea1bp.html

My thought here is it can easily be "dressed up" for a gift - ribbon, or just wrap it. Or it can be left as is as a convenient container.

I also figured that if a person likes lavender soap, there is a good chance they will also like lavender lotion, lip balm, etc.

So it looks like my instinct to just have a few boxes is good. I can always take the boxes with me and put together some more.

 

[LisaAnne]

Dixie, those are cute boxes. I would buy a soap and body Butter (or lotion) set. They just seem to go together and just 2 items keeps the cost down. When I go to markets I don't like to spent too much at one place because I never know what I will run into down the line.

 

[navigator9]

I may be wrong, but I always assume that people will buy sets as a gift for someone else. Maybe because the sets cost more than the singles, and we tend to spend on gifts for others. So I always go out of my way to make sure the packaging is as attractive as possible, to make it look like something you would want to receive as a gift. There's a lot of cute packaging ideas out there. Your box lends itself to some interesting possibilities. I'm anxious to hear how you do with your sets. Maybe you'll come up with some insight into this problem.
I used to think it was just me, until I started reading other threads here. I think that people should love to have a nicely packaged, ready-made gift to give, especially for occasions like Mother's Day, Christmas, etc. In the Christmas season, I always think that people are already stressed, and that gift sets will be a great idea, because it's a complete gift, just add a name tag, and you're done. At least that's what I'd think, if I were the customer. I do sell the most of the Chinese take out boxes around Christmas, a lot of them as teacher gifts. Moms walk around thinking, what the heck can I get for my kids teacher that looks nice, and doesn't cost an arm and a leg, and voila, there's the take out box, complete with a bow, so they don't have to go home and start searching for a box, and wrapping paper. I use little pop up signs with suggestions like, "This makes a great teacher gift!", just in case they didn't think of it themselves. I have several different styles of boxes hanging around, it's a shame, some of them are so cute. Now, I usually fill them and give them as gifts to friends. Good luck to you!

 

[TBandCW]

I usually end up donating them as a raffle prize for charities.

 

[MySoapyHeart]

Dixiedragon, I don`t sell, but just wanted to chime in and say that if the box set thing doesn`t turn out what you`re going for, what about having a beautifull soapdish with a single soap - or two - wrapped in see-through plasticfoil? And perhaps having a set on display for decoration - so they can see what they are getting?

That way they get a set that would make a perfect (hostess-)gift for those who search for gifts but won`t commit to a bigger gift basket or box. Also, since it comes with a soapdish already, people can use their gifts straight away without having to ruffle through their china to look for a dish that may fit the soap, or put it away "untill they can get a better dish for it".

I do this all the time and it is one of my go-to gifts when we are invited somewhere new. I have several converts now because of that. People who started to use my soaps did it because it was like they didn`t have an exuse for letting it just sit there "looking pretty", since it allready is sitting in a designated dish ready for using (wether it is for the bath, guestbathroom or kitchen) Re-visiting them I just bring them chocolate and "refills" of soaps I know they are especially fond of.

Pretty soapdishes doesn`t have to be expensive either, comes in so many shapes, colors and sizes, and you can stock up on a few to test the water without having to shell out too much money. Some like a luxurious feel to their gifts without breaking the bank, and this is one option to do just that.

Anyway, just a thought. Wish you all the best at the upcoming craft show, please let us know how it was! I have always wanted to be at one to see what people come up with, but there is never one in my area, or even close to here.

 

[Saponista]

I tie a soap onto a wooden dish with ribbon and those sell like hot cakes. I think they are popular as they are a lower price point but still make a complete gift.