How much do you spend on packaging/labels?

[Soap Sista Sally]

While there are thousands of ideas of how to create labels and packaging, how much should one budget?

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Keep it simple. When you give soap away, you're giving them the soap. Sure, it's better when it looks nice, but you're not selling it to them and so it's silly to go over the top with it and make it all too expensive to be a viable hobby.

Personally, I have a template which I adjust for new recipes and save for regular recipes. 5 or so on an A4 sheet, cut them out using a guillotine and wrap a soap when I give it away. Costs were time to get it set up, then a sheet of A4 paper and a bit of toner for 5 bars - essentially nothing.

 

[Teri Collins]

I use parchment paper, run landscape bands on the computer, cut 4 bands per sheet, run yarn through punched holes & tie it off..probably about .03 cents per bar, maybe. My yarn is from WalMart and is a 500 yard skein with 4 strands, I separate it & now I have 1000 yards of yarn. Really cheap..

 

[Lin19687]

I do the same as @The Efficacious Gentleman . But didn't even start to do that until I was selling. And even then I have changed it twice

 

[dixiedragon]

I use parchment paper, run landscape bands on the computer, cut 4 bands per sheet, run yarn through punched holes & tie it off..probably about .03 cents per bar, maybe. My yarn is from WalMart and is a 500 yard skein with 4 strands, I separate it & now I have 1000 yards of yarn. Really cheap..

That sounds interesting! Picture?

I think of you are giving your soap away for fun, (vs giving out samples to try to start/build a business), packing isn't necessary. But it is nice to keep the soap fresh and clean - soap likes to attract dust, hair, etc! You can do something simple and cheap - Costco sells boxes of deli wax paper. Cut them in half along the crease and it's just the right size for my bar of soap. (yours may be bigger or smaller.) Or put them in bags like this:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JXZ418K/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[MadTeddyBear]

I'm using black kraft paper rolls and cutting to size with wide labels that wrap around the entire bar. That comes out to about 11 cents each per bar in the quantities I bought. Scaling up to bigger rolls and more label sheets could drop it down to about 3-4 cents each.

It's a bit more than most, but I think it has a nice clean professional look to it.

 

[DeeAnna]

Until you decide what packaging you want to use, you can't make a budget. Do you prefer champagne? Or beer? Got to narrow it down first.

 

[Rogue-Soaper]

I think of you are giving your soap away for fun, (vs giving out samples to try to start/build a business), packing isn't necessary. But it is nice to keep the soap fresh and clean - soap likes to attract dust, hair, etc! You can do something simple and cheap - Costco sells boxes of deli wax paper. Cut them in half along the crease and it's just the right size for my bar of soap. (yours may be bigger or smaller.) Or put them in bags like this:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JXZ418K/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Great idea, I think I will try it. I do not sell soap, just give it away to my friends, and to a local abused women shelter. I am always looking for packaging ideas.

 

[cmzaha]

I use 4x6 inkjet labels and shrink wrap 4x6 bags which costs me a total of 2 cents. Add in a little ink using an Epson tank. BTW I love my Epson tank and I print a lot of labels. I am going on close to a year with this printer and have yet to refill any of the colors. My labels are heaving on black and have not even replaced it. This is so much less expensive than using my older Oki that will only take Avery labels. I now pay 28.99 for 5000 labels versus 139.82. Big difference

 

[jcandleattic]

Since I sell, I do put a packaging budget into my business. I don't sell a lot, but what I do make throughout the year I usually by the end of the year have sold out. I budget $100 USD a year on packaging, and most times come in under budget. On the rare years I go over, I take the leftover form prior years to cover that year's costs.

For my soap labels, I outsource and have the recipe labels printed for me. (Much easier) but print the name of the soap that I attached to the recipe label myself. All other labels I print myself, but I do shrink wrap all of my soaps, so there is a cost there as well.

 

[SideDoorSoaps]

I sell as well and packaging and labels are my favorite part of soaping lol I use a cotton muslin bag and print my labels 12 to a sheet with a laser printer...costs me .14 per bar for the materials but the time to package is where my costs were going because it would take forever. Designing, printing, cutting and when I would shrink wrap would take a long time. Now that I slip my soap into a bag and have a sticky label, things go much faster.

 

[amd]

2-4cents per bar. I sell, so it's more cost effective for me to buy shrink bands and sticker labels in bulk. It also makes it easier to watch for sales too. When I first started I used paper bands, which were cheap, but a huge time suck for me to create and cut. (I has no skillz)

 

[Cal43]

2-4cents per bar. I sell, so it's more cost effective for me to buy shrink bands and sticker labels in bulk. It also makes it easier to watch for sales too. When I first started I used paper bands, which were cheap, but a huge time suck for me to create and cut. (I has no skillz)

I beg to differ. If you have no skills, you wouldn’t be a Soaper. Let just say you haven’t tackled that particular skill “Yet.” But it’s coming

 

[shunt2011]

I do the same as amd. Thinking of investing in a shrink wrap system but not totally sold on it. I find wrapping them very therapeutic. I am in the process of finishing up 400 bars of soap. I am in the process of redesigning my labels though.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I buy Georgia-Pacific card stock from Office Max. White 110 - 150 sheets - 8.5" x 11". I print 3 cigar band type labels per sheet. 3 X 150 sheets = 450 labels. The bands fit around the bars perfectly with the ends open for sniffing. I don't remember how much I pay for the card stock, but it comes to about 3¢ per cigar band.

 

[Cherrydene soapy]

I buy Georgia-Pacific card stock from Office Max. White 110 - 150 sheets - 8.5" x 11". I print 3 cigar band type labels per sheet. 3 X 150 sheets = 450 labels. The bands fit around the bars perfectly with the ends open for sniffing. I don't remember how much I pay for the card stock, but it comes to about 3¢ per cigar band.
View attachment 36931

I noticed that when you have added your ingredients you haven’t used the INCI name for your oils? I am new to soap making and was under the impression that you had to do this, I may be confused about this do you list them somewhere else? Sorry for all the questions xx

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

There are different rules in different places........

 

[shunt2011]

@Cherrydene soapy In the US as long as it's just soap you can just list the ingredients. Once it crosses over into cosmetics you need to us inci and standard name in ()

 

[Cherrydene soapy]

Thank you I think in the UK we have to include the INCI full name. Please correct if I am wrong anyone in the UK x

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Thank you I think in the UK we have to include the INCI full name. Please correct if I am wrong anyone in the UK x

Only if you are labelling. And your safety assessor will tell you how to label, if selling.