How much should i price my soap?

[pamielynn]

I think you're doing pretty good if you are brand new to soapmaking and already have your cost down to .40 a bar.

 

[Ancel]

Oh silly me! I meant how much you earn each bar of soap...so I can see if $2 is an average. I'm so new to this *facepalms* forgive me

Savonierre said she makes $4 per bar. I don't ship, but I make 4 times my cost per bar. As I live in Central America that means I make $2 a bar, all relative.

I don't understand why you wouldn't just charge all the shipping, it's what everyone else does, why include part of it in your soap price? People aren't necessarily looking for the cheapest shipping buying on Etsy, but if you made your soap cheaper and charged them full shipping separately, then it might increase your sales. Alternatively, you could just look around the hundreds of soap sellers on Etsy and charge as they do.


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[juliawhas]

I know, but I asked around on Etsy and they all said they put the shipping expense into their price. But yes, I think making my soap cheaper and charge them full shipping will be more effective. Thank you!

 

[Triquetra]

Here is how I calculate my profit. If a product cost me $5 to make, I double that for a total of $10 for a distributor cost, the distributor then would double the $10 to $20 for their selling cost to a wholesale, wholesale then marks theirs up to $40 to sell to retail public. So its 400% markup in the end for a retailer to sell.

So you say 40c is what it cost you, double that for a distributor at 80c, 80c x 2 for wholesale and $1.60 for retail - if you are selling a bar at $4 or $5 you are getting a big profit I believe.

 

[Marilyna]

Ok, well I want to know how you're making a bar of soap for .40. That is really low. I make a very basic bar and its a lot more than that.

But on the pricing thing - I would charge about what other soapers are charging. If your cost is .40 a bar (I bet you're leaving things out), you'd be making plenty of profit. More than $2 a bar.

 

[lsg]

Where are you located? You can check out what others are charging on etsy. I always ship flat rate shipping. If it is one bar, try using a flat rate envelope.

Here are a couple of links with information on pricing:

http://teachsoap.com/2012/03/27/pricing-your-cp-soaps/




[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqVNU9eN9DU[/ame]

 

[dagmar88]

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=16002


In general, all costs x 2 for wholesale and x 4 for retail.

 

[paillo]

Yes, it's hard to answer your question without enough information.

Are you shipping Priority Mail with the USPS, or first class? Either way, $5.60 per bar is a strange amount. It costs me less than $3 to ship first class, and $5.05 - always - to ship Priority. Do you have shipping options such as UPS? Are you shipping from the contiguous US states?

What is the cost to ship more than one bar?

If you are brand new to soap making, what kind of soap are you making? M&P? CP? If it's CP I would suggest that you are nowhere near ready to sell, and that you should get a year under your belt before you start to sell. I strongly suggest you read this post regardless of what kind of soap you are making. http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=16002

 

[juliawhas]

It's a MP soap, so it costs way less. I've read other soap forums, and people agree that it only costs .40 cents a bar.

 

[juliawhas]

First class, at first I decided flat rate, but now first class it costs me only $2 and I'm making M&P because CP is more professional and longer to make. So of course, M&P.

 

[Sweetlily321]

How much did you pay for the base, color, FO or EO you added and anything else added. I ask this because dif bases of M&P don't coast the same.

Edited because I did my math(lol) with my plain M&P base with nothing added to it is $0.40 / bar
And I also buy it in bulk (24+lb blocks)
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[lsg]

http://teachsoap.com/2012/03/06/pricing-your-melt-and-pour-soaps/

 

[Marilyna]

My mp is .42 a bar but that is a 2 oz bar! That includes Fo, color, labels and wrapper. Also a 24 lb block.

 

[Sweetlily321]

My bars are 4-5 oz bars


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[Marilyna]

For 4 oz of just the base counting shipping mine would be .49 for 4 oz bar, but what good does a figure based on base with nothing added do? All materials costs should be included when costing soap.

 

[Sweetlily321]

Maybe a bit off topic but, if I was home ill post a pic of my Cin A Bun soap I made. Look like you can eat it. One thing I love about M&P soap. Is the art side to it.


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[paillo]

Also, as others have mentioned, I wouldn't begin to sell M&P before searching Etsy.com to see what other soapers are charging for similar bars. I don't think your profit margin matters as much when you are just starting out, as much as, "Are you going to get any sales?" Are your soaps SFIC? Are they cheap bases full of synthetics? Are they artfully done? There's a lot of competition on Etsy, and that's a good thing, in my opinion. It will give you a good idea of the marketplace.

Also, I'd suggest posting pictures of your soap in this forum's Photo Gallery. That way we'll be able to see what you're making and offer input.

 

[juliawhas]

I don't add color, because it could harm the skin. I don't add fragrance either, but I use essentials and honey and olive oil for cleansing and acne. I already have a great supply of both essentials, so I count it as free. Any, my soap base is only 4 lbs. (since I'm starting out, I don't want to waste too much money if I don't succeed). And yes, my soap base alone is .40. and that's all I use for my M&P because my essentials are in full supply, and fragrance and color has a possible chance of damaging skin.

 

[juliawhas]

The base is shea butter, 32 oz (because I'm afraid this soap making business won't work out, so I don't want to waste too much). I have done a lot of browsing on etsy, and most prices are $5 average and shiping $2-$3. And artfully done? Yes, they are massage bars that help your skin and acne. I don't include fragrances and color, since they can easily damage the skin even though they look good. I want an all natural , healthy bar, but looks easy on the eyes, too.

 

[Second Impression]

My soaps are all about 4oz. I charge $3 to ship the first bar and add $1 for each additional bar. It works out pretty well.

It's standard that the customer pays shipping. Creative work is valuable and most people who will go to the effort of seeking you out on Etsy will understand this and not take issue with shipping charges. IMO, they don't even think twice about them unless you're exorbitantly overcharging.

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