Natrasorb sourcing woes

[persephonesgarden]

Hello! Just wondering if anyone who uses Natrasorb in B&B products gets it anywhere besides The Sage, MakeYourOwn, and Camden Grey?

• The Sage: This would be my preferred place to buy it from, but shipping makes it pretty cost prohibitive. (Unless I bought enough to hit free shipping, which is 10 lbs...a mind-boggling amount of such a light, fluffy product! Unfortunately I don't really have anything else I regularly buy from them that would contribute to the free shipping threshold.)
• MYO: Definitely the best shipped price per lb out of the three, but I don't have much confidence in their reliability anymore. My most recent order was supposed to ship last week and just....didn't. I also don't like "rewarding" WSP's poor fulfillment practices with this purchase, but buying from the Sage is about $6 more per lb for me, and that adds up.
• Camden Grey: Their price per lb is so high that even if I bought 4 lbs from them to hit free shipping, it'd be more expensive per lb than MYO/Sage.

I just feel stuck -- this is such a great product, but sourcing it is a pain. I'm tempted to buy it from The Sage and just accept the cost, but for the sake of my wallet I figured I'd post here first in case there's any suppliers I'm missing.

Thanks in advance! I truly never thought I would spend this much time obsessing over tapioca starch.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

The Sage: This would be my preferred place to buy it from, but shipping makes it pretty cost prohibitive. (Unless I bought enough to hit free shipping, which is 10 lbs...a mind-boggling amount of such a light, fluffy product! Unfortunately I don't really have anything else I regularly buy from them that would contribute to the free shipping threshold.)

I love MMS for their customer service, shipping and quality.
TIP: USPS Priority Mail is usually cheaper compared to the default UPS ground shipping.

EXAMPLE:
2 jars (8 oz) lip solutions (makes 50+ lip balms) 2 X $9 = $18
2 flavor oils (4.50 - $7 range) Clove & Peppermint $12
100 lip balm tubes + caps $16
TOTAL $46
UPS Ground $17
USPS PRIORITY $11 = $57 / 100 = 57¢ each Lip Balm

When I checked the cost of shipping Natrasorb
Results: Shipping cost 5 lbs. vs 10 lbs is only slightly less -- $18 vs $21. But the cost of $95 vs. $179 lowers the overall cost.

NOTE: To get free shipping, you need only to add $21 to the $179 cost of 10 lbs. Dry raw materials tend to have a long shelf life. If you can use up 10 lbs. over the coming market season, that would be my choice.

That's easily accomplished, to my mind at least.

HTH

 

[persephonesgarden]

I've checked every possible shipping method across varying quantities of Natrasorb, and Priority Mail is always more expensive for me than UPS Ground, often close to double the cost.

Buying 10 lbs from MMS is my last resort option, but I'm hoping folks might know of some other suppliers I haven't come across yet as I'd really prefer to avoid buying that much of it right now.

 

[AliOop]

Maybe we should put together a group buy. Since most recipes use Natrasorb in small amounts, a pound or two would last a long, long time for most of us.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Priority Mail is always more expensive for me than UPS Ground, often close to double the cost.

Good point. Where are you? MMS is in Utah; I'm in Colorado. It depends on what I'm ordering -- UPS ground is usually better. Whether UPS or USPS I get my order in 2-3 days.

 

[persephonesgarden]

I'm on the East Coast, so I'm certainly not surprised by the high shipping costs, just bummed lol.

@AliOop any chance you're on the East Coast too? A group buy could be a great way for a few of us to support MMS without breaking the bank on shipping costs!

 

[AliOop]

Rats, no I'm in the West.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I'm on the East Coast, so I'm certainly not surprised by the high shipping costs, just bummed lol.

I hear ya! But, like I said on another thread, it's the "new normal" that we have to accept. That means, if selling, you bear the cost of shipping into raising the cost of the product. Customers are also getting used to the hike in prices -- when they fill up the tank, buy groceries, you name it. If they are used to paying $5 for a bath bomb, $5.50 won't be a deterent.

A group buy could be a great way for a few of us to support MMS without breaking the bank on shipping costs!

I thought about that too. And I happen to be in the middle of you two. Even though I could easily reach $200 worth of MMS stuff to get free shipping, the hassle of taking orders for 8oz. or 1 lb. each and shipping them around the country would cost the participants $20 per pound + shipping.

The other new normal is supply-chain delivery delays. My advice for you is to buy what you need from Camden Gray plus more to ward against the product being unavailable when you reorder. Make sense?

 

[persephonesgarden]

Thanks for your response, but I'm really just looking to hear if anyone's heard of any other vendors than the 3 I mentioned. As I mentioned, I will buy in bulk from MMS if I have to, but figured I'd throw a line out just in case. I'm aware that customers are getting used to the hike in prices, but why not try to avoid that if I can?

Unfortunately no, buying from Camden Grey does not make sense as they are more expensive than both MYO *and* MMS.

 

[MelissaG]

Maybe we should put together a group buy. Since most recipes use Natrasorb in small amounts, a pound or two would last a long, long time for most of us.

I wouldn't mind that. I find shipping to be the most expensive thing about making soap. The closest supplier to me is a 4 hour drive one way.

 

[dibbles]

Do you use fragrance oils? MMS has some really nice ones, which could help with your order total.