Sketchy Farmers Market?

[Corinne]

I also just realized that at least some of you seem to be posting here thinking it's a different thread... If that is what caused all of the misdirected posts I feel a little bit better, because now I understand that some of you were posting not realizing I had started this thread, and so felt I was the target because these topics seemingly came out of nowhere and had nothing to do with my initial post...

 

[cmzaha]

I am not sure I mentioned it in this thread, and I was not trying to pick on anyone. I stopped at a scrapbooking booth in one of my markets last week to see her selling soap. Since she had no clue who I was I picked up a soap and smelled it, it litterly smelled like spoiled milk and I think it was glycerin. Was hard to determine it was so nasty, I moved on and said nothing. Sometimes my nose is very sensitive so I had my hubby go smell, and he had the same opinion. He asked her why it smelled so bad and her answer was because it is 100% organic it smells that way. I am wondering if she added milk into a m&p base. I do know, my soap today is nicer than it was 6 yrs ago. Looking back I remember people always telling me my soap was very nice, now they come to the booth and tell me my soap is awesome. So time does make a difference and no, I am not bragging. It takes time and money that is not re-couped. I have also mentioned before this is a gentle forum compared to another I am a member of. We try to help so there are not big mistakes or bad soap that gives all of us sellers a bad reputation. I recently had someone at my booth that mentioned they would never use handmade soap because it is so drying, I talked them into trying a sample of one of my very mild soaps and asked them if they could let me know what they thought of it. Again not everyone can use Soap
As for insurance, yes markets have blanket policies, which they have to pay for, but they do not cover liability for your product if someone is hurt. You still do need your own insurance. If you purchase additional insurance through your market it usually only covers their markets.

 

[seven]

Relle, I actually started researching and experimenting last October, but hadn't dealt directly with lye until recently because I was afraid to (silly me!). Now I've been making quite a large amount of soap over the past few weeks... and have gotten so many orders from friends now that I realized I should sell at a market instead of driving all over to make deliveries. I am still sticking to the basics for selling (I don't want to test out failures on people), and I've got a few other products aside from soap (lip balm, lotion bars, body butter, tooth cream, and deoderant in the works) that I've been selling too, so I just finally decided to stop telling myself I'm not cut out for this kind of thing and just go for it.

Plus I have already sunk $500+ into all these supplies, and college doesn't pay for itself

Actually the tipping point was my sister who said my soap worked REALLY well. I love her to death and she's vegetarian and the main reason I'm making all vegan and vegetarian natural products...

Oh! And the market I plan to sell at is at least a month away. So I will NOT be selling two-week-cured soaps, haha.

not Hazel, but.... you said it yourself, you were preparing soaps to be sold at a farmer's market. or did i understand it wrong?

 

[Corinne]

not Hazel, but.... you said it yourself, you were preparing soaps to be sold at a
farmer's market. or did i understand it wrong?

Thank you! Finally a question regarding clarification T____T When I said that I meant it loosely--as in soap is what made me decide to sell at the market!

To give some background: I've been selling M&P soap through facebook for the past few months, and when I started CP soaping I thought I should let people make "custom" requests so I would get ideas and try things out. I only charged them for the cost of the materials since I'm on the beginning stages and they were friends who wanted to support me.

What I meant is that people have started to take more of an interest in my products recently, including my soap. So since I've been paying through the nose to ship lip balms and body balms in padded envelopes, I thought: "Oh my gosh, soap will cost a fortune to ship." So my logic said it's time to give this farmers market thing a shot, BEFORE I get knee deep in orders in a few months (I make creams in 6oz bottles too that would be killer to ship).

And that is the long version of my logic, which I now realize has a lot of flaws, but even though I've taken business classes in the past I've realized none of it prepared me for this at all really.

 

[CanaDawn]

Corinne, really, it's time to let it go. You don't like the advice you were given, you left and have returned, you've posted contradictory things many times, and then had to backtrack and reformat your meaning, and honestly, this IS a very calm, pleasant forum compared to many. Thread drift happens. You did get answers to your initial questions about the market. Then, due to the fact that members read across threads, other questions were raised about your level of soaping experience to be selling at a market...and while you're going back and clearing posts, you HAVE said that you intend to sell soap in a month at a market.

My whole family is against me and my own father won't help me with paperwork or legal things even though he ran a successful business for years.

Now.....why is that? Is there any merit at ALL in what they say about selling? I realise it is hard to think objectively when feelings are hurt or pride is dented, but they may well know you best, and certainly it sounds like your father knows business well....can you detach from the hurt for an hour or so, and either ASK what their specific concerns are or where their lack of support comes from, or (if you already have heard it all from them) consider point by point what they have said without trying to refute it?

Rather than assume they are all "against" you, pretend for a little while that they are all entirely correct...and bolster your business plan or goals to include solutions to those criticisms, or be sure they are not founded in ANY truth at all before dismissing them.

Horribly hard task, I know, but it won't be the first uphill struggle of your business launch, and it might show up some flaws or oversights you truly need to address calmly and impersonally.

 

[Aline]

Corinne, you did say you were planning on selling your soap at the market. It may not be wise but there's no law against it.
And I'm sorry you have had your feelings hurt, but people have continued to challenge you because of your counter-statements that just don't make sense. If I were you I would step away from this thread and get back to what you love

 

[Dorymae]

Guys just stop. Anyone who wants to sell their soap is going to sell their soap, whether they just started or whether they have researched it for months - IT DOESN'T MATTER. You will not convince anyone not to sell their soap if they want to sell it.

I know it bothers people and I think the initial polite post explaining to new soapers why they might want to wait to sell is informative and helpful.

However, getting your nose out of joint because someone does not want or take your advice (and the advice about not selling is never solicited) does no one any good. What you create is then a new person who wants to fit in - like we all do - and realizes that you will not accept them the way they wanted to be, so they become defensive as any of us would. This helps no one. They feel they have to hide a part of what they are doing and the forum is on the hunt for any discrepancies.

It is crazy. I don't feel people should sell right away because I feel they will probably fail if they don't have the knowledge to back them up. However if they feel they do then I'm fine with it. It is their life, their business, their liability, and their decision. I don't feel it's my responsibility to become a soap vigilante.

 

[Corinne]

CanaDawn, I'm not arguing anymore... I was just trying to say that I was upset because I felt targeted, and I apologize for my behavior.

I am taking the advice given here and on other threads.

I mentioned my father because I was feeling frustrated at all of the negative input I had felt I was receiving... I do know why he won't help me, and that is because he believes I do not have the drive to do this, so he is trying to let me fail early "for my own good".

In truth I do not know how hard this will be. But if I thought it would be easy it wouldn't be worthwhile. And although it will be difficult, I am not the first one who has started at ground zero. I know that because there are plenty of people building their own businesses brick by brick on these forums.

I really do apologize for my behavior. I was brought to the point of tears last night because of some of the things I read and other personal things that are going on, and when I am in such an emotional state things aren't thought through or stated well...

That is not an excuse, just an explanation. I had a mental breakdown and felt like everyone was against me and spewed things I didn't mean or intend. Even now I'm still fighting the urge to believe that some of the things being said are intentionally hurtful.

I know I'm rambling so I'll stop. I just wanted to say that I meant no harm, and usually am eager to receive constructive criticism, but I have not been myself the past few days, and as I said, have been perceiving everything as intentionally hurtful and targeted.

 

[Shalisk]

You have apologised a lot. You have said you are done arguing a lot. You have explaned a lot. You have said you will stop a lot.

Maybe this is whats causing the issue. You simply can't let it drop.

 

[Corinne]

I will only respond to say that I had hoped it would have been dropped at this point.

Can a mod PLEASE close this thread since it seems to have gone so far astray there is no saving it? Thank you.

 

[CanaDawn]

yeah....if it can't be dropped, maybe it could be closed?

 

[Corinne]

Does anyone know how to close a thread? Do I need to pm a mod or go to the general forum and ask for it to be closed?

 

[CanaDawn]

A moderator will decide if it warrants closing. Meanwhile....just leave it alone, quit posting, quit responding. Even if it's not closed it will die a natural death.

 

[Hazel]

what came across as strong disagreement is probably our mutual frustration at trying to "get" where each of us is coming from.
I hope this brief struggle to understand each other won't colour future interactions!

Don’t worry about it. It’s very hard for me to express myself well in print. You can’t see my facial expressions or hear the tone of my voice. Unfortunately, I occasionally don’t realize how my comments can sound to someone when read. Also, feelings can affect the reader’s perception and may not be an accurate reflection of what was meant.

After saying this…

Corinne –

I noticed seven’s post but since you addressed me directly…

Hazel, I made 7-8 batches for a friend.... not to sell at a market? I don't understand where all of these rumors about me selling a bunch of soap are coming from....

Not to be mean but also from this comment…

I've now successfully made 7 or 8 awesome batches of soap, and am currently in the process of making some for an upcoming local farmers market.

I’m going to stop here. I am quite willing to let it go since it’s not productive and I’m tired of the drama.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Wow, quite a read.

I am glad that the thread is still open as there is something that has been in the back of my mind for some time about unsolicited advice and not actually answering the asked question. I was going to post it in one of the general "selling too soon" threads but as it was actually a topic here, I think it is worthwhile:

If someone was to post on well known parenting forum (naming no names) something along the lines of "Which brand of cigarettes should I make my 3 year old smoke? She's a cute little girl, so I'm thinking more Lucky Strike than Marlbro, but torn between the cool "Cowboy/girl" vibe......................." I can pretty much assure you that no-one will actually answer the question asked and the poster will be inundated with what they will feel are attacks.

This is an extreme example, but when it comes to selling soap (and it did very much come over that the OP was looking to sell soap at the next market) people do tend to think of safety first and feelings second. Or third.

I wish you luck selling non-soap things at the market, but make sure to research them before you sign on the dotted line. It sounds like the larger market might well be the better idea. Another idea, though, is to sell lotions etc to your friends at wholesale, so you still make a profit, but they pay the postage - it will still be a total win for them cost-wise and will save you the headache of markets

 

[JusDin]

If someone was to post on well known parenting forum (naming no names) something along the lines of "Which brand of cigarettes should I make my 3 year old smoke? She's a cute little girl, so I'm thinking more Lucky Strike than Marlbro, but torn between the cool "Cowboy/girl" vibe......................."

Haha EG, I just snarfed my coffee on that one! Although an excellent point, thanks for bringing a bit of levity to this rather scrappy but well-intentioned and informative thread.

 

[lionprincess00]

From one newbie to another, I had to chime in and try to explain what I think these veterans here are trying to say (well I'm newer because I haven't made my first batch yet even! In the process of getting supplies and research research research). You say you've spent the last 8 or 9 months making lip balms, slaves, lotions, mp soaps, etc. These will be your main sellers, though you did, it would seem, mention you plan to sell your recent cp soaps that have cured 4 weeks at minimum.

Now, since you've been doing these long lists of projects the last 8-9 months, we can all assume you have worked out things like- preservatives in your water based lotions (and slaves if applicable), so your customers don't wind up with a furry pet within a few weeks. The perfect amount of preservative (vitamin e is not a preservative so which is the best for you, etc). You've figured how to package properly to prevent sweating and such on your mp soaps, as well as potential color morphing over time so you can see what the customer will wind up with if they keep it, say a few months, before use. You've got your packaging with listed accurate ingredients, and have tested on multiple people over multiple times, these products you will mainly be selling.

If so, then I'd say go for it! You got your licenses, are trying to get insurance (...forbid an accidental allergic reaction to xyz on a customer occurred!), and you are indeed ready to sell then.

If not, then you have a ton to think about. Now.........

Adding to the mix some awesome cp soaps you made recently. You made, what was it, 8 or so batches over a very short amount of time. They all turned out awesome and are well received. Cool! The problem these lovely veteran soap makers see, as well as I, is you haven't had those awesome 8 or 9 months of experience like you say you have with the other products. Sure the lye zap test shows it isn't lye heavy, sure they're pretty and smell fantastic, but that isn't enough to start selling.
Will they develop dos, dreaded orange spots after your superfat goes rancid (ew)? How soon? 2 months, 6, 9? Just how much will they harden up over a few months opposed to 4 weeks? Will the colors hold up, the scents? Will they fade away and how fast? This one lasts a month, but this one lasts forever! See, there is too much to consider to start selling cp soap after a month of production, too much to consider even after 6 months of production. You need that first yr to crank out a ton of recipes, pick your favorite 5 or so, then start selling those the second year as you experiment with new recipes. Get 5-8 more perfect recipes and year 3 add it to your first awesome 5. If you're full time with it, then you can make more than what I recommended and have maybe 8 or 10 recipes to start selling that second year, AFTER a year of hard work NOT selling.

It isn't about all the time, effort, and business end of it people are questioning. It isn't your hard work these last 8 or 9 months producing OTHER products, it is about selling cp soaps after a month or two of production, for the first time making it ever.

And to answer, it doesn't sound scammy, but I'd find vendors that have done this market before and ask THEM personally their experience.

 

[Shalisk]

....

If someone was to post on well known parenting forum (naming no names) something along the lines of "Which brand of cigarettes should I make my 3 year old smoke? She's a cute little girl, so I'm thinking more Lucky Strike than Marlbro, but torn between the cool "Cowboy/girl" vibe......................." I can pretty much assure you that no-one will actually answer the question asked and the poster will be inundated with what they will feel are attacks.

Real thing, indonesian 2 year old.
He is like 10 now, and has quit. Jst sayin