Hi, My name is Sep.
I'm new to the forum, but I have been making soap for about ten years. I'm just curious about the best way to sell soap. Is the internet the way to go? i looked at the etsy website and there seem to be so many soap makers out there- won't adding one more specialty soap just get lost in the shuffle? I also make body butters and lip balms. Is there really a market for this stuff any more or is it saturated? Just wondering?
Hi Sep, this is my FIRST Post, I will say my hello and introduction on another post. I saw your question and felt I could answer your question since I am so NEW here, I can tell you some things from my OWN experience. Now, the reason I am writing NOW, is my thoughts to this answer might become tainted if I read different articles, and get my mind flooded with OTHER opinions on the subject. Instead, I wanted to write with the purpose of letting you know from straight up RAW experience about a FRESH look at the Market and its flooding of soap making, bath and beauty along with skincare. Ok, here I go...
I own a store on Ebay, I am a Retired Chef. I am disabled due to a Horrific Accident that happened to me a couple of years ago. But, I still LOVE to create/cook/and bring Joy to people with my many crafty talents that God has given to me. So, I began to sell. Not just candy, cookies and the like, but Bath-Beauty-Skincare and MORE...but not hard and soft soap. That's why I am here. I am here to LEARN the world of Hard Soap and Soft soap. And due to my injury, My Husband has to do MOST of the creating/cooking for me, per my instructions. Its a Win Win, I need to create, and he loves creating!! Anyway, I said all that to give you a foundation of where I was and where I am at now so that you will get to see WHY I say what I am about to say. It gives more meaning to what I bring here. Ok, here I will now attempt to tell you about the market. Ok, what I have found out is MANY things, so lets start with candy, yes, be patient, I understand you are not here based on FOOD, but give me a moment, I am making my point...ok, with candy, you have the Sellers who use Gourmet Top of the Line Chocolate, like myself, who use Specialty Chocolates, High end, to create their wares...then you have the the Fake Chocolate sellers...I call them that at least, the ones who use that waxy melt n dip chocolate that takes NO tempering in the least, and they make a half***D product, like for an example, truffles. And put it out on the Market and try and sell it AS IF it were the Premium Chocolate Truffles that I would put out. So, if I am selling my Truffles at say, $30.00 per box, and then THEY come along, and sell their Cheap Product at $15.00 a box, all it does is FORCE you, the 30.00 dollar box person, to come down on their price, cause if you don't, the 15 dollar a box people will win the day! They go home with sale after sale because their product is so cheap. But, then the HIGHER priced chocolate at the END of things, at the END of a hard working 6 months, 1 year or MORE, they can slowly BUILD up clientele, due to the fact that even tho their chocolate COST more, its of HIGHER quality, and the Customers who DO try it, will slowly begin to SEE the difference between the HIGH end Chocolate and the Cheap Stuff...but it takes LOTS of time and LOTS of money lost, and so, for ONE, the High End Chocolate Seller has to decide, is this a PASSION or a Business...or both. For me, a Passion. So, I was Able to stay in Business, where so many other HIGH END business owners got out...left ebay and left broke. where the Cheap chocolate sellers, got rich, and got rich quick. But now, after a couple of YEARS, My Business has gained some ground, and my higher end candy and other wares has made a DENT IN THE SELLING WORLD. but it took more time and money invested then MOST would ever put up with. I have the time, I am disabled, and all I have is my hobbies, so, I have the time, and some money, to invest. But, if you are of a quality centered store, and just starting out...I will NOT tell you it is easy, in fact, the first 6 months, I think I gave away MORE product than money actually made...and in fact, that has become a corner stone to my business...even today, NOW that I have a client base, I STILL give, I still ACT like a Small business, I STAY humble, and the Customer is ALWAYS right, and I go up and above to SERVE the Customer, each time, every time, like they are my FIRST or my LAST Customer...you have to keep a FRESH attitude about selling, and always be thinking one step faster than the market...ok, so hopefully that has helped you some...if not, lets go one step CLOSER to soap...the bath bombs, chap sticks, lotions, oils, treatments and etc...I have had a TASTE of that market as well....and its the SAME thing...for an example, I might offer a Body Scrub, lets say a simple Sugar Scrub...offer it at $16.00 plus shipping for a 12 ounce container, but I use Argan Oil, Jojoba Oil, Hemp Seed Oil, Apricot Oil, Rose Hip Essential Oil and More....I sell it for that 16.00, and that's STILL kind of low for what this container is worth...but then you get these sellers in who FLOOD the market with 12 ounce containers for $5.97 and Free Shipping, and you ask yourself "how in the world can they be making money", but they do it, and do it WELL...they make MORE money than you will in one month, then you will make in 6 months due to their ridiculously LOW prices...so, once again, to get MORE sales, you have to LOWER your prices, and just cross your fingers for the next 6 months to a year, that you will GAIN a clientele that will SLOWLY begin to build your feedback up, till ONE DAY, a customer will read all the wonderful feed backs, and will take that chance and BUY the higher end stuff...where the OTHER seller, the one who sells for that $5.95, their feedback says things like "THANKS" ..."GOT IT, GREAT"..."FAST SHIPPING, THANKS"..."NICE PRODUCT"...."GREAT PRICES, THANKS"......AND its goes on and on...where, YOUR higher end item, the one you had worked SO HARD at making wonderful, it all starts to finally pay off....your feedback starts to look like this "wow, best sugar scrub, my skin looks fantastic"...."FANTASTIC CUSTOMER SERVICE AND PRODUCT, WILL BE BACK FOR MORE"....."NOW THAT'S WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT-QUALITY, FINALLY ON EBAY".....AND more of the same.....so, yes, it takes LOTS of time and money to get to that place where you get some respect and actual money that pays the bills at the end of the day....you WILL have to compete with allot of people in it for a quick dollar, and will do ANYTHING to get that dollar....I have seen where a person made a Sugar Scrub with CORN OIL, and sold it for 5.00 dollars cheaper than my high end scrubs using Argan Oil, and they left the comment on THEIR feedback "GREAT PRICES FAST SHIPPING"...nothing about the product, nothing about how it helped their skin, it was ALL based on that fact that they got a great price and fast shipping....so ya, that HURT...I lost a sale to Corn Oil...ya, and you will have that, until one day you get a customer who comes along and says this " your sugar scrub is the best ever!! i will always buy from you!!"....yes, that happened, and when it did, it make me feel sky high...but it was ONE sale, out of the many lost to a cheaper product....so, what I am saying is this..YES, the market IS flooded...and YES, others might tell you something else, take ALL of our advice, I wish somebody would of tolled me all of this BEFORE I GOT into any of it...but regardless, if you have a PASSION first, and KEEP That Fire Going....then it WONT matter how many other soaps come along to sell, because YOU KNOW, that in the end that you have made a quality product, and that if you can make even one person happy with your product, that is payment enough...then, maybe then, you can be in it selling for the long run...but, if you are in this to place ALL your eggs into one basket, and sell for a sole income...then my friend, you may be on a road harder to walk then you may ever think possible....my advice to you is this...its simple.....if this is your PASSION, then STAY passionate about it, sell when you can, feel good about it, but DON'T ever let your PASSION become your SOLE way of paying all your bills, because one day my friend, if you do that, you will end up being the one to sell your chocolates using microwave melt and dip....and making sugar scrubs with corn oil, just to make a sale to make sure you can pay that next house payment....so ya, evaluate and see if you can afford to SELL, and at the same time maintain your PASSION....Yes, the market is clearly saturated with Soap making, I myself would not of gotten into it, if it were not FIRST a PASSION for my family....we want body wash, shampoo, and dish soap that's not full of chemicals....so, I am here to LEARN how to do this, and yes, sell it one day...but keep my passion that its for the motive of making MINE, and all that I love, have soap without chemicals....ok, thanks for your time, and yes, this was long, but i wanted to leave my honest thoughts with you, as I have LIVED it the last couple of years....CookbookChef
