What does your soap cost to make?

[Marilyna]

We need to clarify if we're talking only about material costs. Sometimes we add in labor and overhead, and we should for some calculations.
In my cost of .53 for a 2 oz bar, I've only counted material costs. If I made a 4 oz bar my cost would be .97, since the packaging wouldn't be doubled.

 

[sistrum]

Asking what other people MAKE when selling their soap doesn't give you any viable information, to many variables, supply sourcing, venue costs, marketing programs ect.

A basic way to price is take the costs of your supplies and times it by three. One third is to replace supplies, one third is for overhead and one third is for you. This would be your bottom price or wholesale price. For retail you double this. Retail prices sometimes need to be adjusted depending on market conditions.

When you start buying in bulk your price will change. Just remember buying in bulk might make your supplies cheaper but only if you sell enough soap to use those supplies up before they go bad.

 

[Missmoneypenny]

I am a rookie soaper in England. I have calculated that a Castille bar costs £0.75 using a cheaper olive oil from a German supermarket here. I did a 50:50 olive oil: lard soap and that worked out at £0.50. Haven t tried the lard one yet. It s still curing. I can find everything I need in supermarkets/ ethnic shops ( I live in London).. I haven t gone down e road of using cocoa or Shea butter, I d have to go online and that would bump prices up.

 

[sperry]

RE: Why am I asking. I have been experimenting with felting melt and pour for a while. I have what I think is a good product at a good price. I have a friend who is a very accomplished artist who also does marketing/branding/etc and makes a good living doing that. He has a killer idea, and wants to work with me, but he is dead set against M&P. I am trying to get an idea of the cost increases (RM and labor) associated with changing to CP. Thanks

 

[sistrum]

It's your product with your heart into it. I would ask your friend to change his mind or use someone else.
That being said you could look into buying your soap already made and just do the felting. Lots of soapers sell wholesale. You are looking at probably at at least a year before you would be able to have your own cp soap to sell.

 

[Lindy]

Including labour mine costs $1.79 a bar with packaging and labels.

 

[Lindy]

We need to clarify if we're talking only about material costs. Sometimes we add in labor and overhead, and we should for some calculations.
In my cost of .53 for a 2 oz bar, I've only counted material costs. If I made a 4 oz bar my cost would be .97, since the packaging wouldn't be doubled.

My packaging is double for wholesale and double that for retail. I believe in a fair profit and this formulae works for me....

 

[Cherry Pit Soap Works]

You should buy SoapMaker 3 software. Best thing ever. It keeps track of all that for you. You tell it what you bought, from whom, how much it was and it keeps track of how much you use per batch and gives you an exact amount per loaf and bar. And that includes packaging if you want it to. The software was 99, and I love it. Such a great program that keeps track of everything. It's like the brain of the soaping business part.

 

[Marilyna]

My packaging is double for wholesale and double that for retail. I believe in a fair profit and this formulae works for me....

I just meant that if I doubled the size of my bar I wouldn't double the cost, because the packaging would cost the same for a 4 oz bar as a 2 oz bar.