Soap Makers Help!

[ametauss]

I know what you mean about display changes.... I can't figure out the best way to set things up...

There's a monthly flea market that's indoors here and I really want to do that but I'm a bit scared that it wouldn't pay the entry fee....

I know there's a post around here somewhere but how do you figure how much you might need and average sell based upon the number of people that the organizers say attend??

The organizer's website says 10K people attend on a three day weekend.

Thanks - I am so inspired by all the soaping going on.

 

[Morgaine]

I think it was something like 10% of the population will stop at your booth and 1-3% of the 10 will buy and average of 3 bars. Me? I jsut bring everything I have, lol. Better safe than sorry.

 

[chiknwhisperer]

Quote:
I also bring everything I have. I figured the same thing. I had one guy buy 6 of the same bar one day. took the whole line of them that I had on the table. Thank goodness I had more to restock with .

 

[Morgaine]

Hey corrie! How did your show go? Or has it not happened yet? I hope you are doing well. I've missed seeing you. I have really been enjoying your bar from the swap. Made a great bar to shave legs with. Dh said it was really pretty too!

 

[ametauss]

I wasn't as worried with the number of bars to bring but more if I could count on making more than the fee. If the fee is $150 and I charge $3 a bar then I'd have to sell more than 50 bars and if the estimate is 10K people, then 10% is 1000 and then I could expect like 50 people to buy so it might be worth it....

I'm just very nervous putting out more than $7 for a booth fee and selling enough to make a profit....

 

[Morgaine]

I charge $5 a bar at shows. bars are 4.5 oz on average, but I have them marked as 4 oz. How big are your bars? (you sent the beer soap in the swap?) If they are that size, then $3 might be fair. basically it is $1-1.50 an oz. I have tax included in all my prices.

I'm still trying to get the whole show thing worked out too. $150 booth fee does seem kinda high for 10,000 people. But some times you don't know till you try. I brought in over $800 at the hogeye festival and it was a $125 booth fee. There were a lot of people though, and soap makers. Do you know how many (if any) other soapmakers are there? I called about a show. $75 booth fee, there were 30 vendors inside 3 outside and they had two other people with soap. I declined that one.

 

[ametauss]

I've been to the show a few times and I've never seen anyone with homemade soap.... That's one of the reason's I thought to do it as I would be offering something different....

There were lots of candle people last time....

I figured $3 a bar.... I do 2 for $5 at the Stock Yard which includes the soap pocket....

 

[ametauss]

I'm going to try my hand at a lotion bar this weekend. Do those of you that make them add EOs?

I was thinking of lilac for the ladies and Black Irish (smells kinda manly) for the guys....

I have some soap molds that I got off of cheapcycle and wanted to know if I needed to put vasiline in them like I do when I do soap.

 

[Morgaine]

I sprayed my molds very lightly with pam for lotion bars. they pop right out. You can use eo or fo. But no more than 2% for fo's and milder eo's and .5-1% for eo's.

 

[TammyTX]

I used an FO at a very low %, probably even less than 2%. The cocoa butter I used has a wonderful chocolate smell and the almond oil has a nutty smell so pick one that will work well with your butters if they have a natural scent.

A silicone muffin pan works well and I didn't have to lube it.