Selling Candles: What We Do At Home Series

This is the second post in a series on jobs that can be done from home. I will use this series to highlight various types of home-based businesses. (The first post in this series was on online tutoring.)

This post is on selling candles. If you are the creative and crafty type a candle business might be the right home business for you.

Basically there are two types of candle businesses that can be run from home:

Candles you make yourself
Candles you sell for someone else

This focus of this post is about candles that you make yourself. I'll talk about reselling products in a future post.

An excellent resource for information about candle making can be found at About.com: Candle and Soap Making.

If you are considering a candle business you will need a cool, dry place to store your finished candles and your candle making supplies. (I live in Texas, so my unairconditioned garage would NOT be good example of a place to store candles.)

As with any home business, you will need to keep careful accounting records. Not only do you need to keep accurate records of money spent and money being received, but you will also need to keep inventory records of your supplies and finished candles.

There are several ways that you can market your homemade candles:

Online through an auction service such as eBay. (A quick peek on eBay showed simple homemade candles selling for between $4.00 and $8.00 each; with more elaborate candles selling for more money.)
Online through your own website. Remember that you will need a way, such as PayPal, to receive money.
Through family, friends, and personal contacts. Don't underestimate the power of word-of-mouth marketing. My friend started by giving her beautiful homemade candles as gifts. The recipients were so pleased that they started telling others about the candles and she started getting orders.
Through craft shows and fairs. Watch newspapers and other publications for announcements. If you belong to a craft club, your club may receive advanced notice of craft shows.
By contacting local businesses. Many local stores are willing to feature and sell products by a local artist. Ask local gift shops if they would be willing to stock some of your product on a consignment basis.

Is candle making your business? Leave a comment and let me know.

Do you know of a home-based business opportunity that you would like to see profiled in this series? Contact me at laura@workfromhomemomma.com and let me know.

One of my good friends started her own business making all-natural soy and beeswax candles. Things took off and she now carries other items, such as books and soaps from other home-based businesses and other goodies like sachets handmade by her own homeschooled daughters. (Her website is http://www.HomesteadOriginals.com if you're interested in interviewing her.)
My daughter and I have dabbled in soapmaking for fun - but it's also an option that a lot of folks consider for a home-based business as well. Keep that melting factor in mind though, as you mentioned in your blog entry! ;-)

Posted by: Melonie K. (Workerette.com) | July 23, 2007 2:16 PM | Permalink to Comment

Excellent article. My parents used to have a candle making business and they sold their products at craft fairs and flea markets. This can be a particularly good way to sell, especially near Christmas.

Thanks for your visit.

Posted by: Genesis | July 23, 2007 11:02 PM | Permalink to Comment

Devoted to WAHMs -Work at Home Moms

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