10/26/2026
So... what goes into pricing products?
At this weekends market I got this question a lot. First and foremost, it is important to remember that this is a small business and that a singular person, myself, hand makes each and every product sold on my website and at markets. I am not a corporation like bath and body works or walmart. I do not have a warehouse, or fancy machines that do the work for me. Everything is made by hand in my kitchen. I do not use a mass wax melter, I use a double boiler system on my stove. Why? Because this gives me better control of temperature needed to make each and every fragrance pop. Not all oils are meant to be blended at the same temperatures. In order to ensure the perfect balance of fragrance, this is something I take the extra time to do. Additionally, my candles are made with pure soy wax, clean burning natural essential oil blends and cotton wicks. These are not the cheap or toxic paraffin or soy wax blends you would purchase from the store.
Often you will see at markets that my candles are arranged in groups of 3. This is not just how they fit on the shelf. My candles are made in small batches of 3. Each batch of 3 takes several hours to make and another few days to cure properly and label. Likewise, I do not mass order labels but print them myself in order to get the custom rustic look my customers love.
We haven't even touched soaps yet, so let's get into that. Each loaf of soap takes several hours to make, measuring out and hand blending each and every fat, oil, and wax. Not to mention, all of the time rendering the tallow that goes into my tallow based soaps. I NEVER use pre-made soap bases or pre-processed tallow. I source my tallow from a local butcher out of Oswego and render it myself. Rendering the tallow in and of itself takes a minimum of 2-3 days when done correctly. Because I do not use pre-made bases I have complete control over the quality of ingredients used in my soaps and what goes in them. As such, prices reflect the expense of ingredients and time put into each soap. Once a soap is made you must wait 24-48 hours to cut it. It then takes an additional 4-6 weeks to cure.
So, why don't I negotiate my prices at craft fairs and markets? To begin with, I already lower my prices from my usual online prices for in-person markets. When considering the costs of materials, my time, the cost of maintaining my equipment, set up, website and card processing fees, and market fees these lowered prices just cover them most of the time. If I brought them any lower I wouldn't even break even.
This business is a passion for me. I do it because I care about bringing folks natural products that are supportive of their health and families. I was formerly a pre-veterinary student who transitioned to human medicine and have a degree in health science. I am now pursuing a graduate degree in nusing. I made this switch because I care about making a difference in people's health. So when I say I do this because I want to do right by people I mean it.
I hope this helps explain a little about my business and what goes into the products you love!
