TeaLight Candles

**beekeeper_sd** · 12-02-2009, 09:10 AM

I use the tea light mat molds and custom wick tabs I get from Candlewic. You can get the custom tabs with beeswax coating and they are very inexpensive. I then package the tea lights in the plastic cups, 12 in a craft box that I label on the outside and sell for $10.00/doz.

I don't like the looks of the tin cups. I think they look cheap and cheesy and, with the plastic cups, you can see the melted wax when you are burning the candle and it looks really nice. Of course, I color a lot of my beeswax candles so that makes a big difference also.

As far as not using the plastic cups in tea light holders, I have only once had a plastic cup melt so I would maybe warn potential customers about that but I don't think it's a big issue. Also, the plastic cups are reusable.

You will find that tea lights are probably the biggest sellers of all candles.

**JohnK and Sheri** · 12-12-2009, 06:26 PM

Originally Posted by JohnK and Sheri

We sell them singly in the shop or in packs of 12. I will guess .75 ea or 2 for $1.00, packaged in the 12 pack for $6.00. I will check the pricing tomorrow and see how good my memory is, lol.
Sheri.

Well, so much for my memory, lol. Ours sell for .75 ea/ 3 for $2.00/ 12 pack in a box for $9.00.

When I am figuring the costs of a product I am careful to use my actual itemized cost including labor, energy, etc attached to each component of that item and then compare each component to industry norms. If your costs to produce a particular component are higher than what you can buy that item for, a good way to lower your cost of goods would be to outsource. To give very obvious examples, no one I know fabricates their own wicking or tealight cups or plastic wrap; it is much cheaper to have a specialist do it. Apply this analysis to every aspect. For instance, if you can purchase for under $5/# the same quality wax that it costs you much more to render and filter, it would be a good business decision to buy the stuff rather than expect your customer to pay for inefficiencies of scale. Even if your target market will support a higher than ave price, lowering your overall costs will widen your margins.
Sheri