Candle making?

[Stacey]

I was considering doing this a few years ago. I am thinking of trying it in 2022. I want to see if I can make a decent side hustle from making my own candles. My plan is to find and use recycled glass jars. I will need to buy the fragrances, wicks, wax, and so on but I know I will save a lot reused jars. I think it is a good concept as well as I will be recycling. I know a lot of people are into making use of what you have already instead of creating more waste. Do you think I can make decent money doing this online?

[Emma]

Check on etsy and see what people are charging for handmade candles. Get an idea of what you can earn based on size, quality, ect. 

Then see how much your supplies will cost you. Many smaller candle makers don't make much. I would say after spending on supplies and things, you can expect anywhere from $300 to $1200 a month on average. This is just base don who I have talked to that do this as well.

[Ella]

Candle making can be a great hobby that can bring in some extra revenue for sure. I would find something that helps you stand out from everything else though. There are hundreds of thousands of candle makers online that work for themselves. You have to give you candles something that helps them stand out.

[Sophia]

On 12/23/2021 at 7:13 PM, Emma said:

Check on etsy and see what people are charging for handmade candles. Get an idea of what you can earn based on size, quality, ect. 

Then see how much your supplies will cost you. Many smaller candle makers don't make much. I would say after spending on supplies and things, you can expect anywhere from $300 to $1200 a month on average. This is just base don who I have talked to that do this as well.

I guess this probably depends on the amount you actually charge. I had never heard of an average like this though. Is this taken from one site? Like I can see this being the case on Etsy but not for sites that operate as their own business. 

[Mila]

I never actually considered this and the main reason is because, as much as I like candles, there is an over abundance of people selling them online. I feel like you would have to be super creative to get good sales. 

[Scarlett]

To give you an idea: https://www.candleers.com/how-much-does-it-cost-to-make-a-candle/

To make 100 8 oz candles, it will cost you around $225. That will be $2.25 per candle. Most 8 ox candles on the market will sell from $3 to $5. Most companies do 11 oz as their smallest. Keeping this in mind, you will not get much profit. Even if you charge $5 per candle, your profits will not be $500 but rather $275. 

[Stacey]

Thanks for all your replies. I will have to look into this more. I was not aware of the price breakdown either. It seems like I would have to charge a minimum of $10 per candle to have a decent profit. I will be using my own recycled candle jars so that will save on some of the cost.

[Emma]

On 12/27/2021 at 2:21 PM, Sophia said:

I guess this probably depends on the amount you actually charge. I had never heard of an average like this though. Is this taken from one site? Like I can see this being the case on Etsy but not for sites that operate as their own business. 

Yeah it is based of what I have read and what others I know have said who did sales in candles a few years ago. It comes down to where you source everything and how much people are willing to pay for it.