After a long delay of several years, the popular Scented Matches are back! They became unavailable after the manufacturers in South America demanded an impossible price for them. But now they’re made right here in the USA, with excellent quality and wonderful scents!
We have an assorted pack of 50 booklets of scented matches, with a wholesale price of $28. That’s only 56 cents per pack! Put them near your cash register for a quick sale. Retail can be $1.25 to $2.
We’ve just picked up a new line of incense, and it’s pretty awesome! It’s called Scented Sensations, and it’s made by the same company that makes Escential Essences. That means it’s the same excellent quality. But the special thing about this line is that each incense pack comes with a small vial of scented oil, the same scented oil that the sticks are infused with.
The oil is made with cosmetic-grade, skin-safe oils, so you can wear it, warm it in your aroma lamp, or add some to your bath water. It’s a refreshingly different idea in the incense world!
Wholesale price on these incense/oil combo packs is only $1.50, so you can sell it for $3 to $4 in your store. The incense and oil can be seen through the clear package, but most importantly your customers can SMELL the scent right through the bag. That really helps with sales, because the quality of this incense is obvious the minute you smell it.
Shipping and handling charges can be a huge annoyance. All the major shipping companies raise their rates every January without fail. Most store owners have to raise their retail prices to cover these costs.
But knowing a few simple things can help you keep these costs to a minimum. One of the most important things to know is exactly what factors are going to affect your shipping costs the most.
#1. COD Fee. For stores that choose COD as a payment method, you can expect an $11 COD fee ON TOP OF your regular shipping costs. This is just UPS’s fee for the service of taking your money and mailing it to your supplier. You can avoid this fee by using a credit card or Paypal. The savings stack up the more frequently you order.
#2. Size matters! As of 2007, all shipping companies now count size as more important than weight. They want you to pay for how much space your box takes up in their truck or airplane. The drawback is that if you order several large but light items, your shipping will seem outrageously out of proportion! The best way to save yourself some money is to make sure you are getting the most value you can out of the shipping costs on each order. If you need large light items like bottle incense burners, see if there are any smaller heavy items you can get at the same time. Incense is a great choice, since it can be used as cushioning for fragile items, and you can fit a lot of it in a small space.
For example: You could pay $20 in shipping for 6 bottle incense burners worth $66. But if you add $40 of incense to the same order, you would get $100 of merchandise and still pay only the same $20 shipping cost.
#3. Weight is of course the most basic and obvious consideration. For heavy orders, there’s not much you can do. But if your order is small and light, consider the Post Office instead of UPS. For orders 3 pounds or less, they are usually cheaper.
#4. Distance. The further the box goes, the more it costs. We’re located in
#5. Residential location. UPS charges more to deliver to any address that is rural or residential. This can mean a location that doesn’t have a sign and storefront, but sometimes it applies to locations that are just remote and take longer to get to. If you think this applies to you, check to see if you can have your boxes delivered somewhere that is zoned as Commercial. It will save you about $3 per box.
These are our best tips on how to keep shipping costs to a minimum. Hopefully it helps you in your business.
After many years of wholesaling and distributing incense, here are our top five tips for those interested in selling incense in their store or flea market booth.
1. DO pick a quality brand to sell. Cheapo incense may be okay at some flea markets, but quality will bring customers back again and again. The most famous quality brands in America right now are: WildBerry, Gonesh, Sai Baba Nag Champa, Escential Essences, and MorningStar.
2. DON’T pick fragrances based only on what you would like. Pick ones that have proven to be popular. Ask your supplier for a list showing the most popular fragrances in order. You’ll sell a LOT more incense this way. (For example, Dragon’s Blood incense will sell twenty times as much as a pine fragrance.)
3. Don’t miss out on the profits from incense accessories. Incense burners and ashcatchers are available in a huge selection of styles and prices. Some stores make more money on the burners than on the incense! Scented oils are another great add-on.
4. Burn some incense in the store to get attention. This works very well. Be ready to tell your customers what fragrance is burning, and have some on hand so they can buy it. If you have people walking by the front of the store, try burning some outside to get them to come in. (Don’t burn too much or people with asthma may have problems with the smoke.)
5. Keep your incense display organized and clean. Visitors will get your fragrances mixed up, but take a few moments to neaten it again. Request replacement display materials like jars, labels and signs when they get worn.
And that’s it! You now have the best advice on selling incense. It’s a purely enjoyable and uplifting product that you and your customers will love.
