River Village, wholesale incense distributor

Nag Champa Incense - price increase from India

Suda — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 02:07:58 +0000

Just a heads-ups to everyone who sells Nag Champa incense in their stores: we recently learned about a price increase coming soon on the Nag Champa incense products from India. Prices will probably be about 22% higher, starting in March 2008.

This is actually just another in a series of price increases. The manufacturers of the original “Satya Sai Baba” brand Nag Champa have raised their prices once or twice a year for the last several years.

Of course Nag Champa IS the fastest selling fragrance out there… but the market is intensely competitive. On the wholesale side and the retail side, it seems like everyone is content to accept just a few pennies of profit on this product line. But you kind of have to have Nag Champa in your store if you sell incense. It’s an essential.

Minimizing Shipping Costs

Suda — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 03:01:56 +0000

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 a $9 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 tower 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 tower incense burners worth only $50. But if you add $50 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

North Carolina, so unfortunately our customers on the West Coast will pay more. The only thing you can do about it is to place larger, less frequent orders. Each box starts off at a “base rate” and then the cost goes up a little with each pound. Fewer boxes means the fewer times you have to pay the base rate, which can be $9 or more for West Coast locations.

#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 $2-$3 per box.

These are our best tips on how to keep shipping costs to a minimum. Hopefully it helps you in your business.

INCENSE - How to Make Money Selling It

Suda — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 01:16:33 +0000

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 and MorningStar.

2. DON’T pick fragrances 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 any 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 GREAT. 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 minutes 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.

Incense vs. Candles

Suda — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 22:01:16 +0000

Which is better for your store?

What’s so great about incense anyway? It seems like candles are more popular, since you see them everywhere from WalMart to your corner drugstore. However, that’s exactly the reason why we think store owners benefit more from selling incense than candles.
Here are the top ten reasons we think incense is a better product for your store than candles:

Incense users frequently become fiercely loyal to the brand and fragrances that they prefer. They will return again and again to your store to get their favorites.

Incense generates quicker repeat sales. Each stick burns down completely in about an hour. An average size candle can take weeks to use up, and many end up never being used anyway.

It’s easier to sell a $2 pack of incense than an $8 candle. It’s an impulse buy.

Candles are so common and easily available. They do not provide your customers a compelling reason to come to only your store to buy them. But incense is a powerfully growing market that has not yet become mainstream enough to bring WalMart into the picture. Now is the time to make money with it.

Having incense available for sale automatically creates a need for lots of incense burners. There are so many beautiful and cool incense burners being made right now. Dragon incense burners are very popular, and most of your customers will need at least a basic wooden burner to catch the ashes.

Incense gives a quicker bang for your buck than candles. After 10 minutes you’re still waiting for a scented candle to fill the room with fragrance, but with an incense stick you’re floating in fragrance after only a few minutes. It also does a much better job of covering up stinky pets than candles.

You can provide your customers a great selection of fragrances in a much smaller space than with candles. For example, the WildBerry brand of incense offers about 90 fragrances, is incredibly popular, and each fragrance only takes up the space of one mason jar.

Shipping costs for candles are much higher. They’re heavy! Plus they can melt in the summer on the hot UPS trucks, and are easily dented. On the other hand, incense is not fragile at all and is rarely damaged.

Incense is no longer a just hippie thing. With the beautiful packaging and displays available today, it has become an affordable luxury item that is enjoyed by more and more people.

Bulk incense makes your store smell great. WildBerry brand incense is famous for luring people over by its scent alone. Once a customer comes over to the display, they are tempted to sample the many scents.

Welcome

Suda — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 16:43:38 +0000

Welcome to River Village! On this blog we share product information ad retailing tips we have learned in our 25+ years in business.

Thank you!

Suda