# Pricing candles



## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

I have been cranking out 10 " X 3/4" tapers. Plain jane really out of honey colored wax. They burn and smell great. What do I charge for them. I have the mann lake seated dragon mold that took me several tries to get a good one out. The secret is the freezer for several hours. It takes a half pound of wax I suppose. What do I charge for it? I don't need to get rich but I don't want to give them away either. I have some silver dollar sized hearts about a half inch deep. What would be fair for those? Any ideas appreciated. None of them dyed colors--just seems wrong to me some how. Is that a bad mistake?


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## GaSteve (Apr 28, 2004)

We get $7 for a pair of 10" tapers. Some areas could get more. The bulky candles that take a lot of wax have to be priced accordingly because beeswax isn't cheap. Some of the large pillars take a full pound of wax. Beeswax candles are like honey. An upscale price sends the message that it's an upscale item. But there is a magic price point beyond which the demand will nose dive. It can also help to decorate with some ribbon or raffia and maybe some hang tags with beeswax info.


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## Bee Bliss (Jun 9, 2010)

Vance,

Are they hand dipped tapers or from molds? Weigh them also. Set a price based on how many ounces of beeswax is used. Tapers are excellent candles and burn much longer than paraffin candles of the same size and are therefore cheaper to burn per hour. They also put out more light and that light is full spectrum! Not so with paraffin candles. These are good selling points.

There are tapers that use varying amounts of wax.........in addition to length, there are standard, colonial, hexagon, etc. The colonials are pretty much the same thickness throughout most of the candle and use more wax than the other types.

Solid standard tapers burn for approximately one hour per inch but this also depends on wick thickness.

All that being said, we sell 10" tapers for $7 to $8 per pair. Molds are expensive. There is also time and materials. We checked prices online and that seems in line with what we see out there. There is no waste with burning a taper as the whole candle is consumed.

I also prefer natural beeswax candles as paraffin is toxic to burn indoors. Essential oils are not meant to be burned so I do not scent candles.


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

The tapers are made in a metal eight candle gang mold. I can turn out three or four runs a day by putting them in the freezer. The dragon silicone mold takes longer as the wax comes out best if it is really hard. My grandkids appreciated the rejects til I learned that. I tried dipping candles but that takes serious time and mine were UGGly. Thank you so much for the information to use on a hang tag or printed info.


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## JohnK and Sheri (Nov 28, 2004)

We price our candles by the pound of beeswax, typically about $10 per pound of wax. If it is a particularly ornate mold which was expensive and which needs more time to set up we add a surcharge on top of that. Most of our candles are natural, but we do typically have a few dyed or scented on display for the Holidays. We will do custom pours with color/scent. If so, we charge a bit more to account for the extra expense.
We are in a rural non-tourist area where prices are fairly depressed. Touristy or urban area have better demand for beeswax candles and you can probably sell them for more. Whether you are selling them locally or online, I would do research on that market and price accordingly or perhaps a bit more, and adjust my price as needed depending on sales. Note to self: don't be influenced by those selling "too cheap" bulk beeswax candles on Ebay. It is tempting to initially sell your quality product too cheaply. It is easier to lower prices than raise them. People appreciate it when you can give them a deal on multiple candles, so it is good to have enough room to negotiate.
Good luck,
Sheri


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