Candle packaging, creating an enjoyable experience

Happy Monday candle friends.  I want to share with you something that's been consuming not only my thoughts the last few months but my office as well.   As I sit here typing away I'm being tickled by the crinkle paper thats under foot and I have a mess of stickers, washi tape, notes cards, tags and more bits and bobs surrounding me..   I'm still trying to figure out what to do with it all, but loving every minute of it!

Its product packaging and its a whole new adventure for me.

When I changed from vendor wholesaling to offering wholesale priced candles direct to the public I never bothered to change how I packaged or shipped them.   To be honest, I never gave it any thought at all.  I simply did the same thing I did for vendors but on a smaller scale and then I got stuck in the same ole same ole...you know what I mean right?  When you do something so much you don't realize there's another way, a better way, a newer way.  I was so tunnel blind!! and a bit embarrassed to admit that I didn't even know it was a "thing"

In November I started making little changes here and there, offering bits of flair for the holidays with tags and labels, personalized packaging not only for the candles themselves but shipping cartons too.

With the miracle that is a Silhouette Cameo a color printer and a craft store a block away with loads of aisles full of embossing powders and stamps and paper galore, I've been able to make most of my own packaging bits.   The only down side, if you could call it one, because it's been loads of fun....is that it sorta feels like a full time job all it's own and my planner has more scheduling for label making than it does pouring wax!

I've been popping in to youtube to see how other crafters ship their creations and they are full of amazing ideas on how to make packaging pop.  A general search will reward you with the bests ones and all the advise you need.

Here's what I learned.

** Its all about the unboxing experience (make it special)
**  give your customers more than what they are expecting.
** Under-promise and over deliver.
** branding is everything

With all of this in mind, I have a load of work ahead of me and a bit of restructuring to get moving on.

Shipping candles in the summer.

Happy weekend candle friends!  Oh my word.. is it HOT outside.  Are you feeling it?  I sure hope it's cooler where you are and if you can, send some cool thoughts my way. 

The high is climbing to a scorching 109 degrees and we'll be experiencing 120's by Tuesday.  My poor poor garden is a sad sight indeed, droopy and struggling for life even with the shade canopy we built last month.   I don't know if I should just give up or continue to baby them through the rest of the summer......It's even too darn hot to be in the pool, can you believe that! When it's this hot out the pool is't very refreshing when the sun above in flambeing your skin.   So I'm curled up inside, grateful for the invention of the air conditioner and worrying about packages that I shipped out today; so very nervous that my customers may open a box of goopy waxy mess.  Actually, I haven't had a complaint of melted candles in years, stopped typing to knock on wood  but I still worry...I'm a worrier.  

I wrote a post way back when this was a candle making blog about shipping candle in the summer heat.  Figured it was the perfect time to update and share it.    

First up..The faster the better.  It's the whole ground vs. air debate.  One may be cheaper but the other is super duper fast and I've come learn something very important about transit time.  The faster your items travel, the risk of your candles melting during transit decreases significantly.   Sure the cost is more but if your giving out refunds or sending replacements you're loosing money. 

Trucks aren't air conditioned....but neither are planes.  Just remember, the air is cooler way up there.  And planes are FAST. 

The United States Post Office offers relatively affordable prices for air mail.  Using Priority Mail or First Class (under 16 ounces) can get your candles to your customers in 1-3 days.  And as a bonus you can order FREE Priority Mail boxes from the usps.com website.  They'll even deliver them for FREE to your door.  But you don't have to use those boxes if they aren't the right fit for your business. Although the Priority Mail boxes you order from USPS are exclusive to the Priority Mail rate, the Priority mail rate is inclusive.

Ground shipping can be slower, anywhere between 3-10 days. But that doesn't mean its impossible to get your candles to their destination safely.  When I first started shipping candles in the early 2000's I used DHL and FedEx and boy did I learn a thing or two or three......or four

Regardless of the carrier, even when shipping airmail, at some point your candles are going to be sitting in the back of a steaming hot truck.

When shipping ground during the summer months consider scheduling your pick up time so that it's your drivers last stop.
 Last on the truck = first off the truck. Keep those boxes moving!

Make arrangements with your carrier that you want your packages to ship low in transit,  hot air rises.

Ship during the beginning of the week.  Mon-Wed.  You want to limit the amount of time your candles are riding in the back of that truck.

The next thing to really consider..or perhaps reconsider is marking your boxes.

I've been shipping candles for over 18 years, I learned early on that marking your boxes makes them a target.  

I've used fragile stickers, I've written in big bold black sharpie "leave in shade on porch"  I've custom made stickers specific for candles and I even purchase stickers that were specific to sun sensitivity.   I use to pay to have my candle company printed in beautiful script on every box I ordered.  I've come to learn that all those markings are food for a contentious shipper.
The less that I marked my packages, the less complaints of damaged items I had.   I now ship in plain ole non de-script boxes.

Well, I guess that about wraps it up....If you have anything to add, please do so in the comments down below I'd love to hear from you.

Oh and a quick shout out to all those incredible Dad's out there.  Happy Fathers Day!  I'm so blessed to be married to one the worlds best DAD's