To wrap or not to wrap...!?

[ellie]

Hiya,
I reguarly have a stall at various craft fairs... which have varying succsess at (the worst so far being two weeks ago when my car was clamped.. so i ended up £80 out of pocket!!:mad:)

I was just wondering if any of you have any thoughts about wrapping soap, i present all of mine wrapped (with samples of each for people to smell etc) But i can't help but feel it would all look nicer if it was all unwrapped and i could cut pieces from the loaves / cakes when they were wanted. but then i think... is this that hygenic.. i know that a large high street store has all their soaps on view without packaging... but i'd just hate to buy a soap which has the hair of the last "sniffer" stuck to it. (also easier labelling wise to have everything prepacked.....)

I just don't know... i was wondering what everyone else did, and if anyone had any thoughts on it!!?

[Potter Doodle Doo]

I don't do soaps or things, so unsure if there are any 'regulations' relating to them.

As a buyer, I would like to see the big blocks that you cut pieces off. To me, that would make the 'hand crafted' part much more authentic. You could put them towards the back so that they couldn't be picked up and attract 'sniffer hairs' with maybe a little sample of each at the front that they can pick up to look at and sniff etc ... does that make sense? Or put a little note saying 'testers' at the front making it clear that the bigger ones aren't for touching but they're quite welcome to pick up the smaller ones.

[Tip Top]

Yep, totally agree with Potter Doodle Do!:mf:

You can then see what you're getting and brag to people that it was 'hand cut' heheh!!
Testers at the front for people to hold and sniff is a good idea cos you know you'll get one grumpy customer who will want the packaged one unwrapping and then decide not to buy....:mad:

[Soapwitch]

Hi Ellie,

I do the same as you and sell it wrapped but have samples out for people to pick up and sniff.

I know that most people love the idea of cutting soap straight from the log, but as you point out, it's a real pain for labelling etc.

It also makes it difficult to comply with the weights and measures act, because if you cut it in front of the customer you have to be able to show the customer that you are providing them with the weight stated eg 100g slice. The only legal way to do this is to travel with your set of trade approved scales! My scales cost a fortune and I wouldn't go travelling anywhere with them!!

You can sell it naked by the slice as long as you slice it before the show and have used your approved scales at home to weigh it. Thats my understanding of the regs, but if anyone knows different, shout up!

Also, if you are alone on the stall and get a rush of custom, it would be a pain to be slicing and bagging whilst people are waiting. I know it looks nice but it's not for me!!

Leanna

[ellie]

hiya

thanks for that, it was great to get different point of views!

I think what i'm going to give a go is pre - slicing the loaves and cakes at home, but kind of leaving them in loaf/ cake form (if that makes sense!?) so when but im going to take a few uncut bits along for presentation purposes .... i guess i'll have to practice speed wrapping in case i get masses of customers (i can dream!!)

soapwitch, your soap looks gorgeous, and your website is amazing.... if my packaging was as nice as yours i wouldnt be asking all these questions, it's lovely.

[colourart]

don't know about rules and regs, but as a buyer I would prefer to know that people haven't touched it too much, but I do think its nice if you cut a slice off, more crafty. Samples at the front is a good idea though because if you're buying soap you obviously want to smell it. Good luck with your future craft fairs.

[candles by lisa]

Hi,

I was at a craft fair a week or two ago and the stall beside me was selling hand made soaps. He had them out as cakes (if that's what they are called - looked more like round cheese to me though!!).

All he had done was put a score on the top of the cake and when somebody wanted some he cut it down the score line - he has been in business making soaps since the 70's and his company is quite big. It might be the regulations allow for some slight leway on weight.

Cheers.

Lisa

(P.S. He sold and absolute fortune and I didn't even make my table).

:mf:

[ellie]

oooooooooo... thats a good idea!! i've got to do something like that, as i'm a bit worried that my stall looks like a mass of cellophane and rafia :-(

[Soapwitch]

I don't think that there's anything wrong with cellophane and raffia, but I know it can be difficult to make soaps and bath stuff look good enough to make people stop and look rather than passing straight past the stall! I have a lot of soap out on display and I get a little tired of everyone thinking it's cheese!? Why would there be cheese at a craft show?

Thanks for the kind comments about my site and packaging, it's taken me a long time to be happy with it. The site is just having a few adjustments made to get it ready for lots of new products! I've been testing them all and I'm just waiting for the final safety assessments to come back!

Leanna

[Ed's]

Hi,

Sorry to butt in late, but I have just spent some time going through the regs on weights and measures and the Soap Witch is absolutely correct.

If you are selling to the public them everything has to be weighed on Trade Scales, so the idea of weighing before the craft show is a really good one.

[JBJB]

Why would there be cheese at a craft show?


Slightly off topic I know, but I've seen a wine and olive seller at a supposed "handmade" craft fair. There was lots of British-style muttering between the other sellers .... particularly as his stall was the busiest all day!

[Soapwitch]

That would have made me laugh! Just when you think you've seen everything! I guess the wine could have been homemade though??

[JBJB]

I guess the wine could have been homemade though??

Could have been .... but it wasn't !! Well, not by him anyway!

[Soapwitch]

Naughty! I hate it when that happens, you pay good money to attend a 'handmade only' event just to arrive and find a bunch of stallholders passing off things as their own! Drives me mad, especially when they spend the day taking the customers money!!

[ellie]

ummmmmmmm... wine, olives and cheese... getting hungry now!!

i went to a "craft fair" a month or so ago, and was on a stall next to someone who was selling commercially bought soaps and bath bombs. I am now avoiding anything which is advertised as a craft and gift fair!

[Poppy4lee]

This is just in response to the issues raised about the weighing of soap. I contacted my local Trading Standards Office and asked about the regulations regarding the weighing of soap for sale...This is their reply, which I thought some of you might find of interest:

In answer to your questions soap generally has to be sold by net weight, however there are exemptions, for example a bar of soap weighing less than 25grams would not be required to be marked with it’s weight.

Large manufacturers of soap will normally pack their products to an average system which means that the nominal weight is given on the packaging but the actual weight may vary within set legal tolerances. You can tell if a product has been packed to the average system as the weight marking on the packaging is followed by an epsilon ‘e’. Obviously this system has to be monitored by the manufacture themselves using documented quality control systems with legislation providing the legal controls which Trading Standards Officers enforce.

In respect to soap cut from a loaf or cake and sold loose, again this must be sold by net weight and the weight must be made known to the customer which can be achieved by marking the product with the weight after it has been weighed, or by giving the customer a clear view of the reading from the scale at the time the product is weighed.

[ellie]

Yaaaaay!! A huge thankyou to erveryone for all your ideas, i went along to a craft fair in Exmouth on Sunday, and made £40 profit!! (ok, so i know it's not earth breaking... but haven't ever broken even before there!) I displayed the soaps unwrapped but with a sample piece on top. I preweighed and cut the slices at home. I tried wrapping on demand but i was teribble at it, so i kept one piece of each soap wrapped, and most customers were quite happy to have the wrapped piece!!
Just need to figure something out for the craft fair in Exeter in August when theres likely to be much more passing trade (so fingers crossed i'll need more then one slice pre wrapped at the time!)