Candle Insurance for Maker & Seller Business: Cost & Quotes From $5 (2024)

What Business Category Is Candle Making?

So what type of business is candle making? Candle making belongs to the manufacturing business category.

So can you make money making candles? Those running their startup candle business earn $100,000 - $200,000 annually. Employers offer a candle maker salary amounting to $45,577 on average. Note that some candle makers earn below average. For example, candle manufacturers in Florida only pay their craftsmen $38,000 annually.

Starting a Candle Business

Are you in love with candle making or just love using candles? If so, why not consider starting a small candle company online at home? If you’re wondering how to start a candle business from home, you should know that while it is not necessarily easy, it can be very rewarding and satisfying. Many have proved that a candle business is one of those ventures where the talented and hardworking greenhorn entrepreneur can find success whether it be selling candles at markets or online

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We know that you’re keen to learn how to start a candle company. And so, here’s a quick guide that shows the things you need to do.

Learn The Trend and Start Small

Your candle small business doesn't need to give consumers all types of candles. It’s best if you sell the ones that are very popular in the market when thinking about how to start making candles to sell. According to the National Candle Association, consumers say that scent is the most important factor in their buying decision. Furthermore, jar candles and container candles are the easiest to sell in the United States. With that said, put these considerations in mind when you plan to sell candle from home.

When you ask: “How to start my own candle business?”, others immediately think of selling a variety of products. This can work provided that there’s a lot of capital. However, for those who can only build a candle selling business with limited resources, it’s important to only sell what’s popular as it helps to save cost, time, and effort and keeps the ROI positive!

Another question you must ask yourself is, “ Who are the candle manufacturers near me and what candles can I sell that they don’t offer ?”. By doing so, you’ll gain an edge over any existing competition and have more chances of making your candle business successful.

Give Your Candle Business a Unique Name

Don’t forget to ask yourself, ”What should I name my candle business?” . Many forget that coming up with a unique and memorable business name is often one of the most important ingredients of a successful business, the same applies to candle business. So when you wonder how to start an online candle business, creating a website, Etsy and Amazon shops is important - but never underestimate the power of a memorable, catchy candle business name. A unique name is what gives face and authority to your business in the market. Additionally, it also lessens the likelihood of copying other business names indirectly. When thinking of a business name, it helps to use the selling point of your products as a reference. You can also use online tools for generating homemade candle names ideas and wax tart business name ideas, such as BusinessNameGenerator.com and Shopify's online tool for wax business names.

Find Suppliers of Raw Materials

Another requirement you have to answer when asking yourself, ”What do I need to start a candle business?”, is to look for a raw material supplier. The ideal raw material supplier is one who’s willing to sell waxes and wicks at very generous discounts even if the quantity of goods bought is not that many.

Also, there will be lesser costs if the candle supply business is nearby. And so, ask yourself “ Are there candle supplies stores near me ?”. If you can’t think of a particular business, use search engines because they’ll give you candle and wax melt business names, addresses, and locations of nearby suppliers.

Buy Second-Hand Candle Making Machine

A candle-making equipment is one of the most important things you need to start a candle business. Small candle-making machines make 30 - 40 candles within 30 minutes. And so, we suggest you invest money in these.

You will spend $3,000 - $4,000 for a new small candle-making machine for your home based candle business. However, there’s no need to worry if you don’t have this amount right now. You can opt to get a second-hand candle-making machine which costs $300 - $600 for making candles to sell.

Now you might be thinking, “S tarting my own candle business with a second-hand machine can be problematic” . Hold your reins there because that’s not really the case. Candle-making machines are sturdy and the performance of used ones can be as good as brand news.

Build a Storage Space

Building a storage space is a crucial step in how to make a candle making business. Candles are potential fire hazards. Therefore, you don’t want to store them in a part of the house that people can easily access, especially kids.

If building a storage space is not an option, try renting a small garage for your homemade candles business. The gist is to never put your stocks where they can easily get damaged. And so, find ways to isolate and take care of them to avoid accidents and defects.

Before we proceed, here’s a little trivia in case you're wondering what is a candle maker called. While many are used to using the term candle maker, the proper term for those who make candles is chandler, which is derived from the old French word chandelier . >

What Do I Need to Start Selling Candles: How to Start a Home Candle Business Online

You don’t need a brick-and-mortar store for your candle business as you can try selling candle from home, which is what many small candle small business owners do.

There are two ways around how to sell candles from home without a physical store - proceed to selling candles online through social media platforms and selling candles on Etsy, Amazon, and your own website.

We recommend you use Facebook or Instagram for selling your candles via social media as both are great to sell candle from home. Both are great for your home candle business as each has a marketplace where you can easily showcase products and see customer insights.

What about the other option? Do candles sell well on Etsy? The short answer is yes. A successful candle maker or wax melt maker that uses the platform earns $30,000 to $40,000 annually. Profits are about 60%, so do the math yourself. The candle industry as a whole is worth about $2.5 billion dollars annually, so there is a lot of room for growth if you are good at this. Starting a candle company with the help of Etsy is great because it provides an interactive platform for your candle business and it helps you track sales and the number of customers while being accessible to a big number of shoppers. However, we recommend starting your own website, social media channels, and an Amazon shop in addition to Etsy.

How Do You Make Your Own Candles at Home?

We suggest you make your own candles at home as it’s one of the crucial steps on how to have a successful candle business as it helps to save a lot of resources. On average, a newbie can make 10 - 20 candles a day without a machine. This section discusses what you need and what to do.

What Do I Need to Start Making Candles?

• Wax Block

• Essential oil o

• Dye or crayons

• Scissors

• Wick

• Spoon

• Tin can

• Mold

How to Make Your Own Candles to Sell?

Cut the Wax into Small Pieces

The first step in how to make candles at home to sell is to cut the wax. Cutting helps to save a lot of time as an uncut wax block takes longer to melt. It’s best to cut the wax into thin sheets using a knife or any other sharp object. After cutting, put all of the wax pieces into the tin can.

Put the Tin Can On the Stove

Turn the stove on and place the tin can on it. By the way, you can also use a pot. However, we strongly suggest you use a tin can, as wax residues can stick on the pot and cause issues. Ideal tin cans for melting are 375 grams milk powder cans and condensed milk cans.

Wait for the Wax to Melt and Add Dye or Fragrance Oil

The wax will melt 3 - 5 minutes after heating the tin can. When the wax starts to melt, it’s time for you to add the fragrance oil or dye. Remember to only put a teaspoon of fragrance oil for 1 tin can of melted wax. After doing this, keep stirring so that the fragrance oil, wax, or dye mix. Note that, if there’s no dye, you can also melt some crayons in a separate tin can and add them to the melted wax.

Get a Mold, Put the Wick on It, and Pour the Melted Wax

Get the candle-making mold and put the wick on it. Don’t worry, putting the wick on the candle mold will be easy. It already comes with a stand so that there’s no need for you to straighten it while pouring the melted wax.

Note that aside from commercial candle mold, you can also use household objects as mold. This includes small tin cans, cut water bottles, unused bowls in the kitchen, and more.

Wait for the Wax to Harden

The final step in how to make candles to sell is to put the candle mold containing the melted wax in a secluded spot in the house. You don’t want a dog, cat, or person to disturb the wax while it’s getting hard. First, melted wax is very hot and might cause first-degree burns. The finished candle might have cracks too if someone accidentally moves the melted wax. Note that it will take 3 - 4 hours for the melted wax to harden.

After the melted wax becomes hard, there’s nothing else to do but test the candle if it works. You know that your DIY candle is good if it holds its shape and generates a strong steady flame.

What Are The Ingredients to Make Candles?

The main ingredients for making candles at home are:

• Wax and wick

• Fragrance oil

• Dye or crayons

Wax and Wick

The primary ingredients in candle making are wax and wick. Without wax, there’s no fuel for the flame in the wick. And without a wick, the user can’t use the wax to fuel a flame. Wax and wick are the only ingredients when making unscented candles.

Fragrance Oil

Those making scented candles need fragrance oil. Fragrance oil is a natural oil from plants or a synthetic oil diluted with compounds like propylene glycol, vegetable oil, or mineral oil. Mixing fragrance oil in the wax allows the candle to give off a scent as it burns. Common fragrance oils for wax making are vanilla, lavender, and citrus. The application of fragrance oil is one of the most important steps in how to make candles for business.

Dye or Crayons

Some interested in how to start a candle making business at home try making colored candles. Colored candles need dye or crayons. One can use any kind of dye available. The most popular choices for dye colors are pink, violet, yellow, and brown.

Melting crayons and adding them to the melted wax is also an option. However, crayons don’t give a very vibrant shade to a candle as compared to using dyes.

Which Wax is Best for Candle Making?

Candlemakers use beeswax, paraffin wax, and soy wax for candle making, and the best one is beeswax.

Beeswax is better than paraffin wax and soy wax because it burns cleanly and gives off a very wonderful scent, even without fragrance oils. Also, beeswax candles are not toxic and won’t cause severe problems if ingested by a toddler or a pet.

Coming second to beeswax is soy wax. Soy wax is not as good as beeswax because it produces a cool-toned flame. Therefore, the light soy wax candles emit is a bit weaker than that of beeswax candles.

Though very cheap, paraffin wax is the worst for candle making. Paraffin wax is made from petroleum. And so, it’s not a clean or bright burning wax. Paraffin wax contains benzene and toluene, which can cause headaches, cancer, kidney damage, and birth defects.

Is Making Candles Cheaper than Buying?

Is it cheaper to make your own candles? The cost of making candles is cheaper than buying them. Know that an $8 block of wax can produce a 14 oz candle, which retailers sell for $28. And so, if you’re fond of using candles for aromatherapy or room lighting, stop buying and make your own candles instead.

Where Is The Best Place to Sell Candles in the USA?

Here’s a list of the best place to sell candles in the United States:

• Sell homemade candles in Las Vegas at the time of the lantern festival

• McAdenville at the Christmas season

• Ohio (this state has a lot of candle exporters who sometimes look for small-time sellers to reinforce their warehouse in case of stock shortage

• North Yorkshire during the culmination of the scarecrow festival on Halloween

Do You Need a Business License to Sell Candles?

Do you need a license to sell candles? Here’s the answer: There are only a few legal requirements for selling homemade candles. For instance, you need a general license to make and sell candles

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Another one of the legal requirements for selling homemade candles in USA is to get a federal tax I.D.

Don’t forget to have liability insurance as this is also a legal requirement for selling homemade candles in US. You need to have at least $100,000 coverage. However, for the best protection, we recommend you go for a policy that offers $1 million. We suggest you try Liberty mutual business insurance quotes as well as those of Progressive’s and Hiscox’s when planning to purchase business liability insurance.

If you plan to employ people, you also have to comply with getting worker's compensation insurance. To make it short, all you need to sell candles is to register as a sole-proprietorship, get a federal tax I.D., and get some insurance policies.

Note that just like selling candles, there are also no strict legal requirements for selling wax melts. One only needs to come up with a unique wax melts business name with the help of a wax melt company names generator or consultant, register the business in the state, get a federal tax I.D, and get insurance policies.

How Much Does It Cost to Start a Candle Business?

To get the answer, we have to ask, “How much does a candle cost?” The average price of candles in terms of manufacturing is $7.50 per piece. Here’s a table below showing how much to start a candle business based on how many candles your home based candle business plans to sell each month:

Note that there are other ways to determine how much does it cost to make your own candles to sell. And so, we recommend you consult experienced candle business owners to see their manufacturing costs and what factors affect such costs. You can also use online tools like Candle Profit Calculator .

How Much to Sell Candles For?

“So how much should I sell my candles for as a sole proprietor ?” - We’re sure that you’re asking this right now. Candle making businesses have their own respective pricing. However, all use a simple method to determine the cost of their candles - that is, by calculating the variable cost and fixed cost.

The total variable cost is the average candle price required for manufacturing all pieces of candles. You can find the variable cost using this formula: Total Variable Costs = Cost Per Unit x Total Number of Units. In connection with this, there’s also the per unit variable cost which gives you an idea how much does it cost to make a candle.

Once you have the total variable cost. Find the fixed cost to make candles. The formula for finding fixed cost is: Total fixed cost = Total cost of production - ( Variable cost per unit x Number of units produced).

When you’ve found your variable cost and fixed cost add them together and then give a price to your candles that’s half higher than the sum of the variable and fixed cost. Therefore, if the variable and fixed cost come to $4.09. You can price your candles $6.

How Much Do Homemade Candles Sell For?

Homemade scented jar candles from starting candle makers usually sell for $10 apiece. Homemade votive candles sell for $8 apiece. Finally, tea candles sell for $5 apiece. Know that this pricing is just the initial pricing for those learning how to start a candle business at home. If your company manages to reach the success of Inland Candle Co and other reputable candle companies, you can charge more and gain better profits.

Is Candle Making a Good Business Considering You Plan to Sell Mechanical Candles?

Mechanical candles are not as popular as traditional candles. Nonetheless, they don’t drip and manage to give a strong steady flame. That’s why some customers opt to get them. So how much does a candle business make from mechanical candles? A candle business that does mechanical candles wholesale earns $18 - $24 per piece or $132 - $194 per box.

How to Sell Candles Online Using a Website?

Social media and online selling platforms are a great way to sell candles online. But if you don’t want to use such options, try starting your own candle business by utilizing the power of a website.

So how to sell candles online with the help of a website? Technology has made it very easy for first-timers to do so. Install WordPress, get a good relevant theme, upload your content and products, and market them. Let’s further discuss how to do it in this section.

What Do You Need to Start a Candle Business with a Website?

Do I need IT experts to start my own candle business using a website? - we’re pretty sure you’re asking this right now. The answer is no. You don’t need an IT expert to build your candle website and start a candle business online. GoDaddy, Wix, and WordPress are friends that allow you to make a website to start a candle company without anyone’s help even if there’s no knowledge about website development.

By the way, thinking of a name is important when starting a candle business online website. It’s best to give your candle website a catchy and unique one to avoid legal issues and have easier branding. Do some research to think of the best name. If you’re stuck on how to do it, use online tools that generate soap and candle company name ideas or wax melts business name.

Once your website is ready, you then have to choose a web hosting provider. Note that your candle website needs a hosting provider so that it has its own domain, has its data storage, and technical support. In a nutshell, it’s web hosting that allows users to access your website fast.

Selling candles through a website is not just about showing your products to customers. It’s also important to provide value so that your site shows on the web and gains visitors. And so, you might need to hire someone to create content.

How to Sell Candles Without Any Stocks in Your Possession?

How to sell candles if you don’t have candles? We know this question sounds weird, even stupid maybe. But know that there’s a business model that allows you to sell even if there are no products in store.

Affiliate marketing is the method that allows you to sell candles without owning candles. Basically, an affiliate program is where a company allows a website owner (affiliate partner) to sell their products. In return, the website owner gets a commission for each sale.

Where to sell candles as an affiliate partner? Candle affiliate programs you might want to try are as follows:

• Yankee Candle Affiliate Program

• Pure Integrity Affiliate Program

• Wishes Candle Co Affiliate Program

• Brooklyn Studio Candle Affiliate Program

• Gourmet Candle Affiliate Program

• Liberty Candles London Affiliate Program

How Much Can You Make Selling Candles as an Affiliate Partner?

How much money can you make selling candles as one of the many affiliate candle vendors? Affiliate candle sellers earn 3%-15% commission for each successful candle selling transaction on their website. For example, if you’re enrolled in an affiliate program, you’ll earn $.69 or $3.45 for each piece of $23 candles.

How to Start a Small Candle Business Website for Affiliate Marketing?

How to start your own candle business affiliate website? The first thing to do is to increase your website’s traffic. Candle companies having affiliate programs all require individuals, who are interested in how to make and sell candles, to have a website with at least a thousand visits each day. The only way to reach a thousand visits and make it possible to sell candles online as an affiliate partner is to create helpful and insightful resources for users.

Once your website reaches a lot of visits, it’s time to look for a good affiliate program which is the second step to start your own candle business affiliate website. You can try the ones we mentioned in this section. When choosing which affiliate program to try, go for the ones that don’t have any enrollment fees, give more than 3% commission, offer cash rewards, and give free resources that will help you sell candles from home successfully.

Is Selling Candles a Good Business as an Affiliate Partner?

You could have been a candle tycoon through affiliate marketing. Selling candles through affiliate marketing might be more promising than candle making home business because all you have to do is create a popular website and convince people to buy the products of your partners by making valuable content. This business venture doesn’t require a lot of capital because you don’t need to learn how to make your own candles to sell. Also, there are no limits on how much can a candle business make as an affiliate partner.

How Much Money Can You Make from a Candle Business?

Can you make money selling candles? The answer is yes. Here’s a bullet that will give you a general idea in case you’re wondering how much do candle makers make. Note that the figures listed here assume the candle business sells third-party manufactured candles.

• The income of candle businesses per one thousand pieces of votives sold is $19,990

• The income of small candle business per one thousand pieces of jar candles sold is $35,000

• The income of home based candle business per one thousand pieces of scented and elaborately designed candles sold is $80,000 or more

Other Income Sources of Candle Business

Know that your candle business can also sell other things aside from candles. So what to sell with candles? The bullet below shows the most viable products:

• Candleholder or stands

• Wax dye

• Wax fragrance oils

• Candle making books

• Wax melts

• Wax blocks

• Candle Making kits

• Soaps

So how much money do you make selling candles with other relevant goods? According to established soap and candle business names, there's 20% more revenue if candle makers take the courage to invest in selling candle-making kits and other related products.