Online shop for handmade candles: selling your scented candles and wax melts

You melt the wax, you measure out your fragrances, you pour, and you wait for your candles to set. A candle is often an impulse buy, at the Christmas market or in a makers’ shop. An online shop keeps that impulse going all year round: the customer who loved your fig and cedar candle can reorder it from home.

123Ventes is an online shop designed for craftspeople who would rather be in the workshop than at the computer. Here is how an online shop answers the questions that come with making candles and scented wax melts.

How should I sort my candles so customers can find their way around?

Container candles, moulded candles, massage candles, wax melts, diffusers: your customers are not all looking for the same thing. In 123Ventes, you sort your creations by category and subcategory: by type of product, by scent family (floral, gourmand, woody, fresh), by wax (soy, rapeseed, beeswax) or by collection. The customer looking for a gourmand scent finds it without scrolling past your massage candles.

One candle in six scents: do I need six product pages?

No. You offer the scents as options on a single product page, and the jar size too, with a different price for the large one if needed. The lid, the gift box or a personalised message can become paid options.

You enter the real stock of each product: when a batch has sold out, the candle can no longer be ordered. And for a personalised candle, a wedding or a corporate gift, you show a making time on the product page. Everything is set up from catalogue management.

How do I make people want a scent they can’t smell?

That is the whole challenge of selling candles online. Your text has to do the nose’s job:

• describe the scent like a recipe: the top, heart and base notes, or more simply “ripe fig, cedarwood, a hint of vanilla”;
• tell a story about a mood: “a rainy Sunday with a book” says more than “woody scent”;
• give the practical details: the wax used, the weight, the stated burn time, the type of wick (cotton, wood).

For photos, each product page takes a main photo and four views: the candle lit, unlit, with its lid, and in a room to show its size. Take your photos in daylight, without flash, and add a photo of the flame in the evening: that is what people buy.

What rules apply to selling scented candles?

A candle is an object that burns and, when it is scented, a product that may contain allergenic substances. Whether you sell at a market or online, the same rules apply. Broadly speaking:

• fragrance labelling: depending on the fragrance oils and how much you use, the label must carry hazard pictograms and statements, for example the allergens it contains. Your fragrance supplier gives you a safety data sheet, which is your starting point;
• safety instructions: never leave a burning candle unattended, keep it out of reach of children and pets, don’t place it near anything that can catch fire… They go on the label, often as pictograms;
• online information: for distance selling, the product page must repeat the information that matters for safety, such as the warnings and the manufacturer’s name and address. The long description in 123Ventes and the PDF leaflet attached to the product page are made for this.

The details change over time, and depend on your fragrances. Check with your supplier, your chamber of trades (chambre de métiers) or the French consumer protection authority (DGCCRF) before launching a new recipe.

How do I send candles without them breaking or melting?

Two enemies: knocks for glass jars, and heat for the wax. A few simple rules:

• Wedge glass jars in a rigid box, with padding all round: nothing should move when you shake the parcel. A moulded candle travels better in a box that fits it.
• Beware of summer: a parcel waiting in full sun can see its wax soften, especially with a soft plant wax. Ship at the start of the week, so the parcel doesn’t spend the weekend in a depot, and warn your customers during a heatwave.
• Weigh the parcel packed, not the bare candle: your shipping costs are then worked out automatically, by weight band and by zone.

Wax melts, light and unbreakable, are ideal for pick-up points. For large jars, go for tracked home delivery, or collection from the workshop. The carriers are described on the delivery options page.

How can I sell more at Christmas, on Mother’s Day and on Valentine’s Day?

A candle is the gift par excellence, and a large share of sales happens before the holidays. Prepare a version of your shop in Christmas colours and switch it on when the time comes, put your gift sets forward and send a newsletter to your customers two or three weeks before. Start your batches early enough: a candle needs time for its scent to develop, and your customers want their parcel before the 24th.

An autumn collection, a limited edition for Mother’s Day, a scent of the month for your regulars: so many reasons to write to your customers without wearing them out.

Can I offer refills, workshops to book or trade prices?

Yes. Many makers offer to refill their customers’ jars: a “refill” item at a reduced price, with collection from the workshop or the empty jar sent back, builds loyalty and appeals to customers who care about waste.

Candle-making workshops, very popular for birthdays and outings with friends, can be booked online: you open dates with a number of places, your participants choose theirs and pay when they book. See the online booking page.

And if shops want to resell your candles, work out a wholesale price that still covers all your costs: materials, time and packaging.

I sell at markets and on Etsy: what would my own shop do for me?

At the market, people smell your candles and leave with one. When it has burnt down, they want the same again. Slip a card with your shop’s address into every bag and onto the jar label: the reorder happens with you, with no commission. On the stall, the 123Ventes till records the day’s sales, with the same stock as the online shop.

You also sell on Etsy? Keep it for being discovered, and use your shop for your loyal customers. The Etsy alternative page compares the costs.

How much does a 123Ventes shop cost for a candle maker?

The subscription costs 29.90 € a month or 319.90 € a year, with hosting and the security certificate included. 123Ventes takes no commission on your sales: only your payment provider’s fees apply, about 1 € on a 50 € order paid by card. If you would rather not do anything yourself, the turnkey set-up costs 400 €. The details are on the pricing page.

Trades with needs close to yours

Does your business overlap with other trades? See also how to sell handmade soap on the Internet, sell ceramics online, open a delicatessen online and sell honey from your hives. And before choosing, read how to choose a platform as a craftsperson.

Your questions

Does 123Ventes take a commission on the candles I sell?

No. 123Ventes costs a fixed subscription of 29.90 € a month, whatever your turnover. Only your payment provider’s fees apply, just like with a card terminal at the market.

Is there any special paperwork for selling candles online?

The same as for selling at a market: a status that allows you to sell, and correctly labelled candles (fragrance statements, safety instructions). Online, the safety information must also appear on the product page. If in doubt, check with your chamber of trades (chambre de métiers) or the French consumer protection authority (DGCCRF).

How do I offer several scents for the same candle?

With options: a single product page, and the customer chooses their scent, the jar size or a gift box, with or without an extra charge.

Can my candles melt in transit?

In summer, a parcel left in the sun can soften. Ship at the start of the week, wedge your jars well, offer pick-up points or collection from the workshop, and warn your customers in hot weather.

How long does it take to put my candles online?

The shop is created in a minute. After that, allow about ten minutes per candle, photos included. Start with the scents that sell best at the market, and add the others batch by batch.