Suppliers

Oh How right you are. Fortunately, the Internet makes it impossible for the shady types to stay hidden. They can blow their own horn all they like but we see what is really going on. We needn't bash them too harshly here in cyberspace. Where we need to bash them is in their pocketbooks. That is the only punishment they can comprehend. The solution is simple. DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM SHADY SUPPLIERS.

An additional pet peeve of mine is candle supply businesses that also sell finished candles. They can so undercut their competition because they buy THEIR supplies so much cheaper than those who depend on supply companies for their raw materials. I believe Ewe-R-Wooly falls into that category.

But Scott's worst defect is his claim to the rights to the term SOY WAX and claiming to have used it commercially since 1999. He cannot truthfully prove that term was in his VOCABULARY before 2002.

Some people have a pure love for the candle craft and others are simply in it for the fast buck. It's up to each of us to decide who's the wolf and who's the sheep.

Brian & Terry, you stated that;

“An additional pet peeve of mine is candle supply businesses that also sell finished candles. They can so undercut their competition because they buy THEIR supplies so much cheaper than those who depend on supply companies for their raw materials. I believe Ewe-R-Wooly falls into that category.”

We buy almost all of our supplies from the original manufacturers, just like many candle suppliers i.e Ewe-R-Wooly, we use these supplies our selves and do not resell them, does this give us an unfair advantage also?

Just because one company has the ability to purchase supplies cheaper than another, does not give them an “unfair” advantage, remember, this is a free market society.

A small candy store can’t hound Hershey because Hershey can buy chocolate cheaper than they can. FYI, Hershey not only sells their own line of chocolates, but they also sell wholesale to other smaller manufacturers, just like Ewe-R-Wooly.

Bob & Carol Sterenberg
American Harvest Candles, LTD.
Star Lily Brand Innovative Soy Products

chandler@americanharvestcandles.us
www.americanharvestcandles.us

First of all, I did not say that it was wrong or illegal or unethical or anything else. I simply said it was a pet peeve. But thanks for the education on the free enterprise system.

I too buy my supplies from the same original manufacturers that the supply houses use. However, since I buy only quantities for my own use, I pay a higher price than the supplier who is buying, oh say conservatively, ten times the quantities I buy. Example: I buy 10 lbs of a fragrance from one of my suppliers @ $11.00/pound. That same fragence is available to me at $6.75/pound if I buy 100 lbs at a time. The problem is it would take me 5 years to use that quantity of a single fragrance and I won't use a fragrance that is more than six months old.
I buy one of my waxes @ .80/lb if I buy 2000 pounds. However if I buy 20,000 pounds, the price drops to .62/lb.
So, I'm sorry you disagree, but facts are facts. I've been at this for 32 years and I am well aware how the discounts are doled out.

I would like to know how you are getting the same low prices for your small operation as the supply houses who are buying ten or twenty times larger quantities than you. If you could pass that secret along to me, then I could get those same huge discounts that the supply houses enjoy.
Have a nice day Bob.

Brian

This is the problem with message boards, misunderstandings are all too common.

I apologize if I offended anyone with my previous post, especially you Brian because I interpreted your post correctly. I get to many nasty grams from list members as it is for speaking my mind, and I hope to avoid that this time.

To clarify, I did not say I get the same prices on the items we buy as the larger companies do. I just said we buy bulk from the manufacturers, giving us a better price, and there for and advantage over those who buy from candle supply firms like BitterCreek.

In the future, I feel it would be more constructive, ans safer, if we have a problem with a supplier to just state the supplier, and not go into specifics to much, because that borderlines on mud slinging and or slander. Thats is just my opinion.

Myself, as well as other in the Guild have been severely chastised in the past for bringing up specific problems we have had with a Guild founder, instead of just saying we had an issue with them and leaving it at that, and I don’t want anyone to have to go through what we did for mentioning specifics.

I did not intend for this to become an argument. Again, my apologize if I have offended anyone.

Bob & Carol Sterenberg
American Harvest Candles, LTD.
Star Lily Brand Innovative Soy Products

chandler@americanharvestcandles.us
www.americanharvestcandles.us

NOT!

I would like to take a moment to comment on this post. Our Company utilizes three different manufacturer’s for our soy wax, wax additives, and wax compounds. Two out of three of our manufacturer’s contacted our Company and advised of impending price increase due to increase price of raw materials on the Chicago board of trade. For our farmers who sell soy beans, it was a bountiful harvest and they were finally able to capitalize on high prices per bushel of beans. You may verify that fact with the Throne’s.

The week of our phone conversation saw an increase of 18% from one of our manufacturer’s followed by a 15% increase from another some 11 days later. The manufacturer of Phytowax and Nature Wax specifically stated to anticipate an increase in finished wax product. Our sales staff, including myself, started contacting our clients and advised them of pending increase and that we were buying wax prior to the rate increase.

There was never any attempt to misrepresent any information provided to you at any time and we apologize if you feel that you were pressured.

To clarify for those that are not aware of how Sara and I help our fellow Chandlers, we allow our customers to buy at the pallet price and we warehouse the wax (at no charge) and ship requested amounts of wax on customer demand at best available rate freight.

We provide high quality candle making supplies that are geared toward the soy and vegetable wax mediums. While we remain competitive in the candle supply market, our prices can be proven to be equal or less for the same products and compounds offered by competitors. Our Phytowax brand wax remains price matched with prices established by the warehouse partners.

We take great pride in our customer service and are constantly striving to implement new and better improvements for our rapidly growing company.

I would like to take this opportunity to affirm your comments on Mike and Melanie Throne. They are wonderful people who take the time to make a difference in the soy candle industry.

Scott Belbeck/ Ewe-R-Wooly Sheepkeepers

The reason the wax has gone up was not because of a "bountiful harvest" and very few farmers "capitalized" on high bean prices. The bean crop was short this past year.Very short. That is why prices for raw materials (soybeans spcifically) are high. I can not speak for Throne's crop but it's no secret that the soybean crop was short, this price increase is not due to farmers capitalizing. 50 bushels beans times 5.00 is $250.00 per acre. 25 bushel beans times $10 is $250.00 per acre. Same dollars less beans.