Buy a full case and the price per unit drops automaticallyRequest a sample
AccountCart0
All ContainersBottlesJarsCaps & ClosuresPumps & SprayersTubs & PailsJugsDroppersTinsTubesAccessories
Industries
Personal CareShop all 934 items →
AromatherapyBathBath →Body careBody care →Color cosmeticsColor cosmetics →DeodorantDeodorant →FragranceFragrance →GroomingHair careLip careLip care →NailNail →Oral careOral care →Skin and faceSkin and face →Soap and washSoapmaking →Sun and protectionSun and protection →
Learn:BathBody careColor cosmeticsDeodorantFragranceLip careNailOral careSkin and faceSoapmakingSun and protectionEverything we have written →
Learn
Beekeeping100Hot sauce making90Jam and preserves96Pickles and ferments64Sauces and condiments36Syrups36Oils and vinegars34Nut butters and spreads33Dairy and alternatives33Coffee and tea36Confection31Resin and casting27Supplement liquids23Laboratory17Dispensing13Photography and darkroom14Industrial chemical14Prepared and deli15Body care14Color cosmetics13Bath14Pet health15Toiletry decanting14Oral care14Capsules and tablets14Nail14Fragrance15Deodorant17Fossils16Janitorial16Baking and dry goods16Seed storage17Specimens16Paint and ink18Automotive fluids18Wax melts17Diffusers17Detailing15Sun and protection18Dish and hand16Soapmaking91Candle making93Beverages92Cleaning products92Lip care89Minerals and rocks93Powders91Skin and face91Spices and seasoning91Findings and components16
All 1,895 pages we have written →
Candle making
All Containers›Shop by use case›Candle making›Selling it›Selling at a marketShop all candles →
Selling it

Selling at a market

By Dwight Davis, Founder

Updated

On this page5

Candles do well at markets for one reason: the customer can smell them, which is the half of the product a photograph cannot carry.

The natural first channel

Direct margin, immediate feedback on which fragrances actually sell, and no shipping cost or breakage.

It is also where you find out which of your names people understand, which is worth more than the day's takings in the first season.

What the market asks for

Liability insurance, almost always, and for candles the insurer question is sharper than for most crafts.

A business license or tax registration.

Some markets have rules about open flames on site, which affects whether you can burn a tester at all. Ask before you plan the stall around one.

The scent problem

Twelve open testers on one table produce a single indistinguishable smell, and the customer's nose saturates within a minute.

Keep testers lidded and let the customer open one at a time. Offer coffee beans, which genuinely reset the nose. And limit the range on the table: six fragrances sell better than twelve, because twelve is a decision nobody can make.

Replace testers on a schedule. A tester that smells weak tells the customer your candles smell weak.

What to say

The material and the burn, not the effect. What the wax is, where the fragrance sits, how long it burns, how to get a full melt pool on the first burn.

That last one is a genuine service and it makes the candle perform better, which is the most reliable route to a second sale.

Avoid saying anything about what the scent does to a person. Describe the smell.

References

No published source. This page is written from practice rather than from published guidance. No extension service or agency publishes on this question for candles, so nothing here is cited, and it should be weighed as experience and not as a standard.
Written from the federal regulation, the CPSC material and the published scope of the ASTM candle standards. The standards themselves are copyrighted documents that must be bought; what is described here is their scope and requirements as published, not their text. Your own burn testing against your own vessel and wick is what establishes whether a candle you made is safe.