Another tip I had heard was after you filter the trade assurance and verified supplier, it is more cost-effective to choose a supplier in one of the 5 Provinces on the coast. The shipping will be less because they are closer to the shipping ports and you won't have to pay the cost it takes to truck it from the inland provinces. If that makes sense.
Aww the end of the video was so cute!!! Talk about alignment! I was just talking to another business owner on Friday about Alibaba. I was scared because I saw so many bad reviews on BBB site of people getting ripped off. You and the person I spoke to have restored my vision in expanding my business in the future. Now if I can just push past this spiritual awakening/midlife crisis to launch.... In slow motion... Thank you so much for sharing your journey with everyone. You are so brave and I'm proud of you💞🙏
I was recently in the process of starting a candle company. I purchased 1,000 jars and lids from Alibaba for $2,660 and I got screwed BIG TIME! I only received 9 out of the 25 boxes I was supposed to get, 3 of those boxes, the jars were completely busted. The supplier will not reimburse me or send me new product to make up the difference. I also used trade assurance and that was no help either. At this point, I'm not even sure if I can afford to start my business. I'm so happy for the people who have purchased from there with success but for me, it's been a nightmare and my dream of owning my own business may now stay that way, just a dream. 😞
Love your videos, enjoying watching them as I launch my candle company. Something else to keep in mind if you plan to order frequently or just something to know most facilities shutdown during Chinese New Year and your orders may be delayed by a few days or weeks.
This was a great video Erica! It was informative and I appreciate the way you walked us through the process. I've been trying to figure Alibaba out for a few months, and after watching this video I feel more confident in making a purchase. Again, thank you!
Hi Erica! Thank you so much. :D Your always such an inspiration for me, and for others. I have watched many of your videos and I am getting ready to open up one of my own shops!! I cannot thank you enough, for balancing time to help beginner candle makers, like me, and running a business! You make such amazing, high quality candles and immaculate videos. You are truly an amazing person. Again, thank you so much!
I “wet” my feet by making a small order. It took a long time but I did get my items and was happy. You just have to know that your probably not going to get instructions, notes etc with your order
Thank you for this video. I'm so on the fence about Alibaba... I'm really concerned about the working condition for employees and impact on the environment to be shipping around the world. But when I've looked in to buying vessels domestically, wholesalers are just middle men selling a Chinese product anyways. The only local options I've found are essentially hand made and artisanal, which are through the roof expensive and difficult to mass produce :( I wish there were a solution somewhere in the middle.
I agree with you completely! Ordering locally in the US for me (I'm in Pennsylvania) is so ridiculously expensive that I can't afford the prices (3+ dollars a jar) when trying to start a business. I unfortunately need the cheaper, wholesale prices. I got screwed over big time using Alibaba. It's a shame when that happens.
Thank you..I was curious about Alibaba....I always purchase things from aliexpress and have never had a problem but alibaba is so much more money. You have great info in things!!!
I’ve done shipping by boat with alibaba and usually is cheaper depending on what your ordering but it can take longer, sometimes months and no guarantees it will make it to you. But I’ve never had a problem and don’t live in a port city. Came to my door within a few weeks .
I really appreciate these tips, Erica! Alibaba seemed a little too overwhelming, but I feel much more confident about shopping there now, so thank you very much! And, your outtakes were hilarious 😆😂!
I’ve had a really bad experience buying fragrance oils from one seller on Alibaba. The samples I tested were fine and the seller insisted I order 15 kgs of oil. I did that for USD 500. The oils I received had hardly any smell. When I disputed the order the trade assurance people just said that there’s nothing they can do except give me $200. They did not allow me to return my order either. So I would suggest pls be very careful before you buy on that platform. ❤️
I am trying to start my Lil business and I have so many questions and even stuff I didn't know I had to know but I can say Thank you so much Erica for helping me alot I just found u about a week ago and so I am catching up on all ur videos and I am happy to say u are helping me alot😊
Hey there! new to your channel and candle making. Was so happy to hear you live in Murrieta! I spent most of my adult life in Murrieta and still have family there. Small world.. I live in Arizona now. Was wondering if you have an email and if I could ask you one simple question with a photo? Regarding my test burn melt pool. I'd so appreciate the advice.
I've been wanting to buy some candle vases, foiled labels and other stuff, but i don't know if the shipping will be super expensive. The candle suppliers here in the USA is pricey and i don't want to pay $3-4 per glass vessel when hundreds are needed 😕
Hi Erica. First of all I would like to thank you so much for your videos they are extremely helpful. I am in the process of researching and sourcing samples on Alibaba, it's extremely time consuming and confusing. Could I be cheeky and ask you which company you bought from as you had a positive outcome, and also do you still purchase from them or did you find it wasn't worth it ? many thanks, Stephen Smith.
How do you like the wick trimmers?I ordered a black one from AliExpress but I find that my silver wick trimmer is better.It had a hole in the middle for where the wick trims.I am talking to a supplier now for them
Curious, for tumblrs and candle making supplies, do y’all suggest going local? And how do you find local suppliers when most online suppliers no longer exist
Hi Erica loved your video I have a question for you what if I wanted to order a few different products that were the Same minimum quantity and we're same price range would Alibaba charge a different shipping price on each product .
Sea shipping doesn’t mean you need to pick it up at the port, can you imagine the queues? Shipping shouldn’t be expensive if you are doing it by sea. You use a freight forwarder to take it from port to your end destination.
Hi Erika, thank you for sharing this! Curious whether you have had any experiences with issues when the product arrived. If the product is damaged or not what you anticipated as far as quality, is there any way to return the product or get a refund on it? I'm sure it depends on each supplier but wondering if there is any strategy/recommendation around this. Let me know!
Hey Erica , my name is Ahmed i have been watching your videos for long time and u don't know much i learn from you , it's just amazing you make everything easy !!!!!! and I'm about to start my Small candle business , but sadly I'm having hard time getting oil Fragrances that you suggesting from USA , because I'm living in middle east ( Bahrain ) and shipping these oil fragrances to my country consider dangerous materials by Air which will cost me a lot as fee for dangerous goods , and we don't have by sea shipping at all , So i was wondering if you can suggest me some good company that i can deal with and have good Oil fragrances from Ali baba Please .. ! because they can afford shipping by sea to my country , it's will be great help , thanks for everything Erica !!
The only thing I don't like is that you still have to pay for shipping for each product even if they ship in bulk. For instance, your product could cost you less than a dollar but the shipping is $10 per item. So to purchase the product by min. lets say 500 @ .50= $250.00, the shipping will be thousands of dollars. Shipping should NOT be that much and I can't locate how the supplier to see if that can be modified somehow. Especially, if the product doesn't weigh very much. Anybody have any thoughts on this? Thank you
So I have a question. If I ordered 3000 candle jars from alibaba, would I have to check all the 3000 jars are ok and not damaged as soon as I received the packages? That’s a lot of work to check all the products are ok and put them back in the boxes at once.
That is Johnsen from Camett mainly for Jars supplier ,can we send some of candles as testing ? wish we can be deals on, We Samples order and lids candles shipped your door by air testing. wish be get your full address here. Thanks for your trust.
thank you for this Erica!! I have been really anxious about making big orders and you always save me at the perfect time💛 Also, do you have any tips on how to negotiate prices down? thank you so much🥰
I literally will just say “can we do “x” amount instead per pcs?” So if the item is $3.50 per pcs I will ask for $3.00 per pcs The worst they can do is say no 😅
@@MemoryBoxCandleCo you’re right! Idk why I get so nervous about it like they can yell at me or something LOL I guess I’m just nervous about making big orders Anyway, thank you so much!! you really do save me each time!
@@bernadinevinola1856 you aren't alone! It causes me SO MUCH anxiety to try to barter. I get so nervous... like, I know they can't do anything to me, but still!
the jars you recommend can be as low as 0.20 per piece for many of them lets say 3000 and then it says 6k shipping XD. They are drank for real. Cant orderheavy items from China I suppose.
This one time back in like 2013 on Alibaba I got some items designed, I payed almost $4,000 (through PayPal payment as well) and paid the import fees. Tell me why it got stuck in customs in LA and customs told me I had to pay them $500 to get the items out because the import fees weren’t paid for… :/
Most American candle suppliers get their vessels from China. This is just cutting out the middle man. Doesn't mean they are poorly made or "cheap" I respect wanting to buy American made though! Any suggestions for suppliers?
The video could’ve been more helpful and informative if you would have addressed the shipping aspect, as that is critical to any purchase with Alibaba. Especially the fact that depending on the amount of the purchase/quantity the exporter fees can become astronomical. I also would not recommend giving my personal home address to any company with Alibaba. If I don’t use the post office I usually pick up my packages from my local postal center. People can also search UA-cam for videos that are more detailed in the step-by-step process from A-Z in ordering from Alibaba.
My advice to EVERYONE is start buying made in the USA. We need to stop making China rich while our country gets poorer. People need to start manufacturing things in America again. Yes, if you are under 30 years old, you may not have known this buy almost EVERYTHING was made here in the US. Big businesses started getting greedy and wanted cheap products, so they decided to turn to China. China is filthy rich now, but they are a communist country and treat their people like crap. Not cool. I love your videos, and this is just a general comment for another opinion about Alibaba! Plus, they typically make you purchase thousands in your order. Most if not all of Alibaba's manufacturers are from China. I would love to see someone including myself in America learn to make glass vessels or wicks or wax! I am sure people used to know how to manufacturer things in the US, but we have lost are knowledge, because we leave it all up to China for the most part. And, the biggest problem is if you don't buy from Alibaba, you will buy from other companies, who mark up what they had manufactured from a seller on Alibaba anyways, so it's really a sad thing that America is being forced to do!
Hi as I am getting more serious with my business I had a question regarding the legal side to making and selling candles. Would we need to obtain a sellers permit in order to legally sell candles? Or what are your thoughts on that ?Thank you so much. Your videos have saved me from my frustrations in the candle making process! 🤍
More than a sellers permit, you need a specified insurance since you are selling candles. If someone get burn or isn't careful and start a fire with your candles, you will be held responsible without a way to protect yourself. Please be careful!
Another tip I had heard was after you filter the trade assurance and verified supplier, it is more cost-effective to choose a supplier in one of the 5 Provinces on the coast. The shipping will be less because they are closer to the shipping ports and you won't have to pay the cost it takes to truck it from the inland provinces. If that makes sense.
That’s so helpful, thank you! 🥰
Thank you
I swear you’re a fortune teller. Your videos always come out at the right time!
Haha love that!!
I agree! I was just in there checking it out and a little nervous.
Listennnnn. I have a tab open for Alibaba then came over here and BOOM!!
I was saying that same thing!!! Loll
@@lyndanixoxo9806same!
I don't know how anyone can give your videos a👎. Thank you for sharing your knowledge 🙂.
Erica: Savings Lives since 2020!! Thanks girl - you ALWAYS got my back! 😘 Love from Scotland
Aww the end of the video was so cute!!! Talk about alignment! I was just talking to another business owner on Friday about Alibaba. I was scared because I saw so many bad reviews on BBB site of people getting ripped off. You and the person I spoke to have restored my vision in expanding my business in the future. Now if I can just push past this spiritual awakening/midlife crisis to launch.... In slow motion... Thank you so much for sharing your journey with everyone. You are so brave and I'm proud of you💞🙏
I was recently in the process of starting a candle company. I purchased 1,000 jars and lids from Alibaba for $2,660 and I got screwed BIG TIME! I only received 9 out of the 25 boxes I was supposed to get, 3 of those boxes, the jars were completely busted. The supplier will not reimburse me or send me new product to make up the difference. I also used trade assurance and that was no help either. At this point, I'm not even sure if I can afford to start my business. I'm so happy for the people who have purchased from there with success but for me, it's been a nightmare and my dream of owning my own business may now stay that way, just a dream. 😞
OMG, this is a disaster. I am sorry about what happened to you and I hope you find away to get you jars or your money
On the brightside you got about 240 jars and if you sell those candles yu can recover a good chunk of money.
Horrific story but PLEASE don't give up! Just order from local or other suppliers
I’m so sorry that happened to you. Just horrible.
Love your videos, enjoying watching them as I launch my candle company. Something else to keep in mind if you plan to order frequently or just something to know most facilities shutdown during Chinese New Year and your orders may be delayed by a few days or weeks.
This was a great video Erica! It was informative and I appreciate the way you walked us through the process. I've been trying to figure Alibaba out for a few months, and after watching this video I feel more confident in making a purchase. Again, thank you!
Thank you for sharing your valuable information. Wish you all the best xx
I was literally looking for videos about this today. THANK YOU!!
Oh I’m so glad! You’re welcome! ☺️
Hi Erica! Thank you so much. :D Your always such an inspiration for me, and for others. I have watched many of your videos and I am getting ready to open up one of my own shops!! I cannot thank you enough, for balancing time to help beginner candle makers, like me, and running a business! You make such amazing, high quality candles and immaculate videos. You are truly an amazing person. Again, thank you so much!
Aww wow thank you!! ☺️☺️☺️
@@MemoryBoxCandleCo Always!
I “wet” my feet by making a small order. It took a long time but I did get my items and was happy. You just have to know that your probably not going to get instructions, notes etc with your order
Can’t thank you enough for the reassurance and peace of mind you’ve provided .
You can also find a local import logistics cargo services. I find them much much cheaper for of course larger packages
Tell me more. I paid almost $400 to have 100 jars shipped from Alibaba. I would love to pay less on shipping.
Thank you so much for this video! I love the bloopers at the end it just makes it more real. 🙂
Ocean shipping takes 40-50 days and does come right to your door and costs about half of the air shipping.
Thank you for this. I've just started researching them so this helps a lot. 😊
Thank you for this video. I'm so on the fence about Alibaba... I'm really concerned about the working condition for employees and impact on the environment to be shipping around the world. But when I've looked in to buying vessels domestically, wholesalers are just middle men selling a Chinese product anyways. The only local options I've found are essentially hand made and artisanal, which are through the roof expensive and difficult to mass produce :( I wish there were a solution somewhere in the middle.
I agree with you completely! Ordering locally in the US for me (I'm in Pennsylvania) is so ridiculously expensive that I can't afford the prices (3+ dollars a jar) when trying to start a business. I unfortunately need the cheaper, wholesale prices. I got screwed over big time using Alibaba. It's a shame when that happens.
This was really helpful Erica! Thank you so much!!!
Super grateful to have seen this video. Was just looking at vessels on there last night but was hesitant. Thank you so much for this assurance !
So informative!! I was struggling on how the heck to figure out how to use that website lol thank you so so much !!!!❤️❤️
Thank you..I was curious about Alibaba....I always purchase things from aliexpress and have never had a problem but alibaba is so much more money. You have great info in things!!!
I’ve done shipping by boat with alibaba and usually is cheaper depending on what your ordering but it can take longer, sometimes months and no guarantees it will make it to you. But I’ve never had a problem and don’t live in a port city. Came to my door within a few weeks .
I really appreciate these tips, Erica! Alibaba seemed a little too overwhelming, but I feel much more confident about shopping there now, so thank you very much! And, your outtakes were hilarious 😆😂!
lol, shoppe is like amazon, they buy products on Alibaba, you no why ? coz everything is from china xDd even your iPhone xDdd so save ur money
I’ve had a really bad experience buying fragrance oils from one seller on Alibaba. The samples I tested were fine and the seller insisted I order 15 kgs of oil. I did that for USD 500. The oils I received had hardly any smell. When I disputed the order the trade assurance people just said that there’s nothing they can do except give me $200. They did not allow me to return my order either. So I would suggest pls be very careful before you buy on that platform. ❤️
Excellent video with so much information! It takes away the concern of ordering from Alibaba. Also, love the outtakes!
So glad it helped! 😄
I am trying to start my Lil business and I have so many questions and even stuff I didn't know I had to know but I can say Thank you so much Erica for helping me alot I just found u about a week ago and so I am catching up on all ur videos and I am happy to say u are helping me alot😊
Really good info thank you Erica! I feel so much more confident to buy stuff from them now haha!
Really was curious about this platform, I've never used it, have always wondered how it all worked. Makes sense now. Thanks for the info.
Jill Gross
Great video. I watched it on the TV today. It’s one of those things that many are scared to do
This is a great video Erica, thank you!
Super informative video… very detailed… keep up ur job🤗👍🏻
I was looking for Jars on there yesterday, and the shipping is insane. I don't see how it can ever work.
Hi there, love your videos! I was wondering if you’ve made any videos with advice on reselling business?
Hey there! new to your channel and candle making. Was so happy to hear you live in Murrieta! I spent most of my adult life in Murrieta and still have family there. Small world.. I live in Arizona now. Was wondering if you have an email and if I could ask you one simple question with a photo? Regarding my test burn melt pool. I'd so appreciate the advice.
I know you mentioned wick trimmers-what other types of candle supplies would you recommend getting off of alibaba? Thanks!
Do you order your jars on Alibaba? Or do you still order from CCS?
I've been wanting to buy some candle vases, foiled labels and other stuff, but i don't know if the shipping will be super expensive. The candle suppliers here in the USA is pricey and i don't want to pay $3-4 per glass vessel when hundreds are needed 😕
Hi Erica. First of all I would like to thank you so much for your videos they are extremely helpful. I am in the process of researching and sourcing samples on Alibaba, it's extremely time consuming and confusing. Could I be cheeky and ask you which company you bought from as you had a positive outcome, and also do you still purchase from them or did you find it wasn't worth it ? many thanks, Stephen Smith.
Thank you for this! 🖤
Excellent video, thank you so much 💜🙏
How do you like the wick trimmers?I ordered a black one from AliExpress but I find that my silver wick trimmer is better.It had a hole in the middle for where the wick trims.I am talking to a supplier now for them
Hi Erika. Do you send out a wick trimmer in candle orders?
Hello , your videos are so helpful
Can you recommed supplier for Soy wax and candle vessels ?
Thanks so much
Thank you for this video❣️
Do you have to be a business owner in order to purchase items or receive samples of items from Alibaba? Thanks for all your knowledge!
No
No not at all!
Hi Erica! Do you use the same wick size for both your jars and tins?
is there a source for American made jars?
Curious, for tumblrs and candle making supplies, do y’all suggest going local? And how do you find local suppliers when most online suppliers no longer exist
Soo helpful ❤ ! TY
Hi Erica loved your video I have a question for you what if I wanted to order a few different products that were the Same minimum quantity and we're same price range would Alibaba charge a different shipping price on each product .
I'm a little confused on how a freight forwarder works. Many suppliers ask for one for shipping.
What about ordering vessels from Amazon? Is that okay?! For your line or no?!
Are you gonna do your hair blonde again? I saw some vids with it and it looks soooo good
Thank you! I usually get it done twice a year ☺️
Who’s your vendor still on Alibaba? For the life of me I can’t find these jars with lids for a decent price. Thanks!
Sea shipping doesn’t mean you need to pick it up at the port, can you imagine the queues? Shipping shouldn’t be expensive if you are doing it by sea. You use a freight forwarder to take it from port to your end destination.
Hi Erika, thank you for sharing this! Curious whether you have had any experiences with issues when the product arrived. If the product is damaged or not what you anticipated as far as quality, is there any way to return the product or get a refund on it? I'm sure it depends on each supplier but wondering if there is any strategy/recommendation around this. Let me know!
Thank you, Erica!
Hey Erica , my name is Ahmed i have been watching your videos for long time and u don't know much i learn from you , it's just amazing you make everything easy !!!!!! and I'm about to start my Small candle business , but sadly I'm having hard time getting oil Fragrances that you suggesting from USA , because I'm living in middle east ( Bahrain ) and shipping these oil fragrances to my country consider dangerous materials by Air which will cost me a lot as fee for dangerous goods , and we don't have by sea shipping at all , So i was wondering if you can suggest me some good company that i can deal with and have good Oil fragrances from Ali baba Please .. ! because they can afford shipping by sea to my country , it's will be great help , thanks for everything Erica !!
The only thing I don't like is that you still have to pay for shipping for each product even if they ship in bulk. For instance, your product could cost you less than a dollar but the shipping is $10 per item. So to purchase the product by min. lets say 500 @ .50= $250.00, the shipping will be thousands of dollars. Shipping should NOT be that much and I can't locate how the supplier to see if that can be modified somehow. Especially, if the product doesn't weigh very much. Anybody have any thoughts on this? Thank you
I’ve had items from Alibaba arrive by sea and DHL or USPS would drop them off.
Soo beast 🙏🏽🙏🏽🌋
So I have a question. If I ordered 3000 candle jars from alibaba, would I have to check all the 3000 jars are ok and not damaged as soon as I received the packages?
That’s a lot of work to check all the products are ok and put them back in the boxes at once.
If you want to make sure that none of them, or the majority of them, weren’t broken, then yes you would have to check them
@@MemoryBoxCandleCo thank you!
That is Johnsen from Camett mainly for Jars supplier ,can we send some of candles as testing ? wish we can be deals on, We Samples order and lids candles shipped your door by air testing. wish be get your full address here. Thanks for your trust.
I can’t even find the jars I want locally 🤦🏾♀️
Sea shipping is not cheaper. It's more expensive as this is lesser days also vs via sea ship
Thank you!
Wow nicely said....
thank you for this Erica!! I have been really anxious about making big orders and you always save me at the perfect time💛
Also, do you have any tips on how to negotiate prices down? thank you so much🥰
I literally will just say “can we do “x” amount instead per pcs?”
So if the item is $3.50 per pcs I will ask for $3.00 per pcs
The worst they can do is say no 😅
@@MemoryBoxCandleCo you’re right! Idk why I get so nervous about it like they can yell at me or something LOL I guess I’m just nervous about making big orders
Anyway, thank you so much!! you really do save me each time!
@@bernadinevinola1856 you aren't alone! It causes me SO MUCH anxiety to try to barter. I get so nervous... like, I know they can't do anything to me, but still!
the jars you recommend can be as low as 0.20 per piece for many of them lets say 3000 and then it says 6k shipping XD. They are drank for real. Cant orderheavy items from China I suppose.
Thank you 💓
How about candle packaging guys any one have ordered or custom made from alibaba
Thank youuu!!
FINALLY!
🤗
This one time back in like 2013 on Alibaba I got some items designed, I payed almost $4,000 (through PayPal payment as well) and paid the import fees. Tell me why it got stuck in customs in LA and customs told me I had to pay them $500 to get the items out because the import fees weren’t paid for… :/
Erica.Did you order in your personal or business capacity?
Hi! What exactly do you mean by capacity?
Don't they use forced labor?
Very nice.
Hi from Israel ♥️
Temu is ok
Love your video's but I won't support China and cheap products. I try to support American made whenever possible.
Agree...we need a platform for american suppliers.😀
I would love to do that…do you know wheee to find American manufacturers?
Most American candle suppliers get their vessels from China. This is just cutting out the middle man. Doesn't mean they are poorly made or "cheap"
I respect wanting to buy American made though! Any suggestions for suppliers?
Had stock on alibaba lol
🖤🌻🖤🌻🖤🌻🤗👍🏽
The video could’ve been more helpful and informative if you would have addressed the shipping aspect, as that is critical to any purchase with Alibaba. Especially the fact that depending on the amount of the purchase/quantity the exporter fees can become astronomical. I also would not recommend giving my personal home address to any company with Alibaba. If I don’t use the post office I usually pick up my packages from my local postal center. People can also search UA-cam for videos that are more detailed in the step-by-step process from A-Z in ordering from Alibaba.
Okay 🙂
My advice to EVERYONE is start buying made in the USA. We need to stop making China rich while our country gets poorer. People need to start manufacturing things in America again. Yes, if you are under 30 years old, you may not have known this buy almost EVERYTHING was made here in the US. Big businesses started getting greedy and wanted cheap products, so they decided to turn to China. China is filthy rich now, but they are a communist country and treat their people like crap. Not cool. I love your videos, and this is just a general comment for another opinion about Alibaba! Plus, they typically make you purchase thousands in your order. Most if not all of Alibaba's manufacturers are from China. I would love to see someone including myself in America learn to make glass vessels or wicks or wax! I am sure people used to know how to manufacturer things in the US, but we have lost are knowledge, because we leave it all up to China for the most part. And, the biggest problem is if you don't buy from Alibaba, you will buy from other companies, who mark up what they had manufactured from a seller on Alibaba anyways, so it's really a sad thing that America is being forced to do!
Hi as I am getting more serious with my business I had a question regarding the legal side to making and selling candles. Would we need to obtain a sellers permit in order to legally sell candles? Or what are your thoughts on that ?Thank you so much. Your videos have saved me from my frustrations in the candle making process! 🤍
More than a sellers permit, you need a specified insurance since you are selling candles. If someone get burn or isn't careful and start a fire with your candles, you will be held responsible without a way to protect yourself.
Please be careful!