Foo - Answer some questions for me, please?

Trying to do some research. If you could answer these questions for me, it'd be greatly appreciated:

1) Do you/your family use a liquid bodywash or solid bar of soap in the shower/bath?

2) Do you/your family ever buy products from the following "fancier" stores (if you use cosmetics / hygeine products from other "fancy" stores, please say "yes"):
--- the bodyshop
--- crabtree & evelyn
--- lush
--- fruits and passion

3) Do you regularly use products from the aforementioned stores?

4) What do you think is a fair price for the following cosmetic / hygiene products:
--- 400mL shampoo/conditioner (natural ingredients, any color you'd like, any fragrance you'd like)
--- 250mL Shower Gel or Organic Bodywash (82% organic, shower gel uses natural ingredients)
--- 200mL Body Butter (natural ingredients)
--- 150mL massage oil (natural ingredients)

Thank you for your time! :thumb:

1. Bar soap
2. none of the above
3. Nope
4. Sorry the wife does the shopping.

1) lquid bodywash
2) I consider walmart to be a fancy store
3) no
4) $3.00?
$2.50
what the heck is 'body butter'? One Dollar, Bob.
$3.00

What is this "soap" that you speak of?

1. Bar soap
2. No
3. No
4. $2.00 ?? ?? ??

1. Liquid
2. No, I've only even heard of one of them
3. No
4.
$2.00
$1.50
$0.00 (what the hell is body butter?)
$2.00

1. Bar soap
2. Women - yes, me - no.
3. Them - yes
4. Compare all to Suave.
much more - bad
comparable - good.

bar soap
no
my wife handles our household shopping

1) Do you/your family use a liquid bodywash or solid bar of soap in the shower/bath? Both

2) Do you/your family ever buy products from the following "fancier" stores (if you use cosmetics / hygeine products from other "fancy" stores, please say "yes"): No
--- the bodyshop
--- crabtree & evelyn
--- lush
--- fruits and passion

3) Do you regularly use products from the aforementioned stores? Only if given as a gift. BTW I'm running out of my lavender Crabtree soap. Anyone?

4) What do you think is a fair price for the following cosmetic / hygiene products:
--- 400mL shampoo/conditioner (natural ingredients, any color you'd like, any fragrance you'd like) $3.29 WallyWorld
--- 250mL Shower Gel or Organic Bodywash (82% organic, shower gel uses natural ingredients) N/A
--- 200mL Body Butter (natural ingredients) N/A
--- 150mL massage oil (natural ingredients) N/A

1) Bar mostly, sometimes liquid.
2) No
3) No
4) US$3.00

seeing as this being a predominately male forum, i s'pose this is not the best place to ask. hah!

Why are you asking?

1. Bar Soap (usually whatever the hotel I am staying at hands out)
2.Never heard of any of them. The only two things I buy are shampoo from Lehman's Hardware and Proraso Shaving products, now only available online.
3.No
4.Whatever

Aaron:)

if a fair number of people shop regularly at fancy stores like the bodyshop, i can make equal quality products for about 1/4 - 1/3 the price of what the bodyshop sells for. for every dollar i put in, i can get 3$ back, and i would still be cheaper than the bodyshop. i could be a "cheap" supply, but i need to see if there's demand.

i already sell soap and candles... and it is making money, slowly (though not as much as i think cosmetics would).

1) Bar

2) No

3) No

4) I don't pay attention...

I tend to buy Ivory or a non-perfumed soap because perfumes sometimes irritate my skin. I know I am wimpy, but I can't help it. I rarely even use shampoo, I just use bar soap for my hair too, although I usually have a bottle of shampoo for guests it isn't really worth the effort to open the bottle since I already have the soap in my hand. ;)

Scented candles on the other hand, I do like...

What is this "soap" that you speak of?

1. Bar soap
2. No
3. No
4. $2.00 ?? ?? ??

+1

OP - perhaps you've noticed, but Linens & Things closed. I think the other stores/brands you mentioned will be fortunate to survive the next 2 years.

seeing as this being a predominately male forum, i s'pose this is not the best place to ask. hah!

Correct.

if a fair number of people shop regularly at fancy stores like the bodyshop, i can make equal quality products for about 1/4 - 1/3 the price of what the bodyshop sells for. for every dollar i put in, i can get 3$ back, and i would still be cheaper than the bodyshop. i could be a "cheap" supply, but i need to see if there's demand.

i already sell soap and candles... and it is making money, slowly (though not as much as i think cosmetics would).

It's all about distribution then. I admit I do buy at Body Shop and such places on occasion, and don't really look at the prices when I do. How often do you buy soap anyways? But I can't stand places like Lush or Fruits and Passion because the products just smell too strong and too vile. (I can't stand scented candles either. Maybe I'm not the market you are looking for)

Trying to do some research. If you could answer these questions for me, it'd be greatly appreciated:

1) Do you/your family use a liquid bodywash or solid bar of soap in the shower/bath?

Liquid body wash

2) Do you/your family ever buy products from the following "fancier" stores (if you use cosmetics / hygeine products from other "fancy" stores, please say "yes"):
--- the bodyshop
--- crabtree & evelyn
--- lush
--- fruits and passion

no

3) Do you regularly use products from the aforementioned stores?

no

4) What do you think is a fair price for the following cosmetic / hygiene products:
--- 400mL shampoo/conditioner (natural ingredients, any color you'd like, any fragrance you'd like)
--- 250mL Shower Gel or Organic Bodywash (82% organic, shower gel uses natural ingredients)
--- 200mL Body Butter (natural ingredients)
--- 150mL massage oil (natural ingredients)

1) $15
2) $10
3) $10
4) $10

Thank you for your time! :thumb:

:rolleyes:

i can't compete with companies like dove (well, actually, i can sell a bar of soap at 1.15$, like a bar of dove soap, but the profit margin is too small considering the number of hours of work you have to put in to produce the soaps), but i can certainly compete with bodyshop and stores priced even higher.

i think my edge will be very natural/organic products (i am getting raves on the soap 'cause it doesn't the customers don't have adverse skin reactions as they would with other soap products), and my relatively low cost for product...

for example, if you look at the bodyshop, the costs for the products i listed are:
15
13
20
16

i could sell for half that price and it'd still be worth doing.

i'm thinking of selling at the farmer markets in the spring (happen weekly just a couple miles away - i could ride my bike there ;)). i could also set up a booth at the fairs and festivals. on the two main streets there are a bunch of privately owned (not a franchise) stores that sell weird stuff... so i could sell soap there. i could also hit up the spas 'cause the products i sell are really good for the skin.

right now, word-of-mouth is working well for me.

Trying to do some research. If you could answer these questions for me, it'd be greatly appreciated:

1) Do you/your family use a liquid bodywash or solid bar of soap in the shower/bath?

2) Do you/your family ever buy products from the following "fancier" stores (if you use cosmetics / hygeine products from other "fancy" stores, please say "yes"):
--- the bodyshop
--- crabtree & evelyn
--- lush
--- fruits and passion

3) Do you regularly use products from the aforementioned stores?

4) What do you think is a fair price for the following cosmetic / hygiene products:
--- 400mL shampoo/conditioner (natural ingredients, any color you'd like, any fragrance you'd like)
--- 250mL Shower Gel or Organic Bodywash (82% organic, shower gel uses natural ingredients)
--- 200mL Body Butter (natural ingredients)
--- 150mL massage oil (natural ingredients)

Thank you for your time! :thumb:


Yes. I/we use both a liquid bodywash or a solid bar in the shower, depending on which one we feel like using at the time.
Lush
Yes. I shave with Lush shaving lotion. I use a Lush shampoo bar. We use Lush liquid soaps & bar soaps & lotion bars.
Cost plus enough for a comfortable profit for the manufacturer & all others involved in the sale. I really don't pay attention to the price of toiletries. If I need it, I buy it.

people like you are the ones who keep the economy going strong. it's the damn penny-pinchers who're killin' it (imo)

people like you are the ones who keep the economy going strong. it's the damn penny-pinchers who're killin' it (imo)

HEY! I resemble that remark!;) There is a fine line between frugal and cheap as well as between generous and spendthrift. If you sell a quality product for a fair price and it does the job I want I will buy it, however I typically don't buy a product I for which I don't have a need. No I am not a good consumer and IMHO FWIW part of the reason this country is in the financial pickle it is was because of crass consumerism.

Aaron:)

Trying to do some research. If you could answer these questions for me, it'd be greatly appreciated:

1) Do you/your family use a liquid bodywash or solid bar of soap in the shower/bath?

2) Do you/your family ever buy products from the following "fancier" stores (if you use cosmetics / hygeine products from other "fancy" stores, please say "yes"):
--- the bodyshop
--- crabtree & evelyn
--- lush
--- fruits and passion

3) Do you regularly use products from the aforementioned stores?

4) What do you think is a fair price for the following cosmetic / hygiene products:
--- 400mL shampoo/conditioner (natural ingredients, any color you'd like, any fragrance you'd like)
--- 250mL Shower Gel or Organic Bodywash (82% organic, shower gel uses natural ingredients)
--- 200mL Body Butter (natural ingredients)
--- 150mL massage oil (natural ingredients)

Thank you for your time! :thumb:

1)Both liquid and bar.
2)We buy from "Lush" quite often.
3)Yes.
4-A)$8.00-$10.00
4-B)$8.00-$10.00
4-C)$8.00-$10.00
4-D)$10.00-$15.00

Thats according to my wife :D

just to clarify, i was referring to the "if i need it, i buy it" and the "if it costs what it costs, i won't complain" sort of attitude. doesn't mean you're reckless with your wallet. it means that you won't complain if the middle man makes a nickel.

he never washed, cause soap cost a lot and the dirt kept him hot (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oD9gE0oTYtY)

just to clarify, i was referring to the "if i need it, i buy it" and the "if it costs what it costs, i won't complain" sort of attitude. doesn't mean you're reckless with your wallet. it means that you won't complain if the middle man makes a nickel.

I don't have a problem with the middle man making his nickel...but when you get multiple middlemen jacking the price or cut out the middleman and don't pass the savings on to the consumer. FWIW we have just closed our bridal shop, spent the last 8 years in retail (plus many more years before that) pet peeve was people EXPECTING a discount because we were a small independent retailer. We understood that not everyone could afford many of our product lines, but attempted to cater to those people by offering a budget line.

Like I said, if your product is good, price is fair you should be able to build a following.

<rant> My biggest beef with retail at the moment is the lack of available product, caused in a large part by "just in time delivery" If I haul my ashes down to your establishment to purchase a staple product I expect it to be on the shelf. </rant off>

Good luck with your product line and hope you can find someone to buy it.

Aaron:)

1. Gels
2. No
3. No
4. Wife buys 1.5 liter bottles of Dial and Softsoap, can't be more than 10 bucks (fragrance free if she can find them)

i plan on selling soap for a bit longer, and make back my money on the investment first. after the initial cost is paid off for, i'll use the profits afterwards to buy the cosmetic bases, and fool 'round with those. if everything goes bust, our family will have a year's supply of hygiene products, and i won't be out a dime.

it's the damn penny-pinchers who're killin' it (imo)

You're welcome.

1) Bar.
2) No.
3) No.
4a) Five or six bucks each, tops.
4b-d) N/A