Hey, y'all.
If you saw my post from the other week, you know that one of the three big things I've been facing the last month or so is how to deal with my main soap distributor almost doubling their price of the goat's milk soap base that I use.
This has been a struggle, let me tell you; I've been looking around and even with their massive price increase, they're still among the lowest price distributors out there... which means my choice is to raise my prices, change the way I make soap, or stop making soap.
I'm not interested in not making soap. Y'all love it. I love it. Not providing it isn't an option for me.
Making it a different way also isn't really an option - it would involve a financial investment in supplies and equipment that I'm not really in a place to afford right now, and overall a time investment that would take me away from other things that I already feel that I'm shorting.
So over this weekend, I'll be raising the price of my soaps online (that price will be reflected in person, also, at shows) from $5.75 a bar to $6.25 a bar. It will not affect you if you're currently in the Year of Soap, or if you currently have an order with me that I'm in the middle of working on. It also won't change anything about the current or past HaldeCrates, although going forward the price on the soap set will change just a bit.
The prices will also change a little on the Fragranced Soap Sets; there will still be a discount on those, though, so if you're looking to buy three or more bars, those are your most cost-effective choices.
Additionally, next week I'm going to list the rest of the limited edition soaps I have (I'd made a couple of months in advance before I found out about the base price increase). If I continue to make any limited edition fragrances those will probably go first to shows (so I'd make some in September, and some in December) and any that come home after the shows will be listed online... but I won't be making them monthly any more.
I also probably won't be making themed soap sets any more, like the guest soap sets. Maybe - maybe - for Halloween, but not the fragrance sample guest soap sets, for sure.
Will I do the Year of Soap next year....? Honestly, I don't know. I'm open to it, and while the price would rise a little, it would still be discounted (as opposed to buying 12 bars of soap outright). It is popular, with some people who have been in it yearly since I started it, and I know quite a few of y'all give it as a gift in the holidays. So I like doing it. But with a price increase....? Sigh. I'm on the fence about it. Your input is welcome, if you are a member!
And, that's all, folks! Thanks for reading, and thanks for supporting me. I hate having to do price increases, probably more than you hate seeing them - but I haven't raised my soap prices in about six years, and honestly, I probably should have. My distributor has raised their prices a couple of times, in a small way, but this almost double-price-raise is... well, y'all know. You get it. Thanks for understanding, and sticking with me!