I love candles. I live in a small place, though, and I don’t want wax all over my kitchen. So I tried drop shipping candles for my shop. No melting pots. No boxes stacked to the ceiling. Just designs, orders, and sweet smells. Sounds simple, right? Mostly. But not always.
Let me explain what worked for me, what stung, and what I’d do again.
The Setup I Used (And Why)
- Shopify store with Candlefy for white-label candles
- Etsy shop using Candle Builders through Printify
- A small run on Printful too, just to compare
- Shippo and Pirate Ship for rates
- Canva for labels and gift notes
- Klaviyo for email, because I like those back-in-stock pings
I also lean on SMS blasts when a scent restocks. I’ve learned that playful emojis can bump click-through rates; if you want to decode which icons signal what, this rundown of sexting emojis breaks down popular symbols so you can sprinkle them into your messages without sending mixed signals.
I’ve since learned that you can also launch a standalone candle store in minutes with CandyPress, perfect if you want every sale happening on your own domain instead of sending shoppers through a marketplace.
I launched 12 designs. Think simple black-and-white labels. “Sea Salt + Orchid,” “Fireside,” “Birthday Cake,” and “Sunday Morning.” I kept the tone warm and gift-y. Teacher gifts, bridesmaid sets, and new home bundles did best.
You know what? People love a candle that says exactly what they feel.
Sampling First (Please Do This)
I ordered samples from each place. I burned them for a full week. I checked:
- Scent throw (cold and hot)
- Wick trim, soot, and tunneling
- Label print quality
- Jar feel and lid fit
Candlefy’s “Sea Salt + Orchid” filled my living room after 10 minutes. Clean burn. No sooty rings. Good glass weight.
Candle Builders (through Printify) had a stronger “Birthday Cake” scent. The label looked crisp. One label was a bit crooked on a single test jar, but the reprint came fast. For anyone eyeing this route, Printify’s own collection of personalized candles shows just how many jar styles and scents you can customize in a few clicks.
Printful’s candle was smaller but cute. The “Cinnamon Vanilla” leaned light. Still a nice desk candle.
I also tried a cheap AliExpress sample. I regretted it. The scent smelled sharp and faded fast. The wick mushroomed. I didn’t add it to my shop.
Launch Day Feels
I set my price at $24 to $28. Costs ran $12 to $16, plus $5 to $9 for shipping. After fees, I cleared $5 to $8 per candle. Not huge, but fine for testing designs.
I pushed a “New Home” gift candle on TikTok. No dancing, just hands, flame, and cozy music. My AOV (that’s average order value) hit $34 with gift notes and a two-candle bundle. Small win, big grin.
Real Orders, Real Stuff
- A teacher ordered 40 “Thank You” candles in May. Candlefy split the batch across two hubs. All arrived on time. I tossed in digital thank-you card files and won three repeat buyers. Nice ripple.
- One birthday gift was late by two days on USPS. Summer storms. I sent a second candle with 2-day UPS and a hand-written note. The buyer left a 5-star review and posted on Instagram. Worth it.
- A customer said “Fireside” was too strong in a small bathroom. Fair point. I added “Light” and “Bold” scent tags to listings and suggested where to burn. Complaints dropped.
Heat, Breakage, and Those Little Surprises
Summer heat can mess with candles. One July week, two candles arrived soft. Not melted, but not pretty. Candle Builders resent with faster shipping. I added a note: “If it’s over 90°F, use priority shipping.” It helped.
Breakage was low. Out of 300+ shipped, I had four broken jars. All replaced. I used Shippo to file claims and kept photos from buyers. Keep that workflow tight.
Label Love (But Watch Edges)
Canva made label design easy. Thick fonts. High contrast. No hairline lines near the trim. Why? One time, a thin border printed uneven on a small batch. I dropped borders after that. Clean wins.
The Money Part (Plain Talk)
- Product cost: $12–$16
- Shipping: $5–$9
- Sale price: $24–$28
- Profit after fees: $5–$8 per unit
- Etsy ads: 60 cents to $1.40 per click; ROAS went up in Q4
- Best months: May (teachers), November–December (gifts)
- Worst week: Mid-January. Cold and quiet. I paused ads, kept email warm with care tips.
If you want big margins, candles alone won’t do it. Bundles help. A candle + matchbook + mini card bumped my AOV from $27 to $39. That paid for ads.
Looking to widen your income streams even further? Some sellers experiment with more relationship-driven side hustles outside of e-commerce; for instance, this guide to the sugar baby scene in Memphis outlines how local arrangements work, typical allowance ranges, and smart safety practices, giving you a clear picture before diving into that world.
Scent Notes That Helped Me Sell
- Cozy home: “Fireside,” “Warm Amber,” “Cashmere”
- Self-care: “Lavender Linen,” “Eucalyptus Mint”
- Gift fun: “Birthday Cake,” “You Did It,” “New Keys, New Dreams”
Names matter. People buy the feeling. I tweaked text often. “New Keys, New Dreams” out-sold plain “New Home” by a mile.
Support and Speed
- Candlefy: tickets answered in under a day; fast on reprints
- Candle Builders via Printify: solid chat; easy tracking
- Printful: clean dashboard; best mockups
Need a deeper dive into tech setup? Candle Builders keeps an updated integrations hub with tutorials for Shopify, Etsy, and more.
Turnaround averaged 2–4 days, plus shipping. Holiday weeks ran longer. I set my store to show “ships in 3–5 business days,” then padded holiday windows.
What I Wish I Knew Sooner
- Add a candle care card. Trim the wick. First burn to the edge. No drafts. Fewer returns.
- Test scents in different rooms. Small bathroom vs. open living room matters.
- Batch launches. 6 scents, not 16. Kill the slow ones fast.
- Photos sell the vibe. Flame shots, warm hands, a book, a mug. Skip clutter.
- Keep one “gift-set” SKU ready year-round. People love easy picks.
Quick Pros and Cons
Pros:
- No wax mess or storage
- Easy testing of designs and scents
- Good for gifts and seasonal spikes
Cons:
- Thin margins if you run heavy ads
- Heat risk in summer months
- Label misprints happen once in a while
- Shipping time can feel long to buyers who want “today”
So… Would I Keep Doing It?
Yes, with rules. I keep 6 core scents. I push gift sets. I run candles as my “welcome” product, not my entire store. Once I see a winner, I buy a small wholesale batch for local pop-ups. More margin there. But for online? Drop ship candles let me test fast, learn fast, and stay sane.
Honestly, I still light “Sea Salt + Orchid” while I pack orders. It smells like clean sheets and a lazy Saturday. And that little mood? It sells.