MakerLink Manufacturer shortlist Manufacturer Shortlist · USD 99
Five candle manufacturers, and the MOQ that is blocking four of them
Matched to the product, the volume you actually have and the one certification a retailer will ask for.
You need 4,000 units for a retailer order and you have been quoted MOQs of 10,000 by everyone you have approached. That is not bad luck, it is what happens when you ask filled-candle manufacturers for a run that is cheap for them to refuse. Two routes get you 4,000 units, and one of them changes who you are talking to.
Full-service candle manufacturers will not take 4,000 units at a price that works. A contract filler using your supplied vessel, or a smaller maker with a 2,500 unit floor, both will. The second is more expensive per unit and will still deliver the order.
Brief
The requirement, as matched
| Requirement | Your specification | How it narrowed the search |
|---|---|---|
| Product | Soy wax candle, 220 g, single wick, glass vessel | Standard. Not the constraint |
| Volume | 4,000 units, one fragrance, repeating quarterly | The binding constraint |
| Fragrance | Your own blend, supplied by your existing house | Rules out anyone who only uses in-house fragrance |
| Vessel | Open. Would prefer your current supplier | Opens the contract-fill route |
| Target cost | Under USD 4.10 landed | Achievable at 10,000, tight at 4,000 |
| Certification | None held | CLP labelling and a safety assessment |
| Delivery | Into a UK 3PL by mid February | 14 weeks. Workable, no slack |
The certification row is the one you did not ask about. A retailer will ask for a CLP-compliant label and the underlying safety assessment before they take stock, and neither is something a manufacturer automatically provides.
Shortlist
Five, against 4,000 units
| MOQ | Your fragrance? | Unit cost | Lead time | Takes it? | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maker 1, contract fill | 2,000 | Yes | USD 4.35 | 10 wks | Yes |
| Maker 2, small batch | 2,500 | Yes | USD 4.80 | 12 wks | Yes |
| Maker 3, full service | 10,000 | Yes | USD 3.40 | 14 wks | No |
| Maker 4, full service | 8,000 | In-house only | USD 3.15 | 16 wks | No |
| Maker 5, overseas | 5,000 | Yes | USD 2.60 | 22 wks | Too slow |
Maker 5 is a third cheaper per unit and would miss February by six weeks, before any customs delay. At 4,000 units the total saving is about USD 7,000 and the cost of missing a first retailer order is the retailer.
Neither viable route hits USD 4.10. Maker 1 is 4 to 9 percent over target, which on 4,000 units is between USD 600 and USD 1,400 across the whole order. That is the actual cost of your volume, stated plainly.
Decision
The volume question underneath this
Maker 1, 4,000 units, USD 4.35
Contract fill using a vessel you supply. Takes your fragrance, ten week lead time, meets February comfortably. You manage the vessel supply, which is one more thing to run and the reason the MOQ is low.
Maker 2, 4,000 units, USD 4.80
Full service at small batch. They source the vessel, you do less. USD 1,800 more across the order for meaningfully less operational work in a quarter where you have none spare.
Order 10,000 from Maker 3?
USD 3.40 a unit, USD 34,000 committed, and 6,000 units of stock against one retailer order. If the retailer reorders it is the right decision, and you have no evidence either way yet.
| Route | Order cost | Units held after | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maker 1, 4,000 | USD 17,400 | 0 | Low |
| Maker 2, 4,000 | USD 19,200 | 0 | Low |
| Maker 3, 10,000 | USD 34,000 | 6,000 | High |
The Maker 3 route is USD 16,600 more cash and 6,000 units of unsold stock, to save USD 0.95 a unit. Take it after a reorder, not before one.
Before ordering
What to establish, in order
- This week
Get the safety assessment and CLP label sorted
Independent of the manufacturer. Roughly USD 400 to 700 for a single fragrance, two to three weeks. Without it the retailer will not take the stock, and it is not on the manufacturer's critical path or their conscience.
- This week
Confirm your vessel supplier can hit 4,000 by week 6
The Maker 1 route only works if your vessels arrive before their fill window. This is the single dependency that decides between Maker 1 and Maker 2.
- Week 2
Send both makers the same spec sheet
Same wax, same wick, same fill weight, same fragrance load. Quotes that are not on an identical spec are not comparable, which is how you ended up with a 10,000 MOQ in the first place.
- Week 3
Pay for a sample run from both
Fifty units each, roughly USD 300 all in. Burn test them yourself for scent throw, tunnelling and burn time. This is the cheapest USD 300 in the whole project.
- Week 4
Place the order with 10 weeks to spare
February delivery with a ten week lead means ordering by the end of October. Anything later and you are relying on nothing going wrong.
- Who owns the fragrance formulation if you change manufacturer
- Who is the responsible person on the CLP label
- What happens to units that fail QC, and who pays
- Is the quoted price ex works or delivered
- Payment terms: deposit, balance, and when
- Can they hold your vessels, and is there a storage charge