12 oz or 1lb

[Beauhawk]

I am about to order my first set of labels for my honey. (Trying to be organised as it is yet to be extracted!)

Money is tight (cant order both sets of labels) so I was interested in your experience of which size sells best?

Is there a perceived customer preference for size? We know size does matter. Swmbo tells me!!

What size sells best given the choice or what ratio do you sell of one v the other.

in advance

 

[Winker]

I use 1/2lb jars and use large labels 90mm X 55mm

 

[Queens59]

I bought 12oz and 1lb when I started...and still have 90% of the 12oz jars - no-one here wants them, only lbs!!! I will be selling the 12oz jars and sticking with lbs from now on...

 

[Pete D]

I started with 1lb round and now use 12oz hex but charge the same price

 

[Dirksdonuts]

I bought 12oz and 1lb when I started...and still have 90% of the 12oz jars - no-one here wants them, only lbs!!! I will be selling the 12oz jars and sticking with lbs from now on...

I will have them. I have tried both size jars and my hexagonal 12oz jars outsell the 1lb jars 4 to 1. I charge £4 for 12oz and £5 for 1lb.

Just my location it might not be the same everywhere!

Cheers

 

[Dirksdonuts]

I started with 1lb round and now use 12oz hex but charge the same price

Its hard to tell the difference if you put them side by side so not a bad idea

 

[oliver90owner]

I have tried both size jars and my hexagonal 12oz jars outsell the 1lb jars 4 to 1. I charge £4 for 12oz and £5 for 1lb.

A simple ratio such as 4:1 does not tell all the story.

Your price differential is small - only about 33p per pound weight.

I am wondering whether your customers are st*pid and think they get better value or what. Anyhow, for every three jars in one pounders you would need an extra jar and label to sell the same weight in 3/4 lb jars. I can see shipping should be cheaper for the smaller jars but they always seem to be so much more expensive that I am thinking you are actually losing money by packaging in the smaller size?

Of course, your findings may not be true if you were to only offer one size or the other and certainly would not be so if, indeed, you sell all the honey you have available.

So, in a nutshell, I reckon you need to think very carefully about your sales strategy.

You don't mention the shape of your one pounders. I expect they are the normal cheaper round jars?

RAB

 

[Dirksdonuts]

I have tried both size jars and my hexagonal 12oz jars outsell the 1lb jars 4 to 1. I charge £4 for 12oz and £5 for 1lb.

A simple ratio such as 4:1 does not tell all the story.

Your price differential is small - only about 33p per pound weight.

I am wondering whether your customers are st*pid and think they get better value or what. Anyhow, for every three jars in one pounders you would need an extra jar and label to sell the same weight in 3/4 lb jars. I can see shipping should be cheaper for the smaller jars but they always seem to be so much more expensive that I am thinking you are actually losing money by packaging in the smaller size?

Of course, your findings may not be true if you were to only offer one size or the other and certainly would not be so if, indeed, you sell all the honey you have available.

So, in a nutshell, I reckon you need to think very carefully about your sales strategy.

You don't mention the shape of your one pounders. I expect they are the normal cheaper round jars?

RAB

Shipping who mentioned shipping I sell straight from the farm shop that I provide them too. And yes the 33p difference per pound is the cost of the jar and label.

 

[Pete D]

I was paying 27.7p each for my 1 pound round jars from the association at £20 a box of 72. At the convention I got some 12 oz hex at 25p each and since got some more at approx 18p each following the promotion that Brian (Bee-key-pur) highlighted on here.
I only do one size and at first glance the 12 oz hex can look to be a similar size to the 1 pound round due to its corners.
The hex looks to be a more classy jar and coupled with a good label sells as a premium product which can demand a higher price, especially at shows where people are looking for that little something to take home.
The price works if you can keep it under a fiver. I sell to friends and family at the same price as I sell to my local shop......£3.50, Joe public its £4 normally and £4.50 at shows. My local shop sells it at £4.95 as he never adjusted the price when I changed jar size. He probably makes more out of it than me but has the platform to sell 5 jars a week which I can take advantage of.

 

[oliver90owner]

Shipping who mentioned shipping I sell straight from the farm shop

I did. You had to buy the things, didn't you? Look on most internet sites for the information.

Your post was very misleading to many of the forum readers, to say the least.

 

[herefordshirehoney]

Surely its a case of supply and demand and volume.

If you label a jar as £4, if someone really likes the idea of local honey but doesnt want to spend £5 on the bigger jar they will buy the cheaper jar. Now say a lot of people do this you would sell more smaller jars compared to bigger ones. This been said the variables are great, ie. where you sell it, type of outlet eg farmers market can attract different prices to your corner shop.

Supermarkets have been doing these tricks to us for years but most people dont sit there and calculate the cheapest options.

For me I'm going to try for around £4.50 per 12oz jar on the doorstep, but selling them I'll want around £3.50 to shops etc. I will be doing some 1lb jars but more for honey shows etc.

Also the label can have a massive impact on the sale and I think most beekeepers go for the easy option and buy the premade ones that look awful (you can even read the overprinted text in a lot of cases).

 

[Dirksdonuts]

Shipping who mentioned shipping I sell straight from the farm shop

I did. You had to buy the things, didn't you? Look on most internet sites for the information.

....................................

 

[YorkshireBees]

Shipping who mentioned shipping I sell straight from the farm shop that I provide them too. And yes the 33p difference per pound is the cost of the jar and label.

No need for that reply imho.

I read the relevant part as being shipping cost of the jars to the beekeeper!?
Everyone pays that unless you collect personally.

Getting back to the subject, being a Yorkshireman, I bought a large amount of traditional 1lb jars, to get maximum discount, and even though I see a lot of others selling 3/4lb jars obviously for less than my jars I still prefer the traditional jar. I then bought 1/2lb jars as one of the shops I supply to requested smaller sizes to help them sell more.

I agree that some or most of the 12oz jars do not look too different in size to the 1lb jar and the public possibly think they are the same size, hence think they are buying cheaper when in fact the 1lb jar is better value!

At the end of the day it really comes down to personal preference and marketing!

 

[Dirksdonuts]

Shipping who mentioned shipping I sell straight from the farm shop

I did. You had to buy the things, didn't you? Look on most internet sites for the information.

Your post was very misleading to many of the forum readers, to say the least.

...............................................

 

[itma]

As often, RAB is answering a question beyond the one being asked.

RAB is thinking in terms of a "sales strategy" to maximise profit for minimum effort.

However, the question posed was one of customer acceptance - strangely without bringing price or profitability into it.
And it isn't really possible to meaningfully discuss customer preference without involving price points.

Once you start discussing price points, relative profitability (and relative amounts of work for the producer) become important considerations.



RAB was pointing out that selling in smaller quantities, at a higher price for the weight of honey, is not automatically the most profitable route.


My own feeling (no more than that) is that for the same net profit per kilo of honey (after allowing for things like your having more jars to sterilise, fill and label), there's not a massive difference in customer acceptability.

You can offer a better deal in bigger jars.
But the smaller jar looks prettier and would have a smaller ticket price, so would be more affordable as an impulse purchase.

I've bought a lot of 12oz hex jars ...

 

[YorkshireBees]

As often, RAB is answering a question beyond the one being asked.

RAB is thinking in terms of a "sales strategy" to maximise profit for minimum effort.

However, the question posed was one of customer acceptance - strangely without bringing price or profitability into it.
And it isn't really possible to meaningfully discuss customer preference without involving price points.

Once you start discussing price points, relative profitability (and relative amounts of work for the producer) become important considerations.



RAB was pointing out that selling in smaller quantities, at a higher price for the weight of honey, is not automatically the most profitable route.


My own feeling (no more than that) is that for the same net profit per kilo of honey (after allowing for things like your having more jars to sterilise, fill and label), there's not a massive difference in customer acceptability.

You can offer a better deal in bigger jars.
But the smaller jar looks prettier and would have a smaller ticket price, so would be more affordable as an impulse purchase.

I've bought a lot of 12oz jars ...

I agree and whichever someone decides 12oz or 16oz I think if you produce enough honey it does not hurt to have a 2nd sized jar for those that want to try it!

 

[Dirksdonuts]

I agree and whichever someone decides 12oz or 16oz I think if you produce enough honey it does not hurt to have a 2nd sized jar for those that want to try it!

Thank you YorkshireBees

That's all I was trying to say that for every 4 jars of 12oz that sells we sell 1 round 1lb jar. Its what the local people seem to want so we give them the choice.

 

[dpearce4]

I sell only 12oz hex at £5.

I cant keep up with supply.

I have to buy in bulk to get delivered free.

 

[Winker]

Shipping who mentioned shipping I sell straight from the farm shop that I provide them too. And yes the 33p difference per pound is the cost of the jar and label.

I find your response Rude and unjustified, its people like you who put me off using this forum. Rab never made a personal attack on you. He just stated why he thought it may be false economics and you then made it personal. Shame on you!

 

[Dirksdonuts]

I find your response Rude and unjustified, its people like you who put me off using this forum. Rab never made a personal attack on you. He just stated why he thought it may be false economics and you then made it personal. Shame on you!

Not a personal attack:

"I am wondering whether your customers are st*pid and think they get better value or what"

"So, in a nutshell, I reckon you need to think very carefully about your sales strategy".

Sorry he called my potential customers st*pid

And he told me to think very carefully about my sales strategy?