Selling honey through a village shop

[E&MBees]

Having sold some honey from my home to a local village shop owner for their own personal use, they have approached me to stock their shop with honey and candles. This is new territory for me, and I’m not sure what I should be considering. The shop owner has asked about sale or return or alternatively supplying in small batches. I’m not sure how to price things, etc.
Any advice and suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[enrico]

I sell to my local shop at the price I sell on the gate. They can apply whatever mark up they want.

 

[E&MBees]

I sell to my local shop at the price I sell on the gate. They can apply whatever mark up they want.

Thanks Eric.
Do you offer sale or return, or just a straight contract to supply x number at a time?

 

[user 20297]

I would check out the retail price of local honey at your nearest farm-shop/ country store/cafe.
Take off a generous mark-up, say 50% and work out if you are prepared to sell to the local shop at that price.
eg,. The honey retails at £7.50 in the shops and you let them have it at £5.00.

 

[ericbeaumont]

sale or return

No, too much faff. Just sell in batches as they need.

30-40% discount over average local retail price is usual. Any more and you're in supermarket pricing world.

 

[Anduril]

Although this relates to Welsh beekeepers, you may find this interesting.

Honey and Jam Regulations | Cardiff Vale & Valleys Beekeepers Association

cardiffbeekeepers.co.uk

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Although this relates to Welsh beekeepers, you may find this interesting.

Honey and Jam Regulations | Cardiff Vale & Valleys Beekeepers Association

cardiffbeekeepers.co.uk

The regulations are the same in England, or there are some changes just come in regards definition of primary producer' etc. if the majority of the hives are not on your premises. When it comes to registering with your local authority.

 

[enrico]

Thanks Eric.
Do you offer sale or return, or just a straight contract to supply x number at a time?

I take ten in to start with and they ring me when they want more. They pay up front. Warn them that once it is gone it is gone. They like suppliers who can keep going all year!

 

[blackcloud]

Sale or return is open to abuse
Offer a small quantity option

 

[Sutty]

One of my local retailers shop is always ideal temperature for granulation, as a result they have had a few jars granulate. I've swapped them for clear jars & put them in my warming cabinet to clear.

 

[The Poot]

All my sales are through the village shop.
Agreement is that I won’t sell from home and thus undercut her price.
She takes batches of 20 and pays up front. We operate on a service to the community basis - I sell at a price that I’m happy with (much less than Enrico!) and she marks up by around 40%.
Its worked out well thus far.

 

[polymath]

I agree with most posts i sell my half poud jars at £5 and it retails at £7.50

Now onto the nasty stuff, TAX. HMRC all you to earn £1,000 gross as a side hustle, so at £5 a jar that is 200 jars not a lot, 100lbs of honey. After that you need to decide do you put it into a Ltd company or declare yourself to HMRC as a sole trader - you can be employed and a sole trader at the same time. This means completing a year end tax form and keeping basic records. If you have BeeCraft subscritpion i have written several articles on this for them.

 

[Curly green finger's]

I agree with most posts i sell my half poud jars at £5 and it retails at £7.50

Now onto the nasty stuff, TAX. HMRC all you to earn £1,000 gross as a side hustle, so at £5 a jar that is 200 jars not a lot, 100lbs of honey. After that you need to decide do you put it into a Ltd company or declare yourself to HMRC as a sole trader - you can be employed and a sole trader at the same time. This means completing a year end tax form and keeping basic records. If you have BeeCraft subscritpion i have written several articles on this for them.

Interestingly Hmrc ask you to add details about all sole trader activities.
Example: I work for an employer and also I am a sole trader of two small businesses one being my own bees and not so much these days landscape design

 

[blackcloud]

Self assessment is a nuisance but the online format is fairly quick and simple for the majority of people.
Once you've done it for a couple of times you can rattle through it so long as you have all your various incomes and outgoings sorted out and totalled up ready
Don't let the thought of it alter your plans.

 

[Damo944]

I agree with most posts i sell my half poud jars at £5 and it retails at £7.50

Now onto the nasty stuff, TAX. HMRC all you to earn £1,000 gross as a side hustle, so at £5 a jar that is 200 jars not a lot, 100lbs of honey. After that you need to decide do you put it into a Ltd company or declare yourself to HMRC as a sole trader - you can be employed and a sole trader at the same time. This means completing a year end tax form and keeping basic records. If you have BeeCraft subscritpion i have written several articles on this for them.

Hey mate. What issue numbers are they in interested in having s read.

 

[blackcloud]

Go to the SA website and answer a few questions
This will tell you if it's required and then a few more to tailor your return.
They usually will ask for all your financial gains to be declared.

 

[Beth]

Never do sale and return with any consumable, your jars will come back covered in grubby greasy fingerprints from people picking them up and putting them down. I sell through one local shop and do not sell directly. If I did I would sell at the same price as the shop so as not to undercut my customer.

 

[Moobee]

I take ten in to start with and they ring me when they want more. They pay up front. Warn them that once it is gone it is gone. They like suppliers who can keep going all year!

Exactly what I do in a local cafe.

 

[Swarm]

I've not had a problem with sale or return, my two best outlets had that arrangement, a butcher shop and a hardware store. Both outlets more than happy to sell the jars at the price we were asking, I think they added 50p to a jar. There was never a return, we would take more jars to restock and the cash from the last batch paid for the meat. One time, on my way home from the bees, the guy in the hardware shop saw me waiting at the lights and came out on the street with his hands in the air.
"We're desperate!!"
There was a plumber who would drink it straight from the jar
Good times.

 

[Amari]

One of my local retailers shop is always ideal temperature for granulation, as a result they have had a few jars granulate. I've swapped them for clear jars & put them in my warming cabinet to clear.

I put a granulation label (available from T's et al) on the back of most jars I sell unless it's soft-set which hopefully will stay that way.