An update on our current stock shortages

Unfortunately, the latest update on our stock information will be disappointing news to all. 

As a result of the current supply chain issues, we are essentially unable to continue to supply a number of our candle making products for the foreseeable future. 

What products are affected?

The following products, a lot of which we have not been able to restock for some time and are now being discontinued.

Boston Range - including bottles, caps, packaging boxes and soap pumps

Cambridge Range - including bases, lids and packaging

Danube Range - including bases, lids and packaging

Tisza bases

HTP Wicks

CDN Wicks

Accessories - including ribbon wick holders, wooden wick holders, wick tabs, wick stickums, melting jugs, pouring jugs and thermometers

Remaining stock of these discontinued products is now on sale for 40% off the original price. We will be conducting a physical stock take this weekend and any additional items will be added to the site at this time, please note if you receive a back in stock notification for an item that shows sold out when viewing the website, we have now sold out and the item is no longer available. Items that are no longer available have been removed from the website.

What products are still available?

The following is a list of products not affected by this update and these all remain available on our website as usual. 

Fragrance Oils

Soy Wax

Paraffin Wax

Clamshells

Reed Diffuser Base

Reed Diffuser Sticks

Reed Diffuser Gift Sets

Adjustable Wick Holders

 

Why have we made this decision?

After ongoing discussions with our current (previous) supplier over the recent months, we have been unable to achieve a desirable level of communication, support or a solution from them moving forward. This is a decision we haven’t made lightly and is due to ongoing issues along the supply chain and other external factors outside of our control.

Can I purchase stock elsewhere?

As far as we’re aware, within the UK there aren’t any suppliers who have the same range of products at the same quality and price point in stock as what we have offered to date. We have looked into different options for a new supplier however, pricing is extremely high for alternative supplies (almost double our current prices) due to the volatile cost of shipping, and we would not look to comprise the quality of our supplies in order to reduce costs. Sadly as a result of Brexit, we are now subject to import tariffs for any glass manufactured in Great Britain, which further complicates matters; resulting in the same outcome of pricing being almost double our current prices for locally produced goods.

There is the potential to expand/return to a  full range of supplies later in the year once supply chains become more stable, however it is unlikely this will be our current range and we cannot guarantee anything regarding a timeframe at this stage, hence the decision above. 

We understand the disappointment many of you will feel hearing this; it is not news we enjoy delivering. We have explored a number of avenues but simply have not found a sustainable solution for us as a business and sustainable for you as makers. It is another of many steps backwards we have all experienced over the past 18 months given the current events happening across the globe, we are hoping it’s the last for our candle making community. 

What happens now?

 A minor silver lining to a very large cloud is that we will be focusing on expanding our range of wax and fragrances in the short to medium term this year. We will also be looking to add new products to our range where we can, the first being Wax Melt Burners which can be expected to appear around late April. We will also be open to maker feedback on these expansions in the coming months. Our priority remains to be providing high quality and speedy service and dispatch (under these current conditions) of the products we currently have stock of. 

We appreciate many of you will have questions and comments regarding this - please check the following FAQs for answers to these. We thank you for your patience and continued support with these changes. 

FAQs regarding our stock

Q. What has caused these supply issues? 
A. COVID has had a massive impact on all businesses and has created on-going supply chain issues; you can read our initial update from October 2020 on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/notes/783239562467997/ 

Q. Can I go to your supplier directly? 
A.  At present, our supplier has ceased selling to distributors. Prior to doing so, they operated on a minimum order quantity of a full 20ft container and as such it is unlikely that purchasing direct would be feasible. 

Q. Where else can I get these supplies from? 
A. As mentioned above, we’re not familiar with any suppliers who have stock of the same range of products at the same quality and price point as what we currently offer. 

Q. Do you have a Destash group where I can source or sell supplies?
A. Last year we established a Destash Facebook Group for makers to sell our supplies if they no longer needed them. Limited supplies may be available from other makers here - please note we are not involved in facilitating these sales. If any makers have excess stock of the supplies affected by this update, this is a great place to sell them and to support other makers searching for them.

Q. Does Brexit factor into this? 
A. The current supply chain issues are the result of COVID, however, Brexit has required some other changes. You can read our recent blog post about how Brexit affects us.