GROW WITH CONFIDENCE
CHRISTMAS PLANNING GUIDE
Your guide to plan and prepare for the busiest season for makers.
Plan, prep, succeed
If you've ever run out of fragrance oil a week before your Christmas orders were due, you already know the truth. The final quarter of the year is when sales ramp up, customers start gifting, and the last-minute orders come flying in. Success during peak season doesn't just happen, it's planned.
Whether you're a seasoned maker or heading into your first busy season, this guide walks you through how to forecast your stock, plan your production, and avoid the last-minute panic. Work through it once and you'll have a rhythm you can reuse every year.
The method
Start by reviewing your sales history: last Christmas, the past three to six months, and your best-performing products. Which fragrances flew out the door? Which sizes and styles were most popular? What packaging worked best for gifting?
Then add a sensible increase on top to cover your growth. That gives you a baseline for your wax, fragrance and glassware quantities, and makes planning the finances far easier.
This is where most makers get caught out. It isn't just what to order, it's when.
From the moment we place an order with our suppliers to the day stock lands in our Croydon warehouse is roughly a 90 to 120 day turnaround. That covers ordering, production, shipping, unloading, and checking and counting every item in. If you're planning a bulk purchase of 500+ pieces for Christmas, the time to talk to us is early, so we can secure it in time.
Once your order is with us, we dispatch within 3 business days, whether you choose general or express post. Factor that into your own timelines so everything arrives when you need it.
Your forecast shouldn't only reflect the past, it should include what's coming. Are you launching a new product, running a promo or sale, attending a market, or doing a collaboration or PR push? Each of these lifts demand, and changes how much stock you'll need and how early you'll need it.
Buying in bulk does more than give you peace of mind, it saves you money. Our everyday volume discounts use a tiered pricing model, so whether you're buying 6 pieces or 480, you benefit from the quantity that suits your business.
Stock up on the essentials you use most: wax, fragrance oils and glassware.
Popular styles can sell out during peak periods. As much as we forecast, there are times when a line runs low. If you have your heart set on a particular glassware style for the season, secure it early rather than hoping it's still there in November.
Work backwards from the big day
A simple month-by-month cadence. Shift it earlier if you sell through stockists or attend markets, they pull your deadlines forward.
| When | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Jul – Aug | Talk to us about any large bulk or pre-orders (500+ pieces) | Covers the 90–120 day supplier lead time so it lands before you need it |
| September | Lock your range, fragrances and glassware. Finalise recipes | No surprises later. Consistency starts with committing to your line-up |
| October | Bulk-buy your core wax, fragrance and jars. Start pouring and curing | Soy and natural blends need cure time. Early pours = ready stock |
| November | Top-up restocks as you sell (dispatched within 3 business days). Fulfil early gift orders | Keep momentum without over-committing cash to stock |
| December | Final top-ups early in the month, then focus on fulfilment | Give yourself and us buffer before the cut-off and the post rush |
Timings are a guide. Order-by dates depend on your volumes and postage. If in doubt, ask the team and we'll map it with you.
A worked example
Say last Christmas you sold 200 candles, and you're expecting around 30% growth. Here's roughly what that means for a standard 220g container candle (200g wax + 8% fragrance).
Round up to the nearest volume-discount tier, it's often cheaper per unit and gives you a cushion. Not sure on the maths? Our Wax & Fragrance Calculator does it per batch.
Before the rush
The two habits that matter most
The biggest mistake we see from growing makers is reactive ordering: you sell out, you panic, you order, you wait, and your customers wait too. The fix is small but powerful. Build a restock cadence around your actual sales rhythm, not the moment you notice an empty shelf.
And as you scale, stick with the same wax and fragrance combinations. When a customer buys their second or third candle, they expect it to smell, burn and look exactly like the first. Consistency is the boring answer, and it's also the one that grows your repeat customers. We can help you map both.
We know not everything runs perfectly. As your pour partner, we're here to keep your supplies moving so you can spend more time making. If you're not sure how much to order, or you'd like help planning a bulk buy, we're a phone call or email away.
Talk to the team