How your package gets to you

I've written before about packaging and shipping your Lora's Beauty orders. As someone who does a lot of ordering by mail, I know it's important. 

Today's post is about how your package gets to the post office. I either walk or bike all packages there. I do this because I love the calm of walking or riding through my neighborhood and it's a great way to get exercise since the round trip is around 3 miles, but most importantly, I do it to be as environmentally friendly as possible. 

If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook you have probably seen my 'Journeys to the Post Office' posts. I deliver packages everyday to the post office except on Sundays. That means if you place an order on Monday, it will be in the mail and on it's way to you on Tuesday. Sometimes, if you time it just perfectly, I'll get it in that day's mail.

In case you don't follow me on social media, or you've missed my 'Journey to the Post Office' posts, I thought I'd share some photos from all the season's walks here today.

Let's start with Autumn! Don't worry, that little dog can get his head out of the fence.

Most of the time winter involves a walk with an umbrella but this day we had snow!

As always, spring follows winter!

Finally, summer!

Next month I begin gearing up for the holiday season! That means making a batch of soap just about everyday. I've been keeping a list of new holiday soaps to make including a honey&beeswax bar, an orange eucalyptus mint bar naturally colored pink&green, a navy blue and white bar naturally colored with indigo and scented with cedarwood, peppermint & basil, and finally a smaller round dish soap that will fit in the popular Full Circle dispensers as replacement soap.

Until next time, enjoy the last days of summer!

The Thing About Shipping and Four New Products!

After mailing over two thousand packages, I've discovered a few things about shipping within the US, and would like to share them with you. 

When ordering from Lora's Beauty website or Etsy shop, you should never pay in shipping costs more than the cost of a USPS Flat Rate Padded Envelope ($8.45 as of today). I offer free shipping on all orders over $35 and I've priced my products so orders under $35 can fit in a flat rate padded envelope.

On my website, I make sure that you're never charged more than that, however, I don't have that kind of control on my Etsy shop. 

On my website, I have set up shipping rules so any purchases under $12 will ship for $5, purchases $12 to $34.99 ship for the cost of a padded flat rate envelope, and purchases over $35 are free to ship.

On Etsy I have to enter the weight of each item individually as it's packaged. So a 5 oz bar of soap with packaging would weigh about 7 oz to ship. Etsy then uses the USPS data to lookup the destination of the package and returns the price to mail the 7 oz package from Portland, OR (where Lora's Beauty is.) Over charges can happen when multiple bars of soap are purchased since they'll be mailed in one box. For example, two 5 oz bars in one box would really weigh approximately 12 oz (5 X 2 + 2) but Etsy figures it as 14 oz. Amazingly, over charges don't happen that often and I refund them when they do. 

Now onto some more exciting news! I have new products in my shop!!

Have you ever found yourself with small bits and pieces of soap that are too small to hold in your hand? Or have you ever wanted a washcloth where you could just slip your bar of soap into it and use it for scrubbing your body? Well, Lora's Beauty now has handmade crochet soap savers that will solve both these problems!

These soap savers are made with 100% cotton yarn and have a tiny loop on the corner so you can hang them to dry between uses. All my soap's sizes and shapes will fit in them.

Also new in my shop are my spirits inspired soaps!

There's one made with whiskey,

one made with gin,

and one made with aquavit!

These soaps aren't just fun, they're also great for your skin. Each bar contains aloe vera gel, silk fibers, and either whiskey, gin, or aquavit spirits, as well as all the wonderful oils and butters found in all my soaps.

Aquavit, being made with vitamin E rich caraway seeds, improves skin appearance.

Gin, thanks to the lovely juniper berry, provides smoother, softer skin.

Whiskey contains wonderful antiseptic capabilities making it a great choice for oily skin and a defense against acne. 

One of each in a gift box would make a wonderful gift!

Holiday Shopping, Shipping, and The Cost of Things Today

credit:depositphotos

I'd like to start this post with a thank you. The year has been good for Lora's Beauty as sales have increased and for two months running I've been a Star Seller on Etsy. None of this would have been possible without my wonderful customers, many of whom are multiple return buyers. Thank you! I love making products that elevate everyday items to something luxurious and the fact that people actually buy them and enjoy them is beyond my expectations.

2021 hasn't been that great for all businesses though. As many people know the shipping industry has been hit hard with logistical problems causing slow downs on items arriving to our doors and stores. Due to basic supply and demand economics, this has meant the products that do show up usually costs more including supplies needed for soap making. Add to that, the cost of shipping has also increased. USPS, which I use to ship packages, has increased almost a dollar on the package size I use most often. All this appears to be culminating right at the holiday season. I say all this to encourage you to shop early this year especially if you plan to get packages in the mail. I will do my best to ship all orders I receive within one to two days and supply a tracking number. I have tried hard not to raise prices because I really want Lora's Beauty to be an affordable luxury, however, this month I had to increase the price on most my soaps by at least 25 cents. I did, remove the packaging requirement on my conditioner bar since cooler weather is here, bringing the cost down $2. 

Speaking of packaging, you may have noticed the new packaging for my Solid Dish Soap. I'm now packaging the bars in a box with my paper label. The box and label are both easily recycled. I made the change in hopes of giving the bars, my most popular items, the professional look the deserve and to protect them better. Many people order multiple bars at a time and the boxes should make storing them easier. They also look nice if you choose to gift a bar. If you prefer the old packaging, I can accommodate you, simply send me a message when ordering.

I've added a new item to my shop for the holiday season. Handmade, reusable face pads are an eco-friendly make-up remover. I use them to wash my face every night as they're the perfect size for rubbing over a bar of soap. These pads are sold in a package of three that includes two reusable white cotton pads for use daily and one colored scrubby cotton pad for weekly exfoliation. All pads are machine washable. A package of three and a couple handmade bars of soap would make a practical, inexpensive gift! 

I'm also offering 100% recyclable gift wrapping for an additional $3. Each gift wrapped box will hold up to 6 items, whether it's soap, face pads, or soap dishes.

Finally, for all those customers local to Portland, Oregon, I will be participating in two holiday bazaars so far. The first one will be at Hinson Baptist Church at 1137 SE 20th November 12-13 from 9:30 - 4. On December 4th I'll be at the German American Society at 5626 NE Alameda from 11am - 7 pm. Come see me and say hi!