Ultimate Guide To Dropshipping Candles - Suppliers, Benefits & How To Do It

Wellness trends and enhancing ambiance are thought to be increasing candle popularity. There are also candle-specific suppliers. These suppliers make it easy to dropship candles.

We’ve sold products in the wellness niche and have researched candles in-depth. By doing so, we’ve learned a lot. 

We’ll share everything we’ve learned so you can decide if candles are the right product for your dropshipping store.

Let’s get into it. 

Key Takeaways

• Candles are great product for beginners to dropship.
• Candles are perfect to advertise on social media, as they look aesthetic. And the target market for candles is the biggest user of social media. 
• Print-on-demand companies make it easy to sell personalized candles worldwide.

Best Candle Dropshipping Suppliers 

A reliable candle supplier is essential to your dropshipping success. 

There are different types of suppliers for dropshipping candles. These are the following:

• White Label or Print on Demand - White labeling is when you put your own branding on a manufacturer's product. There are print-on-demand companies that allow you to design and upload your labels. Then, when a customer orders from your store, they print your label, add it to the candle, and send it directly to the customer.Adding your own label to products can enhance your brand identity. It also helps you stand out from your competitors.

• Sell Manufacturers Products - Most dropshipping stores sell products without adding any branding. You sell the standard products sold by the manufacturer.Often, suppliers can ship standard products quicker than white-label products. As they don’t need to customize the product.

These are the candle suppliers we recommend and who they’re best for:

• Wax and Wick - Best Option for Masculine Scents 
• ACDC Co. - Best for US Sellers
• Something Different Connect - Best UK Candle Supplier
• Printify - Best Option for Worldwide Shipping
• Printed Mint - Biggest Variety of Candles
• Printful - Best for Seamless Fulfillment

Let’s look at them in a bit more depth.

1. Wax and Wick - Best Option for Masculine Scents

Summary: 

• Suitable for US sellers
• Specializes in masculine scents
• Cannot automate fulfillment or add custom packaging 

Wax and Wick is a candle store. They sell their products on their e-commerce store and on Amazon. Several brick-and-mortar stores also stock the products.

The company is based in Chicago, and they ship their products to the majority of the US, excluding Hawaii and Alaska.

The candles are soy-based and have natural wood wicks. The brand’s aim was to produce clean burning candles for men. They sell 14 scents, all of which are masculine.

The packaging is clean and simple. Wax and Wick describe it as minimalist aesthetics.

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Wax and Wick have a dropshipping program. You need to contact Wax and Wick and apply as a dropship client. 

Once you’re accepted as a Wax and Wick client, you can add Wax and Wick candles to your website. Then, when a customer orders from you, you order from Wax and Wick, and they ship directly to customers. 

You cannot change the packaging or label.

You can sell the candles for any price. The price of all of the candles is $30. However, there is a discount depending on the number of sales you make. The discount ranges from 35-45%.

What We Like About Wax and Wick:

• Free shipping.
• Variety of masculine scents.
• Aesthetically pleasing packaging.
• Soy candles are safe, natural, and vegan.

What We Don’t Like About Wax and Wick:

• Only ships to the US.
• Limited scent selection.
• Can’t customize the packaging, box, or branding.
• Must place all orders manually. No automation options are available.

2. ACDC Co. - Best for US Sellers

Summary:

• Suitable for US sellers
• Has a wide range of home fragrances available
• Cannot customize the products, but can add a note to the orders
• No automation option is available

ACDC is a US-based home fragrance brand. 

ACDC sells a huge range of candles. These include the following:

• Gift Candles - The gift candles come in various scents and in a glass jar. The candles are packaged in a gold foiled-accent box.
• Apothecary Candles - These are simple candles made of pure essential oils, soy wax, and a pure cotton wick. The candles are in brown glass jars with simple labels and screw lids.
• Container and Jar Candles - These are the same candles as the gift candles but without the gift box.

They use high-quality ingredients. These include a pure cotton wick, soy wax, fine perfume oils, and glass containers. 

As well as candles, ACDC Co. also sells home fragrance oils and sprays. There are also bath products, including soaps, salts, moisturizers, and men’s grooming.

They sell their products directly to consumers through their website and offer a wholesale option. Over 250 retailers buy ACDC products in bulk and sell them in their stores. If you use the wholesale option, you can customize the products with your branding.

ACDC also offers dropshipping. To use the dropshipping service, you need to apply. There are certain requirements you must meet. These include the following:

• An active website that’s populated with products.
• Current state tax exemption certificate.
• ACDC approval is based on brand and distribution channel fit.

If you’re accepted to dropship, you can list ACDC candles in your store. 

When a customer orders from your store, you order from ACDC, and they will ship directly to your customers. 

You cannot change the branding of the products. But you can include a branded packaging slip.

What We Like About ACDC Co:

• Orders are shipped within 24 hours.
• No fees for picking or packing.
• Can add a branded packaging slip to orders.
• Wide variety of candles, including boxed candles, containers and jar candles, and essential oil candles.
• Can expand to sell fragrances and bath products.
• ACDC provides a data package with product details and images. So you can easily create your listings.

What We Don’t Like About ACDC Co:

• You can only use ACDC Co’s dropshipping program if you sell on your own website. You cannot dropship on eBay, Amazon, Walmart, or Overstock using ACDC Co.
• Cannot private label the products. 
• Only ships within the US. 
• Must use their pricing structure.
• Consumer purchases are available through the website, which can make it difficult to compete and make a profit.

3. Something Different Connect - Best UK Candle Supplier

Summary:

• Suitable for UK sellers
• Integrates with multiple e-commerce platforms and marketplaces
• Sells candles and other gift products

Something Different Connect is a UK-based dropshipping supplier. It is part of Something Different Wholesale. 

They import products and design exclusive products in-house.

They sell a huge range of candles. They come in various scents and packaging. These include jar candles, spell candles, tealights, decorative candles, soy candles, crystal chips candles, petal candles, beeswax candles, and more. 

As well as candles, Something Different Connect sells other home fragrance products. These include oil burners, wax melts, incense, diffusers, and more.  

They also sell other home and giftware products. These include wall art, bath bombs, garden accessories, kitchenware, jewelry, bags, spiritual kits, seasonal and occasional products, and gothic, Wiccan, and pagan products.

The company doesn’t sell directly to consumers. They solely offer dropshipping.

They integrate with six sales channels. These are the following:

• Shopify
• eBay
• Amazon 
• EKM 
• Wish
• WooCommerce

You can connect your store with Something Different Connect to automate your business. This includes adding product listings, managing stock levels, adjusting prices, and processing orders. 

So, once you’ve chosen a product to sell, you can automatically import it to your store. Then, when you make a sale, Something Different Connect will automatically be notified. They will pick, pack, and send the order directly to your customer.

Orders placed before 2 pm Monday to Friday will be shipped the same day. So customers will receive their orders quickly.

Something Different Connect doesn’t allow you to rebrand or label the products. The products are sent as they appear on the site. All the orders arrive in plain packaging, so even though the products don't have your branding on them, the customer won’t know that they’re from Something Different Connect.

What We Like About Something Different Connect:

• Lots of automation features to seamlessly manage every aspect of your business.
• Can bulk import products from Something Different Connect to your store.
• They don’t sell directly to consumers, so we aren’t competing with them. And customers can’t price-check the products against the suppliers.
• Huge choice of products.
• Fast shipping.
• Something Different Connect sends a product pack with images and detailed information. You can use this in your listings. 
• Can easily expand your store to sell other homeware and gift products.

What We Don’t Like About Something Different Connect:

• Only available for UK sellers.
• Can’t add your branding to the products.

4. Printify - Best Option for Worldwide Shipping

Summary: 

• Can add custom labels to candles
• Integrates with multiple stores so you can automate your business
• Ships worldwide

Printify is a print-on-demand dropshipping service.

Multiple printers and manufacturers list their products on Printify. You can choose the product you want to sell, upload your design, and add it to your store. When a customer orders the product, Printify’s manufacturers and printers will print, pack, and ship the order directly to your customer.

A print-on-demand service is perfect if you want to build a brand. It allows you to create and design your products however you like.

They offer six candle styles, and each one comes in a variety of scents.

All the candles have large labels to which you can add a custom design.

Printify integrates with all of the most popular e-commerce platforms and marketplaces. These include the following:

• Shopify
• Etsy
• TikTok Shop
• Wix
• WooCommerce
• BigCommerce
• Squarespace
• eBay
• Prestashop
• Custom API

Integrating your store allows orders to be automatically sent from your store to Printify. You don’t need to place the order manually. They also ship worldwide. So you can sell your candles anywhere.

As well as candles, Printify sells over 800 other products. These include everything from clothing to blankets to kitchen products.

Most of the printers and manufacturers sell unbranded products. This means that none of the printers' or manufacturers' branding will appear on the product. However, some products are branded. You can still add your own custom design, but the product will have another company's branding.

What We Like About Printify:

• Super easy to use.
• Several candle shapes and each has multiple scents.
• Can integrate Printify with your dropshipping store.
• Over 850 other products you can add to expand your store.
• No ‘brand fit’ or entry requirements. Anyone can join.
• Create custom labels for the candles.
• Printify branding doesn’t appear on any of the packaging. And you can add branded inserts to your orders.
• Several scents for each candle shape.
• Lots of different shipping providers are available.
• Can ship worldwide.
• Free to use.

What We Don’t Like About Printify:

• Longer delivery times than other suppliers as each product is printed on demand.
• Some products include the manufacturer's branding.

5. Printed Mint - Biggest Variety of Candles

Summary: 

• Integrates with several e-commerce platforms to automate fulfillment
• Largest selection of candles for a print-on-demand company
• Offers a large range of other products

Printed Mint is a print-on-demand company in the US.

The company doesn’t offer consumer purchases. It only offers wholesale and dropshipping. 

To use Printed Mint to dropship, you need to apply. Once your account is set up, you can integrate it with your dropshipping store. 

Printed Mint currently integrates with Shopify, Etsy, and Order Desk. 

Order Desk is an automation tool that connects Printed Mint with several e-commerce platforms and marketplaces. These include BigCommerce, Amazon, eBay, TikTok Shop, Wix, WooCommerce, and many more.

When you’ve connected your store, you can choose the candles you want to sell.

Printed Mint offers the widest range of candles of any of the print-on-demand companies. They offer different shapes, sizes, and multiple scents. 

You can add a custom label to all of the candles. Printed Mint has a built-in editor tool that allows you to design your labels. Alternatively, you can create a label and upload it to Printed Mint.

Once you’ve created your candles, you can list them in your store. 

Then, if your store is integrated with Printed Mint, your orders can be automatically processed when you receive them. This means that orders from your Shopify, Etsy, or any other online store will sync with your Printed Mint account. 

Printed Mint sells a huge range of products aside from candles. Including the following:

• Apparel
• Baby products
• Homeware
• Pet products
• Posters
• Stationary
• Tech
• And many more

What We Like About Printed Mint: 

• It can add custom packaging, including labels, packing slips, marketing cards, etc.
• Integrates with several e-commerce platforms.
• Able to automate your orders.
• Can choose your own retail price.
• Multiple shipping providers available.
• Ships worldwide.

What We Don’t Like About Printed Mint:

• Can take over four days to process orders.

6. Printful - Best for Seamless Fulfillment

Summary:

• Print-on-demand company
• Only one candle available

Printful is a print-on-demand site. It sells directly to consumers and offers dropshipping. 

Printful has both a free and paid plan.

The free plan includes everything you need to dropship candles. You only pay once you receive an order from a customer. 

You can upgrade to a paid plan. The paid plan includes fixed discounts, additional branding options, custom packaging, creative services, and more.

Tons of products are available on Printful. However, there is currently only one candle. The candle is an unscented soy candle that comes in a glass jar.

Printful allows you to design the label of the candle. You can use the built-in Design Maker or upload your own design.

Once you’re happy with your design, you can list the product in your dropshipping store.

Printful integrates with 24 of the most popular e-commerce platforms and marketplaces. These include the following:

• Shopify
• Etsy
• WooCommerce
• Wix
• Squarespace
• Walmart
• BigCommerce
• Amazon
• eBay
• TikTok Shop
• And many more

Most of the platforms allow you to push products to your store. 

They also automatically fulfill orders. So when you receive an order, Printful will automatically be sent the details. They will then pack and ship the order directly to your customer.

Printful has multiple fulfillment centers across the world. They also ship to most countries worldwide. 

The location you’re selling to will determine the shipping time and cost.

When you source your product, the shipping location is shown. The candle is currently shipped from the US. So, if you’re selling outside the US, it can take up to 16 days. However, orders will arrive within eight days for US customers.

What We Like About Printful:

• Largest selection of e-commerce platforms and marketplace integrations.
• Multiple fulfillment centers so you can sell worldwide.
• Huge selection of alternative products you can add to your store.
• Worldwide shipping is available.
• Can customize the candle with your own design.
• Built-in label designer and editor.

What We Don’t Like About Printful:

• Only one unscented candle is available.
• Long processing and delivery times, depending on where you’re selling.

7. AliExpress - Best for Decorative Candles

Summary: 

• Low prices and a wide range of candles
• Must check that the suppliers comply with regulations
• Can have long delivery times
• Integrates with dropshipping software so you can automate your fulfillment

AliExpress is an online retail marketplace that is made up of small businesses. Most of which are based in China. 

AliExpress is the go-to place for dropshippers. It offers low prices and a huge range of products, allowing customers to order one product at a time.

You can search the marketplace for the products you want to sell.

Then, reach out to the supplier. We recommend confirming that the candles pass the regulations required in the country in which you sell. You should also ask about shipping, processing times and packing times, prices, and their refund, return, and warranty policies. 

We also always check what is included in the order. We prefer that their branding isn’t on the product or packaging. And we like to include a small card. The card includes our brand, product details, and a repeat purchase coupon. This can help build our brand identity and encourage customers to buy again.

There are lots of dropshipping automation tools that work with AliExpress. Some of the best order fulfillment tools are AutoDS and DSers. 

Automation tools connect your dropshipping store with your AliExpress supplier and manage tasks automatically. 

These tasks include importing your products from AiExpress to your store. And automatically processing orders. So when a customer orders from you, the order is automatically sent to the supplier, who sends it straight to your customer. 

What We Like About AliExpress:

• Huge range of products.
• Affordable prices.
• Easy to connect AliExpress with your store using a tool like AutoDS or DSers.
• Most suppliers will ship worldwide.

What We Don’t Like About AliExpress:

• It can be hard to confirm that the candles meet the regulations required for the country you want to sell.
• Shipping can take a long time as most products come from China.

Can I Dropship Candles? 

Yes. You can legally dropship candles. And there’s plenty of profit to be made. 

There are some restrictions and legalities to dropship candles. We’ll go into this in the next section.

But with the right product, a reliable supplier, and a good marketing strategy, you can create a winning dropshipping candle store.

Can I Dropship Candles on Shopify?

Yes! Shopify allows you to sell candles on the platform.

Shopify is our preferred platform for selling as it’s easy to use, affordable, and integrates with dropshipping software. 

We have an exclusive discount code if you want to get started on Shopify. You can get three months of access for $3.

Is It Legal to Sell Candles?

Yes, but there are regulations you need to adhere to. These will vary by country, and different types of candles have different regulations.

Some of the regulations you might need to be aware of include the following [1]:

• Cautionary Labeling Standard ASTM - The warning label needs to contain specific cautions. Such as always burning a candle within sight, keeping candles away from things that can catch fire, and keeping them out of the reach of children.
• Heat Strength of Glass Containers Standard ATSM - The glass container used for candles must meet certain specifications and requirements.
• Fire Safety Design Standard ASTM - This includes maximum flame height, tip-over limits, secondary-ignition proscriptions, and end-of-useful life specifications.

If you sell custom fragrance blends, insect-repellent candles, or beeswax candles, there are additional regulations to which you need to adhere. 

Should I Dropship Candles? 

Yes, candles can be a great product to dropship. 

But, like with any product, there are pros and cons.

Candles are easy to source, profitable, and continually increasing in demand. This can make them a great product to dropship.

However, there is a lot of competition. As well as strict guidelines and regulations you need to adhere to.

Let’s look into the benefits and risks in more depth. So you can decide if it's the right product for your dropshipping store.

Benefits of Dropshipping Candles

Easy to Source

As we saw in the first section, you can source candles from many places. There are candle-specific suppliers, print-on-demand options, and marketplaces. This makes it easy to find the candle you want to sell.

Low Risk

Dropshipping is a low-risk e-commerce business. You don’t need to order the candles in bulk. You only pay for the candle as you receive an order from a customer. So you don’t need to spend a lot to get started, and you haven’t got a lot to lose. 

Large Variety

There are tons of different candles you could sell. These include scented candles, different-shaped candles, birthday candles, aromatherapy candles, insect-repellent candles, tealights, pillar candles, and many more. As well as candle accessories, like holders, wick cutter sets, candle plates, and more.

This huge variety gives you a high chance of finding a winning product to dropship.

Target Market  

It is estimated that women aged between 25 and 55 are the biggest buyers of candles. This makes candles perfect for advertising on social media, as most social media users fall into that age category. 

We recommend creating social media profiles for your candle business. And posting relevant content. This can help your target market find you.

You can also create ads to target customers. Or send your candles to social media influencers. They will then post the candle to boost brand trust and increase visitability.

Easily Customizable

‍As a dropshipper, it can be hard to stand out amongst the competition. As most dropshipping products are usually generic. 

With candles, you can customize the label and packaging. Several suppliers, like Printed Mint and Printify, allow you to add a custom label to your candles. And ACDC Co. allows you to put a custom-branded packaging slip in the order.

Customizing your products can help you stand out and increase your sales.

Growing Market

The candle market is expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate of 5.7% from 2023 to 2030 [2]. Experts suggest this is due to the rising awareness of self-care and mental well-being; candles create a cozy and intimate environment.

Particular aromas are thought to improve mood and are often used in spas and other relaxing spaces.

This growing market suggests that candles are rising in popularity. This can help you generate interest and sales.

• High Repurchase Rate - Candles only burn for a certain number of hours. Usually, this is around 25-50 hours. So, customers will need to buy another one when the candle has finished burning.

If your customers are happy with the candle they bought from you, they will likely return to your store and buy again. This will help boost your sales. Getting a customer to return to your store is also cheaper than finding new ones. 

Risks of Dropshipping Candles

• Label Guidelines - Candles must have specific statements on the label. These include fire safety warnings. You can ask your supplier if they are able to add these and that the labels meet the requirements necessary for the country you sell to.

• Regulations and Laws - As we saw in the previous section, there are several regulations you need to comply with to dropship candles. A reliable supplier will adhere to all of these. But you are still responsible for ensuring they are met.

• Competitive - Candles are available everywhere. From superstores to boutique stores. The amount of competition makes it hard to stand out. 

You need to find a specific niche or product that differentiates you from the competition. You’ll also need a strong marketing plan and a clear brand identity to compete.

Types of Candles to Dropship 

We’ve created a list of candles we think are winners that you can add to your dropshipping store.

We’ll look at candle stores selling similar products and use Dropship to spy on them. This will help us confirm that the products are in high demand and generate sales.

Summary:

• Soy Candles - Safe, non-toxic, and vegan. Can add any scents. A successful soy candle company offers a scent sample box.
• Beeswax Candles - An environmentally friendly option that can clean toxins from the air. Popular in Canada and New Zealand.
• Decorative Candles - Designed to improve the feel of a space. Can charge a high price for unique candles.
• Masculine Scented Candles - Men's fragrance is increasing in popularity. And masculine scented candles aren’t as competitive as other sectors.
• Candle and Scent Accessories - Accessories work well as upsells. They can boost sales and increase customer satisfaction.

Let’s look at them in more depth.

1. Soy Candles - Calyan Wax Co.

Soy candles are candles made from soybeans. Soy candles are considered safe and non-toxic. They produce less soot and toxic fumes compared to those made of paraffin.

Soy candles are also vegan as they don’t contain any animal products or by-products.

The sustainability and burn quality make soy candles appealing to customers. You can add different scents to soy candles. These include adding essential oils and fragrance oils.

We can look at soy candle brands to see how much demand they have.

Calyan Wax Co. is a soy wax candle company. We can use Dropship’s tools to see how the store is performing. 

In the last 12 months, Calyan Wax Co. has generated over $1,064,365.45. So they’re doing something right!

We can look at the best-selling products to give us inspiration. It can show us the scents to launch and how to package our products.

The top scent is Evergreen and Eucalyptus in a glass tumbler. And the second best-selling scent is Lavender and Bergamot in a matte black tumbler. 

Selling candles online can be difficult as finding the right scent is personal. Calyan Wax Co. has some incredible ways to help customers find the right scent.

The first is a quiz. Customers can answer seven basic questions to discover the perfect candle. They also offer a scent discovery box. This includes 15 tealights in the most popular scents.

Offering customers samples can increase their satisfaction and boost sales. Customers get to try out the scents. They then choose their favorites to buy in full-size. When they receive the full-size candle, they already know they’ll like it. 

This reduces your return rate and helps you build trust with your customers. 

You can encourage customers to buy a full-size product by offering a discount code or coupon in your sample box. 

2. Beeswax Candles

Beeswax candles are candles made from the wax produced by honeybees. They are considered safe and environmentally friendly. They also burn cleanly and can help purify the air. 

Consumers are becoming more aware of their environment and the toxins in the air. 

We can look on Google Trends to find the countries that are the most interested in beeswax candles. New Zealand and Canada have shown to have the highest interest in Beeswax candles over time. So, if you want to sell beeswax candles, consider expanding your store to include these countries.

To confirm that the countries with high interest are generating sales, we can use Dropship’s Product Database tool. 

The Product Database tool allows us to search for products that meet certain criteria. 

To confirm the demand in a certain location, open the Advanced Filters and use the following filters:

• Include Title Keywords - Enter the keywords Beeswax and Candle but as two separate words. You can enter them together. However, product listings that don’t have the words next to each other in the title won’t show. Therefore, we prefer to separate them.
• Store Currency - Find the currency for the country you want to find stores in. For beeswax candles, we’re looking to check the demand in New Zealand. So we’ll select NZD.

The Product Database shows us Shopify stores that sell beeswax candles in NZD.

You can look into these stores in depth to see if you can compete and whether there is enough demand in the country you want to sell.

3. Decorative Candles - Scandles

Decorative or novelty candles are ones that are used as decoration in the house. Usually, they aren’t scented. And they’ll be shaped candles or pillar candles. Rather than in a jar.

They improve the feel and look of a space. Making it feel cozy, warm, and inviting. 

Recently, we saw the rise in popularity of body-shaped candles, hand-painted candles, and bubble candles. But decorative candles come in all shapes and sizes. 

Consider the market you want to target and the types of candles they will buy. 

We can look at decorative candle companies to get inspiration. This could be for the candle shape, size, and variation.

Scandles is a successful decorative candle company. The brand describes its candles as ‘pieces to outrage the norm.’

They sell candles in the following shapes:

• Body-shape candles
• Bubble candles
• Fruit and vegetable candles
• Egg candles
• Palmistry candles
• Yin Yang candles
• Flower candles
• Pillar candles
• Knot candles
• Geometric candles
• Tapered candles
• Shell candles
• Cloud candles
• And more

We can use Dropship to analyze the store. It will show us whether they’re making sales, how much revenue they make, and which products are the most popular.

The brand has made $369,826.03 in the last 90 days. Over $200,00 of that was made from one product, the Heirloom Tomato Candle in red. 

This is a very unique decorative candle with a tomato leaf scent. 

Its uniqueness means they can charge a high price. For a single tomato candle, it costs $25. And for a six-pack, it costs $119.

From our research, we can find tomato-scented candles. However, we can’t find any candles that are shaped like tomatoes. 

This shows that if your product has a unique selling point (USP), then you can charge a higher price.

4. Masculine Scented Candles - Craft and Kin

Studies show that men’s fragrance is projected to have a compound annual growth rate of 10.6% between 2023 and 2029 [3]. As men’s fragrance is growing, we can estimate that this will translate to candles. 

The masculine candle market is not as saturated as some of the others. This means that it could be a winner for your store.

Craft and Kin is a home fragrance brand. Dropship shows that in the last 90 days, the store has generated $126,856.41. 

Its second best-selling product is a scented candle for men. It sold 661 products and made over $13,000 in revenue in the last 90 days. 

The candle comes in five scents. These are the following:

• Fireside
• Lavender Woods
• Pine and Clove
• Smoke and Vanilla
• Vintage Leather

The masculine notes and clean, dark packaging make it appealing to men. It is described as the perfect gift, and it comes with luxury gift packaging. 

The company's third top-selling product is a set of matchsticks. They made almost $10,000 in sales. Adding match sticks to your candle store is a great upsell product. They complement the product the customer is buying, which makes it easy to increase your sales and boost your profit.

5. Candle and Scent Accessories

We just saw in the Masculine Scented Candle section that adding a complementary product to your site, like matchsticks, can increase your sales and profit. 

These products work as great upsells. You can offer them on the checkout page and make it easy for customers to add them to their baskets when they purchase other products.

As well as boost sales, upsells can improve customer satisfaction. Upsells help customers discover products that complement the ones they are buying.

Most candle accessories also don’t have the same regulations as candles. This can make them easier to dropship. 

Some of the most common candle and scent accessories include the following:

• Matches
• Candle holder
• Oil burner
• Wax melt holders
• Incense sticks
• Gift boxing service
• Wick trimmer
• Candle snuffer

How to Start a Candle Dropshipping Business 

So you’ve decided that candles are the right product for your dropshipping store.

Follow these five actionable steps to create a successful candle business.

Summary:

1. Find a winning candle or candle accessory to dropship.

2. Choose a candle supplier to source your winning product.

3. Build a Shopify store and create candle listings.

4. Market your candle store to generate sales.

5. Analyze and optimize your business to increase sales and boost profit.

Let’s look into each step in a bit more detail.

Find a Winning Candle to Dropship

You might have already found a winning product from the list in the previous section. 

However, if you haven’t, you can use these methods to find a winning candle for your store.

Before we look at each method, we need to know what makes a winning product.

This is what we look for when we’re searching for candles:

• High Demand - The candle or candle accessory needs to have high demand. This means that there are a lot of customers who are interested in the product and will buy it. 
• Low Competition - Look at how many other stores are selling the same product. We prefer to have as little competition as possible. And if there is competition, you need to be able to compete.
• Profit - You need to make sure that you can sell the product for more than it costs. Your costs will include the product, advertising, and shipping. We always aim for between 15-25% profit. To work this out, look at your competition's selling price. And find a supplier that sells a similar product. Subtract the sourcing price from the selling price to determine your estimated profits.

With candles, you’ll also need to consider any candle regulations for the country you sell. 

We have a complete article on everything you need to consider when you do product research. Check it out for more considerations and a ton of methods on how to do product research. 

So, we know what we’re looking for now. It’s time to start searching. 

There are so many ways to find winning candles to dropship. The following methods are the ones we’ve had the most success with:

Product Research Tool

Uncover the secrets of other sellers with a product research tool. There are lots of product research tools available. And each tool will provide different data on different sellers.

For example, there are tools that analyze Shopify stores, Amazon sellers, eBay sellers, and Walmart sellers. And each tool will show you different information. Some might give you revenue and sales, and others might show you the apps and best-sellers. 

We have a complete article on the 20 best dropshipping research tools. It compares a huge range of product research tools. 

We recommend creating a Shopify store to sell your candles. So, we would use a Shopify product research tool.

If you want to analyze Shopify stores, Dropship is the best product research tool. And it’s the one we’ll discuss here.

But we are a bit biased. So we’ve written an article with 20 of the best Shopify spy tools if you want more options.

Dropship has lots of tools to help you find, track, and analyze products. These include the following:

• Product Database - This is a database of millions of Shopify products sold by real sellers. You can set the filters, and Dropship will show you products that meet your criteria. You can then search through the products and identify winners.

To find candles, we would use the following filters:

• Product Price - With candles, we usually need to sell for at least $25 to generate profit. So, we’ll start by setting the minimum price to $25.
• Sales - This is the number of sales you want to make per month. We want to find candles that make at least 50 sales per day. So let’s make 1500 the minimum number of sales per month.
• Categories - Deselect all the categories and select Beauty & Personal Care and Heath & Household, and Home & Kitchen & Dining. Candles could be listed under any of these categories. This is still a Beta feature, so you may receive inaccurate results. But we still recommend selecting the categories.
• Include Title Keywords - Start by entering ‘Candle’ as your title keywords. You may need to add more keywords to narrow down your results. These keywords will depend on your results, e.g., ‘Essential Oil Candle’ or ‘Scented Candle,’ etc.

But we’ll just start with candles.

When you set the filters, Dropship will show you the products that match your criteria. 

You can sort the results by Sales or Revenue to help you quickly find winners.

Once you’ve found a product you think could be a winner, you can add it to your Sales Tracker. The Sales Tracker allows you to monitor and analyze products and stores over time. This gives you real data so you can make informed decisions on products before you start selling them.

• Chrome Extension - Instead of searching for candles, you can analyze stores as you browse online. You can find stores that sell candles and open the Dropship extension. 

The extension will show you how many sales the products make, the best-sellers, the apps, theme, ads, and more about the Shopify store.

For example, we found Interlude, a London-based candle brand. They sell a variety of candles, including decorative-shaped candles and scented candles. 

We can go to the website and open the Dropship Chrome extension. The Chrome extension will show us how many sales and how much revenue the store has made in the last seven days.

Based on this information, we can decide whether we want to investigate it further by adding it to the Sales Tracker. Or, move on and find another store.

Ad Spot

‍Instead of spying on Shopify stores, you can use Facebook ads to identify winning candles to dropship.

Dropship has a database of millions of active Facebook ads. Like the Product Database, you can search the Ad Spot database using a set of filters. 

Other seller’s ads can give us inspiration for our candle store. Look for candle ads that have just launched and have high engagement. As the ad has high engagement in a short period of time, we know it’s got demand. This means it will likely be making sales.

To find winning candles, we recommend adding the following:

• Ad Copy - Enter ‘Candle.’ If you have more of an idea of the type of candle you want to sell, you can add those as keywords, too. E.g., ‘Aromatherapy’ and ‘Candle.'
• Ad Creation Date - We like to look for new ads. So we’ll start with 30 days. But if the results are too broad or narrow, you can adjust them.

We then sort our results by Views or Engagement. A high number of views and high engagement usually mean a product is doing well and generating sales. So, these are the ones we want to use for inspiration.

If you haven’t got a Dropship account already, check it out for free for seven days with the trial.

A product research tool is the most accurate product research method. It gives you the most data. Products that we’ve found using a product research tool have given us the best results.

However, there are other ways to find winning products. Some alternative ways to find winning products include the following:

• Social Media - Look at groups, hashtags, and influencers to see which candles are trending and popular. 
• Marketplaces - Sites that sell products to customers give us tons of information. Look at Amazon’s best sellers list. And Walmart’s trending products. These products are in demand and making sales.

Choose a Supplier to Source Your Products

You’ve found a winning candle to sell. It’s time to find a supplier to source it from.

‍

Hopefully, you can find your product from one of the suppliers we recommended in the first section of the article. Here is the list again, as well as what each supplier is best for.

• Wax and Wick - Best Option for Masculine Scents 
• ACDC Co. - Best for US Sellers
• Something Different Connect - Best UK Candle Supplier
• Printify - Best Option for Worldwide Shipping
• Printed Mint - Biggest Variety of Candles
• Printful - Best for Seamless Fulfillment
• AliExpress - Best for Decorative Candles

Make sure that the supplier you select complies with the candle regulations in your location. 

We also recommend choosing a supplier that integrates with your dropshipping store. This means you can automate aspects of your business. Making it easier to manage.

For automation, check out AutoDS. It’s an automation software that works with a huge selection of suppliers. These suppliers include the following:

• AliExpress
• Amazon
• CJDropshipping
• Walmart
• Home Depot
• Etsy
• eBay
• Wayfair
• Target
• DHGate
• Shein
• And many more

You can sign up to AutoDS and source your products from one of the suppliers. Once you’ve found your product, you can use the automation tools to manage your business. 

Build Your Dropshipping Store and Create Listings

The most popular platform to build a dropshipping store on is Shopify. 

Shopify is an e-commerce platform that lets you build a website, list your products, and accept payment. It’s our favorite option as it’s easy to use and works with most dropshipping software. 

And the best part is, if you haven’t got a Shopify account, we have an exclusive promotion. Get three months of access for $3.

If Shopify isn’t right for you, there are other places you can sell your candles. These include marketplaces like the following:

• Amazon
• Etsy
• eBay

Or you might want to use an alternative e-commerce platform. Like the following:

• WooCommerce
• BigCommerce
• Wix
• Squarespace

Once you’ve created your account, you can create your candle listing.

If you’ve used AutoDS, you can use the import feature. This feature automatically takes the listing information from your supplier and adds it to your site.

AutoDS can also fulfill your orders automatically. So when a customer orders from your store, AutoDS will be notified of the order, and it will automatically be shipped to customers without any manual work.

Alternatively, you can manually create your listings. Your listing should contain the following:

• Title
• Images
• Description
• Benefits
• Candle scent
• Burn time
• Warnings or cautionary advice

Most suppliers will provide the information for your listing. But you can also add your own information and benefits to entice customers to buy. 

Market Your Candle Store

Your store is ready to start accepting sales. It’s time to find some customers.

To find customers, you need to market your products and brand.

These are the ways we market our dropshipping products and stores:

Meta Ads

‍Facebook and Instagram are the most common platforms to advertise your products. Creating ads allows your target market to discover your products and brand.

Your ads can include images, videos, and text that make potential customers click on them. When they click on the ad, they will be redirected to your website or listing. From here, they can purchase your products. 

Dropship’s Ad Spot tool can give you inspiration for your ads. Search for ads with a lot of positive engagement. Make note of the text, call-to-action, images, and copy they use.

For more information on ads, we have an article on How to Run Facebook Ads for Dropshipping. 

Social Media

‍You can build your social media profiles by posting relevant content. This should attract your target audience and help them discover your brand. 

You can also connect directly with your customers through social media to build brand trust.

Influencer marketing is another way to promote your products. This is when you send your products to influencers. The influencers then post your products in exchange for the free product. Or you can pay them to post your product.

Optimize Your Website

Boost your website's visibility with SEO. This means that when a customer searches Google, your brand appears at the top of the search results. 

You can do this in a variety of ways. But one of the most important ways is posting relevant content. This could be on a blog, adding detailed product descriptions, and giving customers any answers they might be looking for. If you want more information on SEO, check out Google’s Search Central SEO Guide.

Email Marketing

If you have an existing email list, you can create a series of emails. The emails should promote your products and encourage your list to purchase from you. You might want to include discounts or offers if customers don’t buy from your first email.

Analyze and Optimize Your Candle Business

Yay - you’ve made your first few sales. 

Now, let’s try to generate more sales and profit.

Listing

Can you optimize your listing to increase your conversion rate? This could be adding more information to your description to make it discoverable. Or change your photos? To help customers see why they want to buy the candle. 

Make sure your listing is truthful and accurate. So, customers who buy your products know what they’re buying and are less likely to request a return.

Marketing

How are your ads performing? Can you adjust your ad copy, images, or call to action? Could you increase your ad budget or change your demographics? This can help increase your click-through and conversion rate.

Price - How does your price compare to your competition? Is it too high that it’s off-putting to customers? Is it too low that you’re missing out on profit? There are several tools that can monitor and adjust your price automatically. We recommend using AutoDS’s Price Monitoring tool for this.

Dropship also has several free calculators. The calculators can work out your profit, cost per acquisition, return on ad spend, and break-even return on ad spend.

Fulfillment

‍How are you fulfilling your orders? If you’re manually fulfilling your orders, could you change your fulfillment method to automatic? 

Automated fulfillment can save you lots of time and reduce the risk of manual errors. It can also improve your customer's experience, as their orders are processed quicker, and they are automatically sent their tracking information.

Returns, Refunds, and Feedback

How many customers are returning your products? Is your return rate high? And why? We’ve found there are usually two main reasons that customers return candles. The first and main reason is they don’t like the scent. And the second is if they’re damaged or defective.

To avoid scent issues, could you offer a sample selection? Customers can try the candles before they buy a big one. Could you add a more detailed description to your listing? This can help customers know what the candle will smell like, which can help reduce your return rate. 

If the candles arrive damaged, you should speak to your supplier about the packaging. They can make changes to avoid this. And you should have a written contract that the supplier refunds the order, rather than you losing profit.

Dropshipping Candles Across the World 

A country’s culture, laws, and trends can affect the demand for products.

We can look at the country we want to sell in to give us inspiration for products. 

Dropshipping Candles in the USA

The US generates the highest revenue in candles worldwide. It is estimated that in 2024, $2.2 billion will be generated in the US alone [4]. 

Research shows that there is a growing demand for artisanal candles. Consumes want handcrafted and unique candle scents. 

So, this tells us that the US could be a great place to launch a candle business due to the demand. And that handcrafted candles could be a winning product to sell.

If the USA is where you want to sell candles, we recommend Wax and Wick and ACDC Co. to source your candles from. But if these won’t work for you, we have an article with 24 of the best dropshipping suppliers in the US.

Dropshipping Candles in the UK

Research shows that UK consumers are using candles to create ambiance in their homes. There is an increased demand for candles that create a comforting atmosphere [5]. 

So, if you’re looking to sell in the UK, consider selling decorative candles or candles with warm and inviting scents.

Something Different Connect is one of the best UK suppliers for candles. However, there are lots of other UK suppliers from which you can source your candles. Check out our article with 20 of the best UK dropshipping suppliers.

Dropshipping Candles in Europe

Europe represents approximately 60% of the candle market [6]. Germany, in particular, generates the fourth-highest revenue worldwide in the candle segment [7]. 

In Germany, there is an increasing demand for traditional beeswax candles. This is thought to be because consumers are increasingly choosing eco-friendly and sustainable alternatives [8]. 

So, if you’re looking to sell candles in Europe, consider eco-friendly candles that don’t release toxins into the air.

We’ve written an article about the best dropshipping suppliers in Europe if you need help finding a candle supplier.

Dropshipping Candles in Australia

Australia is expected to have the largest annual growth rate, at 11.12%, between 2024 and 2028 [9]. We can compare this to the US at 5.66% and the UK at 8.8%. 

The growing market suggests that Australia is one of the best markets to launch a candle dropshipping store.

If you’ve chosen to dropship candles in Australia, check out our article on the 15 best dropshipping suppliers in Australia. 

Dropshipping Candles in India

The home fragrance industry is increasing in popularity in India [10]. Research suggests that scented candles are growing in demand. 

So, if you’re looking to sell candles in India, look at popular home fragrance scents in India and create a candle business with these scents.

You can source your candles to dropship to India from Printify and Printful. But if you don’t want to use a print-on-demand company, check out our list of 15 of the best dropshipping suppliers in India. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

Are Candles Good For Dropshipping? 

Yes. Candles are easy to source, advertise well, and the demand is increasing. However, there is a lot of competition and certain regulations you need to adhere to. So it won’t be the best option for everyone.

Is A Candle Business Still Profitable? 

Yes, there is plenty of profit to be made from dropshipping candles.

Dropshipping is a low-risk business model, and you can get started with very little money. 

Candles are also relatively cheap to source. You can add your own packaging, build a brand, and sell them for a higher price.

Is A Candle Business Worth It?

Yes! Dropshipping doesn’t require much investment, and you can quickly generate profit.

Dropshipping candles using automation software like AutoDS is also easy to manage. 

This makes it well worth starting a dropshipping candles business.

Final Thoughts

This article should have helped you decide if dropshipping candles is right for you. 

If you want to dropship candles and are looking for the right one to sell, check out Dropship’s Product Database and Ad Spot tools. You can use both for free using Dropship’s 7-day free trial.