Photo by http://www.sxc.hu/profile/photosomet
Obviously this is just what goes on in my mind when I’m buying handmade soap, but hopefully it will prove useful to you wonderful handmade soap makers. Since I’ve only bought handmade soap online so far, this mostly applies to the online arena only, as opposed to craft show / farmer’s market types of sales.
The first thing that I’m paying attention to is photography. I have to admit that I absolutely hate doing photos for my jewelry, so I can understand if you’re moaning the second you hear this. However it is the truth, and I’ll be the first to admit that a well staged and intriguing photo does far more for me than a dull, colorless one. One thing that does seem to set soaps apart for me is the fact that I like seeing props and such along with the bar, to give it a more dynamic feel. Just the plain old lightbox soap on white background really doesn’t draw me to a product.
After the quality of the photo, I’m eyeing up the look of a bar. I like many different types of looks, from rough hewn looking bars to sleek and high end looking ones, and everything in between. As long as there’s something to draw my interest to the bar as opposed to every other soap out there, that’s a good thing. Sometimes it’s subtle elements, and other times it’s just something so big and bold and out there that it makes me want to dance around the room.
The description needs to have information on the material, the process used to make it, and maybe a bit about the inspiration of the piece. I like hearing little backstory or behind the scenes tidbits since it helps me have a personal connection with the seller, and I’d rather support a personable small business than a mega corp.
Next up is packaging – if you have nifty packaging, I’d love to see a picture of the soap in it prior to sending it out. Sure, chances are the packaging is not going to be sitting on the soap for long once I get it, but pretty or distinctive packaging helps me convince non handmade soap converted friends to try it out. I call it the ‘oooh shiny’ effect. Nice packaging helps with that.
For me, the price of the soap isn’t a main consideration. If I was trying to save money, chances are I wouldn’t be buying handmade soap online. Unless the soap is very unique, however, I do end up raising an eyebrow when it gets much higher than 1.25/ounce. Shipping is something that does get me from time to time. I know shipping can get pricey, although I’m not a huge fan of flat shipping rates that cover the cost of a priority flat rate envelope. I usually buy soaps one at a time, so it’d be nice if there was a first class option as well since that’d be quite a bit cheaper than the straight flat rate. Of course Etsy isn’t really set up for multiple shipping options, so I can’t blame anyone that has to set up like that.
Once the soap gets here, first thing is going into a scent orgasm. I love when I can just sit the soap down on my desk and it makes the whole room smell great. Up to the shower I go, and that’s when the evaluation process starts as far as how cleansing the soap is, how easy it is to lather, and how long it lasts in the shower. Now that that ramble is out of the way, I hope that any of this is useful to all of you wonderful soap makers 
