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Rating:
Low rating due to potential
as business in itself.
Level of
Review: Researched - could not see any reason
to spend the money to try it out (but I am not into
cute crafty things either!).
Overview:
Software specially designed to create customized
candy wrappers. Ad claims that this can provide
income from sales to special interest groups,
businesses, and at craft fairs.
Product:
Their product is software, your product is retail
candybars or other items.
Cost: $33.95
or $29.95 (depending on whether you want a CD or
download)
Compensation:
As with most craft and sales items, you buy retail,
sell wholesale. Profit margin depends on the market
in your area.
Conclusion:
As a home business, we give this a rating of only
two - making money in the way they state would be
hard, and it would only work in certain
circumstances. As software, some people may find it
useful in a very tight niche. I do not recommend
you buy this software hoping that it will provide
you with a means to make money. It might be useful
as an enhancement to an existing product
though.
I think the whole
idea of selling custom wrapped candy is shakey at
best. In some areas you might be able to sell a bit
at craft fairs, or for seasonal "acquaintance"
gifts, but I think that you might have to do a
lot of marketing just to get a few customers.
Supposedly you can wrap other items as well, but
the wrapping is hardly going to increase the margin
on them very much. The wrap is an extra, not a
necessity in selling such items.
People are also
reluctant to purchase candy that looks as though it
may have been tampered with. If this is something
you decide to do, I recommend that you do not
unwrap the candy, but wrap the new label around the
old one, either on top of the original band wrap,
or around the plastic wrapper. Profit margin is
also likely to be low since the market won't stand
for much of an increase in the price of candy, no
matter how cute it is.
My real problem
with it is that you can do the same thing with any
software that allows you to set up a custom label
template. Simply set up the labels for the size of
your wrapper (in a landscape layout if you need
to), and use the usual text tools and clipart to
create whatever it is you want to do. I cannot see
the point of spending $30 or more for software that
does just that when MS Word, MS Works, or any
Desktop Publishing software (Print Master,
PrintShop, PrintArtist, etc) will do the same thing
just as efficiently, and with more flexibility.
Clipart is readily available free also, or with
software you may already own on your computer!
Since you would have to learn how to use their
software anyway, you might as well just learn to
use the software you already have.
If you felt that
making wrappers for things was important, then you
could set up several templates for them with the
software you already have so you only have to size
the label layout once. Print on whatever specialty
paper you consider good.
Whether or not this
could provide reliable income, or enhance an
already established business largely depends on
your area, your personality (whether you can sell
cheerfully), and how you use the wrappers - on
products other than just candy, in gift baskets,
for high demand custom made items like candles or
soap, etc. It also depends on whether or not you
already have a successful selling venue for your
products - a website that gets good traffic, or
good craft fairs, a consignment or specialty shop,
etc.
Either way, this
software is not a reasonable investment unless you
do not have software that can do it, and you intend
to print an awful LOT of such wrappers - as an add
on to something that is already successful, not as
a necessary item in a startup.
Keeping that in
mind, I have provided a link only in the interest
of saving you time if you choose to check it out
yourself.
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