Sugar High - The Journey of Starting My Own Candy Company: Gift Baskets

So, I'm planning the logistics of selling gift baskets online. I have bought some of the inventory but have not yet bought the majority of the candy. I'm waiting to find out if my credit application has been accepted by a vendor whose rep I met at the Philly Candy Show in Atlantic City a few weeks ago. They carry all the retro candy that I'd like to sell at a lower cost than I've found on most wholesaler sites online. It might take another week or two to find out. In the mean time, I'm doing everything I can to plan ahead. I've created spreadsheets for each type of gift basket I want to sell which will tell me how much it will cost to make the basket, that way I can reasonably price my products so that I am making a profit. It also allows me to plan exactly what candy will go into which gift basket.

Originally I wanted to sell on Amazon.com but that has proven more difficult than expected. Apparently, in order to sell gift baskets on amazon.com, one needs a UPC label for each type of basket or a UPC exemption approved by Amazon. Another way to get around the UPC requirement is to get approved on Amazon's brand registry program. But that's for people who manufacture their own goods, not for a gift basket which contains items manufactured by others. I was rejected when I applied for a UPC exemption for some reason, so the only option I have left is to buy UPC's from a number of online company's at about $89 per bar code. Although, I just saw a website where you can buy 25 UPC codes for $50 and the codes are accepted by Amazon - www.instantupccodes.com. Maybe I will be able to afford to purchase UPC codes after all.

Regardless of whether I can sell on Amazon, I can still sell them on my own personal website - www.emilyssugarhigh.com at $24.99/month.

Right now my inventory consists of lunch boxes (boom box, Woodstock, Betty Boop, and I Love Lucy), popcorn buckets, and tie-dye buckets: