JewelScent

JewelScent started in 2013 with a simple hook: a scented candle with a ring hidden inside. Co-founder Sara Nguyen brought together two family passions, handcrafted fragrance and the fashion jewelry business her husband's family had run for years. The idea caught on fast. For its first anniversary in 2014 it released a limited-edition candle with three hidden rings. Consultants sold mainly online, through personal websites the company provided, with products shipped straight to the customer.

The company has reshaped itself twice since then. In October 2020 it moved its store to a new platform at jewelscent.com and set up a separate rep site for Consultants, explaining that its old commission and tracking system had gone without support for over a year. Then, in December 2022, it replaced the Consultant program altogether. The new Independent Reseller program removed the multi-level commission plan. Resellers now earn on their own sales only.

This means that resellers will be able to earn money based solely on their own efforts, rather than relying on the efforts of others to generate income.

JewelScent, “Evolution - Independent Resellers & Affiliates (previously Consultants)” — jewelscent.com, December 2022

Today the catalog is built around four formats: jewelry candles, wax tarts, bath bombs and shower steamers. The company describes its candles as a 100% natural coconut wax blend with braided cotton wicks, and the labels say they are hand poured in California. The company is open about its fragrance oils: it says they are not 100% natural. Each jewelry item carries a code you can enter on the JewelScent website to see its appraised value. The company now says each piece is worth at least $20, down from the “$10 to $7,500” range it advertised in its early years.

Prices are friendly for a gift. Wax tarts are $15.99, bath bombs $17.99, 10 oz Signature candles $24.99 and 18 oz Home candles $28.99. Shipping is a flat $9.95, free over $75, and the company ships within the US only.

To become an Independent Reseller, you buy the Independent Reseller Starter Kit for $249.99. JewelScent says it carries a retail value of more than $380 and includes its best-selling scents:

• 6 Home 18 oz jewelry candles
• 3 Signature 10 oz jewelry candles
• 6 jewelry bath bombs
• 2 shower steamers

A few details worth knowing before you order. Discounts do not apply to the kit, shipping is not free, and the company warns the kit can take up to 20 days to ship. Sold at full retail, the kit's contents would bring back roughly what JewelScent lists as its retail value, so the kit is really your first round of inventory.

Affiliates do not need a kit. The company lists no purchase requirement on its affiliate sign-up page; you sign up, receive a referral link and a dashboard that tracks your sales.

JewelScent's plan is now one of the simplest in this space, because there is no team side to it.

Independent Resellers

• After the starter kit, every future order of regular-priced items is 50% off retail, with no minimum order.
• You resell at events, fairs, parties, tradeshows or in a shop, and the company says you can set your own prices.
• The discount excludes sale items, and resellers are not eligible for customer promotions.
• Wholesale shipping is priced by weight, item count and location.

Affiliates

• Affiliates earn a 30% commission on sales made through their referral link.
• There is no inventory and no kit, and the program suits bloggers and social sellers.

What is gone

The old Consultant plan paid commissions on recruited team members. That ended in December 2022. Neither current program pays on anyone else's sales, so there are no ranks, team bonuses or leadership levels. Your income is your own retail margin or your own link sales. Check the company's current terms before you sign up, since details can change.

PROS

• The hidden jewelry is a real conversation starter at markets and parties, and gift buyers love it.
• A 50% reseller discount with no minimum order is a clear, generous margin.
• No recruiting pressure: nobody earns from your purchases, and you earn only from your own sales.
• The affiliate option needs no kit or inventory.
• Most retail prices run from $13.99 to $32.99, which is easy for customers to say yes to.

CONS

• No team commissions at all, so there is no way to build income beyond your own sales.
• The $249.99 kit is a real upfront cost, cannot be discounted and can take up to 20 days to ship.
• Resellers are shut out of sale pricing and customer promotions.
• The jewelry is mostly brass and crystal fashion jewelry, and the company now promises a value of “$20+,” not the big-ticket range it once advertised.
• It is a small company with limited public information about its owners and finances, and it ships within the US only.