I cried actual, involuntary, tears yesterday upon discovering that postage went up again. Not like weepy-poor-me sobs. But those stinging tears that you try not to let form but spontaneously stream anyways from frustrating overwhelm. In the past 7 years I’ve been running Shawnee Moon, postage has gone up 2.00! It might not seem like much, but it all adds up for a small business.

I wiped the tears away quickly enough and moved on with the errands of the day. The frustration isn’t in the USPS raising their prices. I realize everything everywhere is rising in costs and it’s bound to happen sooner or later. The frustration is in me being forced to decide between allowing that extra cost to eat into my profits, or pass that cost on to you, my friends, family, and customers. Neither are happy options for me.

Shipping isn’t the only costs that have risen in the past 7 years. EVERYTHING has.

Bottles and containers have gone up again this past year and since covid, have often been delayed when I order. Creating extra delays for you.

Ink prices went through the roof. We’ve always printed our own labels for products, but I switched to professionally printed labels about a year ago. It is less convent (because they have to be made and shipped), but looks and preforms much better. The look is clean and hopefully easier to read. In the end, this was another increased cost per label.

I’m continually looking for the highest quality herbs, oils and ingredients for the formulas I make and sell on my web store. This means finding organic, beyond organic, fair trade, local, and in more and more cases, wildcrafted or cultivated by me. This means every time I replace an ingredient in the lab, it is the best version of that item I can find! While I do try to get a good deal and often wait for sales, quality trumps price every time, and stuff’s not getting any cheaper.

Every year prices increase. 

And in 7 years, with all the costs rising, your Shawnee Moon prices have never changed.

As I said at the beginning of this post, I cried real tears outside my local PO because I can’t stand the thought of having to raise my prices for you, my friends and clients. But every year I make a tad bit less per sale and when you’re a tiny, one-woman-company (plus supportive husband), every penny counts. 

To continue to serve you best and continue creating quality products you have come to expect, I’m going to have to make some pricing adjustments in the near future. 

This will take some time on my end to settle and implement, so no rush. But I wanted to let you all know as soon as I knew it was inevitable, so you could consider placing orders at your convenience to get the current pricing while it lasts.