We also maintain special sections at the Artisan's Guild in Oneonta, NY and the Artist's Gallery in Middleburgh, NY. If this is your first time in our store or with our products, check the "About Our Products" pages to read more about how these are made and our commitment to natural food based and organic ingredients. We provide alot of details and will be tailoring the site more. We are just as excited about orders for "specials" as we are about our regularly priced products and plan to add as many as possible! Quantities will be limited as these are the last few items in a batch. Our shopping cart often underbills shipping because the soaps are usually heavier than the 4 oz average. So in the near future we will try to have a fair way to handle very small orders - for example two bars of soap. It will either be a minimum order in the $ 15.00 range or a small handling charge for orders under $ 15.00. We appreciate your orders and want this to be a fun place to shop! Our free shipping on $ 75 orders applies to any purchase. Nearly all ingredients and packaging arrive here via freight. We are trying to avoid an increase though some of our ingredients have doubled and tripled in price. In order to continue we will gradually bring some of the prices a little more in line with ingredients. We will continue to keep prices as low as possible. Our "specials" are a real bargain and our regular prices are usually lower than you'll find anywhere for body care of this kind. Our monthly specials generally are "web only" since our prices at shows includes sales tax. This is our way of helping out with your shipping costs. We DO always have our sale baskets at shows. They just may not include the same items. Item quantities can change quickly so if your favorite goes on sale, go for it! "Special" items are here and in their regular departments. "Special" soaps are nicest within 6 - 12 months of purchase and emulsions should be used within 3 - 6 months of purchase. The soap lathers and feels the same (actually a little more abundantly, even milder and harder) and the scent may be a bit milder. "Special" emulsions are rarely older than 6 months when sold. For more info please read on...otherwise, scroll down and find some great bargains! About our "Special" Soaps Some deepen (Patchouli). Some mellow and become even sweeter and nicer (Wise Folks and Woodland Spirit). Some don't change much (Spiced Milk & Honey etc). Cedarwood & Sage is nice left in the sun a bit to mellow and the bar becomes darker. When a batch is only a week or so old, it can be stronger and calms down after a few weeks. Fine to use right away other than possibility of denting if dropped. We consider soap to be prime at about 2-3 months, when the bar is a bit harder. We are spoiled and prefer to use it right away when the bar is softer. Regularly priced soap may be aged or very fresh depending on demand for the blend. Aged soap is not bad. It means that the bar has been aged properly here, is very hard and the scent will remain the same as when you receive. It stores for a reasonable time that varies by blend and storage, nice when purchased but indefinite. Older soap is better than fresh in a soap bag due to hardness. The bags are great for washing dishes, specialty cookware, wood items, floors etc. Harder bars last longer when used for yourself and canine friends. The milk soaps are even nicer for facial use when they're a bit older (3-4 months). With extended time in a few blends, small amber spots may form on the outside after they arrive. Due to the oil content, unsaponified oil may eventually come out to the surface in small places. This is cosmetic, can happen sooner with some, never with others and will disappear after you use the bar. Once used it should not recur. Soap containing bentonite or the other clays has the very longest storage life, nearly impervious to humidity, light and temperature. It rarely changes even up to 2 years. About our "Special" Emulsions Since storage life is up to 12-18 months for the hardiest balms, emulsions on special can be 4-8 months in age, still young by some standards. Most of our blends mature and feel even nicer after the ingredients have settled in. Prime in our opinion is about 2-3 months of age. Until then, creams may thicken a bit and and lotions may thin and settle down in the bottle. We fill our bottles right to the very top initially and there is a bit of settling. The scent also settles in and releases when you apply to your skin. You should try a new blend on rather than smelling from the bottle. Emulsions mixed cold with chemicals probably don't change much. We don't know because we've never done things that way. When buying one of our emulsions on special, plan to use it within 3-6 months when it's most enjoyable. Store them reasonably and with jars, use clean hands so they stay as nice as when they arrived. We only offer "special" items that are a pleasure to use in a reasonable time.