Finding and checking products
We spend time reading formulas, checking materials, asking suppliers questions and deciding whether something deserves a place on the site.
How we think about pricing
We try to price things fairly from the beginning.
We know price matters. We also know that the cheapest product is not always the one you feel best about bringing into your home. Our job is to find a sensible middle ground: products we genuinely believe are worth stocking, at prices that feel fair to customers and still allow a small business like ours to keep doing the work properly.
In plain English
We do not want every week to look like a sale. Most of the time, the price you see is simply the price we believe the product should be.
When a supplier gives us a genuine current RRP, we will often price a little below it where we reasonably can. That is our normal price—not a permanent promotion dressed up as a bargain.
We choose first
quality, safety information, usefulness and sustainability come before price theatre
We price honestly
we would rather offer a sensible everyday price than keep shouting about a discount
We stay realistic
the business still needs enough margin to pay people, suppliers, rent, freight and bills
From the owner
Why we do not build the whole shop around discounts.
When we consider a new product, the first question is not, “How cheaply can we sell this?” We start with whether it is a product we are comfortable putting in front of families. We look at the formula or materials, the quality, how transparent the brand is, whether it works in real life and whether it adds something useful to the range.
Then we look at the price. Of course we do. We are parents and customers too, and we understand that family budgets are real. But we also have to look at what it costs to bring the product in, store it, keep the website accurate, pack the order, answer questions and deal with things properly when something goes wrong.
Sometimes our price will be a little lower than another store. Sometimes it may be a little higher. A temporary sale, an older batch, different freight, a larger buying volume or a different business model can all affect a price. We are comfortable being honest about that.
We are not trying to win every price comparison on every product, every day. We are trying to run a useful, trustworthy store that can still be here next year.
Our everyday pricing
We would rather start with a fair price than manufacture a big saving.
Where there is a genuine current recommended retail price, we often set our everyday price slightly below it when the numbers allow. We do not need to label that as a sale every day. It is simply the price we chose.
What we try not to do
We do not want to mark something up just so we can mark it down again. We also do not want customers to feel they must buy immediately because a countdown or “last chance” message is always running.
- No deliberately inflated “was” price to make a saving look larger.
- No expectation that customers should wait for the next constant sale.
- No promise that we will always be the cheapest place on the internet.
What sits behind the price
The product is only one part of what we pay for.
A lot of the work in a small online store is invisible. It still has to be paid for if we want to do it carefully rather than cut every corner.
Keeping a large range understandable
With many products on the website, descriptions, comparisons, policies and buying guides need constant maintenance if they are going to remain useful.
Getting the order to you properly
Stock, warehouse rent, freight, packaging, card fees, software, picking, packing and customer service all sit behind a completed order.
A choice we have made
You may not see us advertised everywhere.
We do advertise, but we do not want a huge advertising budget to become the centre of the business. We would rather put more of our limited time and money into the products, the website and the service customers receive after they find us.
That does not mean marketing costs nothing.
A business still needs to be found. But we try to grow through useful information, search, recommendations and customers coming back—not only by paying to appear in front of people again and again.
It is a slower way to grow, but it is closer to the kind of business we want Hello Charlie to be.
When we do discount
A sale should have a reason.
We are not against discounts. We use them when they make sense. We just do not want a permanent cycle where the normal price stops meaning anything.
A supplier or seasonal offer
Sometimes a supplier supports a promotion, or we run a short offer for a real occasion. The dates, minimum spend and exclusions should be clear.
Rewards, first orders or selected bundles
We may offer a welcome discount, rewards benefit or useful bundle where it works commercially without turning the whole store into a permanent sale.
When we genuinely need stock to move
The biggest reductions usually happen because a product is discontinued, packaging has changed, a formula is being replaced or we need warehouse space.
What you can expect from us
We will try to make the price make sense.
Costs change and we cannot promise that every price will stay the same. What we can promise is that we will not deliberately make the pricing confusing.
We will not inflate a price just to advertise a bigger discount.
A crossed-out price should have a genuine basis.
We will explain the important conditions of a promotion.
Minimum spends, exclusions and dates should not be hidden in a way that changes the offer.
We will change prices when the underlying costs genuinely change.
Supplier increases, freight, currency and operating costs can all affect the final price.
We will not pretend that fair pricing means perfect pricing.
There may always be another price somewhere. We are responsible for making ours reasonable and honest.
Pricing questions
A few things customers reasonably ask.
The terms shown with a particular offer will always apply to that promotion.
Are you always cheaper than the recommended retail price?
No. We are often a little below a genuine current RRP where we can be, but not on every product. Some brands have fixed pricing, and some products do not leave enough room to discount responsibly.
Why can I sometimes find the same product cheaper elsewhere?
Another store may be running a temporary promotion, clearing older stock, buying at a different volume or using a different fulfilment model. That is normal retail competition.
We will not always be the lowest price at that exact moment, and we would rather say that plainly than make a promise we cannot keep.
Why did the price change?
Our supplier may have changed the wholesale price, or freight, currency, import and operating costs may have moved. Sometimes a previous promotion has simply ended.
Why did something go on sale after I bought it?
Promotions and clearance decisions begin at a particular time. The price paid was the valid price when the order was placed, so later promotions are not normally applied retrospectively.
Why are some brands or bulk nappies excluded from discount codes?
Some products already have tight pricing, special supplier conditions or high freight costs. Excluding them can be the difference between offering a promotion responsibly and offering one that the business cannot sustain.
Can I combine discount codes?
It depends on the promotion and what Shopify allows at checkout. Unless the offer clearly says otherwise, assume that minimum spends, exclusions and one-code limits may apply.
We would rather earn trust slowly than manufacture urgency quickly.
That is what fair pricing means to us: choose carefully, charge reasonably and be honest about the fact that a small business still has to remain a viable business.