Bell Top Three Inch Pillar Candle

We pour and pack in Revelstoke, British Columbia. Orders leave the studio within two to three business days, and shipping is calculated live at checkout from your address and the weight of your order.

Canada: free shipping on orders of $125 CAD or more. Orders travel by UPS, Canpar or Purolator depending on your address, and Canada Post for PO Boxes.

United States: free shipping on orders of $125 USD or more, by UPS. Import duty, taxes and carrier brokerage fees are not included and are the recipient's responsibility. Full detail on our Shipping to the United States page.

October and November are our busiest months, so order early in the season.

More than half our candles go to homes in the United States. We would rather tell you what crossing the border costs than let you find out at your door.

This page is the honest version. What you pay, who collects it, what we can promise, and what we cannot.

You are charged in US dollars

Prices show in USD when you shop from the United States, and that is the currency your card is billed in. No conversion surprise on your statement.

US shipping and rates

Shipping is calculated live at checkout from your address and the weight of your order, so you see the real number before you pay.

• Free shipping on orders of $125 USD or more.
• Under $125 USD, live carrier rates apply. Most US orders land between $7 and $25, with larger multi-box orders running higher.
• UPS carries most US orders. PO Boxes may ship Canada Post at our discretion, since UPS cannot always deliver to them.

US duties and brokerage: paid by the customer

Beeswax candles shipped from Canada into the United States can attract import duty and a carrier brokerage fee. Those charges are the customer's responsibility. They are collected by the carrier, not by us, and they are not included in the total you pay at checkout.

Duty rates can change; we do not quote a percentage

We cannot quote or commit to an estimated duty percentage (for example, 50%) or an exact duty amount in advance. US duty rates and rules are set by the US government and can change without notice. The applicable duty, if any, is determined when the shipment is imported, while brokerage depends on the carrier and service used. We cannot guarantee a specific rate or total landed cost.

We are reviewing the current requirements with our broker and will update this page when we can confirm new information. Being made in Canada does not allow us to promise that a shipment will be exempt from US duties.

If a predictable total matters more to you than anything else, please check directly with the carrier or a customs professional before ordering. We can clarify our shipping process, but we cannot provide or guarantee a duty percentage or final duty amount.

The exchange rate is working for you

Our prices are set in Canadian dollars and converted for you at checkout. Across the past decade the Canadian dollar has generally traded at somewhere around three quarters of the US dollar, and taking a deliberately cautious view of that, a US customer has typically been paying roughly a fifth less than the Canadian shelf price for the same candle.

That is not a promise about today's rate, and it will not cover a duty bill on its own. It does mean the landed cost of a beeswax candle from Canada usually sits closer to the price you see than the duty conversation suggests.

What our US customers typically order

Most US orders are a handful of candles rather than one, usually a mix of tapers and pillars, and often a gift alongside something for the customer's own table. Ordering that way is deliberate: one combined parcel is cheaper to ship and simpler at the border than several small ones.

Worth knowing: in previous seasons no duty was collected at checkout, and any charges that arose were handled between the customer and the carrier. We are telling you that because the 2026 rules are different and we do not want last year's experience setting your expectations.

US order processing and delivery timing

We pour and pack in Revelstoke, British Columbia. Orders leave our studio within two to three business days. UPS transit into the United States is typically three to seven business days depending on how far you are from the border, and customs clearance can add a day. October and November are our busiest months, so ordering early in the season is the difference between a candle on your table and a candle in transit.

US returns

If something arrives damaged or wrong, tell us and we will make it right, usually by sending a replacement rather than asking you to ship a broken candle back across a border. Photographs help. We have been doing this long enough to trust people.

For step-by-step help with change-of-mind returns, damaged or incorrect orders, delivery problems, cancellations, or refund questions, see our Returns, Refunds & Order Help page.

Change-of-mind returns: how to start

If you change your mind, contact us before sending anything back. Reply to your order confirmation with your order number and the item or items you want to return. We will confirm whether the request is eligible under our return policy and provide the return address and instructions. Please wait for our confirmation before shipping the item back.

1. Contact us first. Include your order number and the item or items you want to return.
2. Wait for return instructions. We will confirm eligibility under our return policy and tell you where and how to send the return.
3. Ship the approved return at your expense. Use a trackable service and send us the tracking number. The customer pays return shipping for a change-of-mind return.
4. We review the return when it arrives. Any eligible refund, including how original shipping is treated, will be handled under our return policy. Please do not assume a refund is approved until we confirm it.

Duties or brokerage already paid directly to the carrier are not paid to Beeswax Works and cannot be refunded by us.

If you decline delivery because of duties or brokerage

1. Contact the carrier promptly. Ask whether the parcel can be held and what your options are if you do not accept delivery. Carrier deadlines, return arrangements, and any fees can vary, so confirm them directly with the carrier.
2. Contact us before refusing delivery. Reply to your order confirmation with your order number and tracking number. We will review your request and confirm what options are available under our return policy before you authorize a return or pay return-shipping costs.
3. If you have already refused the parcel, let us know right away. Send us the order number, tracking number, and any notice from the carrier. We will check the shipment status and follow up when we know whether it is being returned to us.

Please do not assume that refusing delivery automatically cancels your order or guarantees a refund. Any refund is handled under our return policy after we can confirm the parcel's status. Duties and brokerage paid to the carrier are not paid to Beeswax Works and cannot be refunded by us.

Why it is still worth the trip

Pure beeswax has a naturally high melting point, higher than soy or paraffin. That is why our candles hold their shape in a warm room, burn slowly rather than racing down, and give you far more hours per candle than a soft wax can. It also means they survive a long summer truck ride better than most candles do.

Two ingredients: Canadian beeswax and a cotton wick. Nothing added, nothing to hide, and a burn time long enough that the cost per evening is lower than the shelf price suggests.

Questions we get asked

Will I pay US duty or brokerage?

Possibly. We do not quote or estimate a duty percentage or exact amount. US duty rates and rules can change without notice; any applicable duties and brokerage are determined by customs and the carrier and are your responsibility.

Can you mark the parcel as a gift to reduce duty?

No. We declare shipments accurately. It protects you as much as it protects us.

Why is shipping more than I expected?

Candles are dense. Wax is heavy for its size, and carriers price on weight. Combining your order into one shipment is almost always cheaper than two smaller ones, which is part of why the free-shipping threshold sits at $125 USD.

Do you ship to Alaska, Hawaii and PO Boxes?

Yes to all three. Alaska and Hawaii carry higher carrier rates, and PO Boxes may travel Canada Post instead of UPS.

Can I order a large quantity for an event or as gifts?

Yes, and we would like to hear from you before you build a big cart. Larger US orders benefit from being planned rather than placed, both for shipping cost and for customs paperwork. Get in touch and we will work it out with you.

Trim the wick to about 5 mm before every burn. Burn for two to three hours at a time so the wax pools evenly to the edge, and keep the candle away from drafts, fans and open windows.

Pure beeswax has a naturally high melting point, higher than soy or paraffin. That is why these candles hold their shape in a warm room and burn slowly rather than racing down, which is where the long burn time comes from.

A pale bloom may appear on the surface over time. It is a sign of unrefined, unbleached beeswax. Buff it with a soft cloth or leave it, as you prefer.

A beeswax candle rewards a little attention. Four small habits are the difference between a candle that burns clean to its edges for its whole life, and one that tunnels, smokes and quits early with half the wax still in it.

None of this is complicated. Here is everything, shortest version first.

Get these four right and the rest follows

1. Give the first burn time. Let the melted pool reach the full width of the candle before you put it out.

2. Trim the wick to a quarter inch. Before every light, not occasionally.

3. Keep it out of the draft. A calm flame burns evenly. A flickering one is wasting your candle.

4. Dip the wick to put it out. No smoke, no smell, and the wick is ready for next time.

That is the whole of it. If you read nothing else, you now know more about burning beeswax than most people.

Why it is worth bothering

Three honest reasons.

You paid for all of the wax. A tunnelled candle can leave a third of itself behind, stuck to the sides. That is money still sitting on the shelf.

Soot travels. An untrimmed wick or a drafty spot produces soot, and soot does not stay near the candle. Over a season it settles on walls, ceilings and curtains, and it is genuinely difficult to clean. Well-burned beeswax gives very little. Badly burned wax of any kind gives plenty.

It is an open flame. Worth a moment's thought in a house with children, pets, or anything that can catch.

We would rather tell you this plainly than have you assume a candle is a candle.

1. The first burn sets the pattern

The first time you light a candle, it learns a shape. Wax has a memory: the melt pool reaches a certain width, and every later burn tends to follow the same edge.

So on that first light, give it time. Let the pool of melted wax spread all the way out to the sides before you put it out. For a wide pillar that may be a couple of hours; for a taper, far less.

Cut the first burn short and the candle will burn straight down the middle from then on, leaving a wall of unburnt wax around a deepening hole. That is tunnelling, and it is much easier to prevent than to fix.

If you only have twenty minutes, it is better to light it another day.

2. Trim the wick, every time

A quarter of an inch, before every single burn. Tapers can take slightly more.

Nearly every candle complaint traces back to this one thing. A long wick draws up more wax than it can burn cleanly, so the flame grows tall and restless, the tip smokes, and soot lifts into the room. A short wick gives a small, steady, bright flame that burns the wax completely.

Cool the candle first, then trim. Scissors work. A wick trimmer works better, because it reaches into a deep pillar without you putting your hand in, and it catches the trimming instead of dropping it into the wax.

Wick Trimmer · Wick Trimmer & Dipper Box Set

3. Mind the draft

A candle wants still air. Keep it away from open windows, doorways, fans, and heating or cooling vents.

Moving air pushes the flame sideways. The candle then burns down one side rather than evenly, wax spills over the low edge, and the disturbed flame smokes. A flickering, dancing flame looks romantic and is actually the candle telling you it is being wasted.

Give each candle a little room too. Candles set close together heat one another and soften each other's sides. A hand's width apart is plenty.

4. Put it out properly

Blowing a candle out sends a plume of smoke and that burnt smell across the room, and leaves the wick bent and blackened.

Instead, dip it. Bend the wick into the pool of melted wax with a wick dipper, then lift it upright again. The flame goes out instantly with no smoke, and the wick comes out coated in wax, primed and ready to light cleanly next time.

A snuffer is the next best thing. Blowing is the last resort.

Wick Dipper · Tealight Candle Tongs for lifting hot tea lights safely

Different shapes, different manners

Tapers. They want a holder that grips them firmly and sits level. A leaning taper drips. Ours are about seven eighths of an inch at the base, which suits most standard holders. Trim, and keep them out of moving air.

Pillars. These are the ones that reward a long first burn. Burn on a tray or plate that can catch wax. As the candle gets lower, you can gently press the warm outer edge inward after a burn to keep the walls upright and use every bit of wax.

Tea lights and votives. These are made to melt completely, so they need a container. A tea light in its cup, a votive in a snug holder that fits it closely. A votive left on an open surface will simply spread out and be lost.

When something goes wrong

It is burning down the middle and leaving a wall of wax.
Tunnelling, usually from short burns. Burn it for longer in one sitting, and after each burn gently press the warm outer wall inward toward the centre while the wax is soft. Most tunnelled candles can be coaxed back.

It is smoking.
Almost always the wick. Put it out, let it cool, trim to a quarter inch, and check it is not sitting in a draft.

The flame is huge and restless.
Same cause. A tall flame means a long wick. Trim it.

It is dripping.
Either a draft or a holder that is not upright. Move it somewhere still and check the candle sits straight and snug.

It keeps going out.
The wick is drowning in too deep a pool, or it has been trimmed too short. Pour off a little melted wax carefully, or let the candle cool and expose a little more wick.

There is a pale film on the surface.
That is bloom, and it is good news. See below.

The colour is different from my last one.
Also expected, and also good news. Our wax is not dyed or bleached, so the gold shifts a little with the season and the forage the bees worked.

It smells faintly of honey.
That is the wax. Nothing has been added to it.

About bloom

Over time a pure beeswax candle may develop a soft, pale film across its surface. That is bloom: the wax's natural patina rising to the outside.

It is a mark of pure beeswax rather than a fault, and it is one of the few things that is genuinely hard to fake. We do not treat our candles to prevent it and we do not hide it. We are rather pleased to see it. Some people polish it away and some leave it be; we would encourage you to leave it, and either way the candle burns exactly the same.

Safety, plainly

Short, and worth reading once.

• Never leave a burning candle unattended.
• Keep candles out of reach of children and pets.
• Burn on a heat-resistant, stable surface, clear of curtains, paper, greenery and anything else that can catch.
• Keep a hand's width between candles.
• Stop burning when about half an inch of wax is left.
• Never move a candle while it is lit or while the wax is liquid.

Where to keep them

Somewhere cool, dark and dry. Beeswax keeps for years, so a box of tea lights bought today will be perfectly good in a power cut three winters from now. Keep candles out of direct sunlight and away from heat, since both will soften and bend them, and store tapers flat or upright rather than leaning.

The tools that make it easy

None of this is essential, and a pair of scissors and a steady hand will get you most of the way. But a trimmer and a dipper turn good habits into things you actually do, because they live next to the candle instead of in a drawer.

See all Candle Accessories

Still wondering?

Read Pure Canadian Beeswax for what is in the wax and where it comes from, or the FAQ for everything else. If your question is not answered anywhere, email us at hello@beeswaxworks.ca and we will tell you what we know.

Pure ~ Simple ~ Light

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If your candles arrive damaged or the order is wrong, tell us and we will make it right, usually by sending a replacement rather than asking you to ship a broken candle back. A photograph helps us sort it quickly.

Change-of-mind returns are accepted on unused, unburnt candles in their original packaging, with return shipping paid by the customer.

Duty or brokerage already paid to a carrier cannot be refunded by us, because we never receive it.