Ok, I made the cake for a friend of a friend. Per her asking...

It was two 12 inch rounds with a 6 inch round on top. Butter cake w/ BC icing. I hand molded all the sushi and made an extra platter of candy sushi for her party. The plate and chop sticks are white chocolate. I then drove a 1/2 an hour to deliver the cake!

I was being nice and charged her $45. She had the nerve to tell my friend
"It better be the best cake she has ever eaten for that price!"
This from a woman who drives a BMW, lives in a huge house, is married to a man who only pays cash for all his cars, and has more money than they know what to do with....

For anyone else I would have charged at least, $55 for the cake and $10 to deliver it. Am I wrong? You all please tell me if I over charged...

(I can not get my attachment to work but it is the sushi cake that is in my pics.)


Thanks!

WOW, that is an awsome cake. You gave her a great deal, For that cake I would have charges 75.00 or more. Poeple are really behind the times when it comes to cake prices.

ml

you only charged $45 and you would have charged $55?

are you kidding this is a great cake i would have charged at lest $75 for all the work that went into it.

she was wrong for saying it. next time she wants something you will know to charge her as you would anyone else.

It's funny that some people that seem to have everything dont like to pay for anything.

I saw your cake and it looked fabulous! She waould have paid a LOT more than that at a bakery! I can't believe she said that!!! You swhould be like the soup nazi in Seinfeld "No more cakes for you!"

At my prices, just the cakes would have been $50.00! I charge extra for modeled decorations so I agree that $75.00 would have been more than fair! PLUS a delivery charge for that far! With gas prices the way they are, I would have charged a $25.00 delivery fee (1/2 hour one way but you still gotta go that 1/2 hour back)! Don't feel like you overcharge people when they make comments like that! Most people don't understand what it takes to make a cake like that! And please don't let this offend anyone, but I have found that people with a lot of money and well off like that are tight on the silliest things. Just take her words with a grain of salt and keep charging what you feel you deserve to get for your talent and hard work!
Heather

Thank You all so much! I am new to charging, I used to just do cakes for family and friends. I guess I just needed an ego lift, some friends to tell me I am not crazy...

Thanks!!!!

LOL the cake Nazi! That cake looks like it would have taken hours and hours. Then even delivering it! 1/2 delivery in lots of buisness cost 25.00 especially with gas prices. She got and awesome deal. Where else would she find a cake like that. I agree if she didnt like it?(cant believe she wouldnt have ) "No more cake for you!"

I love it!!! "No more cakes for you!"

I totally agree with everyone. You so undercharged her. If she really had any idea what she was talking about - she would never had said that. And it's true, most people have no idea how much cakes cost since the only cakes they see are the ones at the grocery store - so not like the ones I see everyone here doing.

I guess stuff like that doesn't bother me. I figure if they don't like my price, if they hesitate, I encourage them to shop around - they will soon find they cannot get that kind of quality elsewhere for what I would charge- and it seems like it's the same with most cake artists here. People want the cakes they see on tv and in magazines, but never look to see how much those cost. Can you just see how their eyes would bug out if they put the prices in the mags?

No youre not wrong I kind of had the same thing happen to me a co worker asked me to make a Chocolate 9 in 2 layers round cake with chocolate dipped strawberries on top with chocolate swirls and the glitter to decorate it she asked me how much so I said ok $12.00 normally I dont take last minute orders but it was already Wednesday and I work full time and usually I charge more for a cake like this and no one ever complained about the price she said I need it Saturday, the closes cake decorating store is about 25 miles away and I needed to get some things in order to make this cake I only do this for fun luckily my cakes look great, will that night I used my gas to go into town to purchase everything I needed for this cake the next day she comes to me and says Ill make it myself $12.00 is kind of expensive for a chocolate cake I said thats ok go ahead later I found out she was hoping I would give her the cake, you know when you put time and gas (especially gas) people dont think about what a good deal they are getting my cakes or homemade she told a friend a box of cake mix is not $12.00 dollars oh will all I can say is I hope she finds one less the $12.00 if she does Id like to see it, next time Im asked I will say no I to expensive.

Molly2

The Cake Natzi cracks me up!!!!

Moly2- you can not get a hand made cake for $12... what a jerk! I make my cakes from scratch as well, people have no idea...

But thanks for making me laugh, some hwo knowing that others have gone threw what you have make you feel better!

No!!!!!! You are in your right to be upset!

Wow. I would have charged more than that for all that work! How much do you people charge anyway? I'm new to this charging business and I have 2 cakes due - one next week and one in June (same cake....she still wants to pay for both) but I don't know what to charge her!

She wants a CLASSY beach style cake (get this though, she wants a flat cake, no tiers...like a half sheet or perhaps a little bigger) to feed 50 people. She wants me to use the frosting from work (Rich's Bettercreme - I work in a supermarket bakery), with a raspberry filling, she'd prefer 2 layers blah blah. With an adirondack chair and homemade chocolate shells (gonna dust them with lustre dust).

I'm clueless though as to how much to charge her! Help!

But you know whats really funny is that this person is very educated and hold a degree and is always telling everyone how she doesnt cook she orders out a lot so that right their should tell you how much she knows what goes in to something like this so really who looks stupid me telling her my cake cost $12.00 are her complaining about it to other people

IMO..you are seriously undercharging for your work!!!!

Oh wow, that is really cheap for that cake. And it is a wonderfully decorated cake, btw. Some people just have no idea the time and effort that goes into cake decorating. Chalk it up to ignorance (and cheapness! )

Oh and $12 for a double chocolate cake WITH chocolate dipped strawberries?? Is she crazy??! Hell, at work a double layer cake is $15. Without strawberries. I hate it when people assume that they will get the cake for cheap. I'm still clueless about prices though cause I'm a bit cheap (as far as charging).

My dad went to culinary school he was taught that you take all your ingredients add the break down what you use in your recipe and add up the cost multiply it by 3 that should be what you charge for your items if I did that that my $12.00 cake would have been much more

Molly

I would have charged $184 plus tax and delivery on that cake... What a rude person!

Thanks Lisa for posting the pic....I am so not a computer person!

As far as Candy177 I have my basic prices on my web site, I charge at least $10 for delivery, and fondant molding starts at $5 and goes up depending on how difficult....I always thought I charged on the low side till today, LOL but feel free to take a peek if it helps you at all..

What a trashy person! Take the photo of your cake to 2 or 3 bakeries and get a quote. Document the date, time & person who gave you the quote. Forward all the details to Miss Trashy and suggest that she contact one of those bakeries for her future cake needs.
P.S. She is NOT your friend; she is merely posing as such.

Thank you Florimbio. And Lsawyer, that sounds like a FANTASTIC idea!

What really p&%&% me off about people is that they don't realized the work, the incredients and your devotions and hard work. So do what I do Tell them go to a bakery and get your self a FROZEN CAKE. Don't ever underestimate your hard work. Sometimes people don't know what the hell they want. Don't have people tell you what your prices should be. You're the one doing all the work. Keep your head up. Trus that happend to me and I had to show the customer my DOOR. lol.

OMG!! You charged her $45 and she complained!! Next time charge her $150, the cake is worth it, i wouldnt do it for any less than that. It has sooooo much work.
Please rise up your prices, even $55 would have been a steal. If you were near me i would buy cakes of you, LOL
Nati

Florimbio: It is the real thing people with a lot of money are always the one fighting for the price of things I guess that is why they are rich in the first place, your cake looks spectacular never give away your incredible work never, I understand perfectly I live in a very well area and you would not believe what I have watch people do. This is just a learning experience dont worry you know what to do next time

awesome cake. It's obvious some people don't know or understand what it takes to make things like that. They believe you can twinkle your nose and it's done.

Maybe that is how they became rich....long pockets and short arms.

In a moment of a bad mood I had someone tell me my cookies were too much. The only guilt I felt was telling her that her comment didn't take as long as my cookies did and that remark was cheap. Best feeling I ever had was watching her stick her nose in the air and walk away. Funny thing was my sales went up.

Ladies, take it from someone who dreams of being where you are in your work, need to stop with the guilt (I know that is easier said then done) but you are selling yourselves very short. Your works of art are awsome. If you weren't good then you wouldn't have been recommended. Stay tough because your work isn't flimsy.


Shyann

Wow you did an awesome job on the cake, It was truly a work of art, you undercharged her, i would have paid $75. I charge a few dollars more for my work than the local bakeries in my area. most customers do not realized that most bakeries do not make fresh cakes they are made in a factory and frozen then sent to the stores. That is why they are not very tall, or do not taste well. Unfortunately there are people who buy from privately owned business that do not understand we are all about quality not quantity.

Hey Flo...I can truly understand how angry you are about your customer's remark. I'd probably feel that way too. But you are letting yourself get upset over hearsay. This was a remark made to your friend and then repeated to you...you have no idea how it was originally stated...the recipient could've been making a half-hearted attempt at sarcastic humor. It could have been taken out of content. Since you weren't there to hear it, it's probably not worth the time or energy for you to be upset. You did an awesome job on the cake ~ you know it and so does anyone who saw it. Some customers are just ignorant.

And I agree, you are not charging enough, especially being in the area you're in and gas prices what they are.

Learn and move on. Just my 2 cent...