posting $$ sold along w/pics - Page 2

What if it was made a privilege that is earned? Let's say for example that once your rank becomes "forum fanatic" or "forum superstar", or above, you are allowed into a certain section where prices can be displayed. Maybe that would be helpful and would also prevent the bride spying syndrome.

Just thinking out loud here - again.

I think it would be neat to see the prices! People would not have to post them if they didn't want to. I can sort of see how people would be worried about brides and stuff. However I remember being a bride not too long ago, and I knew the price of every cake in town. Plus, people have TONS of personal cake business websites with prices these days, it is not like it is a secret or something. People post ALL kinds of things on here that would be a lot worse if the bride saw it (e.g., a dog ate a bite out of wedding cake I am about to deliever; complaints, toddlers getting into cakes, gripes about their customers, compaints of how certain brands of fondanttastes just like playdough (which is the only brand you carry and plan to use on their wediing cake) , etc.....................), so obviously you can worry abotu that stuff somewhat, but if people worried abotu it too much, this site wouldn't exist!

I believe it has been suggested but a pricing forum or gallery would be great. It could possible be separated by states or skill level. There are always a ton of pricing questions on here so it would be nice if there was a specific place to go to.

Pricing should be the responsiblity of the 'business person'. There are so many factors in pricing a cake.

the easiest way for any cake, is to start with a price per serving, and adjust that for the type of cake.

This may sound a bit harsh, but if you can't figure out what you are worth, how can anyone else?

I think it is helpful if people have a base from which to start rather than pulling numbers out of the sky. There is such a huge range from which to choose. I would think that the majority of people that ask pricing questions are not as experienced and are looking for advice/opinion or to see what others have done. Pricing has to be one of the most discussed topics on this website so it would seem appropriate to have a specific forum for discussing such issues.
Also I would not equate prices of cake to self worth. We are selling products not persons.

I think it is a great idea, but I don't have any great suggestions on how it would work. I think pricing cakes is just like anything else -- you have to have a base to start from and this would be a nice starting point for someone learning how to price.

I own two businesses - my cake/confection business and a medical transcription business. The "hourly rate" I end up making at the end of the day is very different for the two. If I made hourly doing cakes what I make doing transcription, no one in town could afford my cakes ! And if I charged my physician's offices per hour what I make doing cakes, we wouldn't be able to eat on a daily basis !! When I first starting the transcription business years ago I was lucky to have websites and some local ladies helping to guide me who didn't mind sharing their rates with me and I don't know what I would have done without them!!

With that said, it is hard to know what your time is "worth!!"

Sorry for the long post...I think I just feel like I would have loved to have seen more cake pricing when I was first starting out!!! I was completely clueless as to how much a cake should cost - even when I figured out what it was costing me and how much time it took it was just a difficult decision to make!!!

sorry, anorris3, it wasn't my intent to infer it as a 'self' worth. I should have said what your work is worth.

In any case, there are hundreds of threads with the same basic recommendations for how to determine pricing.

On this topic and seeing pricing is such a common question, I personally would like to see a topic, preferrably a sticky with the different ways to calculate pricing, so people can decide what's right for them, but have a base to go from.

So for example I keep a detailed list of ingredients in a database where I've converted costs down to individual grams etc, that way I can get a try cost of a recipe that has 200g of flour, 200g sugar, 250g butter etc etc (but you could use whatever measure suits), then to cost I take:
* the cost of the recipe
* the cost of all other materials from fondant down to the paper covering the cake board; and
* the cost of my time (ie 4 hours at X amount of $$).
* add it all up
* then I times it all by 1.2 (the .2 covers things like electricity, gas, water etc).
* then I round it up or down dependant on the customer! ie $61.13 would likely be $60 or a $64.32 would be $65, because I believe that people like whole numbers to work with, which is my personal opinion.

Then I also have a delivery charge

I do offer a refund cost if people return the board and the box, but I like to build the cost in first.

I know some people times by 3 or charge by slice, I'd personally like to see basic calculations as I think this would help people who are constantly asking how to cost, there can then be a whole thread on the different calculations people use, and people can pick which one suits them based on their location, circumstances and preference.

That's my 2 cents worth