Is this too much $$$??? - Page 3

The thought of doing all of that work for $80 is really frightening! Be GLAD she didn't order it! And raise your prices!

I definitely would have charged more than 80 for that cake. the amount of time and cake it takes to do a 3D costs more than just whipping up a sheet cake.
She would have been more of a headache than she would have been worth!

it's ridiculous that she responded to you with, "that's too much money to spend on a friend."

did she think that your time/costs/talent/the end product would automatically be worth less because she was purchasing for a friend rather than a close loved one? it's not like you question your clients about the relationship they have with the recipient of the cake and charge accordingly! (if this happened, people who bought cakes for themselves would be paying an arm and a leg...)

bottom line is, she asked for a very complicated, high end cake. and should have expected a complicated, high end price.

Okay, I saw a thread where someone prices their carved/3D cakes at $150 for 20cm and it goes up from there. It is difficult to price a sculpted cake, as you truly don't have a grid for numbers of slices you are able to get. What other pricing do any of you have on sculpted cakes? Do you have a base pricing and then just factor in the time, as they take a lot more time than others. Speaking of charging for time, how much do you charge per hour?

You can't really charge per slice for a sculpted cake, just for that reason. It's less "here's how much cake you're getting" and more "here's how much work is going into it".

There's an old story that I've posted before. Picasso was sitting in a cafe and a woman comes by, gets all excited and asks him to draw her something. He whips out something on scrap paper, hands it to her and says, "$5,000 please." She is shocked and says "But it only took you 5 minutes!" He said, "No, madam .... it took me a lifetime."

They are not paying for "just cake". They are not just paying for the time it takes you. They are paying for the talent and skill you've developed to be able to turn a tub of cake batter into the artistic creation they want for their event.

Otherwise ... tell 'em to visit Walmart, Aisle 8, and knock themselves out.

I wouldn't necessarily call her a friend if she responded that way. Was she expecting a free cake? It sounds like you were practically giving away the cake anyway! You could have got several hundred for that cake! She would have been sooo lucky to have it for $80. Oh, well her loss and now you have time to do whatever you want instead!

Wow...I charge a minimum of $100.00 base price for a carved cake then the price goes up depending on design and servings.

I wish all these cake shows on Food Network etc would give a retail price for the cakes and cupcakes that way maybe the general public would have a deeper appreciation for what spectacular cakes cost - I'm SURE Ace of Cakes Duff Goldman would not TOUCH a JD tractor cake for less than $500 and probably more like $800-$1000!  And I don't mean ANY offense to Duff - I think many people would be suprised at what a custom designed 3-D cake costs.  The show helps people see the artistry, time, supplies, etc required - they should also be able to get an idea of what that costs.

 

I also think it is important to "brand" your business - market yourself to the type of client you wish to serve and turn down business from those who can't or won't afford you.  I know that's easy to say but honestly you can't be all things to all people.  That is why there is a bakery in Walmart and the grocery store.  Many people will be happy with that - cake is cake.  But there are also plenty of people who shop at Nordstroms instead of Walmart.  They recognize and can afford to pay for quality.  If that is the client you want you have to position yourself to accept only that client and decline the others.  I know - it's a tought decision to turn down work  - but if it isn't the type of work you want and is profitable to you than it isn't worth it.

 

That being said - I have such a tough time pricing my custom work.  Cupcakes are simple enough to bake but OMG when you have to put 3 or 4 gumpaste flowers on 3 dozen cupcakes or sculpt 36 3-D pink and purple fondant unicorns - that's a  lot of darn time and energy  - but I feel bad about telling someone 3 dozen cupcakes is going to run $200 or $300 so I always end up under pricing it - making nothing for my time.

 

I'd also love to see retail pricing in the cake magazines to the trade. I think it would be really helpful to know what others are charging around the country for some of the spectacular cakes I see in those magazines.

Edited by Wild4cupcakes - 11/6/12 at 7:51am