One of my closest friends is getting married in August this year and has asked me to do a bunch of wedding themed cookies as her wedding favours.
She wants 200 of the things, which isnt a problem at all. But im not sure what I should charge?

Help please

Thanks in advance
S x

Most people charge a $1 an inch, but that does depend on how detailed they are. Plus the packaging should be taken into account.

Price is very dependent on the cookie design and what part of the country you live in. For a 3" cookie, not too elaborate, I figure $2. It would cost slightly more for individual packaging. There are still LOTS of people in my area who consider that to be outrageous...oh well. Decorated cookies are extremely labor intensive, and there aren't too many places that will do them.

I charge $2 per cookie and that includes the wrapping. You can't buy favors for anything less. They are very labor intensive.

I live in the Washington, D.C. suburbs and you couldn't buy a cookie for $2.00. I guess it does depend on where you live? My friend paid $5.00 a cookie for favors for her daughter's wedding which I thought was high?

wow, wish i lived in DC...........
I charge $2 a cookie with wrapping and people around here still balk at the price.

People around here were shocked when I told them $3-$5 a cookie ..... until I point out that the big cookie chain (C by D) is $7 a cookie. AND .... that doesn't include delivery! AND ..... sometimes they charge extra for certain containers.

Sometimes you have to put it in perspective for them. These aren't grocery store cookies so dont' compare them to grocery store cookies. I don't compare Ruth Chris Steakhouse to McDonalds, even tho' they both sell cooked beef.

I start my pricing at $1/inch. Depending on the detail and work it may go up from there. For a cello bag and curling ribbon i charge an additional $1/pkg to cover time and supplies. I haven't had anyone request any other packaging, but i would have to price it out to make sure i didn't have to charge more.

I just did 300 (4") sand dollar cookies for wedding favors. the customer was a friend and I charged $2.25 each and they did the packaging. i quoted $4 each if i did the packaging. she showed me what she wanted from a magazine, which was priced at 4.75 each (cookie & packaging). In retrospect, I should have charged more because they are so labor/time intensive. the $1/inch sounds like a good starting point. $3.75 unpackage and 4.75 packaged (like magazine) is probably more in line. 300 cookies is a LOT of cookies. I just do this on the side - and my hand is still recouping. and thank heavens for my friend, who is also a caker, that helped me as a favor. it was four full days of baking and decorating. not including making the dough. dont undercharge - halfway through you'll be kicking yourself and be on the bitter train

Thanks so much for your replies, definately helpful. She wants to do the packaging herself so I guess that helps with keeping the price down. Thank you all.
S x

indydebi, that's a great response but it won't fly around here. The reason being is that there is a place that makes decorated cookies (pretty nice and great tasting) for only $1.25 each and $1.50 with a name and packaging. Me charging $2 a piece sorta makes up for what people would have to pay in shipping or picking up their orders while i'm in the community.

That was my reaction when i called pretending to be a customer!!

I charge $5.00 per cookie wrapped in packaging with curly ribbon.When you consider around here the average favor cost is between $5.00-$15.00 per guest...$5.00 is fair...

Decorated cookies are much too often underpriced due to the fact that customers figure "it's just a cookie" but in fact they are not! They are individual works of art, they are very labor intensive and require much attention to detail just wrapping take allot of time.

If you check out this web page you'll see their pricing, they start at $3.50 (basic design)

http://www.rollingpinproductions.com/Cookies.htm

I don't think that if you give your cookies away or charge a bargain price they will be more appreciated, chances are they'll only call last minute to add 50 cookies to the order. I've found that when I offer my stuff as a gift it isn't half as appreciated as the customers who have forked out their hard earned cash to buy it.

Thanks for the link, Montrealconfections! I noticed that Rolling Pin has an average price of $6.50 for a custom design, with a minimum order of $150. Sigh. I wish! I once dreamed of making a living decorating cookies....until cold, hard reality slapped me in the face! I got a little tired of seeing the "bug eyes" when I'd tell someone I'd charge a minimum of $2 for a 3" cookie. I've accepted this as a hobby, and it's one that I greatly enjoy. I envy those of you who have found a niche in this field.

GeminiRJ, it truly is a shame that you out of all people can't make a successful business out of your cookies. They are truly a work of art and people are seriously missing out!!
Having said that, i know what you mean. I, too, envy the ones who can charge a pretty penny and have people pay it.

I made a few hundred cookies for my sons wedding. I had a hard time finding wax envelopes. So at Sams I found deli paper. We cut it in half, used double sided tape on the insides and stamped a really cute bridal theme on the outside. It was terrific. I thought it was a great alternative to bagging when I just needed a sleeve for the cookies. My eleven year old had a great time decorating the bags.