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Need price helping.

post #1 of 17
1/6/11 at 1:23pm
Thread Starter 
box yellow cake, all buttercream, size 13x19 pan

What should the cost of a cake like this be?
Thanks
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post #2 of 17
1/6/11 at 1:35pm
Do you mean 9x13?
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post #3 of 17
1/6/11 at 1:39pm
Thread Starter 
yes, I tried changing my post and I hit the button to soon. Sorry. I was also trying to post a picture of an example, and I am having trouble. It was the maxine cake I made. Thanks Thinking of starting a business and trying to get some pricing ideas.
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post #4 of 17
1/6/11 at 1:50pm
Depends on your ingredient costs, the amount of time it takes to make the cake, your per-hour "wage", and your overhead cost on a per-cake basis. Add those up and add another 20-30% for profit and you'll have your price.
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post #5 of 17
1/6/11 at 1:58pm
Depending on where you live, I'd think you could charge at least in the $3 - $3.50 per serving range for BC plus an additional charge for the labor involved in the drawing, but you need to check general prices for 9x13 cakes at local bakeries to be sure that you aren't undercutting their prices or charging too much if your skills aren't comparable to professional.
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post #6 of 17
1/6/11 at 1:59pm
Thread Starter 
I guess what I am asking is how much does a cake like this usually go for. I haven't decided how much I am worth yet? lol
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post #7 of 17
1/6/11 at 2:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by rednecca

I guess what I am asking is how much does a cake like this usually go for. I haven't decided how much I am worth yet? lol


How much do bakers get paid at local bakeries? Usually this figure is in the $10-20/hour depending on area. You should already have the rest of the information you'll need.
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post #8 of 17
1/6/11 at 2:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by rednecca

yes, I tried changing my post and I hit the button to soon. Sorry. I was also trying to post a picture of an example, and I am having trouble. It was the maxine cake I made. Thanks Thinking of starting a business and trying to get some pricing ideas.



Sorry I have to bring this up, but Maxine is a copyrighted character. You can't make a cake with that image on it to sell.
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post #9 of 17
1/6/11 at 2:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Goonergirl

Quote:
Originally Posted by rednecca

yes, I tried changing my post and I hit the button to soon. Sorry. I was also trying to post a picture of an example, and I am having trouble. It was the maxine cake I made. Thanks Thinking of starting a business and trying to get some pricing ideas.



Sorry I have to bring this up, but Maxine is a copyrighted character. You can't make a cake with that image on it to sell.


You can if you get prior permission from the copyright holder.
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post #10 of 17
1/6/11 at 3:11pm
Thread Starter 
are you saying that I can't make a cake with Dora, scooby, etc and sell it without getting permission from the copyright holder?
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post #11 of 17
1/6/11 at 3:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by rednecca

are you saying that I can't make a cake with Dora, scooby, etc and sell it without getting permission from the copyright holder?


Correct, you can't use a copy of any character (i.e. made in BC or fondant) that was created by someone else in order to sell one of your own products unless you have the permission of the person who created the character. This also includes making cakes in character-shaped pans. However, using characters on cakes made for personal, non-commercial use (i.e. making a cake for your kid's birthday party) is OK.

What you can do is buy a licensed topper and include that with the cake.
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post #12 of 17
1/6/11 at 3:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by rednecca

are you saying that I can't make a cake with Dora, scooby, etc and sell it without getting permission from the copyright holder?



Yes, that is what that means. Some companies will give you permission, others will charge you a fee & some just won't do it.

or like Jason said, make a cake with the colors, etc & have the customer bring you a licensed toy or topper & put that on it.
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post #13 of 17
1/6/11 at 3:33pm
Thread Starter 
How do you go about getting permission? Just call their 1800 # or what? That now being known, if I got permission, what would a cake like this cost. Say half sheet size.
Besides getting your home inspected, llc and all that legal stuff is there any other rules/laws like that I need to be aware of. That is still a shocker to me though. wow. Wonder how many people/bakers actually get permission?
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post #14 of 17
1/6/11 at 3:44pm
Maxine is owned by Hallmark Licensing (the copyright notice is on the bottom of each comic), you can call 1-800-HALLMARK for more info.

To price the cake, again you would need to know your ingredient costs, labor costs, and overhead. Let's say the ingredients for a half-sheet cake (12"x18") cost $30, your "wage" is $15/hour, and it takes you 3 hours to make and decorate the cake: this adds up to an ingredients & labor cost of $75. If your annual overhead costs (including utilities, liability insurance, licensing fees, and commercial kitchen rent) come out to $8,000, and you make 100 cakes per year, that's $80 in overhead per cake. Add these up, and your cost (not the price) is $155. Add a 20% profit margin to get the price and you're at $186. If a half-sheet double layer cake serves about 50 people, that's ~$3.75/serving.

It's extremely important to have your costs down before you start selling, otherwise you could end up losing a lot of money.
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post #15 of 17
1/6/11 at 4:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jasonkraft

It's extremely important to have your costs down before you start selling, otherwise you could end up losing a lot of money.


I agree. In fact, I wrote an article about the top mistakes that new cakers make, and this landed at #1.

Top New Cake Business Mistakes
How to Price Your Cakes
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How to Price Your Cakes
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