Hello y'all, how much do you think i should charge for this groom's cake? Thanks in advance.

http://media.cakecentral.com/files/aggiecake2_701.jpg

Well over a grand, possibly 2.

Here is the picture of the cake:

http://s1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb409/burgundycakes/

Is that all cake, it's massive, how many will it serve?
How long did it take?

WOW

I did a small stadium cake... Check my pics... Just doing the layout took me 2-3 hours.
I charged $300 (it was for family.. I woulda charged an extra $100)

For that... Just for the size and planning that is going to take.... probably 3,000+

That's massively amazing! It's beautiful and I would definitely charge near or over a grand.

http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-694973-pricing.html

Agreeing with the $1k+ crowd. If I would even attempt it.

Wow...just trying to imagine how much the ingredients would cost!! So many things to factor in... I think $1k would be too low.

Did you make it or is that one from Ace of Cakes? I know I've seen them do a few of those...I bet they get more that $1k for theirs!!!

I don't know how much you should charge but I know how much I would charge because I put the time and effort into figuring up my costs based on my overhead and what I wanted my profit margin to be.
If you are going to play business I suggest you do the same.

Maybe she has already put the time and effort in and she is just wondering what others would charge? I don't sell but everytime I make a cake I'm curious how much the "pros" would charge....I DON'T DARE ask because there is always someone that stirs the pot. There can be so many helpful people then...BAM...someone has to throw in a remark that they KNOW will cause trouble. Happens everytime.....

I do notice that the OP tends to pop in and ask those questions and never really make an effort based on their replies to figure things out for themselves. So, boomerang isn't completely off the mark.

I wasn't being mean, in fact telling her to figure it out for herself is pretty darn helpful, you know teach a man to fish instead of just giving him a fish. Or in this case teach a baker to price instead of giving them a price.

Yeah, you kinda were.

yes it was mean..............no other explanation needed

Alright boomerangbaker....you go stand in that there corner and don't you dare come out until you can be a good girl or boy!!!

Good grief....

OP...how about some more information on this cake...is it all cake? How many servings?

It's impossible for me to look at that picture and quote you a price, I need details.

Okay then, to answer the original question I would charge at least $3200 for that cake.
I would explain why I would charge that much but apparently knowing how to properly price your product is not important when running a business.

maybe you should have something sweet maybe it will help your humor somewhat? Its not really necessary to be so unkind to people, if you dont want to answer her, simply......don't...that would be the proper response.

Makes me kind of worry for the dear OP though. If you just hop on here to get prices for your cakes, and we give you answers knowing nothing regarding serving sizes, flavors, support structures, etc....how on earth is that helpful? What if those ballpark prices were way off the mark for your needs? You gonna keep taking the words of bakers from all areas of the world with different pricing, skill level, overhead, etc., etc, and potentially lose money? Or rip people off? Or, a million other things?

You don't set prices by the quickie replies from people who have zero interest or involvment in your business.

I hope you have better people skills with your customers. Maybe some things are lost in the written word.....you did come across snide, and really you just keep backing up your advice like it was so innocent, and really meant to be helpful...........hopefully the op will keep asking questions and not feel the need to stay away from cake central........that would not be in anyones best interest.....a little kindness costs you nothing....

I think people need to practice what they preach...everyone ganging up on one member isn't exactly "being kind" either.

We're all adults here, we don't need playground aids to keep us from "being mean".

Good God people.

The best way to handle a snide remark is to ignore it. Every one of you has only helped to magnify it.

Interesting that the OP hasn't offered us the info I asked for. Nobody can just throw a price out without knowing details.

I'm willing to help you OP, but I'm not going to just say "Oh I'd charge at least a thousand dollars for that cake" without knowing the details.

I hope you will provide the info needed so we can help you make a good solid pricing decision.

I can honestly say, if i came on to ask "what should I charge for this?" with no ther info (servings, recipe, frosting used etc) I would almost EXPECT a "go figure it out" kind of comment.

I don't feel like the pro's should be doing my job (i.e. cost calculations). Maybe it's because I know enough to know that pricing a cake is more than just giving it a quick look up and down.

Either way, those who have asked what ingredients etc were used and portions planned have had no reply, so the whole topic seems pointless now anyway.

Interesting that all of the OP's post are "How much would you charge for this"... According to earlier, different posts, the OP states that he/she works out of a commercial kitchen and has a set price per serving for average cakes. Seems like "pot stirring" since the OP hasn't replied to questions and knows the reaction this question will bring.Then again, since this is an unusually complicated cake, it could be a legitimate question - you need to supply the details for a more helpful answer.

It's only 2 threads...2 questions...and the OP hasn't been a member for that long. I think we can all back off and be helpful if you want or just be quiet.

Thanks to everyone who has replied to this thread. I am so sorry, i have been busy with another cake. This cake isn't due until November but i needed to kow how much others will charge.
@Jason-Lisa - A customer wants the cake as a groom's cake.
@boomerangbaker- I have tried to figure out the price but i have heard people say i charge too low for my cake while others say i charge too high and that is the reason why i decided to ask what others may charge for the cake. I didn't want to give a quote and later notice that i may not even profit from making the cake.
@cakestyle - It will be all cake and the customer wants it to serve around 150 people.
I always try to push myself to make things i haven't made before if not, i wouldn't even try it. I may have to make a small one first as a sample before making the big one.

Thanks once again to everyone for their contributions. I am really grateful for this site. You all have helped me alot.

[quote="cakestyles"]I think people need to practice what they preach...everyone ganging up on one member isn't exactly "being kind" either.

Thank you! I totally agree. And she wasn't wrong. Don't play at business, learn it. I could live on the other side of the world from the OP, she needs to look around her area and see what her competition is charging and compete. It's one thing to show someone how to go about figuring out their pricing, it's a whole nother thing to give them their actual prices. And for all you "helpful" home bakers that are either selling or are are planning to one day, it's the people that "Play" at business that hurt your true business. And no, I am not saying the OP is playing at business, BUT if she is selling and still doesn't know her pricing structure, well, hey, if it looks like a duck and all that...

That's the thing though we can't tell you how much to charge, only you know what your costs are and what you want your profit margin to be.

You should know exactly what it costs you to make the cake, the costs include not only ingredients but other overhead expenses such as rent, insurance, licensing fees, utilities, gas and wear and tear on your company vehicle etc.
Once you have all those costs figured up you will be able to determine what it costs you per serving to make a cake and then from there you will be able to come up with a price that not only covers your costs but provides a profit you are comfortable with.

It will save you a lot of work in the future and possibly lost profit if you were to sit down and figure it up once and for all. That way you can avoid undercharging in the future.