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How much do u charge for cake $$ ???

post #1 of 28
7/26/12 at 12:09pm
Thread Starter 
Hi, i need help , iam new to this, i always do cakes for my family free, but now i have people asking me how much for my cakes, next saturday i have a cake to make for a 1 yr old, of a mickey mouse, but each time they ask me how much, their always expecting me to say around $30 - $50 bucks !!! thats not even how much i waste on to make the whole cakes, so how do u guys charge, do u double what ur gonna waste on doing the whole cake or per hr? i really need help pleaseeee. iam gonna put a picture up of the cake iam gonna do, so u guys can tell me around how much u guys think i should charge for a cake like that ( this cake i did not make, i got it off the internet) for sum reason i cant load of the pix, its 2 cakes with fondant with dots everywhere, and on the top its a smaller cake for the head and ears ( so it 3 round cakes stack up ), and n the very bottom it has yellow mickey feet sticking out of the cake.
LL
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post #2 of 28
7/26/12 at 12:25pm
Three major factors go into pricing this cake:

1 ) Permission from Disney, of course, to replicate their copyrighted characters
2) Operating out of a licensed, commercial kitchen or properly under a Cottage Food Law
3) Overhead costs, price your area market will bear
Every path has its puddles.
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Every path has its puddles.
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post #3 of 28
7/26/12 at 12:55pm
I sent you a pm.

mommachris
wife to David for 23 years
mom to 13 blessings
Nine who are still living at home that range from 21 to 3 years old.
Holly, Amy, Aaron, Evelyn, Zebedee, Melody, William, Melissa and little Tobin
and four more sweet babies in heaven.
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wife to David for 23 years
mom to 13 blessings
Nine who are still living at home that range from 21 to 3 years old.
Holly, Amy, Aaron, Evelyn, Zebedee, Melody, William, Melissa and little Tobin
and four more sweet babies in heaven.
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post #4 of 28
7/26/12 at 1:10pm
Welcome to the forum! As you will see in the thread below, and after you read the attached links to other recent threads, it is impossible for anyone on this forum to tell you "what to charge", since there are FAR too many variables specific to you & your baking.

Here is a fabulous, recent, thread about How Much to Charge. If you haven't read the thread and all the links provided by vgcea, it is well worth the time to read all the information.

How much to charge:

Exact title of thread: How much to charge
Author of thread: MallorieH
Date of thread: Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 11:23 am
Link:

http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopicp-7308992.html#7308992
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post #5 of 28
7/26/12 at 1:22pm
While it's true that no one can tell you how much to charge because of all the reasons listed above. I believe your question was how much we would charge for a cake like the one in picture. I would charge $4.50/serving and I use the wilton party servings chart.

 

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Don't aspire to make a living, aspire to make a difference.

 

 

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post #6 of 28
7/26/12 at 4:12pm
^^ No, not really. OP asked how others charge (quite different from what others would charge) and how she should charge, so Apti's response is still appropriate as is yours as you answered the title of the thread.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sweet_Chely

Hi, i need help , iam new to this, i always do cakes for my family free, but now i have people asking me how much for my cakes, next saturday i have a cake to make for a 1 yr old, of a mickey mouse, but each time they ask me how much, their always expecting me to say around $30 - $50 bucks !!! thats not even how much i waste on to make the whole cakes, so how do u guys charge, do u double what ur gonna waste on doing the whole cake or per hr? i really need help pleaseeee. iam gonna put a picture up of the cake iam gonna do, so u guys can tell me around how much u guys think i should charge for a cake like that ( this cake i did not make, i got it off the internet) for sum reason i cant load of the pix, its 2 cakes with fondant with dots everywhere, and on the top its a smaller cake for the head and ears ( so it 3 round cakes stack up ), and n the very bottom it has yellow mickey feet sticking out of the cake.
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post #7 of 28
7/26/12 at 4:16pm
Just out of curiosity, do you do a lot of e-mail correspondence with clients?
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post #8 of 28
7/26/12 at 7:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by AZCouture

Just out of curiosity, do you do a lot of e-mail correspondence with clients?



LMAO!

This looks like at least $3.50 a serving to me. Earlene's serving chart. But, if you see below, \\/ \\/ \\/ \\/ \\/ \\/ in my signature line, I have a licensed, inspected, commercial kitchen that I spent $18,000 fixing up.

I would rather make 1 cake for $150, than 3 for $50 each.

The person who works for nothing will always have plenty to do!

My sarcasm is good-humored. People generally really like me, in person ;-) 

Licensed, inspected, insured, home-based commercial...

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I would rather make 1 cake for $150, than 3 for $50 each.

The person who works for nothing will always have plenty to do!

My sarcasm is good-humored. People generally really like me, in person ;-) 

Licensed, inspected, insured, home-based commercial...

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post #9 of 28
7/26/12 at 7:41pm
Sweet_Chely, we aren't used to "text speak" here. Many of us have a very difficult time reading text without proper capitalization, spelling and punctuation.

Thanks.
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post #10 of 28
7/26/12 at 7:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Apti

Sweet_Chely, we aren't used to "text speak" here. Many of us have a very difficult time reading text without proper capitalization, spelling and punctuation.

Thanks.

And the reason I asked what I did, was because everything you can do to impress customers helps. That includes a solid pricing structure and well written professional communication that makes it clear they (the decorator) are confident in the value of their work. I won't say I'm the best at it, but I definitely double check myself before sending correspondence to a client.
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post #11 of 28
7/29/12 at 10:41am
I will pm you
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post #12 of 28
7/29/12 at 5:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by AZCouture

Quote:
Originally Posted by Apti

Sweet_Chely, we aren't used to "text speak" here. Many of us have a very difficult time reading text without proper capitalization, spelling and punctuation.

Thanks.

And the reason I asked what I did, was because everything you can do to impress customers helps. That includes a solid pricing structure and well written professional communication that makes it clear they (the decorator) are confident in the value of their work. I won't say I'm the best at it, but I definitely double check myself before sending correspondence to a client.



What do you mean by a solid pricing structure? Do you mean pricing per serving of BC and fondant cakes? I'm interested. I still don't have a solid price structure for cakes. Only cupcakes and cookies.
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post #13 of 28
7/29/12 at 6:01pm
I don't charge differently for bc versus fondant. It's more work for me to leave a cake uncovered, perfecting all the edges and smoothness, so BC customers pay just as much. But yes, a pricing structure. The ability to give an accurate quote on a project, whether it's cake, cookies or lollipops.
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post #14 of 28
7/29/12 at 7:26pm
$$ might be OK for small, simple cakes, but usually you'll want to charge $$$, or even $$$$ for larger cakes with complicated designs.
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Recent Articles: The Magic Pricing Formula • Copyright Law
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The Bakery Business Perspective
An experimental blog with new content every Tuesday!

Recent Articles: The Magic Pricing Formula • Copyright Law
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post #15 of 28
7/31/12 at 9:50am
I'm confused....does "waste on"=ingredients?
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