Client says my price is too high - Page 2

I had the same thing happen to me when I clearly stated what they were getting as far as size and not to mention hand decorations I mean just because I work from home doesn't mean that my work is not quality...I say the same thing go to the local grocery store and get what you pay for and Im sure it will not be a custom made 3d cake!

$60 is way under priced! Where I live you are lucky to get a 8" for $60. I'm sure prices vary in different areas but where I am from base price for myself and everyone else around me that I have researched its based off servings, $3.25-$4 a serving for fondant cakes. For a 12" here it would START at $146. I would do some research in your area and find out what others are charging. Not Costco or Walmart but those who do exactly what you do. I'm not sure what kind of cake she requested or what the other person was doing for her but theres no way they could be making any money off of it, if anything they may have been paying to do it for them. 

 

Don't undersell yourself and good luck! =)

If Costco or Walmart is what they want, then let them have it. Don't undersell yourself, your time and work are valuable! If they want cheap cake,let them go get it because "Cheap cake isn't good, and Good cake isn't cheap!

Well Buddy's cakes have arrived in my town, and the bakery lady behind the counter gave me a sample of one of them last night. It wasn't bad, but what do you expect for something mass produced and frozen and shipped across the country to sit out on a shelf for days and days. Apples and oranges my friends, apples and oranges.

I wouldn't ever eat another piece on purpose, but it wasn't drop dead gagging gross out either.

I saw in my Kroger ad that Buddy's cakes are in my town too. I think people may buy them as a novelty, but it's not anything you have for every occasion. They're not even filled, so they aren't a decent dessert.

AZCoture- was the icing the tub of chemical goo from a bucket? I think it would have to be, to get the consistent colors, and to mass produce like that, but what do I know? I bet, with those big ole mixers he has, he could just add a bucket of that slop to 3 buckets of some other slop, and call it a recipe.

You asked for a reply.

To her 'the other lady only was going to charge me $35 and I have other things to buy for this party, too' complaint, I'd have to say.

 

I understand. That's a good deal. I'm not able to help you as my prices are not negotiable.

 

And I agree that you were giving her a pretty good deal.

 

mommachris
 

I'm in Richmond too, so I can speak to the local pricing scene...there are a lot of bakers popping up every week because of the cottage food law, and they're seriously undercutting people who are pricing things "correctly." Having said that, if it's a two-layer 12" round I'd charge $200 for it.

 

I had someone whose wedding cake I did call me for a baby gender reveal cake, and she had been told that someone would charge her $40 for a 10" round. I told her that would get her a 6" round from me, and she didn't like that. BUT...she had also been told by this other person that a 10" round serves 10-12 people, so I don't know what people around here are thinking when they're pricing things.

 

There's a lot of funny business in this area right now, and the problem that I'm running into (well, not that much of a problem because I don't care if they go get a $40 10" round, that other person will be out of business soon with prices like that) is that home-based bakers are pricing things like Costco. If you're doing mostly special event cakes and not weddings, people are going to be calling oyu thinking "a cake costs $18" because they've only gone to Walmart before.

 

The girl who called me about the baby cake called back, and was obviously still shopping around. After a few questions from her I told her that I don't do anything under $100 usually, because by the time I go shopping, bake the cake, pay for the ingredients, boards, etc, and spend time answering her questions (I didn't add that part, haha!) a $40 cake would have taken me about 1 1/2 hours to make. Minus the cost of ingredients and you're looking at close to, if not less than, minimum wage. I've been doing this for almost 20 years and I don't work for minimum wage. I'd pay someone something like $40 an hour to clean my house, so why should I bust my butt to make a cake for less than that?

 

PM me if you have specific questions about Richmond and it's weirdness.

No wonder the other baker cancelled on her! $35 is unheard of for a 12 in. $60 is still a little to low also. For a cake like that I'd charge atleast $100. 

I'd stick with what everyone else suggest and let her know what your price is. There is always the other option for her: Grocery store cake.

Well it's sitting out at room temp with exp dates on it, and it was shiny and greasy and the bc had that look that it was starting to separate (not sure, haven't used an American bc in years but I think I remember). It does have a filling which wasn't super bad, but wasn't too chemically tasting. I think it was definitely better than a grocery store cake, way better than a whipped topping cake, but certainly not delicious or something I would ask for more of.

 

But it's not trying to be a fancy gourmet cake either. It's serving it's purpose of "oh cute! I'll bring this to the party!". Ya know? 

And those neon colors are just as bright in person! So lots of coloring....yeah.

Oh, and I have somewhere new to refer the "I just need a sheetcake with some flowers on it". Well, Buddy's got them for $25 at the store, have at it. 

You also have to take count of your area when you are figuring pricing.  I know that I could not ever get 250 for a 12" cake where I am.  Very few of the best known cake makers in my area charge that much.  If they do, it is adorned to the hilt and is for weddings.  In my area, I get both worlds.  For a baby shower, I would quote $80 for that cake because my base rate is 2.00 a serving. It would be more if they wanted other stuff added to it.  If I look in the Wilton chart, it is 40-56 servings.  Now having said that, I get some that say, "is that all???" (gotta love those!) and give me a tip.  I have others that say, "do you have something cheaper?"  Yes, plain cupcakes for 9.00 a dozen.  "that's too much".  Those people think that they can drive 30 minutes (one way I might add) to Walmart and pick up the 7.00 cupcakes the day of the party to save the 2.00.  They probably spent 10.00 in gas to get them!  Not my problem!  I no longer worry about losing a sale on pricing.  I had to learn (see above chart) that I was worth more.  I was told that by a veteran cake maker in my area that has been a mentor to me for the past year.  After she looked at my work, she chastised me for being so low in my pricing.  Now, I am just .25 under her (she lives in a more populated area) and stay too busy.  As far as that lady goes, I agree.  Turn her down tactfully so as to not burn bridges and move on.  No worries.

Buddy's cakes are in my area also.  I have seen them but not tasted them.  They don't look anything special, but I suppose are a novelty.  If that's what a customer wants then I say go for it.  I am one of those "cottage law" bakers, but I try not to undercut other bakers.  I try to charge what I think is a fair price since I am relatively new to the business, but my prices have increased since I first started as I have gained more confidence and believe my work to be very good and worthy of the prices I charge.

the 10 inch round serviong 10-12 is ridiculous.  The things with some ( some not all) that come in under cottage food, are home bakers anad have NO clue as the the rpofessional side, the 10-12 servings they are slicing in the big "pie" slices, if you slice it that way , yeah 10-12 slices but that's not how you serve a cake, as we all know.       I made the wedding cake for a cousin, actually done the hwole catering, while I was busy getting food ready to go out thy done the cake cutting (in my family they do forst get the picture, slice it up so people aren't waiting around til the end of the night)  Anyways, I came back in to see a bridesmaid hacking away at the cake cutting it in huge pie slices,  fortunately I had made a cake much bigger than what was actually needed.

 

ANyways I think that is a big problem with undercutting, they know they should charge by serving perhaps but just don't have thier serving amounts correct which ends up undercutting real professionals.