Am I missing something? Or is she?!

Sounds like she is wanting you to practically give the cake away. Stick to your guns. As we all know, it takes a lot to make a cake and when you add up the time involved, the decorating and the prices of everything, you have to make some kind of profit!!!  She was probably hoping you would do the same for her as you did for your friend.  A big three tier cake like that will cost you big bucks around where I live.

Don't give in.  I've given in before and then regretted it.  That is too much work.  Besides, if she is that demanding, you don't want any part of that.  She would probably find something wrong and want her money back!  

Then you send a polite email, saying , 

I am very sorry that my quote was not within your budget, and I hope that your event goes well, 

Kind regards, 

Charlie.

Seriously - a 12-10-8 for £105 IS giving it away. How an you make even a small profit selling your cakes that cheap?

She should be falling all over herself trying to place her order with you.

Why are you selling your cakes for less than half of what others in the area are selling them for?

I think you failed to give the customer any other choices.  You could have saide something along the lines of what is your budget?   This is what I can offer you for that price.  We need to educate the public and you failed to do so from what you have siad.

I really don't think people understand how much making a cake costs. The box, cake board, supports etc cost enough on their own! I'm so glad to hear your not giving in! its REAL cake, REAL decorations and REAL TIME to do it. If she wants something that cheap, full of additives, generic looking/tasting and doesn't mind eating something that's not exactly fresh from the oven, point her towards the nearest Morrisons or Tescos, not sure where in the UK you are (guessing by the £'s) but I don't think even Waitrose would do anything like that for that price!

Hi

I agree with both Kakeladi & Gemmal they both had valid points (not to say that the other comments are not valid).

Education is key especially when the customer hasnt got the foggiest idea of what time, energy and passion goes into making a freshly baked cake for their request.

(I got a request from a man yesterday saying that he wanted a 2 Tier Cake when I asked for the date in question he told me 29th Nov - so I naturally assumed it was for 2013 but he corrected me and said no 2012! He said that he cant understand why its not possible afterall it only takes 2 hours to bake with some flour, eggs n butter - so I had to educate him about all the factors a cake maker would need to factor in (whether or not he took anything on board- who knows...) ).

In heinsight you could have asked her what her budget was so that you could have proposed an alternative option for her - and from that you would know if she was a serious potential customer or just a customer who wanted something for nothing.

Second pointer is that you need to consult with other fellow cake makers not family or friends who dont know what factors/elements that you have to consider which would determine the overall costs.

If she was reluctant to pay £105.00 for a 3 Tier Multi Flavour Cake then you could kindly re-directed her to M & S the link is below - it quite clearly states £249.00 for a 3 Tier Multi Flavour, not to talk about any design work that you would have to implement.

http://www.marksandspencer.com/Elegant-Round-Assorted-Wedding-Cake/dp/B0080DGI5U?ie=UTF8&ref=sr_1_2&nodeId=80083031&sr=1-2&qid=1354031166&pf_rd_r=1CVF8ENCMR0QP885BFA1&pf_rd_m=A2BO0OYVBKIQJM&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=80083031&pf_rd_p=321381387&pf_rd_s=related-items-3
 

Third pointer if I may is that although you kindly did a cake for your friend - your friend without knowing (not saying that it was intentional) may have relayed the generous favor you did for her and as a result the mutal friend wanted/expected the same priviledge.

That's my two pennies worth!

Nixs :o)

Op GAVE her a cheaper option.    " I even gave her and option of 2 tier at £55 ($88) and I provided serving amounts so she would know just how much cake she is getting."  Op, you stick to your guns some people want champagne on a beer budget and you can't help them.   

I've done several cakes for family and friends that are deeply discounted and I ALWAYS tell them what their cake would cost anyone else,  and make sure they know that if anyone inquires about the "COST" of the cake, it is valued at $XXX, not what they paid for it as a gift of my time and skill.  Maybe that's a tacky way to do it, discussing the cost of a gift, but almost always you have a guest at the party that wants to know how much the cake cost and I don't want that person calling me expecting a 3 tier cake for $75. Luckily, my family and friends know the time I put into my cakes and value my time and skill as much as I do, if not more, so they don't have a problem with telling people "that cake costs $350", for example.   

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dani1081 

I've done several cakes for family and friends that are deeply discounted and I ALWAYS tell them what their cake would cost anyone else,  and make sure they know that if anyone inquires about the "COST" of the cake, it is valued at $XXX, not what they paid for it as a gift of my time and skill.  Maybe that's a tacky way to do it, discussing the cost of a gift, but almost always you have a guest at the party that wants to know how much the cake cost and I don't want that person calling me expecting a 3 tier cake for $75. Luckily, my family and friends know the time I put into my cakes and value my time and skill as much as I do, if not more, so they don't have a problem with telling people "that cake costs $350", for example.   

I agree.  I have one customer who will always get his cakes for the cost of ingredients only.  Every time I make one for him I tell him to make sure if anyone asks how much it cost, to tell them it's a $XXX cake. He's happy to do it and no one ever knows how much he actually paid me for it.