The Idea Behind The "price The Cake" Threads
Business By Annabakescakes Updated 19 Feb 2013 , 7:16pm by Annabakescakes
Correct me if I am wrong, but the idea of the price the cake threads was to showcase another cake artist's well made, specialty cake and have other talented, licensed cake artists tell how much they would charge for it, and what area of the world they are in, so that we can start to educate clients as to what prices they can expect to pay for a cake. It has also had the effect of showing under-cutters about what they should be charging as well. It was hypothetical, and really fun, that way.
It was never intended to turn into the "How much would you charge for this cake" thread, that I am seeing a lot of lately. Which is a cake that the poster has done already, and most likely given away, or just charged for ingredients, or practically paid someone to take. Or a post of an inspiration cake that their neighbor's sister wants. It is no longer hypothetical, and just feels like those posters want their homework done for them. And it also brings up the legal issues of where do you live, can you cake from home, do you have a license, what is your overhead, how much did it cost you, how long did it take, that is so wearisome! The fun has been sucked out of it, and I was one of the original people to come up with the idea, along with Delicious Desserts, and Lady Viola,( and others that aren't at the top of my head.) I don't want to look at multiple postings of small amateur cakes 5 times a day, and do someone's work for them, I want to do keep pricing the 1 fabulous cake a day.
Is it just me? (Yes, I know I am an impatient hag, lol, and nasty and intolerant, but surely I am not the only one that is sad it has changed so soon? )
Can we please keep these 2 things separate? The hypothetical "Price the Cake" and the
Oh crud, I just got a cake order and don't know what to charge or I just figured out that I made $1.37 after 20 hours of work, so "How much should I (have) charge(d) for this cake."
Bash away!
oh you took the thoughts right out of my head....
Been on a bit of a CC siesta - popped back in a little while ago and have just been browsing threads - was sitting here shaking my head, going "is THIS what CC has become?"
Part of your signature is why I stopped coming here - nobody UNDERSTOOD me ! hehe
"My sarcasm is good-humored. People generally really like me, in person ;-) "
I think it is much NICER to tell people HOW to help themselves, and heck sometimes they need to be told...... TRY thinking for yourself - you might be surprised with the what you CAN achieve!
Nope totally agree with you Anna, ( you too Pam ) .
I have actually stopped going into those threads because of it.
Maybe I too am just a nasty, impatient Hag , that also loves a good battle of wits in a sarcasm war.
oh you took the thoughts right out of my head....
Been on a bit of a CC siesta - popped back in a little while ago and have just been browsing threads - was sitting here shaking my head, going "is THIS what CC has become?"
Part of your signature is why I stopped coming here - nobody UNDERSTOOD me ! hehe
"My sarcasm is good-humored. People generally really like me, in person ;-) "
I think it is much NICER to tell people HOW to help themselves, and heck sometimes they need to be told...... TRY thinking for yourself - you might be surprised with the what you CAN achieve!
At first I thought you meant you left because of my signature, but now I think you mean you feel the same way, that so many on here are uptight, and take things too literally.
And it is the whole "Give a man a fish...Teach a man to fish..." life lesson, that really means that if you do everything for someone, you may think you are being kind, and they may really appreciate it, but what you are actually doing is crippling them and teaching them to be reliant upon others. That is very cruel indeed, as you are making them a slave.
The "price my cake because I'm new" threads have always been around - so many people join this site just to post those questions. I do think that by us starting these types of threads out of fun and comparing work then having lots of people comment on them does encourage even more people to post asking how much we'd charge etc.
I say just ignore the other threads if they aren't interesting to you and if someone posts in an existing "price this cake" thread asking to price a different design, just tell them it's off-topic and to start their own thread. Be nice, of course!
oh you took the thoughts right out of my head....
Been on a bit of a CC siesta - popped back in a little while ago and have just been browsing threads - was sitting here shaking my head, going "is THIS what CC has become?"
Part of your signature is why I stopped coming here - nobody UNDERSTOOD me ! hehe
"My sarcasm is good-humored. People generally really like me, in person ;-) "
I think it is much NICER to tell people HOW to help themselves, and heck sometimes they need to be told...... TRY thinking for yourself - you might be surprised with the what you CAN achieve!
But think about it, if all the old heads and experienced, talented cakers keep taking CC-naps, it's only natural that the threads would appear to be overrun by noobs and amateur stuff. I for one love the sarcasm, and won't hesitate to dish it up... and take it too if necessary. I say BRING IT, and let's light a fire in this joint! LOL. *Heads back to my corner*
But think about it, if all the old heads and experienced, talented cakers keep taking CC-naps, it's only natural that the threads would appear to be overrun by noobs and amateur stuff. I for one love the sarcasm, and won't hesitate to dish it up... and take it too if necessary. I say BRING IT, and let's light a fire in this joint! LOL. *Heads back to my corner*
I am afraid that ship has sailed. I checked the "Members viewing" count a couple hours ago and it was 13. I remember before the re-do, the numbers were always up in the thousands.
I think now that we can elect to 'show' whether we are online or not, the count may be off. I know I appear offline even when I am online. So much easier to be sneaky that way 
haha, I do that too! But I think it still counts us. Show of hands? How many people are sneaking right now? Currently, there are (9 Members and 1044 Guests)
For my two cents...
I love the idea of the original Price the Cake threds, because even as a hobby baker (and I never plan to be anything else) I find them highly educational - and hilarious. I do hope you'll continue with them.
The spin-off threads mentioned here, however, I CAN'T stand them and agree one hundred percent that bakers need to do their own homework. It isn't that hard to figure out how much you've spent on ingredients and approximately how many hours it took to make the cake for your friend/neighbour/mother's boss/old school pal. If these bakers don't learn, they'll be on here next complaining that they're being asked left, right and center for free cakes from people they barely know.
Well, dahh! People aren't stupid and who wouldn't say yes to free/cheap cake? 
Oh, and bring on the sarcasm, this nasty, impatient hag is ready for it... After all, how many of those who misunderstand it are we likely to ever meet in person?
I am so happy to see I am not the only nasty, impatient, hag! Not that I thought I was, I just thought I would be the only one to admit it! 
AI recently posted two of my cakes asking what people would charge NOT because I am wanting to know how much I should sell it for (I don't sell them - made for my kids,nephew,parents) but because I am curious to see what other people's prices would be. I understand there is huge variables but its still interesting to see different people's responses and yes it is nice to educate people because everytime I make a cake people ask " if you were selling how much would that be" or "how much would that cost at a bakery" several people have even said I bet that cake would cost a hundred dollars eh. A lot of people have no idea what it costs just for supplies. I don't think everyone posting price the cake threads are asking just so they can have their work done for them
I think I will weigh in on this..most of the time I just read the threads for a laugh and comment every now and then.. I have been doing cakes for a while now and agree with some of the others that hijacking the Price the Cake thread is not cool... When I first joined cake central I never posted a "how to price a specific cake" thread because I knew I wouldn't get an answer that addressed my skill level and where I lived and all of those other factors.. I just think its common since.. if you read the threads you most of the time you get the same answer here... its goes according to where you live, if your license, etc. so why newbies continue to post those kinds of threads is beyond me.. no one can tell you how to price your cakes only you can figure that out. With that being said... I would love to see another "Price the cake" I think the cakes are cool and like to read everyone's else comments on what they would charge.
I would like to say that I like the idea of the "Price the Cake" Thread. It's interesting to read about what other people would charge and why they would charge that way. I will say, that to me, today's doesn't seem to be so much about "showcasing another artists well made cake" and more just picking on i,t which I'm not really interested in reading another person's work belittled. Just my own thought. And as jadedlogic said, not everyone who asks what someone would price a cake as, is because they are looking to undercut or charge but basically give it away. Sometimes people may do this out of love but are still interested in what their hobby would be worth to other people. Makes them feel good.
I could be wrong, but I don't recall anyone hijacking this new "Price the Cake" thread but rather posted their own thread. Which is their right to do, and as FromScratch said (with class as always) whether you read them is up to you. Go on over to to the "Calling all hobbyist" thread. That is why alot of people are here
RE: How many members are online - if it says "offline" when you are really here after you post a comment (look under your title), you are not showing as a member online, you show as a guest. You need to change your status in settings. When the new site switched over everyone was set to invisible mode.
Having a new forum just for newbies to price their cakes is unlikely.
If the threads bug you then don't participate in them, or you can always save the link to one of the many many similar threads that answers the question and post the link in the new thread.
But the important thing is to welcome new members and not make them feel stupid for asking those questions, especially when precedent has been set to go ahead and ask those types questions.
Here's a thought, maybe think of a new title for what you are trying to go for. Instead of "price this cake" maybe call it "Professional Peer Review". That way, when a new person jumps on CC for the 1st time they don't see 15 threads about pricing cakes, which encourages even more price the cake threads.
Feel free to be much more witty with the title.
I would just like to call myself out and say that I am one that recently posted a "Price This Cake" thread, showing my "amatuer" cake and asking what others would charge for it. I apologize if I "wasted your time" by posting it. I was not aware of the rules and regulations behind a proper "Price The Cake" post. It was just what I had seen before and thought it was a neat way to get price ideas, suggestions, and advice for a persons work by more experienced bakers. That is the reason I posted my thread. There were alot of things that I didn't know to involve in the pricing of my cake, and was also curious on how to price cakes in small towns like mine. There are also many aspects behind a cake that we don't even think to consider. Im glad I posted my thread, because I was able to find out the proper way to price more and calculate my costs. I was anaware that this site's true purpose was to have a "noobie's" work belittled by you "professionals". Great way to welcome a newcomer, some who may have even looked up to you and your work!
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Original message sent by Sissys Goodies
I would just like to call myself out and say that I am one that recently posted a "Price This Cake" thread, showing my "amatuer" cake and asking what others would charge for it. I apologize if I "wasted your time" by posting it.
I would just like to call myself out and say that I am one that recently posted a "Price This Cake" thread, showing my "amatuer" cake and asking what others would charge for it. I apologize if I "wasted your time" by posting it. I was not aware of the rules and regulations behind a proper "Price The Cake" post. It was just what I had seen before and thought it was a neat way to get price ideas, suggestions, and advice for a persons work by more experienced bakers. That is the reason I posted my thread. There were alot of things that I didn't know to involve in the pricing of my cake, and was also curious on how to price cakes in small towns like mine. There are also many aspects behind a cake that we don't even think to consider. Im glad I posted my thread, because I was able to find out the proper way to price more and calculate my costs. I was anaware that this site's true purpose was to have a "noobie's" work belittled by you "professionals". Great way to welcome a newcomer, some who may have even looked up to you and your work!
Oh good grief! There hasn't been a single case of a "newbies work being belittled" And I answered in you thread, and said the cake was cute. EERYONE commented on how cute the cake was and how good of a job you did, so I have no idea as to why you are acting all wounded now.
And I really couldn't care less who looks up to me or my cakes. I love doing them, but I do them for cold, hard cash, not acclaim, which doesn't pay the bills.
I merely pointed out that is not the true reason why we started them, and that the two should be called different names, since the idea behind them is completely different.
You have nothing to apologize for, most of the community (with the exception of a small but vocal minority) has no problems with these kinds of threads.
Oh come on! You never answered a single one until we started the Price the cake threads! All you ever ask is Where to you live, do you have a license, how much is your overhead, and how much did you spend and did you get permission from Disney?
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Original message sent by Annabakescakes
Oh come on! You never answered a single one until we started the Price the cake threads! All you ever ask is Where to you live, do you have a license, how much is your overhead, and how much did you spend and did you get permission from Disney?
Having all that information is necessary in order to accurately answer pricing questions. When people respond with that information I provide a cost-plus pricing estimate.
If you don't have all the information you are just guessing, which doesn't really help.
Yes, I remember that, and I thanked you for it and was very touched by it. I felt very good with all of the comlipents I recieved on the cake. But then you turn around and rant about how we are "sucking all the fun out of it" and are "too lazy to do our own homework", when that is not the case. So yes, I was wounded and offended and felt like I had to defend my self and others. Just felt I should throw in my opinion as well.
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Original message sent by Annabakescakes
Correct me if I am wrong, but the idea of the price the cake threads was to showcase another cake artist's well made, specialty cake and have other talented, licensed cake artists tell how much they would charge for it, and what area of the world they are in, so that we can start to educate clients as to what prices they can expect to pay for a cake.
The fun has been sucked out of it,
I felt like maybe it was encouraging the other kind of posts & I too stepped away.
I like the idea of it being an example.
I am not offended by anyone asking what they should charge, but it is asking is o do the work. *Anna don't gasp too loud!*. I appreciate Jason's answers of how much? How much? Where? It gets them thinking.
I recently posted two of my cakes asking what people would charge NOT because I am wanting to know how much I should sell it for (I don't sell them - made for my kids,nephew,parents) but because I am curious to see what other people's prices would be. I understand there is huge variables but its still interesting to see different people's responses and yes it is nice to educate people because everytime I make a cake people ask " if you were selling how much would that be" or "how much would that cost at a bakery" several people have even said I bet that cake would cost a hundred dollars eh. A lot of people have no idea what it costs just for supplies. I don't think everyone posting price the cake threads are asking just so they can have their work done for them
And I completely understand that, and there have been threads like that for the entire history of CC, it is just that was not the idea behind the price the cake thread, that was always the "how much would you charge for this cake" thread. Nobody is mad, it's just that they are different. I am always happy to answer, I am one on the few who always have answered while one particular guy just asks about your cost, and overhead and hourly wage and profit margin are. I'll tell you, and always have.
I think I will weigh in on this..most of the time I just read the threads for a laugh and comment every now and then.. I have been doing cakes for a while now and agree with some of the others that hijacking the Price the Cake thread is not cool... When I first joined cake central I never posted a "how to price a specific cake" thread because I knew I wouldn't get an answer that addressed my skill level and where I lived and all of those other factors.. I just think its common since.. if you read the threads you most of the time you get the same answer here... its goes according to where you live, if your license, etc. so why newbies continue to post those kinds of threads is beyond me.. no one can tell you how to price your cakes only you can figure that out. With that being said... I would love to see another "Price the cake" I think the cakes are cool and like to read everyone's else comments on what they would charge.
Exactly! It is just that they are different threads! lol
I would like to say that I like the idea of the "Price the Cake" Thread. It's interesting to read about what other people would charge and why they would charge that way. I will say, that to me, today's doesn't seem to be so much about "showcasing another artists well made cake" and more just picking on i,t which I'm not really interested in reading another person's work belittled. Just my own thought. And as jadedlogic said, not everyone who asks what someone would price a cake as, is because they are looking to undercut or charge but basically give it away. Sometimes people may do this out of love but are still interested in what their hobby would be worth to other people. Makes them feel good. I could be wrong, but I don't recall anyone hijacking this new "Price the Cake" thread but ra
That was not my intention, I genuinely wanted to know what people would charge, or I would not have calculated the serving amounts and justified what my own price would be. Yes, We are all having fun with pointing out the rick rack and such, and the overly large bosom that the shoulders are sinking into...and so forth, but this cake has been highlighted as a monstrosity of weird, and bride ridiculed for at least the past 3 or 4 years, so I would suggest you go to the hundreds of websites and blogs that have featured it, and tell them what meanies they are, if you really care. See you next year ;-)
Exactly DeliciousDesserts! I cant speak for everyone, but I posted the thread to get that kind of information. Its things we dont even know to think about. Who else are we supposed to ask without giving off the impression that we intend to steal anothers business or to be competition..... I was just seeking the advice from more experienced and talented bakers on how they handle their business, or perhaps what steps they took when they just began baking.
Everyone has a right to their own opinion - but just because one or two people have posted that they don't like certain threads does not take into account for the other 20,000+ regular users of this site, and it does not speak for everyone or anyone who would normally answer those questions.
If you do not like the topic of the thread and don't have anything nice to say, then do not say anything at all and move onto the next thread.
It's a valid difference between wanting a cake peer reviewed vs. helping a new person to understand how to price their cakes. Both topics have a place here for anyone that wants to post. If you want a clear difference between the two, then come up with a clear difference in how you are presenting and posting the topic.
Having all that information is necessary in order to accurately answer pricing questions. When people respond with that information I provide a cost-plus pricing estimate.
If you don't have all the information you are just guessing, which doesn't really help.
I agree, but that is not what the vast majority are asking. Perhaps you could've asked all that, and answered with a number as well, these past few years, and It would be more believable that they don't bother you.
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