Am I over priced? - Cake Decorating Community - Cakes We Bake2024-03-29T12:47:29Zhttps://cakeswebake.com/forum/topics/am-i-over-priced?commentId=4635016%3AComment%3A673396&feed=yes&xn_auth=noListen, I had the same proble…tag:cakeswebake.com,2011-09-06:4635016:Comment:6817372011-09-06T15:44:06.853Zmaria diazhttps://cakeswebake.com/profile/mariadiaz
Listen, I had the same problem. I was giving away cakes for over a year! Breaking even and giving away free labor. Everyone wants "affordable", but your work perhaps is not necessarily affordable. If that makes any sense. It takes a lot of man power to make a cake. Your oven is going, your mixer, ingredients, supplies, boards, etc. When take everything into count, you realize you are not charging a dime! I think you are not overcharging, but rather undercharging. Now-a-days, I get a request for…
Listen, I had the same problem. I was giving away cakes for over a year! Breaking even and giving away free labor. Everyone wants "affordable", but your work perhaps is not necessarily affordable. If that makes any sense. It takes a lot of man power to make a cake. Your oven is going, your mixer, ingredients, supplies, boards, etc. When take everything into count, you realize you are not charging a dime! I think you are not overcharging, but rather undercharging. Now-a-days, I get a request for a cake, I give my firm price, if the client finds it too expensive..Oh well! We have to learn how to say NO and accept a client going somewhere else. In the long run, like a chef says "it is better to lose a client than to not pay your rent because you gave away your product" And its true, if you start pricing yourself low, you will get referrals of people who dont want to pay true cost. I think anything less than $350 dollars for that cake is very low. If you have already quoted, fine, but in the future keep that in mind. My experience has taught me t…tag:cakeswebake.com,2011-09-06:4635016:Comment:6802292011-09-06T00:42:19.941ZYamilehttps://cakeswebake.com/profile/Yamile
<div><p>My experience has taught me that no one understands what goes into making an elaborate cake. Learn to stick to your guns, and to appreciate your own work. Customers will make promises of how many people will see your work, how much they're going to recommend you to others its all blahblahblah from them for you to reduce your price. I think that your price is very inexpensive, considering that each cake that size will serve 75. I would charge at least 200 per cake, and the delivery…</p>
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<div><p>My experience has taught me that no one understands what goes into making an elaborate cake. Learn to stick to your guns, and to appreciate your own work. Customers will make promises of how many people will see your work, how much they're going to recommend you to others its all blahblahblah from them for you to reduce your price. I think that your price is very inexpensive, considering that each cake that size will serve 75. I would charge at least 200 per cake, and the delivery being 40 miles away, and the cost of gas at least 40-$50.</p>
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<p>Good luck.</p>
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<blockquote cite="http://www.cakeswebake.com/forum/topics/am-i-over-priced#4635016Comment677483"></blockquote> If you are satisfied with the…tag:cakeswebake.com,2011-09-05:4635016:Comment:6798312011-09-05T19:53:28.388Zleana overfelthttps://cakeswebake.com/profile/leanaoverfelt
If you are satisfied with the price stick to your guns. Your husband does not know what work goes into a cake. I did a cake for a friend she had no problem paying $49.00 for a cake (it is the horse silhouette in my pics) like she said I tasted your stuff and store stuff yours is worth every penny and more. Once you start giving prices to get customers those new customers are going except the same deal. One day have your husband work on a cake see how long he stays with it.
If you are satisfied with the price stick to your guns. Your husband does not know what work goes into a cake. I did a cake for a friend she had no problem paying $49.00 for a cake (it is the horse silhouette in my pics) like she said I tasted your stuff and store stuff yours is worth every penny and more. Once you start giving prices to get customers those new customers are going except the same deal. One day have your husband work on a cake see how long he stays with it. Very few people understand wh…tag:cakeswebake.com,2011-09-05:4635016:Comment:6790742011-09-05T19:46:39.449ZDawn Beckerhttps://cakeswebake.com/profile/DawnBecker
<p>Very few people understand what goes into making a custom cake. I've truly just learned to say, "If you want a $25 cake, please feel free to go buy a $25 cake from "XXXXXX." It won't hurt my feelings, I completely understand. But if you want this custom cake, made just for you, this is how much it costs."</p>
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<p>Then I let them decide and I don't let it bother me.</p>
<p>Very few people understand what goes into making a custom cake. I've truly just learned to say, "If you want a $25 cake, please feel free to go buy a $25 cake from "XXXXXX." It won't hurt my feelings, I completely understand. But if you want this custom cake, made just for you, this is how much it costs."</p>
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<p>Then I let them decide and I don't let it bother me.</p> I posted something a few min…tag:cakeswebake.com,2011-09-05:4635016:Comment:6796152011-09-05T17:59:02.779ZMelanie Kenefskyhttps://cakeswebake.com/profile/MelanieKenefsky
I posted something a few min ago and need to add this. You are way undercharging sweetie. Figure out how much gas is in your area..how many miles to the gal you get, multiply that by the miles you have to drive, and then add on your time to drive. You are an artist and this is going to take days. dont devalue your self. If you do others will too. These cakes are works of art not just betty crocker with canned icing. Most people think you just throw some cake batter into pans and they…
I posted something a few min ago and need to add this. You are way undercharging sweetie. Figure out how much gas is in your area..how many miles to the gal you get, multiply that by the miles you have to drive, and then add on your time to drive. You are an artist and this is going to take days. dont devalue your self. If you do others will too. These cakes are works of art not just betty crocker with canned icing. Most people think you just throw some cake batter into pans and they come out of the oven all decorated like we are a Geni in a bottle. I was a Respiratory Therapist for many years before I retired and those 12 hour days were grueling, but let me tell you..I work harder now designing cakes than I did then. There are some Cake artists that will not even take an order no matter how small it is for less than $400.00...so I think we should all appreciate our talents and price appropriatly. The link below<br />
<p><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://staceyssweetshop.blogspot.com/2011/08/howd-you-arrive-at-tha">http://staceyssweetshop.blogspot.com/2011/08/howd-you-arrive-at-tha...</a> is really good...you shoulld check it out. Believe me regardless of what you charge when the people at this even see you creation they will want your card so dont forget to have some there.</p> To all these professional art…tag:cakeswebake.com,2011-09-05:4635016:Comment:6791672011-09-05T17:55:58.551ZSandra I. Vazquez Lossiseronihttps://cakeswebake.com/profile/SandraIVazquezLossiseroni
To all these professional artists that have taken time to talk about this subject, I salute you. I am sure that Lind has benefit from yor lintlligent discussions, but not only her, myself included. I really needed to read all this info. Thank you so much.
To all these professional artists that have taken time to talk about this subject, I salute you. I am sure that Lind has benefit from yor lintlligent discussions, but not only her, myself included. I really needed to read all this info. Thank you so much. Never, ever compare your pric…tag:cakeswebake.com,2011-09-05:4635016:Comment:6795162011-09-05T17:37:33.598ZMelanie Kenefskyhttps://cakeswebake.com/profile/MelanieKenefsky
Never, ever compare your prices to Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, Costco, or a grocery store. People <strong>can't</strong> get the same cake at Wal-Mart that they get from you. That cake at Wal-Mart was made months ago, flash-frozen, and shipped to the store, where an employee working as quickly as he/she could frosted it with icing from a bucket, and maybe added some airbrushing or buttercream roses. That employee probably had 50 other cakes to complete in the same shift. The difference between your…
Never, ever compare your prices to Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, Costco, or a grocery store. People <strong>can't</strong> get the same cake at Wal-Mart that they get from you. That cake at Wal-Mart was made months ago, flash-frozen, and shipped to the store, where an employee working as quickly as he/she could frosted it with icing from a bucket, and maybe added some airbrushing or buttercream roses. That employee probably had 50 other cakes to complete in the same shift. The difference between your cake and Wal-Mart's cake can be likened to the difference between custom garments and off-the-rack clothes. Say you went to a seamstress, consulted with her about the perfect fabric and cut for your body type, discussed your coloring, took measurements, went back for several fittings, and in the end had an exquisite dress, hand-made with excruciating attention to detail, perfect for your body and your coloring. When the seamstress required payment, you would not tell her that a Wal-Mart dress costs $14.99, so that's all you should pay. The two products are not comparable. According to wiltons chart a 14in feeds 78..you are making 2 exact replicas. The minimum should be $4.50 per person. You are an artist remember..not a decorator at the local market who if lucky can make a passing rose and border. The time and expense for not only the baking materials and supplies but remember you are using extra electricity, gas and water. We dont think of these things usualy (I do because my husband points it out to me all the time...lol) You have cake boards and boxes plus transporting which is your time and gas. If they think they can get a cake of your caliber at the local market then I would gracfuly tell them you understand and they should get it from there. If you underprice your work people will think you dont think very much of it and thats what they will expect all the time...and any referals from them will want the same deal. I went through all this myself esp. when first starting out. Good luck..hope this helps and please post a picture ...I am sure it is going to be over the top...<br/> I think we have all run in to…tag:cakeswebake.com,2011-09-05:4635016:Comment:6793222011-09-05T16:01:34.481ZChris Kozaczynskihttps://cakeswebake.com/profile/KozDesigns
<p>I think we have all run in to this in some form or another. I've quoted a price on a wedding cake as well as kitchen cakes to have the bride say, "No thank-you" but call me back after they have shopped around to see that the price was fair. Others have wanted graduation cakes and told me that they could get the same cake at the "Warehouse bakery" for so much less. I politely told them to take my quote with the design and see what they would ask a cake of this design. One returned to tell me…</p>
<p>I think we have all run in to this in some form or another. I've quoted a price on a wedding cake as well as kitchen cakes to have the bride say, "No thank-you" but call me back after they have shopped around to see that the price was fair. Others have wanted graduation cakes and told me that they could get the same cake at the "Warehouse bakery" for so much less. I politely told them to take my quote with the design and see what they would ask a cake of this design. One returned to tell me they couldn't do it, another with an even higher price.</p>
<p>The advice I received when creating a cost schedule is to make sure your ingredients, delivery, and time are covered. No need to pay yourself minimum wage- you are an artist that can command a fair price for your skill.</p> I am so happy the law changed…tag:cakeswebake.com,2011-09-05:4635016:Comment:6790532011-09-05T15:59:48.680ZElizabeth Armijohttps://cakeswebake.com/profile/ElizabethArmijo
I am so happy the law changed. Its a relief to be legal...haha
I am so happy the law changed. Its a relief to be legal...haha I would just like to take a m…tag:cakeswebake.com,2011-09-05:4635016:Comment:6791552011-09-05T15:57:32.172ZL Welchhttps://cakeswebake.com/profile/LindaWelch
I would just like to take a moment and thank all of you for offering your insights. For the past two years I have honored the law and made cakes for friends and family and worked at a local commerical bakery. Now our law has changed and it is time for me to be in business for myself. I have a large book of work documenting my skills and lots of positive word of mouth. I can't move forward by underpricing my work and doing cakes for free. Your feedback regarding reasonable pricing has been…
I would just like to take a moment and thank all of you for offering your insights. For the past two years I have honored the law and made cakes for friends and family and worked at a local commerical bakery. Now our law has changed and it is time for me to be in business for myself. I have a large book of work documenting my skills and lots of positive word of mouth. I can't move forward by underpricing my work and doing cakes for free. Your feedback regarding reasonable pricing has been most helpful and encouraging. So much time and effort has gone into putting together a cake business. It is time to be recognized as a business professional and not only the cake lady who does charity work. The first person who has to recognize that is me! I know the transition will be challenging but worth it. Thank you ALL for your range of perspectives. I hope this discussion has been helpful to others as well. Blessings! Linda