Have You Ever Thought Of Cheating?
Decorating By AKA_cupcakeshoppe Updated 2 May 2009 , 5:56am by ahuvas
Loriana, your avatar is both hilarious and horribly disturbing all at once! What kind of a mind would it take to design a slide like that?
Oh my gawd that's hilarious!!! I never paid attention to it until you mentioned it but I love it!
Loriana, your avatar is both hilarious and horribly disturbing all at once! What kind of a mind would it take to design a slide like that? I wish we had one here.
Hey margaretb! I love that picture. I have a disturbing sense of humor LOL... I guess it lends a whole 'nother level to when kids say, "hey cootiebrain! You cut the cheese!" 
If I go to a chain restaurant, I expect the prepackaged semi-homemade food that they have there. If I go to a 4-star restaurant (and we have an excellent french 4-star restaurnat here in Richmond, VA I might add, drool,drool) then thats what I expect & I better get, cause thats what I'm paying for. If I go to someone for a custom cake, then thats what I expect. I'm assuimng they are making my order for me from scratch. If I wasn't going to get that then I should have saved my money & went to Wal-Mart & got the same thing for a lot less.
Guys, I haven't read the entire thread. I promise I will But first things first.
These cupcakes are NOT from a local bakery. I am definitely not stealing their business. This is a cupcake from something like Nabisco but they're a Philippine brand (kinda like Nabisco, you know a big big company that sells goodies)
Okay back to reading now. 
ETA
This is the logo. I tried to find pictures of their goodies online but to no avail
I really enjoy reading your posts. I think this is kinda like semi-homemade, huh? Please keep discussing it I like reading both sides of the story.
More on the yummy cupcakes. You can buy them at the grocery store, packed individually and then in one bag there are 10 cupcakes. There's cheese cupcake (which is MY favorite), ube, buko pandan, chocolate and they also have chocolate with filling inside. It probably costs $1.50 for the entire pack (I'm sorry I think I did a wrong computation before and without using the conversion rate).
That's about what I figured you were buying... and I think the only question is if YOU are comfortable selling them. Some ppl are scratch bake, some ppl are box mixers, and some are resellers. If you wanna be a reseller, more power to you..... and more SLEEP!! (think of me on Friday nights...)
I had a friend that worked at Sysco & Sysco goes to institutions,schools,hospitals & places like that. Now, I'm sure there are some restaurants that use their stuff like most chain places. But I don't know of any quality restaurants that order food from them.
"some" restaurants? 
And it may depend on how you define a "quality" restaurant. Because I can guarantee you when I'm at the will-call (where you go to pick up your order when it's just a couple of things), I am seeing the chefs from the high-end, high-quality restaurants in there picking up their order. (Indpls is the 13th largest city in the country, so it's not like we only have food chain restaurants here .... many very high end food establishments here.) And as I flip thru the order folder, looking for my order, I see the other orders in there, so I can see what (high-end, high-quality) restaurants have orders in that day.
Just because you "don't know of any", doesnt' mean it doesnt' happen.
Here is the problem I see. Other than the fact that is really isn't right no matter the price or how good they are...sorry but it isn't.
The real problem comes in if someone gets sick. Hate to say it but you do not know how they are made, who made them, in what conditions etc. If you pass them off as yours and something is wrong with one or some then it will come back on you....at least if you make them you know what surroundings your cake or cupcakes are made in.
The real problem comes in if someone gets sick. Hate to say it but you do not know how they are made, who made them, in what conditions etc. If you pass them off as yours and something is wrong with one or some then it will come back on you....at least if you make them you know what surroundings your cake or cupcakes are made in.
ITA with this. It's the one thing that makes me hesitant. That and the fact that these cupcakes get sold out (seriously) in minutes at the grocery stores. I swear people are hoarding it 
I didn't just buy 10 packs. no. i didn't....
That may be so, I don't dispute that. But I do dispute what we all interpet as high end with good reps. The ones I go to, I know VERY WELL & thats something they would not do. I know fo one that is considered high end & they are definitely Sysco shoppers, you can tell. My neighbor is a chef from good ol' CIA. He has run one of the more upscales & he is very familiar with the restaurnats around here. He knows who does what. We talk about these things ever so often & I find it interesting to see what resturants are considered as high end by people cause of ambiance & the crap they actually serve. By the way, I'm not originally from Virginia. I've only lived here 8 years. I'm from California from a very big city & we gotta few high ends are self that are internationally know,not just chains too.
The real problem comes in if someone gets sick. Hate to say it but you do not know how they are made, who made them, in what conditions etc. If you pass them off as yours and something is wrong with one or some then it will come back on you....at least if you make them you know what surroundings your cake or cupcakes are made in.
Those are valid points ... but unless you visit the factory for every supply you buy, you can say the same thing about every item that goes into your own cakes/cookies/etal. I can easily get a batch of bad eggs that turns every one of my scratch cookies into a tummy-time-bomb. The issue ultimately lies with my supplier. Yes, I need to be diligent to make sure I buy my supplies from a reputatable company. But those who used that peanut butter product thought they were safe with their supplier, too.
I'm not going to 'vote' on whether i think it's right or wrong. I see this whole issue being about buying a product and re-selling it, which is done every single day. There are commercial bakeries that made items for forty-eleven different companies with different wrappers on them and it's all from the same place. Each of those companies run the same risk ..... a potential problem with the supplier.
For some reason people on this site think it's ok to buy premade icing and "pass it off" as your own, and ok to use premade fondant, but it's not ok to buy a premade cupcake and do the same thing.
This is the 2nd topic on which I'll say again ... it would be nice if people were consistent with their thinking on here.
Debi,
I know what you are saying, but I guess my horrors on this come in with the baking end of it. My ex husband use to work for a huge bakery that makes breads, pastries etc, and knowing what went on in there I will never never buy their products again. No you don't know what happens at the suppliers of your eggs, flour etc, but you have a little more control IMO when you bake it yourself.
As for the premade icing...I normally make my own but decided this week to buy Sams....but I don't pass it off as my own. I bake for hobby not profit so it really doesn't matter if I buy or make it...they aren't paying me anyway. Besides that my husband dies twice in the hospital last week....but they did bring him back, but with his heart surgery, me trying to do the physical work of his job (remodeling a hotel), my mom breaking her back and having surgery, and my step father in the hospital with internal bleeding.....I don't have time to make buttercream...I barely have time to make the cakes I have committed to.
Debi,
I know what you are saying, but I guess my horrors on this come in with the baking end of it. My ex husband use to work for a huge bakery that makes breads, pastries etc, and knowing what went on in there I will never never buy their products again. No you don't know what happens at the suppliers of your eggs, flour etc, but you have a little more control IMO when you bake it yourself.
As for the premade icing...I normally make my own but decided this week to buy Sams....but I don't pass it off as my own. I bake for hobby not profit so it really doesn't matter if I buy or make it...they aren't paying me anyway. Besides that my husband dies twice in the hospital last week....but they did bring him back, but with his heart surgery, me trying to do the physical work of his job (remodeling a hotel), my mom breaking her back and having surgery, and my step father in the hospital with internal bleeding.....I don't have time to make buttercream...I barely have time to make the cakes I have committed to.
May God continue you to give you strength & I will pray for you & yours.
The more I read about cheating on the cupcakes, the more I have to disagree with you..please know that I am telling you this with love and all due respect..I know there have been times when I wish I didn't have to stay up late to fill an order for the morning, but what keeps me up late is the satisfaction of knowing that a customer is going to like what they ordered from me. I would be so embarassed if a customer asked me if there was any 'palm oil' , for instance , in my cupcakes ? or if they came in contact with any 'peanuts' because her child/mother was highly allergic to nuts ?..or if they asked when ordering ,if they could be made with 'Splenda' , because someone was a diabetic ? 
...I can't think that a cupcake that costs only five cents to buy , in bulk, is made with very many 'good' ingredients. I think you're asking for a load of trouble down the road, just with the things you don't know about these cupcakes. I've learned the hard way that sometimes , "I don't know, what I don't know". Please learn to make some of your own, there are so many simple and delicious recipes to be had by just a click of your mouse and the satisfaction is beyond compare..truly it is. Hope this helps some with your decision. 
Thanks LaBella and Debi. I appreciate that. It has been a rough 2 weeks (yes this has all happend in the past 2 weeks!)
But just do you know my hubby is doing well. He didn't feel right and so I took him to the ER last Wed and we were there less than 10 min when he literally fell over dead in front of me. He was talking to me and then blew me a kiss and just fell over. But I thank GOD every day that we were where we were when it happend. He suffered from SCA (sudden cardiac arrest) caused by ventricular fibrillation. He has damage to the bottom of his heart and it got out of rhythm and caused his heart to seize.
Anyway they did surgery and put in an ICD (internal cardiac difibulator), so if it were to happen again he would have a bunch of little paramedics in his chest to save him (as the dr said). He is doing well though....but I will take the hugs and prayers gladly.....we need all we can get....
Thanks all.
Oh, my heart goes out to you. Thank the Lord that you were where you were when it happened. Obviously God intends for you both to be together a lot longer I hope you have a network of support. I'll continue to pray for you.
For some reason people on this site think it's ok to buy premade icing and "pass it off" as your own, and ok to use premade fondant, but it's not ok to buy a premade cupcake and do the same thing.
This is the 2nd topic on which I'll say again ... it would be nice if people were consistent with their thinking on here.
The thing is...The premade icing and premade fondant has a lawyer back at corporate which triple checked to books and wrote the contracts to make sure it's ok legally to use. The cupcakes? Unless they are bought from a place which also has the lawyer at the head office giving the go ahead, then no, it's not the same thing.
Going to SYSCO and buying cupcakes and reselling as your own? That's cool. Going to Magnolias or Charm City and reselling their cupcakes claiming them as your own? Not cool.
But, this is in the Philipines, and they could care less about something like this over there. And I'm not surprised they sell out so fast. I haven't had that particular brand, but I have had Red Ribbon and Goldilocks, and their cakes are heavenly.
Here in the litigation-obsessed US tho, something like this could get a baker shut down. (and I'll have to find a way to explain better without having to resort to dragging out my books)
What about hotels that sell a wedding cake as part of a package that then have a local baker provide that cake? (I'm asking) That happens all the time in this town and there is no additional licensing on the part of the baker. Also, I wholesale my muffins and stuff to coffee shops who resell it (don't think they say it's made there but I don't think that part matters for this) and don't have any additional licensing nor have I ever heard of any.
Okay, I haven't seen anyone say this yet so I'll put in my 2c. (And, I mean this in the most non-judgmental, just trying to help way possible.)
So, you're standing in line, basket filled to the rim with your clandestine cupcakes, thinking to yourself how much time you're going to save by not having to bake them when you look behind you (or to your left, possibly your right) and who do you see? Your client. Or, even worse, the "town gossip."
Do you want to try and explain why you are buying 15c cupcakes and re-selling them to your clients as your own?
All it takes is one time for someone to see you buying pre-made bakery items and your reputation, which I assume you have worked hard to build, is SHOT!
It's not really a question of whether it's wrong or right. The real question is "Is it worth it?"
Okay, I haven't seen anyone say this yet so I'll put in my 2c. (And, I mean this in the most non-judgmental, just trying to help way possible.)
So, you're standing in line, basket filled to the rim with your clandestine cupcakes, thinking to yourself how much time you're going to save by not having to bake them when you look behind you (or to your left, possibly your right) and who do you see? Your client. Or, even worse, the "town gossip."
Do you want to try and explain why you are buying 15c cupcakes and re-selling them to your clients as your own?
All it takes is one time for someone to see you buying pre-made bakery items and your reputation, which I assume you have worked hard to build, is SHOT!
It's not really a question of whether it's wrong or right. The real question is "Is it worth it?"
The town GOSSIP?!?!? LOL! You are so funny, but your right. That would really suck to happen.
patti, i wish you strength in dealing with your family's health problems. I find myself in the same situation and it's really tough balancing everything. *hugs*
juleebug, in this town everyone's a gossip LOL but i haven't really had a "reputation" yet. I haven't sold much. I've just baked for family and friends.
I'm just thinking for the price vs the baking, measuring, things going wrong, cleaning up, agonizing if it bakes right, i think it's a fair trade.
CeeTee, oh you know those places? That's awesome. Those are the large bakery chains. Their cakes are actually not as good as the local bakeries here, more expensive but not as good. Their cakes come in iced and frozen and delivered to different branches (I know this for Red Ribbon especially the branch here in our city).
juleebug, in this town everyone's a gossip LOL but i haven't really had a "reputation" yet. I haven't sold much. I've just baked for family and friends.
You'd be surprised how quickly word gets around. I already had a reputation by the time I got an order for my 4th cake. 
I got a call from a woman wanting a 50th Anny cake for her parents. Since I was just starting out, I was really trying to "sell myself" to her, KWIM. She stops me mid-sentence saying, "You came very highly recommended." I was speechless. All I could think was, Thank God I did well on those first 3 cakes. If I hadn't, I'd have been fininshed before I ever got started.
I have.
There's a local brand that makes delicious cupcakes and I was toying with the idea of just buying them then making frosting and then selling them.
That's not right, right? please tell me it's not right...
Ok let me start off by asking, please don't flame me!
I'm going to be a little bit hard here, but know I mean this with the upmost respect and love for a fellow cake decorator! This is definitely wrong in my opinion.
You said: "There's a local brand "
I say: This is all the more reason not to buy their cupcakes, decorate and sell them. We need to support our small business and not take advantage of them by letting their product pass as your own. In a way this is exploiting them if you think about it.
You said: "but they're good cupcakes... and they cost so little.... like barely 5 cents (in US dollars)... "
I say: this is all the more reason not to exploit them. They are making little profit and they may pay their people pittance to bake these cupcakes all day long only to have you go sell them for $2.00 + a piece when you paid $.05 for them. It would be the same, if not worse than buying dry-tasting thawed sheet cakes from Wal-mart and decorating them and selling them.
Your reputation is at stake as to the quality. I really think buying ready-made products and selling them decorated is as bad as a bride buying grocery-store sheet cakes to feed her guests after carving a $5 per slice "display" cake for the picture.
Do you know these are made? Are they good quality ingredients? Are they made with ingredients that are USDA approved, like US eggs? At $.05 a piece they could be cutting quality here. That's another reason not to use these.
I really advise you go to with the other posters and find a good recipe to use and work with it. The WASC is wonderful and light cake and makes great cupcakes!
Please don't do this. Hope you don't hate me now!
I totally toally agree with you but as you can see, shes from a different county. I dont think she'd be able sell a cupcake for $2.00+ because in their currency, its a lot of money. Remember Philippines is not the US. Things over there cost a LOT lot cheaper.
Thanks Rylan. Not only am I in the Philippines, I'm in a small town. So in the big cities 60 PHP a cupcake (roughly $1.25) is doable but down here people will scoff at that price. At most I can sell it at 15 PHP ($0.30) and with the pre-made cupcake at 10 PHP it leaves me quite a small amount for earnings. Maybe I could sell it for 20 PHP but that's really pushing it.
Thanks juleebug. I think they are pretty cute too! (my unbias opinion of course 
) They pic. is a few years old believe it or not there are 2 more babies missing! Yup, my kids total 7 & are from 4 months-18years. She's off to college next year, does she still count as part as the crew? 
I buy my frosting at Sam's Club instead of making it myself......I used to make it but couldn't afford to make it for what I could buy it already made and the convenience of not having to make it is a lifesaver time wise ( I work another job and have 3 kids)........at first I thought of it as cheating.....but now when people comment "I just LOVE your icing, it's delicious" I just say thank you and move on!
Those places and the companies that make the product have already gone through the legal clearances to allow people to use their product for resell without claiming rights to it.
Trust me, not flaming. Intellectual Property law is complex and as ugly (and vicious) as a junkyard dog.
Are there intellectual property rights for reselling food products?? I am not being facetious or flaming at ALL, I am asking a serious question. I had never heard of such a thing. I think of the candy shops that sell chocolate-dipped oreos and nutter-butters and wonder, did they have to get the rights to do that? I mean clearly they did if they list the item as an "Oreo" or "Nutter Butter" which are TM'd. But can they not otherwise resell the product itself at ALL without prior permission?? Can you not legally encircle a cake for resale with pirouline cookies, without prior permission from Pepperidge Farm? What about all of the stuff businesses pick up at Smart+Final, Costco, etc. I've never noticed anything to be labeled "cleared for resale."
This is super-interesting, I would like to know more about it!
That said, I still agree with the PP's about all of the other reasons to NOT do it, namely quality control, accessibility of quantity, liability (if something goes awry at their factory you could be in deep doo-doo), etc.
Morally I can see why it's a grey area. On the one hand, I agree, no different (morally) than using any prepackaged products on your goods. Except that I do think it is a natural assumption when you purchase good from a "baker" that the goods are indeed baked by said baker. As a customer, I'd be cheesed if I found out the truth, unless it was disclosed up front e.g. "Our Mocha Chocolate Delight features an authentic Lemon Square cupcake topped with our handmade mocha icing and chocolate shavings." Of course THAT would revert back to major legal issues since you don't have permission to use the LD name. But my point is just that disclosure would eliminate the moral issues, if the legal issues are surmountable.
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