I posted an ad locally in my area on craigslist, saying I decorate cakes.

I then got a response back from a local business that does wedding planning. The full response is below and should give you an idea of what they are looking for. My question is about the amount of money they are offering. It doesn't seem like much to me. I get the feeling like they would be getting most of the money and I would be doing more work than it would be worth, but I could be wrong because I have never done anything like this. Please read below and give me your opinion.

Hello,
We saw your ad on craigslist and would like more information.
We are looking to put someone on staff that bakes cakes from their own location and deliver to our clients. We would contract the cakes through our store, do all appointments and then pay our baker/decorator per slice (1.00 per slice w/tiers 12" and larger and 1.25 for tiers 10" and smaller). If you are interested, we would need to do a face to face interview to taste your cakes and speak about details. Please e-mail back asap, if interested.
--
Regards,
Jon and Janet Knudson
Event Central LLC (formerly Wedding Central)
12480C Warwick Blvd.
Newport News, VA 23606

Not that I am a pro with contracts or anything but I wouldn't be too happy with them setting the price of the servings instead of me. Is that price for both fondant and buttercream? What about you making hand made sugar flowers? That would impact the price. I just don't want you to get short changed.

I would still call to find out more info, though. You'll never know if you don't. If you all can work out the kinks....I think it could be a good deal

Beware of scams..........I don't like craigslist

$1 a slice delivered? And you have overhead of baking and supplies? Of course, they should get a cut, but it seems like they are way above 50%. Now, questions:

Are you guaranteed a minimum on a cake?

Will you get a delivery fee?

What happens if they don't get paid, do you?

I am assuming $1 includes flat buttercream on a basic cake. No upgrades, right?

This has the potential for a lot of work for little pay. The margins in caking aren't that big to share so much. This business owner is looking to make money off someone who doesn't know what they are getting into.

Who would be paying for the supplies and ingredients?

That would probably, if you're lucky, just cover your ingredients and other supplies (elec., usage of pans etc) nothing for your work, nothing for delivery. they are looking for a free ride

You realize they are looking for a their own personal cheap wedding-cake-making-machine? They are setting the (waaaaay cheap) prices and making it clear you won't have any contact with the brides.

They are probably charging 2-3 times that for "your" cake....... (probably more). What a scam! They are in Virginia? East Coast usually brings in good prices - that is an insult.

But what a cash cow that will be if they find someone to do it? I kind of laughed because they are basically asking for the moon and sun and then telling you that you have to interview for the "job". INSANITY!!!!!!!!

It seems like they do not want you to have any contact with the brides. What will happen when the bride says I want this, this and this? They will have no idea of the costs involved, time involved or anything else and they are gonna come to you and say we agreed on $1.25 per slice. NO WAY !!! They are looking to get credit and get paid for your work. What about tastings, deliveries all of that stuff?

I wouldn't anything for that offer. $1.25/serving??? That's just crazy and WWAAAAYYYYYY too low. Unless, you could call and discuss or ask for a LOT better price, I would not even bother. Just my 2 cents. Good luck and keep us posted.

PS: I heard a LOT about craiglist's scam. They asked you to make a cake for this and that and then, boom, you don't get paid at all. Please check their business permit/status thoroughly.

*IF* it's a legit offer, it's obvious they have no knowledge of cakes at all. They're sitting around thinking, "Oh wow! Wouldn't it be great if we could offer cakes, too? That would be fun! We could buy them for, oh, gosh, let's say ..... A DOLLAR!!! and then resell them for whatever we want! Let's do it!"

(big sigh!)

*IF* you respond, make it clear up front that a $1/slice is an ABSURD price and if they are open to talking about a REAL price, then you MIGHT be interested. If they want dollar-cakes, send them to the local grocery bakery.

I wouldn't even reply. They are not offering anything other than find the clients, maybe. You can do that too and keep all the profit. Plus, not to mention the liablility if something goes wrong with the cake. What if people get sick because they didn't store the cake correctly or something?

I read this post last night and this morning I came to the conclusion that it has to be a scam. I did google the company and they seem to be legit, but I wonder if they are the ones really e-mailing you??

I see it this way: If you agree, at some point personal info needs to be exchanged. Most likely banking info (to pay you--direct deposit) which could open the door for identity theft and so much more.

I would contact the company and see if they really are the ones e-mailing you.

Sadly, the scammers just keep getting smarter.

I don't know if it's a scam or not, there are places around here that do all-inclusive packages for weddings, and that might be what they're getting at.

HOWEVER, their pricing is way too low, like everyone else has said. They're obviously just trying to make money off of you, and I wouldn't do it.

One venue around here that does the packages for their brides bills the bride $3.50 per guest for the cake, then the baker they contract with bills them directly. If the baker goes over the price that the bride paid the venue, THE VENUE PAYS THE BAKER THE FULL PRICE ANYWAY. That means that the venue will take a hit on the price of the cake. That's how a legitimate business will try to keep their clients happy.

The people who try to "broker" your cakes don't want to make their clients happy, they just want to make a buck, and they want it to come out of your pocket.

I would be insulted if someone in the wedding business sent me a low-ball offer like that.

That is fricking ridiculous.

Not NEARLY enough.... yes, I would be insulted.

Jen

I have been warned in the past that most of the time its not good to work with caterers like that because they always want to pay cheap prices, obviously because they are looking to make a profit from YOUR work.

I've tried a couple times just to see, and sure enough, they all want to pay a pittance.