hey there,

ok, I wanted to start selling cakes. i've been making them for friends and family, but now it's time for me to branch out. my question is simple...ok...for the cakes that I need a cake stand for...do I include the stand in the price? because these stands are around $100. Or do I ask for them to bring it back? Or are there some sort of super cheap stands that I haven't found? what do I do about the expensive stands??? Thanks so much in advance! Happy baking!

You charge a rental fee and/or a deposit, when the stand it returned the deposit is refunded.

I use 1/2" foamcore covered with fancifoil as the base to my tiered cakes - most of the time folks don't use any stand.

I cover my boards with white freezer wrap and put a ribbon around the edge to coordinate with the cake. If they need a stand they will find one somewhere. If they want a stand and you have one, then you can rent it to them for an extra $25 or so. Just make sure you have your name and phone number on the underside and follow-up after the event if they don't return it within a couple of days. We used to rent our stands at the bakery I worked for and we never had a problem with people returning them. Just make sure they sign for them so you have a record.