I always see where people say charge separately for extra fondant items on a cake. Yet, I have not seen an average price per item. Is there a rule of thumb by size, or what?

I add 50 cents to the per serving price. Unless we're talking something really extensive that's about the same as covering the cake in fondant. Then I charge the fondant per serving price.

I charge from $15 and up for various items. When giving a quote, I'll add that charge to the per serving price. I calculate the price based on the item's complexity plus time and skill required.

Adding 50 cents to the per serving price doesn't seem like an accurate or fair way to charge for individual items. A loopy bow on top of a 6-inch tier is the same whether it's on a 40 serving cake or 140 serving cake.

Some items I add into the serving price (piping, polka dots) and some things are a flat fee (flowers, bows) for just the reason DianeLM stated. It really comes down to how much time does your base price cover and how much time (and skill - you can charge more for something that is "difficult" even if it is easy for you) are the additional items going to take you.

I also charge an additional 50 cents per serving...regular BC cake is $2, BC with fondant accents is $2.50 and would include stripes, dots, or other simple fondant accents. Loopy bows, fondant figurines, or a fondant covered cake board are all charged separate. All fondant cakes will include a fondant board. I will also do price adjustments. Say I have a cake that is zebra on bottom, but nothing on top but a "16", I will charge $2.50 per serving for the bottom tier only, and do $2 per serving for the top tier. If its an all buttercream cake with a loopy bow, I charge and additional $15 for that bow instead of doing the fondant accent per serving price...

How much do you normally charge for a bow, ribbon or fondant board? I know we might be in different area but I just wanted to know a ball park. Thank you

Thanks everyone. Your suggestions really help.

Dress bow $10, loopy bow $25, custom board $30

Thank you, Jason and Kory

So here is another question on the embellishment thread... I was asked to make flowers (chocolate dogwood flowers) for a friend who is making cupcakes for a wedding.  We are talking about 100 individual flowers.  How do I charge for that?  They do tak quite a bit of time and it's not like I am making 6-10 flowers for a cake topper. 100 is quite a lot of work.  Someone suggested 1$ each, that seems high.  What do you think?

AI think that's about right. I charge $2.50 per dogwood set (flower & 2 leaves).

ABows, monograms, & fondant bands are $15

A

I am not quite sure but my best guess is with a helper 4 hrs. 

For flowers I look at what they cost to buy from a wholesaler, including the shipping fees. Have you priced them out? That's the cheapest your client can get buy them. So I use that as my base price, then I add my material costs. Then I estimate how much time it will take to make them, x's the amount of money I need to make per hour. If you have other expense you need to add them too.

Always ask enough so you don't have regrets.

AThanks everyone for your comments. Will be sticking with the 1$ each even if underpriced. I need to get started with my clientele base somehow! :).