Is $400 Too Much?

Decorating By Thea519 Updated 19 Jul 2012 , 4:33pm by Thea519

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Thea519 Posted 17 Jul 2012 , 7:35pm
post #1 of 17

I'm just starting out and I'm having difficulty pricing my cakes. I've made three wedding cakes and have been told all three times that I don't charge nearly enough. So, I've decided to start increasing my prices. Do you think $400.00 is too much to ask for this cake, as is? The pan sizes would be 12", 10", 8", and 6", which would make the total servings about 135. Any help/opinions would be greatly appreciated!
LL

16 replies
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cubbycakes Posted 17 Jul 2012 , 7:39pm
post #2 of 17

Definatley not too much...maybe bottom dollar!

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cupcakesnbuttercream Posted 17 Jul 2012 , 7:40pm
post #3 of 17

No, I don't think it's too much. How do you figure your pricing, though? Do you have a structure? Ex: $xx amount per serving

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icer101 Posted 17 Jul 2012 , 7:41pm
post #4 of 17

Hi, your cake is beautiful. $400.00 is definetly not enough. It is fondant covered , right. If so, and the beautiful lace and bow,etc. I would charge at least $650-00, and that is not delivering it. Do you have filling, etc. I usually do. hth

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Thea519 Posted 17 Jul 2012 , 7:49pm
post #5 of 17

cupcakesnbuttercream- I've never really used a set formula before, but I figured this one at about $3.00 per serving.

icer101- Yes, it is covered in fondant. And we haven't discussed flavors, yet. She just wanted a quick quote.

Thank you for your fast responses!

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leah_s Posted 17 Jul 2012 , 7:50pm
post #6 of 17

I'd be at $606 before the $50 delivery.

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cupcakesnbuttercream Posted 18 Jul 2012 , 3:10am
post #7 of 17
Quote:
Originally Posted by Thea519

cupcakesnbuttercream- I've never really used a set formula before, but I figured this one at about $3.00 per serving.

icer101- Yes, it is covered in fondant. And we haven't discussed flavors, yet. She just wanted a quick quote.

Thank you for your fast responses!




I recommend coming up with a basic pricing guide. It'll make things a lot easier on you icon_smile.gif

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step0nmi Posted 18 Jul 2012 , 3:47am
post #8 of 17

you also need to price for your area... I think starting at $3 a serving is good for fondant covered in your area.

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Thea519 Posted 18 Jul 2012 , 4:28pm
post #9 of 17

Thank you all for your input! I gave the bride the $400 quote and she happily accepted!

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DeniseNH Posted 19 Jul 2012 , 1:57am
post #10 of 17

We missed one very important point. The cake you showed us is a photo. You said you're new to decorating. Can you make a cake that looks exactly like the one in the photo. If not then your price is perfect. If so then it's about $200 too low.

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jgifford Posted 19 Jul 2012 , 2:15am
post #11 of 17
Quote:
Originally Posted by DeniseNH

We missed one very important point. The cake you showed us is a photo. You said you're new to decorating. Can you make a cake that looks exactly like the one in the photo. If not then your price is perfect. If so then it's about $200 too low.




I looked at your photos - - I'd say you'll have no problem making the cake. But raise your price next time.

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AZCouture Posted 19 Jul 2012 , 2:26am
post #12 of 17

Have you bought the lace molds yet?

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vgcea Posted 19 Jul 2012 , 3:55am
post #13 of 17
Quote:
Originally Posted by AZCouture

Have you bought the lace molds yet?




^^ I was thinking the same thing. Those molds are not cheap. But hey, they'll be an investment. OP if you can make a cake that looks exactly like that, they I think you've undercharged again.

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auntginn Posted 19 Jul 2012 , 5:12am
post #14 of 17

Next time ask a bit more. If you really want to come up to the standard, get your feet wet. If you think $400 is a good price add another $100. If you don't you might get a customer who will think its too high and find yourself allowing them to talk you back down. Don't be afraid to ask for what its worth. You can always offer to make changes that will work for both you and the customer.

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Thea519 Posted 19 Jul 2012 , 3:47pm
post #15 of 17

DeniseNH- I'm pretty confident in my ability to replicate the cake. When I said I'm "new" to decorating, I guess I really meant that I'm new to charging full price for my cakes. I've been decorating for about 3 years now and I've done tons of free cakes for friends and family and tons of cakes at "cost" for others. Every time I deliver a cake and ask for payment, people go on and on about how much undercharging because my work is great. I'm not trying to sound cocky, but as I said, I'm pretty confident in my skills icon_smile.gif

AZCouture- I haven't bought the lace molds yet, but Vgcea said, they're an investment icon_smile.gif

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carmijok Posted 19 Jul 2012 , 4:25pm
post #16 of 17

You'll probably do a better job than the picture!

But next time, I would charge whenever new items have to be purchased. You may call it an investment now, but if you don't use it very much, you just short-changed yourself. At least charge half the total...and by charge I mean work it into your per serving cost. The bakery I worked for always did that whenever they had to buy special equipment to do a specific design...or when they had to buy gum paste flowers they couldn't make themselves. We ended up with a lot of stuff that was only used once, but at least it didn't detract from the profit off the cake it was used for.

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Thea519 Posted 19 Jul 2012 , 4:33pm
post #17 of 17

Yeah, hindsight is definitely 20/20, lol. I will do that next time, carmijok. And for this time, I'll just hope and pray I get to use them again!

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