I'm with everyone else, tell her to take a walk! She definitely has been smoking something!! "My recommended price"!!! I'd tell her "I recommend you call Wal-Mart!"

How rude!
Kathi

I would give her a $60.00 cake if thats all she can afford. Icing no fondant work pretty but nothing elaborate and tell her that is all she gets at that price. I would emphasize the time involved and that one should not expect a Picasso when you only have time for fingerpainting!!!!! THE NERVE----------------GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Has the woman stopped taking her "reality pills"? Worth way more than the price she offered. I think you will probably do it anyway ( I probably would too!) BUT DON'T DO IT AGAIN!!! Now, there you have been reprimanded! LOLL

Janey105: Took me a little while, but, I have decided that my cakes are worth more than WalMart and if someone offered me $5.00 for any cake I made I would laugh in their face and ask (as some in this forum have so eloquently put it) "what herbal they had been smokin'! LOL

Beth in KY (where sometimes they don't want to pay either....but....if they want my cakes....they do!)

wow.....maybe your customer and my customer are related!!!!!...... quoting own price and short notice!!!

I would never tell someone how much I should pay for their work ( maybe thats why I'm always broke...lol) ...I'm probably the worst person to offer pricing suggestions .....its not what I'd call my strong point!!!

....... but if I was to order that cake I would expect to pay min. $200.

As for the time required...it would take me at least a month just to work out how to make that cake!!!

Whatever!!!

I had a new customer call me (a tad pushy for my taste), telling me what she wanted....a tiered anniversary cake for their parents, how many servings, where and when she needed it delivered and set up and then said, "But we don't want to pay more than $100, and if you could do it for less, that would be great." What?!?!

I told her I would have to get back with her....called at least 6 bakeries in the area, and not ONE would touch it for $100 bucks. I called her back the same day and told her that I would not be able to do it for that amount...and she blurts out, "Well NOW what am I supposed to do???"

I bit my tongue and thought, "Quit being a cheapskate...."

That cake is gorgeous and if she thinks she can get it for $55-$65, she's off her rocker.
Looks like she needs to run to a grocery store to place her order before Friday!

I just want to thank you all for making me laugh so hard tonight. I really appreciate everyone's feedback. I think RisqueBusiness nailed my sentiments perfectly, and I LOVE the cake option that was suggested by AshleyLogan. And, no...this isn't freakin' Priceline....OMG, I'm laughing again!!!!

I'm glad I didn't email her right away after I read her email because I needed some time to consider my options....

A) Price out the cake she wants and tell her what it costs.
B) Find cakes in her newly discovered price range.

I'm not a big fan of either option, to be honest. I have spent so many hours sending her cake pictures with prices and creative options to suit her needs.

(Doesn't like the crystal castle topper, so she told me to "get creative" )

I do agree that people don't understand the time and effort that goes behind a cake, and I also know that I can't make her understand. I'm not the greatest cake decorator in the world, and I haven't even been doing this for a year, but I am confident that I could make a gorgeous cake for her, but I have just lost all interest. It really isn't fun making a cake for someone you don't want to make a cake for, is it?

Thank you all, again. You have restored my confidence! I can't wait to see what happens. I'm actually nervous!!

Good Night, Everyone, and thank you!!
Angie

Angelas2babies...I'm putting you on the "NO CAKE FOR YOU" T-shirt list..lol

so you can wear it when you talk to people like this...

Okay, I just about fell over when I saw the cake! As everyone has said, THE NERVE!!!!

I hope that you stick to your guns and charge her like a wedding cake.

How ridiculous! I just got $45 for a 1/3 sheet, and there wasn't anything nearly as difficult as that fondant swag! $60 indeed! PLEASE!

Hey, I'm venting for you and with you.

$125 - $150 minimum!

Hope all works out for you.

I'm LMBO as I read this thread. . .

. . .what losers people are these days. . .

Well, I will give her the benefit of the doubt that "maybe" she was throwing a number out there testing you out to see if you would charge more? (I doubt it... but..)

And I'm an Iowa native and my best friend is from nw Iowa and even SHE realizes how much cakes are worth (though she's lived in Des Moines for a decade now)...

Just to show you how ridiculous that price is - that rubber duck cake I have was $100, but it was special filling and organic dairy and eggs and butter with all butter, buttercream, so ingredients were a bit higher, but STILL.... the gall!!!


Melissa

Don't even consider that cake for what she offered!!!! I like the idea of telling her that since she did not get back with you, you accepted other orders, and that you at this time could not get all the materials you need in time to do this order. Sor......ry. Tell her to call Duff.

Next time I go to my mechanic I will have to remember to recommend a price range...." I want you to put on new brakes and I recommend that it cost $55-$65" I'm sure he'll be good with that
Keep us posted on what happens.

I wonder if this woman is aware of how LARGE that cake is? I didn't see how many servings she needs anywhere, but that cake serves a lot of people.

This women was standing in line when God was passing out brains. The women thought she heard him say trains and replied no thank you, I'm not going anywhere at the moment and will let this one pass by.....

Holy crap (hope I could say that)!! What world is she living in. There is no way I would make that for no less that $100.00. People are so dumb and don't realize the work it take to make a cake. I was making roses for my Wilton III course and a friend came over when I was in the middle of making a rose and she was shocked at what it takes to make just 1 rose. I loved that cake that one CC'er posted with it already cut into. That is to freaking funny!! Good luck with this one!!

During that month you did not hear from her, she was out pricing the cake she requested with other decorators! She is not willing to pay what the cake is really worth so she is setting her own price of $50-$60. You will regret it if you do this cake for this price and she will expect a "deal" the next time. Tell her your price, which is probably in the ball park of what she already priced the cake at! She can take it or leave it!

I did a version of that cake. It's in my gallery. It was buttercream with fondant accents. I also bought and hand painted the castle and bought the carriage from ebay. I'm hate to say it, but I only charged her $75.00, and I was worried that it was going to be too much. That was until she came to pick it up and told me how a freind of hers who was just starting to make cakes told her it would be $100.00 without the topper. I wanted to kick myself in the face! Lesson learned!

I also learned on this cake that I will never try to attach fondant swags to a BC cakes again!!!

I agree with everyone else! She's the customer so how dare her tell you how much the cake should be! Don't let her do that, stand firm. I know it's hard cuz you want the business but you don't want to be giving your cakes away for nothing! Let us know what happens! Good luck!
Jacqui

Oh Lordy, people need to be educated. I am glad you put your foot down and stood your ground. : )

I would put in there that she is required to get the figurines and topper, (none of this make it yourself crap, that costs a lot extra) what your price is for that cake plus a an extra fee for waiting till the last minute to order.

And then also tell her what you can do in that price range she gave you.

She is cheap and also just doesn't have a clue why and how much cakes cost what they do. Give her the benefit of the doubt and educate her. : ) She will probably turn you down anyway. If you really want her to turn you down up that PITA cost. : )

Best wishes,

I would tell her " sure I'll do your cake...Topper for $60.00 and the cake for $100,00+"!

Someone on this site has a quote something like this: "Good cake isn't cheap, and cheap cake isn't good"! (Sorry I don't remember who it was)

Good luck!

I meant $100.00= not $100,00+ Opps!

That is a beautiful cake, but wow, by Friday. I would charge just for the time she gave you on the cake.... And I would not do a scene on top I would tell her to go buy the topper... People don't understand how hard this stuff is to do and what time goes into it..... You can be nice when you tell her these things.. Wow what a cake.....

First, I agree...I do need a NO CAKE FOR YOU T-shirt.

I finally got a hold of her, and the plan is to make a cake in her price range. She is now requesting a doll cake on an 11X15 inch sheet cake.

Although slightly relieved, I am also dreading this project because I've never done a doll cake. But, she doesn't want any fondant on this project, and other than pink and lavender as the main color scheme...she has given me full creative freedom.

Wish me luck. And thank you to all for letting me vent. It's so hard to say "I can't do that for you" sometimes to people, and it really helped to get some support.

Angie

my feelings about this lady in two words.......

Nut....Job!

$2.50 to $3.00 per serving for that cake. Extra for a customer topper!

My wedding cake was a 3-tier bc cake with a few bc pearls. I supplied the topper and all the flowers and it still cost about $300. There is no way that cake could be done for under $200. It so elaborate. I am new to decorating myself, but I don't even want to imagine the time it would take to make a cake like that.