Price Out Cake And Cupcakes

Decorating By simplyme4469 Updated 30 Jun 2014 , 2:34pm by -K8memphis

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simplyme4469 Posted 29 Jun 2014 , 9:00pm
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AI decorate cakes as a hobby for friends and family. Recently someone asked me to make a cake and continued to tell me price isn't a problem. However I feel I sell myself short lol. Plus I get self conscious regarding making a cake for someone that is paying for it. I know my quality isn't 100% and it takes me tWice. .. Three times as long to make lol. J[IMG ALT=""]http://cakecentral.com/content/type/61/id/3256176/width/350/height/700[/IMG] ust curious what kind of pricing would it be for this cake and 24 cupcakes ( I have no experience frosting cupcakes... haven't taken the time to learn which she was aware of). I also delivered 1/2 way 45 minutes one way... I felt bad she lived so far. ... so the little $ I did make went to gas lol. I knew this girl because several years ago I worked with her.

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simplyme4469 Posted 29 Jun 2014 , 9:06pm
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AI did price it at $70... and i felt I was going to insult her how much I asked.

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-K8memphis Posted 30 Jun 2014 , 12:08am
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in west tennessee at one of our local cupcake shops undecorated cupcakes would go for $3 each so that's over $70 as is -- are those fondant butterflies? gotta charge for those -- probably $1 each i guess-- then the cake is a 2-d and cute as a cute bug (ha! pun intended) can't tell how big it is -- if it's a 25-30 serving cake then $75- $90 would be a fairly respectable price in my neck of the woods --- if it's less servings it should still be at least $75 anyhow -- i hope that was baked in a butterfly pan because if you carved it as well-- kaching kaching--

 

one of the biggest problems with what appears to be low-ball pricing for the nice work you have pictured there is that you start hating yourself for welcoming others to take advantage of you -- you're already feeling that right? because you work hard then freely allow yourself to be milked -- you run the risk of insulting yourself in your effort to not insult your friend --

 

so be sure to talk price before you take/make a commitment --sometimes in the beginning you need to say "let me call you back this afternoon to get you a quote and confirm your order --" take your time -- and realize that in order to not fleece yourself you have to charge real time money for your products -- you don't have to accept all orders --

 

your stuff is good--stop apologizing -- and so you can't charge for your time if you are still learning to be efficient but your end product is fine, nice and clean and worth the money i'm talking here depending on the prevailing market prices in your area--

 

if i was you i'd draw up an invoice and charge what you think you should have charged for this order--subtract whatever amount to get to $70, show the difference as a 'new customer discount',or  'old friend discount' or whatever -- so you don't shock her out of her gourd if she wants to place another order -- you want people who say 'money is not an object'-- sometimes people have deep pockets for parties --

 

nobody's gonna take care of you if you don't --

 

best to you

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-K8memphis Posted 30 Jun 2014 , 12:32am
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*but those cupcakes at that shop are probably larger than yours so keep that in mind too but if yours are filled cupcakes kaching kaching...and send the invoice to her and mark it paid in full too-- if you want to flee that crusty smokey scent hanging the air -- (that's you slowly starting to burn out of course)

 

notice i didn't even mention the hour & a half delivery omg --we don't deliver small woefully underpriced orders farther than next door -- work on the pricing i've already mentioned then we'll talk about delivery later--

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simplyme4469 Posted 30 Jun 2014 , 1:57am
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AThanks for your feedback! I really do appreciate it! That cake board holds a 10" cake round and I bought a butterfly cake pan. I had told her I would not make all 24 butterflies but just decided to use all the gumpaste I made. I agree... my pproblem is that I just don't know the value of what I create. As much as I want to be nice. ... it is hard knowing I did all that hard work... for what I actually made. I want to give people I know a good deal but I dont want to completely under value my work... i think its because I couldn't afford them if I didn't make them lol. Thank you for your kind comments. I do take additional time until it is as good as I can possibly make it. Regardless of the price i will not send out something that isn't what I would be proud of. I wouldn't do that to my daughter's cake so I won't do it to another person's. She was the first paying person I habe made a cake for in years lol. I tend to be overly nice too.I think my best bet is to find out the budget and plan accordingly. The good thing is this is a learning experience. Ive made cusTom cakes in the past for people charging $35 for a two tiered frosted with gumpaste and fondant decorations.... as well as $50 for fondant cake. Ive grown to realize that I can't keep making cakes at cost but just still figuring out how to charge for making it lol. Its one thing to under value your cake when you are efficient with what you do. .... but when you are not. ... it makes it harder lol

Cupcakes are a new thing for me. I had to do them for dd cake tHis month so I figured I would try again. I underestimate the time it all takes. Especially as a beginner. Hopefully ill get more opportunities in the future as ill habe more time when I leave my job to be a stay at home mom. :)

She was going to drive to pick it up. ... I know I explained I lived far away but I dint think she realized how far lol. I felt bad. .... even though she could have done her research and figured that out before. Like I said im nice like that lol

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simplyme4469 Posted 30 Jun 2014 , 2:00am
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AHubby thinks I'm just crazy lol.

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-K8memphis Posted 30 Jun 2014 , 1:46pm
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it's a matter of maturity and self worth-- if you get the right balance of money with enough orders the efficiency will come--but if you continue as you are you'll stay a smoked out hobbyist--there are countless threads on here about it--here's from this current one:

 

http://cakecentral.com/t/777116/is-2-00-per-slice-reasonable

 

doing cakes is a love/hate relationship all the way --

 

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crazy-Gray

Quote:

Originally Posted by costumeczar


I wanted to mention that I didn't fall over when you said you weren't passionately in love with cakes. Neither am I, and I've been doing them for 18 years, have won many "best-of" awards, been published, etc etc. I'm not trying to brag, I just want to point out that you don't have to look at something as your reason for living to make it a profitable business. I know a lot of people who are really good at decorating who think cakes aren't all that...

 



I found that really loving making cakes was quite hurtful in a business sense; I would spend more time than it was viable to spend just because I was enjoying it and 'it would be fun to just add this...' I've had to try hard to make sure people get what they pay for, not that this takes all the fun out... ending up resenting orders because you work too hard for too little is when the fun has gone.....
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Crazy-Gray Posted 30 Jun 2014 , 2:06pm
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A

Quote:
Originally Posted by -K8memphis 

 

K8 are you calling me mature! I'm hurt lol :D

You're right though, realising (and enforcing!) an amount of self worth is vital, you can't mature your business sense at all without that 'little' step....

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-K8memphis Posted 30 Jun 2014 , 2:09pm
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Quote:

Originally Posted by Crazy-Gray 
 
K8 are you calling me mature! I'm hurt lol icon_biggrin.gif

You're right though, realising (and enforcing!) an amount of self worth is vital, you can't mature your business sense at all without that 'little' step....

 

 

not even close  :lol:  you're so funny!

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Crazy-Gray Posted 30 Jun 2014 , 2:12pm
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APhew (relieved face) .....brings back memories of 'bad taste cake' suggestions.... I wonder what that person ordered in the end........

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-K8memphis Posted 30 Jun 2014 , 2:34pm
post #11 of 11
Quote:
Originally Posted by Crazy-Gray 

Phew (relieved face) .....brings back memories of 'bad taste cake' suggestions.... I wonder what that person ordered in the end........

 

oh no you di-ent -- hahaha --

 

ars you may well remember--funniest thing ever on here

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