Pricing Different Types Of Decorated Cookies?
Business By LizKatherine Updated 9 Jan 2015 , 7:48pm by -K8memphis
I have searched the forum, wilton forum, and google, and bakery websites relentlessly and I am stuck here. I'm not asking how to price cookies, I know the general rule is 1$/inch. I'm asking, what if it has fondant decorations/quilted pattern? what if it has royal icing detail? surely the prices of fondant cookies and RI cookies are different. and what if its just buttercream? know what I'm saying? and then what price for just regular, drop or thumbprint cookies say with some raspberry filling and drizzled with chocolate? thank you all for the responses.
[[recently got into decorating cookies, I made this for a friend who loved them (first time decorating cookies, did not charge).]]
AWhose 'general rule' is this, may I ask?
If I have a five inch cookie with so many details that it took me forty-five minutes to decorate should I then charge five dollars for it?
There's a difference between decorating cookies as a hobby, or decorating with the intent to run a profitable business. Sounds like that "general rule" might have been created by one of the bazillion bloggers fabulous at decorating but not especially business savvy. Bloggers often move on to more lucrative ideas while their initial statements become myths that will not die.
we have a lovely cookie company here 'the whimsy cookie company' i love them -- they are right about at what you're saying -- $3 for about a 3" cookie -- they add 50 cents for luster dust or glitter -- they are thick and so flavorful most desirable cookies -- the kind you go to sleep and dream about srsly -- then they have some little ones that are about two bucks so yes exactly a buck and inch give or take as a general rule --
but those are the cookies they serve from the case -- the ones you special order are priced accordingly just as you are suggesting -- so you consider the time and cost to produce
so yes if you want to be more detailed take into account the time and costs involved as mimi suggests -- it's good to get paid a good/competitive price for good work -- but if you can find the market to pay for the haute couture cookies/cupcakes go for it -- will help the whole industry -- more power to you!
best to you
Awell... That's why I posted my question... I wanted to know how to price various types of decorated cookies because that "rule" doesn't seem accurate for an elaborate labor intensive design .
Those cookies took me a while and what , would I charge base price is (1$/inch*amount of cookies) + my hourly wage?
Original message sent by Jedi Knight
Whose 'general rule' is this, may I ask?
If I have a five inch cookie with so many details that it took me forty-five minutes to decorate should I then charge five dollars for it?
Actually, I saw someone say that here in a thread and on some other pricing threads on other sites.
A
Original message sent by -K8memphis
we have a lovely cookie company here 'the whimsy cookie company' i love them -- they are right about at what you're saying -- $3 for about a 3" cookie -- they add 50 cents for luster dust or glitter -- they are thick and so flavorful most desirable cookies -- the kind you go to sleep and dream about srsly -- then they have some little ones that are about two bucks so yes exactly a buck and inch give or take as a general rule --
but those are the cookies they serve from the case -- the ones you special order are priced accordingly just as you are suggesting -- so you consider the time and cost to produce
so yes if you want to be more detailed take into account the time and costs involved as mimi suggests -- it's good to get paid a good/competitive price for good work -- but if you can find the market to pay for the haute couture cookies/cupcakes go for it -- will help the whole industry -- more power to you!
best to you
Thanks k8memphis. so basic prices and designs are that rule, but custom made go up according to time spend and labor.
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Thanks k8memphis. so basic prices and designs are that rule, but custom made go up according to time spend and labor.
yes the inch-a-buck thing has been quoted on here over and over by some of our cookie experts --
what you do is establish time increments, say every 15 minutes is an additional $6 -- so you then determine in advance that the order for
- 2 dozen 3" mona lisa cookies ($108)
- plus an additional 10 minutes to make a template
- and 10 minutes to mix colors
- and then 15 minutes each to do by hand*
so 10+10+(15m x 24 cookies)= 380 minutes divided by 15 minute increments that cost six bucks each -- is 25 so that's 25 times the $6 fee equals $152 then add the base cookie price + $108 = $260 and around six hours of time -- basically all day -- and the cookies are just over $10 BUT is that a fair price overall? then you have to decide if $10 is enough -- maybe you should be getting $15 for that much work esp if the traffic will bear that price --
now if you do it faster you've made more money but if it takes you longer you're losing money and you need to charge more or get faster -- but if you just did edible ink images you'd be there in no time at all, cut your labor and your price down to the $3 price but add on a couple bucks for the image however you work that out -- and in the six hours of time you save you could be filling other orders
*the first ones take longer the last ones go quicker
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