Price Gouging?

Business By kakeladi Updated 31 May 2016 , 8:09pm by cupcakealley

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kakeladi Posted 25 May 2016 , 7:00pm
post #1 of 21

I've been away from decorating for some 5-8 yrs - just do an occasional small cake about every other month.  I was so shocked I almost fainted when I purchased one (yes, just 1) 1/4 sheet board today and was charged $1.70 (+tax) !

How much are you paying?  And why such a huge difference between rounds (up to 12" under $1) and sheets?  

20 replies
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ropalma Posted 25 May 2016 , 7:40pm
post #2 of 21

I bought an 18" square and was charged $4 and cents.  So I think you got a bargain...LOL

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Pastrybaglady Posted 25 May 2016 , 8:57pm
post #3 of 21

Oh yeah, if you buy them in small quantities from Joanns or Michaels they cost well over a dollar a piece and they are thin and bendy to boot. I've opted to buy foam core from the 99 cent store, double or triple them up and cover them myself. It probably ends up costing similar but at least it's a good substantial board for the money.

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Webake2gether Posted 25 May 2016 , 11:05pm
post #4 of 21

Unfortunately cake boards are really expensive at the store. I bought the sizes we use the most in bulk (average board costs under a quarter) well we've been getting a lot of requests for larger cakes that we don't have stocked boards for so I've occasionally had to buy them at a local cake decorating store and it's hard to stomach for sure. I found through my wholesale supplier that I can purchase them in bulk for even less than what we bought our last batch of boards and boxes for online. The cost for shipping cardboard is crazy high too bc it's so heavy. I would really like to know when the cost of vanilla is going to go down now that's expensive lol.

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Pastrybaglady Posted 25 May 2016 , 11:51pm
post #5 of 21


Quote by @Webake2gether on 42 minutes ago

I found through my wholesale supplier that I can purchase them in bulk for even less than what we bought our last batch of boards and boxes for online. The cost for shipping cardboard is crazy high too bc it's so heavy. 


It's definitely the shipping that kills! That's why I order from Amazon. Prime baby!

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-K8memphis Posted 25 May 2016 , 11:53pm
post #6 of 21

should be a better crop this year -- so hopefully prices will respond later in 2016 but it can sometimes take a couple years for it to right itself

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-K8memphis Posted 26 May 2016 , 12:00am
post #7 of 21

my post is about the price of vanilla ^^^^

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kakeladi Posted 26 May 2016 , 1:26am
post #8 of 21

O.k. so I won't kill the store owner.  It's just a liittle local cake supply shop :)   I just never expected that.

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Webake2gether Posted 27 May 2016 , 9:57pm
post #9 of 21

$80 for shipping is what we paid for our last haul of boxes and boards now granted they were some really heavy packages. there are still some that are to heavy for me to pick up we got over 1000 pieces but $80 is extremely steep!! 

@Pastrybaglady ‍ I've wanted to use prime but was sure I would forget to cancel if I didn't like it lol. 

Vanilla makes me want to cry every time i have to buy it :'(  I sure hope it subsides soon I can't take it haha. Eggs were up to $2.50+ a dozen here for awhile and now they are under $1 usually around 75-85 cents so hopefully vanilla will soon go back down. Seems like it's always something going up I guess that's how it goes

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Pastrybaglady Posted 27 May 2016 , 11:05pm
post #10 of 21

I think I saw Prime is going up now. Instead of the flat yearly rate they're going to charge $9/month.

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Pastrybaglady Posted 27 May 2016 , 11:05pm
post #11 of 21

I think I saw Prime is going up now. Instead of the flat yearly rate they're going to charge $9/month.

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Webake2gether Posted 28 May 2016 , 1:06am
post #12 of 21

Hmm well I definitely would not use that enough to justify a $9 a month fee. Sigh everything costs so much these days I remember when.... Haha

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kakeladi Posted 28 May 2016 , 2:36am
post #13 of 21

As I said, I just make one small cake about every other month so I just buy piecemeal.  (This one is the exception).  I just never expected one 1/4 sheet board to cost almost $2.  And it isn't even flat/level:(  I'm going to have to cover it w/an icing ruffle or something.  I didn';t think ahead to cut it down to the size of the cake.

The shop owner is soooo dower/serious - he has NO humor, never smiles.  When he told the price I said something like 'you've got to be kidding' and he wasn't nice about that.  

Re: Webake2gether & Pastrybag: .........Sigh everything costs so much these days I remember when.... Haha.........

It has a lot to do w/the raising of the minimum wage and the severe drought.  When businesses have to pay larger employee higher wages they have to raise their prices to cover it.   I don't see where it actually helps the average worker.  Yes, they get a bigger paycheck but.........they (& now everyone else) has to pay more for everything they buy.

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MimiFix Posted 28 May 2016 , 11:29am
post #14 of 21

With an economy based on capitalism, businesses are always looking for higher profits and thus raise their prices to accommodate their desire for greater wealth. Rather than blame the lowest paid workers for rising prices, let's look at the entire picture. 

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AAtKT Posted 28 May 2016 , 12:44pm
post #15 of 21


I work part time for a non-profit museum... just for fun... We do make more than the state minimum wage, but not that much...

The county it is in just uses the state minimum wage without any additions... (some counties in my state have higher minimum wages)

People in the county it is located are trying to put a measure on the fall ballot about raising the county minimum wage to $15 (currently it is $8.10)...

That would raise what I make at the non-profit... and in turn raise the cost of visiting the museum or cause people to lose their jobs there...  one or the other... 

I understand that not everyone can live on the minimum... I understand about businesses and profit... I also understand alot of other things... Such as nothing will ever be like it was... There is a larger picture... and yes, it isn't just the little minimum wage worker... everything must all be counted... 

It is just like those that bake and sell for less than cost... A true business cannot survive that model either... 

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AAtKT Posted 28 May 2016 , 12:46pm
post #16 of 21


And I just realized I ranted...  So Sorry... 


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-K8memphis Posted 28 May 2016 , 1:22pm
post #17 of 21

no apologies needed for respectful ranting -- as we all are doing here -- just sayin' --

and in other news -- i too hate it when the price of vanilla, butter eggs goes berserk -- y'know any of the baking staples -- so those items run through my mind like the stock exchange tickers in new york -- hahahaha

flour never really gets out of hand -- what's that about -- but that wheat flour is killing me health wise -- no es bueno -- but anyway i digress --

hey when i started i could get 18 ounce cake mix for ten cents -- why bake from scratch -- hahaha they are about 150% more now right, @cwr41? my math is not always perfect -- no more like 1500% -- ok a lot more ;)

beaking news -- our local superlo has 18 eggs for $1.50 whereas the kroger's are about a dollar more tick tick tick tick and i saw butter for $3 and $4 a pound at the same kroger store -- weird -- both land o' lakes? what's that about

relaxed.png

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Apti Posted 31 May 2016 , 2:17pm
post #18 of 21

kakeladi - I kept trying to get the "best/lowest price" on high dome clear plastic cupcake containers for 6 cupcakes.  I bake/decorate/freeze and give 'em away and it bothered me that I was paying more for the container than for the stuff inside.  

So.....I obsessively price stuff online and locally and end up buying 100 containers at a local shop to get the price break that made them cheaper than buying online with the shipping costs. 

Guess what?  Haven't made cupcakes in about a year and I have a huge box taking up space.  Sigh..... ya just can't win 'em all

Here's a funny story:  My step-mom has Alzheimer's and dad and I could not let her see menu prices when we went to a restaurant to eat.  Her memory of prices was for 30 years ago.  She'd see $9 for bacon and eggs and get mad and want to leave.  (We got really good at hiding menus...lol...)

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kakeladi Posted 31 May 2016 , 4:45pm
post #19 of 21

Apti:  Your adventures in buying containers is exactly why I was so shocked.  I live in a *tiny* apt and just do not have room to store lg quantities of something I might use maybe once a month.   

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-K8memphis Posted 31 May 2016 , 6:51pm
post #20 of 21

apti, first of all i'm sorry your step mom has alzheimer's and then i'm glad you got good at hiding menus -- you made it an easy fix


and yeah i've got cookie boxes i bought years ago where the project never fully developed so i'm still using them for random goodie gifts -- cut up the t-shirt to dust the tv hahahahaha (the btdt t-shirt)

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cupcakealley Posted 31 May 2016 , 8:09pm
post #21 of 21

Everyone is talking about wholesale suppliers... can I buy from them?  (Oregon)... What are the businesses...also when you use Amazon Prime... Which I have, what do you use as the supply words...  I sell mini and standard size cupcakes and I'm very new at it...

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