Need Help Getting A Cake Priced! Old Mcdonald Had A Farm...
Decorating By Claudine1976 Updated 21 Feb 2006 , 1:39am by Claudine1976
Need help pricing this cake, is a 10x3" layer filled with "dulce de leche" and covered with mmf, the animals are fondant and the barn is gumpaste, stilla work in progress (needs detais on top like a pond out of piping gel, dirt of oreos etc, and a border) but I have no idea how much to carge for it!!! I told my husband 40 and he thinks is not enough, htey are comong tomorrow for the cake....thanks a lot, Claudia
Thanks TamiAZ, That is what my DH said, but I enjoy so much making this little animals that I dont really felt that way, do you know what I mean, by the way, do you see the white lines in the barn (junctions) can I paint with vodka and gel over royal icing? thanks!
AWESOME work!
I charge by the serving and my 3D or novelty cakes never go below 2.50/serving and usually hang more around $3.00-$3.50/serving, sometimes $4/serving if it is very very time consuming.
You may like to do it but soon everybody within 100 miles will be knocking on your door for your "great deals" and you will be spending all your time making fondant figures for not enough money. 
Don't be afraid to charge what you are worth! Its a hard lesson to learn but I feel so much better when I charge enough to make it worth my time.
I would think that it is worth $100.00. I mean some might not be willing to pay that but ..honestly..I'd imagine you spent hours modeling those little creatures. Not to mention making the gp barn. And the cake its self. And ingredients? The cake ingredients..MMF and GP...plus now gel for pond and oreos...it just seems like a lot of stuff and time. It is lovely btw. If you look in my gallery photos I charged 125.00 for the caterpillar cake and it is just the caterpillar...he isn't on a sheet cake like some have thought.
Thanks, I think you are so rigth, Im always afraid to ask for the money I deserve and I woked for...
I think I will need a lot of confidence before I can charge that kind of money for my cakes...now I dont feel like they are good enough.... 
If you only want $40 for that cake, I'll order 5 from you right now.
I can't say it enough, DO NOT work for minimum wage people! Work like this cake is worth far more than $6 and hour, even if you like that kind of work, and even if it only takes you 2 hours.
think of it this way....
next time you take your car in for work, look at the labor rate....
or that of a plumber or electrician, etc.
now your talent is every bit as specialized.
just like w/ a car, the parts are usually less than 20% of the total cost.
(my local dealer gets over $40/hr!!!)
so, recognize you TIME and TALENT as very valuable.
$100 at least!!!!
I think our main fear is that we will not get the orders if we charge what we are worth, because overall people are not used to paying big bucks for something to EAT like cake.
But there is a group of people out there that will pay you anything you ask if you just make them a unique cake that nobody else has. That is the group you want to somehow target!
Kinda cool...recently I did a dragon cake for a lady. I guess it was a party that alot of more wealthy people went to because a day or two later I had a call from a lady who wanted a cool 3D cake for HER kids birthday. It was almost like a "one up" thing, she had to have one just as nice for hers as someone else had. If you can get into a couple of circles like that, you won't have to worry about how much to charge!!!!
I totally agree on the cake being awesome and your level of talent is amazing...and this particular cake is well worth 100.00 +. However I usually give my clients the price of their cake in advance, and if this customer is a word of mouth customer there is a good chance..they have been told you are AWESOME...and CHEAP. And if by some chance they are a repeat customer, and you have done something for them on this level before..and charged along these lines, it wouldnt be fair to suddenly say..oops, I have now realized what I am worth and when they come to get it charge more than double what you did last time. However if neither of these is the case I say ask 100.00, did you quote a price?
I think $100 is fair your time is money. You love what you do and it shows the cake is beautiful. There is nothing wrong to get paid good money for something you like to do. Your price is your price and if they don't want to pay it the don't get the cake.
I think I will need a lot of confidence before I can charge that kind of money for my cakes...now I dont feel like they are good enough....
Excuse me, you have got to be kidding 
I checked out your cakes and they are wonderful and well worth the money.
Charge your price.
Thank you al for your nice comments, I really have to work with the way I rate my work and my selfesteem, but I took my first step and told the lady who ordered the cake 85 and close my eyes (did not wanted to see her expression of "Ho thats too much") but instead, She was realy happy and gave 90 dollars, I relly glad I asked for your opinions here in cc, because I was this close to charge 50 for the cake! I need a LOT OF EXPERIENCE charging for the cakes, for me, thats the hardest part of doing and selling a cake..Thanks a lot again..Claudia
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