Urgent! Cost Per Mile!

Decorating By HeatherMari Updated 27 Apr 2007 , 11:15am by customcaker

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HeatherMari Posted 26 Apr 2007 , 3:09pm
post #1 of 9

Hi my CC Friends!
I need to give a customer a price on delivery charge for an out of town cake and I have never done this before so I don't know what to tell her! I am in Michigan if that matters. I wanted to figure out a price for a per mile charge to use for all out of town deliveries. Can anyone helpe?!?
Thank you!
HeatherMari

8 replies
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Parable Posted 26 Apr 2007 , 3:15pm
post #2 of 9

Think about yourself. How much are you worth (per hour)? How far (time wise) are you willing to go? How far (time wise) is this one? Don't forget the stress of traveling with a cake, believe me, it's not a cakewalk.

These are all questions I would ask myself, if I were in your shoes.

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melissablack Posted 26 Apr 2007 , 3:28pm
post #3 of 9

Well I would google local bakeries and check out their websites to compare delivery charges in your area, just to get an idea. Consider the price of gas and the amount of time it would take you.... I don't know what else to suggest

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Jopalis Posted 26 Apr 2007 , 3:33pm
post #4 of 9

My company used to reimburse 15 cents per mile for driving expenses but with today's gas prices that would be much more. Someone must have such a thing at their job. I would use that and add the hourly amt for your time like you do for making cakes.

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sjm1113 Posted 26 Apr 2007 , 3:39pm
post #5 of 9

2007 mileage rate pre IRS is 48.5cents per mile. icon_smile.gif

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Jopalis Posted 26 Apr 2007 , 3:51pm
post #6 of 9

LOL! You can tell I haven't done it for a long time! Anyway, I would suggest the 50 cents a mile plus a fee for your total time involvement... That seems reasonable to me.

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SweetArt Posted 26 Apr 2007 , 6:08pm
post #7 of 9

That is what the IRS will let you deduct, but you can charge whatever you want.

I charge $1 per mile (one way). If I drive 60 miles (about 2 hours round trip), they've paid me (minus the cost of gas) about $20 an hour to deliver their cake to the location. I've seen cake sites charge twice this, I personally wouldn't do it for less than $1. It's just not worth it if you do.

I also wont deliver beyond 60 miles. Then I would spend too much time driving for $20 an hour when I could have sold another $600 wedding cake. Beyond 60 miles, I have them pick-up their cake.

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indydebi Posted 27 Apr 2007 , 1:06am
post #8 of 9

If you had to pay an employee to deliver a cake, how long would it take and how much would you pay him/her for their total time for the delivery PLUS the vehicle expense (either by IRS mileage allocation or by gas, oil, tire wear and tear, insurance to run the delivery vehicle, etc)

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customcaker Posted 27 Apr 2007 , 11:15am
post #9 of 9

In the "early" years of my cake business, I would include delivery to local towns in my pricing, because I didn't want people coming to my home shop. Now, with the price of gas possibly shooting to $4.00 a gallon this Summer, I've decided to stop delivering. I now have a home shop location that makes it easier for customer pick up. And since I also raised my prices, it's kind of breaking even for whatever business I lost.
Make the delivery price worth your while. If it's not a wedding cake, I've also met people half way, or "in my delivery zone" at a public place.

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