So Am I Quoting Prices That Are Too High?
Decorating By potatocakes Updated 27 Apr 2007 , 5:24pm by CakesbyMonica
I see where heyjules is coming from. It's just personal preference how people want to start out. Some people build their business and then raise their prices with no problem at all. Some people choose to just have their customers pay full price right away.
I see where heyjules is coming from. It's just personal preference how people want to start out. Some people build their business and then raise their prices with no problem at all. Some people choose to just have their customers pay full price right away.
I also completely see where heyjules is coming from....really, I do. I've been there, done that. I decided to start out a little lower than my local "best" competition. Well, that bit me in the rear for a while because word gets around, just like word gets around that "hey, you do cakes"....if you know what I mean. If I have any advice to anyone starting out, whether it's with party cakes or wedding cakes....DON'T SELL YOURSELF SHORT TO GET BUSINESS! If you have a good product and wonderful service...THEY WILL COME! It is much easier to lower your prices or give a little discount here n' there than to raise your prices! That's just been my personal experience! Stick to your guns.....they'll come back to you, and if not, there'll be another bride down the road that's willing to pay what you're worth!
i just had a friend who agreed to pay $900 for a cake that serves 80....
so NO, u are not asking too much.. similar design too!!!
I think the price is right..don't lower it.
There will be people who will pay and those who won't..but you will get your share of the market...I'm sure...your cakes are beautiful!!!
Have the same problem with my cakes..it's the same old story..people want designer cakes at grocery store prices...
But, there will be the people who do appreciate the work and artistry you put into your cakes and will pay.
I am just starting out with all of this...just for curiousity sake, how much do you guys charge per slice for birthday cakes/shower cakes with and without fondant?
i agree. dont lower the price. its unneccessary, (no matter how bad you want to do another wedding cake now!) for you to stress for dozens of hours of planning, sketching, shopping, practicing etc) PLUS oh 20-30 hours on a cake that size PLUS delivery, set up, serving.... EVEN FOR the price you quoted. DO NOT SELL YOURSELF SHORT!!!! it is hard work, make yourself proud. if they walk away, there will be no worry for you. you'll get to that second and third and..... etc wedding cake at some point. its not worth charging beans for all that hard work. dont make me post the picture my husband took of me crashed dead asleep on the couch with my mouth hanging open the evening of my first huge wedding cake (33 hours straight work, didnt sleep a wink the night before because i was up making it) . ay-yi, yi! its a sorry sight. serious. charge what you are worth!!!!! 
PLEAAAAAAAAAAAAASE!
I think $2.50 is on the low side because of the fondant Hydrangia's. What I did was based my prices with the grocery store....and I provide more services than them...fondant, delivery, more custom designs so I add on for these extras. My grocery stores start at $2.50 per serving.
Jacqui
Just to show you how expensive things can get - a 6" tier and 10" tier stacked cake here in the burbs of DC costs $200 from our local bakeries! 
So, whne I thought charging $100 (with special filling) was a lot, the gal told me I was a bargain! Grocery stores in our area won't do custom stacked cakes either...
I REALLY think that they just don't know what it takes to make such a cake - the TIME alone... They'll start asking their friends and they'll soon realize your prices are good.
Melissa
What I did was based my prices with the grocery store....and I provide more services than them...fondant, delivery, more custom designs so I add on for these extras. My grocery stores start at $2.50 per serving.
i agree with ladyonzlake every area has its own price range for stuff. there's some places that gas is getting to be almost $5 per gallon, where im still under $3.
see how much your local chain store charges per serving then add a dollar or so and however much you want to add in for time spent on fondant/gumpaste/sugarpaste stuff.
personally, i think its kinda high, but i live in a place where walmart charges about a dollar per serving for tiered cakes.
$5.50 is the low end of per slice here in NY/NJ area. Look at where you live and do some comparison shopping. That's the best way to find out if you're on the right track. Look up bakers that are designing within the same league as you or doing similar designs.
Good Luck!
I think the price is right. That is about $2.50 per serving and that is pretty decent. I think we need to start explaining to our customers the difference between custom made cakes and grocery store cakes. Our cakes are done with love and passion while grocery store decorators are not really working with passion and love they are working to just get through those 8 hours. And most of us bake from scratch recipes while most stores use pre mixed cakes mixes with preservatives. So they need to really understand what they are getting to understand what they are paying for.
Your price is fine. They just don't want to pay for a custom cake.
I had a girl bring her father in to my shop to beg me for a lower price when I was new at this. I gave them a discount. I will never forget the rented Rolls Royce limo parked by the yacht club at their reception. They just didn't want to pay for the cake! They had more important stuff to do with their money$$$$.
I think the price is right. That is about $2.50 per serving and that is pretty decent. I think we need to start explaining to our customers the difference between custom made cakes and grocery store cakes. Our cakes are done with love and passion while grocery store decorators are not really working with passion and love they are working to just get through those 8 hours. And most of us bake from scratch recipes while most stores use pre mixed cakes mixes with preservatives. So they need to really understand what they are getting to understand what they are paying for.
I don't think this is true.... I bake from scratch, but I read over and over hear that at LEAST 50% I'm gathering make boxed cakes - perhaps doctored, but still from a box.
Melissa
I will never forget the rented Rolls Royce limo parked by the yacht club at their reception. They just didn't want to pay for the cake! They had more important stuff to do with their money$$$$.
Exactly! I got a little ticked off just reading your post! The nerve!
Well Melissa, when I price I do consider that I bake from scratch and hopefully the other 50% does too.That definitely plays a role in my pricing and even if you don't bake from scratch and you are making custom designed cakes you should still be able to give a high end price, simply because your cake designs does not compare to the basic decoration that you would get from a grocery store.
Cynita
Good Lord. All those fondant flowers? My price for the first cake would be $3.25/sv PLUS the extra flowers at about $10.00 per full hydrangea head/spray (try spending an evening making one of those babies, on all those stems, and then think of getting $3 for it--I don't think so!), or $2.00 per calla. The second cake with fondant icing would be $3.50/sv, PLUS the flowers.
So I'd be $650-700, just for the cakes (for 200 sv), PLUS the flowers, which I'd charge a small fortune for. Region is a factor, but don't work for free.
Don't lower your price. Also explain to them that fondant flowers are hand made, petal by petal, then dried, then hand wrapped onto a stem, then hand painted, then bundled carefully into a spray...and on and on. Ugh. The only way I'll do those is if I'm given free rein on price.
Tell them to do BC cakes, buy silk flowers, or...read my sig line for more advice.......
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Thank you guys so much! I think I will call around today just to do some price comparison and make myself feel better.
heyjules - I hope you weren't offended by the differing opinions on how to start with pricing. I initially had the same thought as you, but like I said, I think that one bride has made it hard for me to get a decent price from any referrals she's sent my way. That's why I don't want to lower my prices or offer big discounts anymore, because you just can't trust people not to brag about what a great deal they got to others, then everyone expects it and I end up in the hole money-wise. I do appreciate your suggestions, though! By the way, I looked at your wedding cake in your photos, and it is perfect! Are your flowers made from fondant? I've got another question for you, if you don't mind. How do you ice over the separator plate without it messing up the whole top of your tier when you take your cake apart to serve it? If you look at my wedding cake, I didn't know to ice it to cover it up, but I still don't know how you would do that without making a mess. Wouldn't you have a bare top of the cake once you removed it to serve?
i've only read a few of the replies so i don't know if this has been mentioned already. take into consideration skill level as well. someone who is just starting out should charge less then someone who is seasoned. if you can replicate the cake to look just like the picture then i say you are *not* charging too much. if not, then lower your price. only reason i mention this is because you stated that this was only your second wedding cake.
WOW! Those are absolutely GORGEOUS. With all of the detail work involved, particularly with the hydrangeas, I think your price is more than fair. If they aren't willing to pay it, they can always go somewhere else.
wow. what beautiful cakes! you have a great talent there and I agree you have every right charging what those with 10,000 weddings under their belt do. My wedding cake was VERY simple and made for 80 people. I got it as a gift, but my friend (who owns a bakery) said she would have easily charged $400 for it. It was 3 tiers, covered in ganache in between the layers and over it as well. There is a pic of it in my photos if you wanted to see.
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