when it comes to relatives...do you prices them regular price, or give them a break. i've been doing them for my relatives, but it's hard to charge them a price. I usually make like 12 inch round cake, 3 inch high, triple layer. sometimes 10- inch as well.
what would be a base price for cakes that size. And does anyone give their relatives breaks on cakes?
thnx
I don't give my relatives any breaks. We do have some friends that are really great people and would help you out in any way....they don't always have a lot of money, and I give them a break...b/c they'd do anything we asked of them.
When I first started, I gave a reduced price to two of my family members, for two different occasions..the first time, they gave me a $15 tip, teh 2nd time, I got a $45 tip. But, then my moms side of the family won't ask me for cakes anymore b/c I charge them full price. so....I know that wasn't much help.
I think a good idea would be to have your set prices and then just keep it at that. I mean, your family should respect you & appreciate your talent. they shouldn't want to take advantage of you.
I only charge per serving on wedding cakes. Other cakes, I just have a set amount for.
One more thing, pricing all depends on your area. So, call a few local bakeries and check out their prices and don't be afraid to charge more than them.
hth!
thank you. i do need to set prices. my mom tells me.....do they like your cakes because their free or because they really like them. if they dont want to pay what u want it's because they dont value your work and just want them because they were free (in the beginning i would just have them by the material). but not anymore. I just need to figure out a price and stick w/it.
Good Luck! It's hard sometimes to tell people a price. Three weeks ago, a good friend called me asking me to make a cake for her brother's wedding.
I told her that I don't do many weddings, and I was willing to go as low as $1 per serving, just b/c I'd known her so long, etc. Well you should have her her tone change after I told her $100 for a 100 serving size cake. She said she'd talk to her brother the next day and call me back, well...it's been 3 weeks now..............oh well! LOL!
I give me mom a break, and my sister. They usually throw in 20 bucks anyways. But the rest of my family, no i wouldnt, our time is valuable. I have 2 kids, one that is only 5months, and its hard to make a cake with them around. And thats taking away from me spending time with them. (This is how my mom put it, b/c i was giving away too many free cakes) I am doing a wedding cake for a good friend, and this is for free, but this will be our wedding gift to them. Its a small 2 layer.
mmdd- i just had a friend ask how much i would charge her for a wedding cake and i said 1.50 a serving. I told her that im going cheap b/c i havent done many. I also said, that thats the cheapest price youll find besides walmart. and i havent heard anything back. lol And ive seen her around about 3 times since then and shes never brought it up. Ill just wait until she looks around a little more. why do these people think we should only be charging say 60 bucks for a wedding cake!?! Do they forget how much it costs for ingredients!! 
forget the ingredients!!! You should be taking a deposit that more than covers the ingredients....the expensive part is your talent and time.........two things I know the bride usually doesn't have which is why they come to you in the first place........I personally am terrible at charging people I know!!! LOL Mainly because I"m not an official business........but I guarantee you when I am....I will charge family and friends and maybe offer a ten percent discount because they know me!!! My family realizes more so than a stranger what goes into a cake so I KNOW they wouldn't want to take it for free anyhow!!! Your time and your talent are worth something!!! These people can't just walk into Wal-Mart and come out with a custom designed wedding cake!!! They make you flip through a book and pick one out......you're lucky if they let you change the rose color LOL These people are getting a fresh, custom ordered wedding cake.......it's worth well over 100 bucks to serve 50 people let along 100 +
I guess it depends on how many relatives you have and how many are asking for cakes LOL. I wouldn't charge friends or relatives for a cake that was for their birthday or anniversary, but I would charge them if they were ordering a cake to give to someone else. Does that make sense? In other words if it's specifically for the friend or relative it would be my gift to them. If a relative were ordering a cake for say their neighbor, I would charge. I might offer a discount if it didn't happen too often, but if you have friends and relatives asking you for cakes all the time, I'd charge full price.
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