Help! Auction Starting Bid? What $ Amount Should I Use?
Decorating By prterrell Updated 20 May 2007 , 11:08pm by jmt1714
We are having a fund-raising auction at my church. I am putting up a custom cake for auction. A wedding dummy cake will be at the auction for display and then the winner of the auction will be able to order a custom cake from me. The organizer of the auction wants to know at what to start the bidding. My first thought was $50, but then I was afraid that was too high. The people bidding might want a birthday cake, not a wedding cake and might not need a really large cake, so I don't want to limit the number of people who would bid by having too large a starting bid. What do y'all think?
I would enter two cakes. One smaller b-day style cake and one larger wedding style cake. Then you can set the bids more appropriatly. My church has done this before and the starting bid on a wedding cake would have been much higher then $50 but I guess it depends on the economic situation where you live.
I would make sure your certificate or whatever you will be giving them to redeem for the free cake is very specific. #of serving size, filling and amount of decoration. A free cake could turn into a huge issue, some people get greedy. All of a sudden a simple cake turns into a fondant topsy turvy cake with figures etc and premium cake with a premium filling. You might end up resenting making the cake in the end if you don't have it spelled out. Or if not spelled out a cake value.... This entitles you to a cake valued up to X dollars or can be used as credit to a cake purchase.
MHO
Judi
I've donated a dollar amount certificate to auctions before....so the person is bidding on a gift certificate worth $xx.xx amount or whatever. That way you just keep your same pricing and you know exactly how much you are donating and you don't get stuck.
So you could auction off a certificate worth whatever, $100 or $200 and if the cake is more than that, they pay the balance. If its less, the cake is free (no refunds or change). Then you could put on display a wedding cake that would be equal in value to the certificate you are auctioning.
Just make sure you add in the fine print that if the cake is less, no refunds are given and if the cake is more, customer is responsible for the difference...also put an expiration date, maybe a year or two from issue date...and you could also put that it includes delivery or whatever else you think to put on there.
HTH!
I've done what Kitagrl does too. I've done this a couple times for the silent auction at my son's school. It works out well - I just what flavors, servings and decoration the cake can be and add that fondant, edible images, gumpaste, etc will be extra.
Debbie
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%