Something should only be expected for free if YOU offer it! If your niece was having a birthday and you said "oh as my gift can I make her cake?"

Otherwise, I think it's quite rude to expect something for nothing. The last birthday cake I made was for a little boy who attended my daughter's first birthday party. They bought my daughter these beautiful pop up books. Well she asked me to make her son's first birthday cake because she wanted something "nice" She fully expected to pay me a lot for his cake but when she showed up I only charged her what it cost to make the cake. I told her that my time and "expertise" were my gift. She was very pleasantly surprised and grateful. I was the one who felt kinda rude like I should have given her the whole thing -since I said it was a gift -but she was very happy to pay cost.

I hope you made em pay for their cake

I have really enjoyed reading this thread!

I just had to add -- my sister's boyfriend's parents (who will probably be her in-laws before too long) are very, very, very (that's really not enough very's!!) wealthy. The mom orders a lot of cake from me, as she does a lot of entertaining and does not cook at all. In May, she ordered three small cakes for their family birthday celebration, as they had three birthdays in May, and one of them was for my sister. Before we hung up the phone, she said "since it's ____(my sister's)___ birthday, do I have to pay for these cakes?" I could have died!

Then on the other hand there are the people that I know for a fact are barely making ends meet or have recently had a family tragedy or have recently fallen on hard times who have helped me during my life or someone I know, and I want to discount their cake or give it to them at no charge and they insist on paying full price! I even had one sweet little woman in our church that I knew really couldn't afford the cake for her granddaughter, but was willing to scrape it together, who I wouldn't let pay me the day I delivered it, but she really tried to insist and the very next day I received a check in the mail. Of course, it never got cashed, but it really warmed my heart!

I am a victim of this also, such a pushover. I don't know if i'll ever learn. Even the ones willing to pay know what a cake costs at walmart and are thinking I should be able to do it for the same price. Look in my photo's the under the sea cake, I was paid $35.00 for that cake, I added up my ingredients and my costs were around 35.00 didn't make one dime on that one. It was for an aquaintance, not a close friend, but a friend, and I think she really thought she was paying me alot. Its my fault though, Its really hard for me to ask for money for my my work, its been a hobby mostly, but with 3 wedding cakes in the last few weeks and I have done them all for free, i'm getting tired of it. Can't complain though, because it is my fault, its a problem I have, so i'll have to just deal with it. I'm one of those people pleasers, can't say no.

I have gotten this same treatment from people in the past...I guess since I am a cake decorator for a living they think that when I decorate from home it should be free....NOT! I finally put my foot down a while back and now I tell them upfront before I even buy one ounce of powdered sugar that I expect X amount of money for supplies and my services

It seems that we CCer's certainly have a hard time talking about money upfront.....I firmly believe that the price should be agreed upon prior to the oven warming up it is only good business practice. Matter-of-fact all cakes should have some sort of contract so we agree to size, colors, design, favors, time finished, delivery, return of plates etc., etc., etc.......no matter if the cake is for the President of the United States or Mom's SIL's, cousin's child, twice removed & next door neighbor. (I know.....smarty pants talking.)

But really, the price should be agreed upon prior to the oven warming up! Cuz if we don't we are only asking for trouble.

I am so happy I found this post. I had a coworker as me to make a volleyball cake for next Friday. She requested it a week and a half ago. You know the large round cake on the bottom, half volleyball cake on the top, with grass under the volleyball. I had made a similar soccer ball cake for another coworker about a month ago. Well, I had forgotten to ask if she had wanted something written on the larger cake so I emailed her. She told me her husband is not willing to pay the price I quoted her for the cake and she is sorry if she caused me any inconvenience. Why do people do this? Yes, I bought the supplies needed but I probably will use them in the future. I guess my being new to this, I shouldn't be upset and expect it from time to time. I'm sure they are probably not aware of the work that goes into making their "special cakes".

chigirl, in the manufacturing world, when a customer cancels an order and the materials have already been bought, then they are invoiced for the materials. We can't use them ..... we are not eating the cost.

chigurl - Good for You!!!!!! Oh by the way, welcome to the boards!

Well Indydebi then there is always the restocking fee, but let's not scare the newbie

Restocking Fee! How did I forget that one!!

i'm having a little trouble getting over the "first crack" at the cake. you want FIRST CRACK? make 'em one of those bare butt cakes from the naughty gallery. "and that'll be $50 for my first crack!"

I'm currently going through something similiar. I haven't made the cake yet, but she told me, "let me know if you need anything", and I'm assuming she's expecting it for free. I hope not.

Here is a fabulous cake by Beachcakes that I would love to give as a free cake to a few people talked about on this list.....

http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=29454

I find it really hard to charge friends...even when they are willing to pay. I don't even like to do cakes for people I know because I know I will just tell them "don't worry about it" when the whole time I'm thinking I could really use some grocery money this month!!!! ARGH. I don't know why it's a problem, it's just uncomfortable. The graduation cake in my photos more than likely took me 6 hours from beginning to end (after doing the cap, diploma, etc) and I told her "don't worry about it" when she asked what she owed me. I have GOT to get over myself. I need Indydebi to follow me around with a hot poker for awhile.

I've nodded so much reading this thread I have a headache!


In the words of Barney Fife... NIP IT! NIP IT IN THE BUD!!!


Edited to pull in the dirty laundry..sorry I don't usually rant!

Actually I think whether you do it for a profession or a hobby, you need to be upfront about money. Even my colleagues who order cakes and who I give discounts too pay me a deposit to book their cake in. I never accept orders through people, oh so and so would like a cake, can you do it, I say here's my phone number, email have them contact me. And I suppose friend and family wise I'm pretty lucky, none of my friends expect free cakes, I love seeing their faces when they get one, and my family have come down hard on me that if I'm doing the cake then that is the present and I'm to stop buying extra presents.

I never start baking until I've given a quote and it's been accepted.

LOL tiptop! He didn't get the joke, either!

I know exactly how you feel...usually the friends and family that I make cakes for are really good about compensating me, but I have one neighbor in particular that just burns me!!! Last year she asked me to make her son his bday cake, and because I didn't speak up, it ended up being a free cake (she didn't even offer to pay me.) The end of August we are having a neighborhood block party, so this neighbor "asked" me to make her son's bday cake again, and bring it as my "contribution" to the party!!! I was so dumbfounded that I just didn't know what to say! I've finally decided that I'm going to bring it to her house the night before the party and tell her that I need x amount of $ for the ingredients (and pad that number a little!)

Some people just don't get it.

Folks, it's pretty tacky to surprise someone with a bill at the last minute as you are handing them the cake. You will not run into this if you settle the money issue right up front.

I agree indydebi>

If they could do the cake themselves, they wouldn't come to you to make it. It would cost them to go get the supplies to make it so why shouldn't you charge for supplies. If they want free labor--"hey, make it yourself".

Price should not be an issue--your time and talent is valuable.

Just today I have had 5 calls for orders this weekend. 2 wanted sculpted cakes. I told them sculped cakes START at $60.00. "Oh, well let's just get a sheet cake." Another wanted a 3-tiered sandcastle cake "like on www.freedsbakery.com". Told her that my tiered cakes START at $50 and that particular cake would run her over $90 (she only needed to serve 30). "Oh no, I'm not spending that much on a 5th birthday. Let's just do a sheet cake".

Quote from Norman Davis "People do not realize what goes into making a cake." To further show how dense people are, he had a lady call for an elaborate cake. He quoted a price. She asked why it was so expensive. Norman explained that cake would take several hours to decorate. She said, "Well, they made the same cake on the Food Network in an hour."

It's not even just 8 hours...like you said alot is done in the early morning before the show. And the actual taping is usually 3 days.