Ok Ok I know this has been discussed on here many times over and people have vented about this again and again but I am extremely frustrated!! Why oh why do people think our cakes that we make from home should be way cheaper or free!!!! Anyways a lady emailed me and asked me to do a cake and I asked her how much she wanted to spend and what she had in mind and how many people she wanted to serve any ways she emailed me back and said $35 and here is the cake she had in mind. How much would you charge. What do you all think. THanks
No way this is a $35 cake, regardless of what she wants or how many she wants to feed. With the figures on the side and the round cake on top - she's crazy. A $35 cake is a sheet cake, white, with a decoration piped on, white borders, etc. Don't sell yourself short!
Well, how thoughtful of her to provide you with both a design AND a price 
She doesn't get to do both. She can say "here is the cake I would like, how much will it cost?" or she can say "I have $35 to spend, what can I get?". The cake she showed you is at least a $70 cake (depending on number of servings, intricacy of the artwork, could definitely go higher. Tell her what your price for THAT cake is, and sketch an alternate "$35" version, if you even do cakes for that little.
She may not know how much that cake should cost and she's trying to give you details of what she would like. If you want to do a Pokemon cake, then I'd respond back and tell her that the cake she has designed would cost $xx.xx assuming it's x (flavor), y (frosting) and z (fondant or whatever). Let her know that for $35 you can do a, b and c, but not that cake.
Work with her - maybe she's just unaware of what cakes entail.
Christy
Are you kidding me?! I wouldn't do that for less than $75 and that is pushing it - Tell her to take her cheap A$$ to walmart or something - Dont ever let anyone talk you down from a cake like that - you will spend way to much time on that cake and then feel stupid for only doing it for $35.
In my experience anyone who says I want a 35.00 cake and here it is is kinda fishy. If she knew what she wanted, had a sketch and knew a round cake ball could be used has some knowledge of cakes. But probably not enough to know 35.00 aint gonna cut it. Or she may be scammin to see if someone will do it for her.
Either way, tell her your alternatives for a 35.00 cake and then give her your price on the one she wanted and see. That's about all you can do, but at least you put forth the effort to try to accommodate her order with in her budget.
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! yeah.. $35 will cover that NO PROBLEM.. 
But seriously.. what are the sizes? I am thinking at least 4"ball, 6" square, 10" square?? That's 68 servings no counting the ball.. If it's to be BC with fondant accents that'd be $2.50 per serving and that'd be $170.. and the ball I'd charge at least $20 for.. You are looking at a $200.00 cake (depending on the sizes of the tiers).
well, I don't know the size but I usually do a cake like that 10", 8" and the ball for about $80.00 to 90.00 just beacause is illigle to sell from home in NJ. I just hate when people tell me how much they are going to pay me, it doest'n intimidate me I just send them to the local bakery and they always end up coming back.
Could you do a 9x13 sheet with half of a small ball pan laying on top? You could still decorate the ball the same, it would just be looking upward. Also, then you don't have to do a filling or etc. "Happy Birthday, with the kids favorite character pipped out on top also. That would at least make it cheaper. No Fondant!
Just an idea anyway.
You all are so Awesome. Thanks for all the great ideas and input, I am NOT going to "give" this cake away, and talking to you all has giving me confidence to stand up for myself more. and yes it is a three tier cake with the third one being a ball cake. Thanks so so so much I really needed this.
I didn't think about the copywrite infringements.. DUH.. Pokemon.. I wouldn't sell this cake at all.. you probably won't get caught on it, but is it worth the risk? Ask yourself that. You could make her a brightly colored base cake and she could put one of her son's Pokeballs on top of it.. that's be a good middle ground.
I wouldn't even give her the plain ball cake tier for $35. She's nuts!! The ball cake is at least 6-7 inches, so those cakes underneath would have to be about an 8-10" and 10-12" sizing.
$35?? NO WAY!!! 
Tammieadam, your answer is HILARIOUS!!! Go girl!
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! yeah.. $35 will cover that NO PROBLEM..
But seriously.. what are the sizes? I am thinking at least 4"ball, 6" square, 10" square?? That's 68 servings no counting the ball.. If it's to be BC with fondant accents that'd be $2.50 per serving and that'd be $170.. and the ball I'd charge at least $20 for.. You are looking at a $200.00 cake (depending on the sizes of the tiers).
I'm with this one.
Just tell her what you CAN make for $35. Now that I think about it, it's barely enough for a sheet cake. Just tell her how it is, maybe she just doesn't realize.
You all are so Awesome. Thanks for all the great ideas and input, I am NOT going to "give" this cake away, and talking to you all has giving me confidence to stand up for myself more. and yes it is a three tier cake with the third one being a ball cake. Thanks so so so much I really needed this.
Yeah whenever I feel scared or meek....I come to Cake Central to get a smack back into reality. We really do have each others back 
If $35 is her budget tell her what you CAN do for that amount. : )
she is to totally clueless and insane I would never charge $35 for a cake like that!!!
Hell I guess this is wrong, but the ball cake take a little bit of time to do I charge $35 just for that. People pay it if that's what they really want. And I am with meancat No less then $75 and I would really thing about charging more.
Make a small 10 in with a small 6 on top if that tell her 50 dollars and she has to supply the pokey plastic toy and pokey cards for around the cake ice white and do a black and yellow border and be done with it
This is a great idea and keeps you away from the legal issue! She could just buy a new pack of the cards and you could like pipe an 'x' to show her where to put them!
Good luck! can't wait to hear what she says!
People don't want to expend to much money in a Birthday cake, but I think for this kind of cake can be $60-70. You can do each cake only with 3" high, no more than that, only with buttercream and if she wants something winth fondant, she needs to pay extra....
"I'm sorry. As much as I would love to make this cake for you, your design incorporates copyrighted characters and I would be unable to do it. Would you like to submit a different design? For the amount you have in mind to spend, your options would be limited to a sheet cake with possibly a kit on it. Let me know something soon. Sincerely...."
All of your ideas are great!!!! So many to choose from. I am going to talk to her about the cake and the price. and if she only has $35 I will let her know what she will get for that. And having her put the pokemon stuff on it herself is a really great idea, I might just tell her that too. Thanks for everything.
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