Why are there sooo many people out there that think custom cakes should be so cheap!!!

This guy wants me to make his 30 year retirement cake to feed 50-60ppl, including a fondant draped flag, F16 fighter jet, and alot of wording for.....$100!!

Is he serious, oh not to mention, driving it for 3 hours into Germany!

I'm charging him 1.75 euro (appx $2.70) per serving and that INCLUDES the delivery. Am I charging too much, because it's alot of work and I personally don't think I am overpricing. He wants the cake to look like the one I made another chief who got promoted, here's the cake I made:

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_1184797.html (Sorry for picture quality)

He wants more "detail" too, just a little smaller. I suggested a 9" & 6" tiered and I'll let him use a crystal stand I have, with 2 6" satellite cakes, which should give him around 60 servings.

I guess I just need to know if I'm way overcharging. Note: I live in Europe so I'm paying SUPER high prices for everything, including gas which is 4.32 a gallon for me.

So, who's right? Me or him??????

You, definitely. If you make as beautifully detailed a cake as your other example - wow! he's lucky to get it!! If he's not happy, tell him to drop by the Hema for a slagroom taart!! lol

Stick to your guns, hon - and be sure to get your non-refundable deposit first...or he may think he can stick you with it by changing his mind later.

What part of Holland are you sitting in? I'm up in Noord Holland...

No way are you wrong! That price includes delivery?!
ITA about the deposit too. People just don't get it. If you want somthing cheap and run of the mill go to a major chain food store. Sorry you're dealing with him. Your cakes are lovely!!

You do amazing work. No way you are overcharging!

Yeah, I think you can tell him where to stick his F-16 fighter jet!

Your work is beautiful. Stick to your price.

Well hun, you already know what I think about your pricing from the wedding cake you did at 9+ months pregnant (crazy woman that you are!). Tell him you called another custom cake maker in The Netherlands (me), and she would be charging him 210 EUROS for the cake and then at least another 100 euros to drive the darn thing to Germany and back (and I have a feeling that my OH (aka delivery driver), would not do it for that price - probably closer to 150 for delivery lol!). So, from me around 350 EUROS for his cake desires! That's not expensive either - I know for a fact other custom cake shops in this country (and we all know that they are few and far between!), would charge him AT LEAST 5 euros per serving, and most of them have starting prices of 6-8 euros per serving. I'm not sure many of them would make a delivery to Germany, and would charge him a pretty penny for it if they did! Let him put that in his pipe and smoke it! You are practically giving him that cake - in fact are you going to make anything on it after you've deducted your ingredients/supplies/gas costs? I highly doubt it! Geez some people have no clue!

Well, as my Mom used to say.... " people in hell want ice water, but that doesn't mean they are going to get it"........ NO CAKE FOR HIM !!

more detail=more money even if the cake is a little smaller. He'll just have to get his cake somewhere else.

Paula

Hello, I am shocked that you charge so little!! Oh my goodness, your well above $2.70 per slice, good heavens, you should be more like $4.00 or more per slice! You are so in the right here, if he does not want to pay that then he will have no cake!! UGGH!!!

No way I would be charging at least £130 - £150 for that kind of work just for the cake not including delivery. Which would be around £25 per hour. or 50p a mile.
If he dos'nt like it then his not worth the bother say that is the price and if he want's it he'll pay the price.
Definatley agree on the non-refundable deposit if he does order. I ask for 1/2 the balane at least 2 weeks prior.
One way you could keep the cost down is get him to collect it.
Your workk is fab don't under sell yourself.

X

Don't undercharge, make them pay tor all your time and effort, you are very skilled and people should appreciate that!

Thanks for all the support! My prices are pretty low b/c I set them when I was just starting out (last year) and have gotten 10X better since then, but we're moving in about 8 months and I have a good client base, which is why I didn't want to increase prices. But I DEFINATELY will when we get back to the states. Reading all the posts here has definately made me see the light

I guess some people just don't realize the amount of work CUSTOM CAKES takes.

He finally made a decision. He wanted 50 - 60 servings, but settled for 40. Oh well. He chose a 9" and 6" stacked. Pretty much like the other cake, minus the 12" bottom.

I'm charging him 70Euro, about $111, which IMO isn't that much but at least I didn't lower my prices too much. Who knows, maybe this will be a good reference and exposure. I know there are quite a few "higher ranking" officials that will see it.

Hope it turns out nice!!

PS: I'm SHOCKED that some places over here charge 5 - 8 Euro a serving!!!! WOW Guess I'm still trying to break that "grocery store" mentality.

Ok, forgot to add.....I don't do deposits here. I might when I move back to the states, but one good thing about the military......you don't pay I go to your commander! NO ONE wants that. Haven't had a problem yet HAHA

amoos wrote:

Are you kidding me? I am well aware of what they charge in Europe.

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS charge more. "Honest to Pete" it is not worth your time to turn on your oven let alone the cost for your gasoline to delivery it.

You really have to do a search on the internet for bakeries to see you are dirt, dirt, almost free cheap!

Military people are cheap. Tell him ok. you can have that for 130. but I'm charging you 50 dollars an hour to drive to and from your house. This is one of those cakes you say sorry, I'm busy.

Omgosh, that's a Awesome cake. Maybe it's the military (My DH is in the USCG) or something (J/K) 'cause I made two military cakes and they only wanted to pay me $150.00. PPl don't really realize how much time goes into making these cakes.

By the way I just requested you on my Myspace Cake page.

~Tiffany

Yea, I probably should have said I was busy, but trying to make lemonade out of lemons now. It's ok.....good exposure and I'm not driving too much out of my way. I was headed there anyway to fly home for a vacation. So.....I'll just make the cake, pack the car with my bags and my son, drop off the cake and fly across the world! LOL All in a day's work, right?

Oh, hi Tiffany. I just accepted. You have some gorgeous cakes! I may have to borrow some designs

You have to drive it three hours and back? Does that price even cover the cost of gas???

I live in Europe, too. I am always amused when I read about people in the continental US complaining about prices.

Yeah, I know... I broke down the costs of gasoline per liter vs gallon, euro vs dollar and reported to my complaining family I was paying around $5.62 a gallon. But I was told I CHOSE to move to Europe, so it's my fault! hahaha

Well you may have the last laugh. They're talking about it going over $4/gallon this summer here.