How Much Would You Charge For This Cake?

Business By jessilachelle Updated 2 Apr 2013 , 2:47am by jessilachelle

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kazita Posted 1 Apr 2013 , 10:20pm
post #61 of 69

AMaybe OP should read the post that just came up called "family discounts" it might be helpful, just take into account that maybe most people answering the post are people who have had a lot of experience making cakes for there families. Oh correction the family post was originally posted on 2/2013 but it just ran thru here again.

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DeliciousDesserts Posted 1 Apr 2013 , 10:49pm
post #62 of 69

A

Original message sent by jason_kraft

Got it. I thought you were implying that saying a certain type of post is not as helpful as other types of posts is a personal attack...stranger things have happened here. Sorry for the mix-up. :)

Ha ha I know that type. I promise I'm not one of them.

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kazita Posted 1 Apr 2013 , 11:28pm
post #63 of 69

AI did contradict myself by saying first I wouldn't pay for the OP cake I than posted that $40 was to low of a price, in my opinion and its just my opinion not like its set in stone I think if she's gonna sell her cake to family and friends to not start out so low at least get your ingredients and some of your times worth out of the cake, that being said I think and again this is just my personal opinion I think selling to your family and friends can bite you in the butt my reasoning would be that as you get better and your cakes improve you are gonna want to raise your prices and than you run the risk of your family and friends questioning your prices.

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carmijok Posted 2 Apr 2013 , 12:16am
post #64 of 69

Screw all this talk!   I say we all just get together and and beat the crap out of the OP!!

 

( I AM kidding btw. I love to see when posts deteriorate and morph into something that defies the original intent!)

 

So with that--and the original question of the post--in mind I will offer my 2 cents.  If people are inquiring about what you would charge for this cake I would tell them that as a home baker you can not legally charge anyone...yet.  But you could give them a ballpark opinion of what you WOULD and WILL be charging once you are legal. 

 

What that price is can be based on many things--obviously ingredients, overhead, etc., but to at least get an idea of what your market is like, instead of just asking CC'ers, I would  check around with different bakeries in your area and find out what the going rate for a cake of this size and design would run.   We can tell you prices all day long, but it won't necessarily fit for your area.   I can tell you that in my town, a cake of that size and design would be around $120 ($4 per serving).  It might be more somewhere else--or less.

 

Skill level plays a roll in determining costs as well.  With each cake your talent will improve so you need to ask yourself whether it might be worth it to do these for cost while you build that skill level.  Then, if that's how you wish to proceed,  you can give the recipient a shopping list of what you need to make their cake and let them buy the ingredients.  No money will have changed hands and no late night cake police will be raiding your home looking for a suspicious powdery white substance in your mixer. 

 

Again, just my thoughts on the subject!  Good luck!

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scrumdiddlycakes Posted 2 Apr 2013 , 12:22am
post #65 of 69

My goodness, drama central in here, lol.

To actually answer the question, if someone presented me with the same idea for a cake, it would cost them about $4.85 a serving.

The problem with asking online for an actual price, is that it varies hugely from area to area. For instance, in small town WV, there's probably no chance that someone would pay almost $5 a serving for this style of cake, in New York City, that would be a steal.

Obviously a lot of us have some pretty firm views on the legality of it, but if you are wanting to recoup your losses anyway, the only way to do that is to add up your ingredients, supplies, misc overhead, and time, if you just want to make sure you break even, don't add anything on for time.

Nobody here can tell you what each of those factors cost you, unfortunately.

 

I understand it's rough to take criticism, especially when it wasn't asked for/expected.

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kazita Posted 2 Apr 2013 , 12:36am
post #66 of 69

A[quote name="carmijok" url="/t/756236/how-much-would-you-charge-for-this-cake/60#post_7377814"]Screw all this talk!   I say we all just get together and and beat the crap out of the OP!!

Oh my way to make me laugh

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kazita Posted 2 Apr 2013 , 12:42am
post #67 of 69

AIt has been very dramatic in here to the point of where I really feel bad for the original poster and I have added to the drama I simply must apologize to the OP . I truly am sorry that your post got derailed.

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Norasmom Posted 2 Apr 2013 , 12:55am
post #68 of 69

Where's the moderator on this posting?  I've seen moderators jump in on this website over far less...

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jessilachelle Posted 2 Apr 2013 , 2:47am
post #69 of 69

AI wasn't getting defensive or taking the critisisms harshly, simly correcting the critisisms that were incorrect. The question I asked had nothing to do withe the 50000 replies about the legalities of cake baking. Whichh was not anything that I asked. But its ok. Because this cake that I baked everyone at the party loved and I got a million requests because of this one cake. So whether or not it was perfect dosent matter because everyone loved it. I may also mention its only my 4th cake and I'm 100% self taught. So I believe I did a damn good job. So yea...its all good everyone I was not hurt by anything that was said I'm all for corrective critisism, but I was annoyed simply by the amount of comments reffering to the legalities. I'm 100% positive the majority of people on here aren't certified and its all good. I'm moving in 3 months and that's when I'm going to get everything legal, there's no point in me getting my kitchen reviewd now if I will have to do it again in a few short months. So thanks for the people with support and actually somewhat answered the question, but I'm so done with this post haha.

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