Selling cakes
By Anne18
@Anne18 (11029)
April 8, 2012 1:27pm CST
I made some small buns (fairy cakes in England) and took them to one of my cleaning clients. Just basic buns with glace icing on/ mixed spice and currant etc. She liked them so much she wants me to make her some every week as she misses home made cakes and wants to pay me! She was asking how much I would sell the little cakes for and if I made some buns in muffin cases(next size up from small buns) how much I would charge her.
I never thought that she would want to buy any cakes as what I took her was from the household cooking that I had made for the family so if I cooked for her then I would always take from the household cooking, ie two iced/two spiced buns etc, and a couple slices cake (how much per slice of cake ie fruit cake)
What do you think I should charge in English money? I have never thought about selling my home baking to anyone.
sorry for asking another question and not getting time to go and reply/answer other peoples discussions and other items I'm meant ot be getting around to replying to. BUT am having a good easter holiday with hubby and the children, catching up with them, spending time with them and getting thrown off the pc far too quickly!!LOL
Hope you are all very well. Hopefully normal service will return shortly and I'll spend an awful lot of time on mylot and earn lots of money and you'll all be really fed up with me again!!
4 people like this
19 responses
@savypat (20216)
• United States
8 Apr 12
What a wonderful discussion and I just finished posting a discussion on gifts. You gave and gift and look what it brought you. As for charge, figure what it cost you and add a %, at first don't include your time, do that later if there is more demand. Blessing.
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
8 Apr 12
Hi Ann. I am in London and do not know how long it will be before I am eligible for surgery. Staying with the alcofrolic sister so life is sometimes tense. I would check the price of the cakes in the shops as this would give you an idea of what to charge. I would do it as you can make a little more money. She may ask you for a regular order of six to a dozen. Blessings
2 people like this
@rogue13xmen13 (14403)
• United States
8 Apr 12
I don't live in the UK, so I don't know how much you would charge, but here in America we go by what our competitors charge, or what the average price of the item would be. If you think that they are really good, and other people who have sampled them think that they are very good, then you should ask them what they would be willing to pay for one?
Here in the U.S., a lot of what we pay is based on competitors prices, the average price, sales price, and then what people would be willing to pay for that item. You might want to look at the price of cakes where you live, and see what they go for, and get people's opinion on what they would pay.
1 person likes this
@rogue13xmen13 (14403)
• United States
9 Apr 12
Thanks, I have been in sales before, and it's not easy, and have to know your clients.
2 people like this
@celticeagle (165620)
• Boise, Idaho
8 Apr 12
Happy Easter. I think a $1.25 for the small ones and $2.50 for the bigger ones. You should get payed for making them and that is not too expensive. I don't know what that would be in 'English money'. Having PC sevice trouble. Fed up with you again? What that?
1 person likes this
@Anne18 (11029)
•
9 Apr 12
Happy Easter to you as well.
Have had a very good slot on pc today. Hubby and oldest son out at footy match, other two out playing so I think I have answered all the links you sent me about a month ago. Now need ot try and catch up with other stuff. Have home made soup warming on stove, made a home made victoria sponge this morning for tea. Hubby will be home in a sec so trying ot catch up on a bit more. Hopefully I'll get back on here later as well when people watching telly etc. Crumpets to cook are under the grill. good wifey and mother that i am!!LOL Did you hear me shout at the children this morning???LOL
Thank you for your imput, have had some good answers on this discussion so I'm on the right track what to charge her. I have also started to do her garden as well!!!
2 people like this
@Anne18 (11029)
•
16 Apr 12
Posted ok this time.
Glad you didn't hear me yell at my children, have yelled at them again, but won't tell tomorrow between the hours of 8.20am and 3.30pm as they are back to school tomorrow and they do need ot go as they have been getting a bit bored. Don't know how they are going ot get up so early as they haven't been getting up until 10am!!! 7am start tomorrow!!! I start back cleaning tomorrow as well, all packed lunches in bottom of fridge all ready made
2 people like this
@celticeagle (165620)
• Boise, Idaho
9 Apr 12
Am getting 'unable to post content. please modify your text to only include letters, numbers, and standard punctuation.' when I go to post. I don't know that I am adding anything that I need to modify. No. I didn't hear you yell at your kids. I did answer a couple of the links you had answered. So that is good. I will try to post this again.
1 person likes this
@lovinangelsinstead21 (36850)
• Pamplona, Spain
8 Apr 12
Hiya Anne,
How I wish I lived next Door to you (grin). Basic buns but made with that mixture they must taste really wonderful.
In English Money I really don´t know but knowing you you will find the right price and be able to make those muffin ones as well.
My Shepherds Pie this is the third one I have made myself has come out great ask these lot here and especially my Dog who does nothing but wag his tail in and out of the Kitchen and he eats the lot including the Dog Meal.
No qualms about how much he will leave does not leave anything (grin).
Of course I don´t charge for that do I?
Are you getting thrown of the PC as well same as me first thing I have answered today I think can´t remember exactly as I am doing sitting downs of two minutes at a time.
I am not fed up with you and so glad that your work is coming out for you.xxx
Have a great Week Anne and earn lots and lots.xxx
Have a great Week Anne and earn lots and lots.xxx
1 person likes this
@Anne18 (11029)
•
9 Apr 12
Well next door house is up for sale and a house around the corner is up for sale as well, so come on move over to my town.
Have had some good ideas for prices etc so think I shall soon be there with what to charge.
Just like ot help out and some old folk can't make there own cake anymore.
I'm sharing pc and not getting my share of time!!! Thats what being a mum is all about isn't it? Waiting for home made soup to heat through and two people to come in to eat it.
I did make a victoria sponge this morning to have for tea as well
2 people like this
@lovinangelsinstead21 (36850)
• Pamplona, Spain
9 Apr 12
Hiya Anne,
Not that I would not mind moving next Door to you but I have enough with these lot here even though they have moved out woohoo I am still getting them round here for me to do things.
But I am going to fix that and make sure I am not in all the time (grin).
Hope you can sell them well.
I am not too bad at making Vitoria Sponges either they rise like crazy cannot say the same for Bread though.
Yes it is you´re so right. No one wants to take the Dog for a walk even the Dog brings me the lead and drops it into my lap (grin)
Tonight I tried to take him for a second walk and I came back because he was really naughty as he keeps chasing after the other Dog from around the Corner who is always loose and never on a leash.
It can get to be really annoying I take him on a leash and the rest just do not bother.
He pulls way too much on the leash when he sees her you see not even when I tied the leash to a Lamp post did that stop him so back we came again.
Trying to get on here is almost impossible yes. Got spare five minutes before I am off here again as they are waiting to be fed.
Good luck with your Cakes thing.xxx
1 person likes this
@Anne18 (11029)
•
9 Apr 12
Hello again
I'll let you konw how I get on, I just took them around as a good will easter treat sort of thing. I do give one of my neighbours cakes when I cook as she is really good with my children etc.
Perhaps I could add dog walking ot my list of jobs that I can do!!???
Yes trying ot get on mylot is almost impossible. Today I have now got on here properly, making the most of it as It may be ages until I get this amount of time again. Maybe when the children go back to school, next tuesday!!!
Hope the dogs eat niclely for you
2 people like this
@changjiangzhibin89 (16746)
• China
9 Apr 12
You seem to be a superb cook.Your cleaning clients likes your home made buns so much that she would like to buy some every week.I think you are stuck by it and in a dilemma.It is really a knotty problem.How do you fix their price? What if she is disinclined to pay the price asked for?
1 person likes this
@changjiangzhibin89 (16746)
• China
10 Apr 12
Maybe there are some formalities to settle, before you open a cake shop.Anyway,your home made buns surely have a distinctive flavour.You should be proud of your home made buns.
1 person likes this
@BarBaraPrz (47059)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
8 Apr 12
Would two pounds be reasonable, or two much?
1 person likes this
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
11 Apr 12
That is wonderful! All of it! My guess is you should charge double what the ingredients and supplies cost you and then round up. If that does not seem like enough, then charge more! Maybe she will serve these to her friends and get you more baking clients. 
1 person likes this
@GreenMoo (11834)
•
9 Apr 12
How lovely! I'd pop down to the nearest bakery if I were you, and see how much they are charging for similar type of things. They do a cost analysis of your ingredients to see how much they're actually costing you to make and find a price somewhere in between.
1 person likes this
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
11 Apr 12
This is something that could really be a winner for you. Now, I would think about the time that it takes to make the cakes and also the supplies to make them. Then, I would take the value of that time and the cost of materials and mark that up by about fifty percent so that you would be able to make a profit off of them.
This would probably be cheaper than you could buy similar prepared cakes at a store and it could also be the start of a very profitable business.
1 person likes this
@bounce58 (17387)
• Canada
14 Apr 12
I'm not really sure how much you should charge for them, but as a fan of pastries, and baked goods myself, I think you should pursue this possible earning opportunity. Maybe it could lead somewhere that could add to your earnings. You already have the clientele in your cleaning work anyway, so maybe they'd like some cakes and buns too!
@achraf52 (179)
• Morocco
9 Apr 12
This is a great business for you, try selling them 0.5 each and ask her to look if her friends would be interested too, then you could open a small window or so and sell to everyone, just make sure you follow any local guidelines for selling food .
1 person likes this
@starrose_ara (784)
• Philippines
9 Apr 12
I do bake and love cooking too. I am a Food Trades graduate. A suggestion is to make a simple computation on how much you spend on making those cakes. How many slices can you make per one cake? You have to add up some overhead costs like how much will you spend for the gas or electricity to bake those. How about the packaging? You then will divide these per cake slices. Most of the bigger business I know started in the kitchen. Hope this is helpful enough.
You can even use any social media that you are registered in while posting a nice picture of your cakes. You might just gain some customers there. Just be sure to start out in your locality and avoid being scam by people who get kicks out of ordering for something without paying for it.
@macdingolinger (10386)
• United States
8 Apr 12
For me it is very difficult to figure out how much to charge. You have the expense of the ingredients (which probably is not too much actually), the cost of cooking plus the cost of your precious time. It's so difficult to put a price on time and cooking and ingredients. I'd say shoot for something reasonable but enough you make a little bit of money off of them... How many in a package?
1 person likes this
@laken02 (3065)
• United States
8 Apr 12
lol your funny.. me and hubby just had a grill out and spent time together at home getting caught up on yard work an such he was off form work as well.. and i have spent this time to get caught up here in mylot as i am behind terrible ..
and it has helped some.. and helping my earring as well..
as for the cakes and stuff selling it.. if you have the time go for it and do good but see if its worth it time wise first and before you set a price to sell check how much you have in the ingridents first and then see how much profit you want to make and that will determine the price.. cover you food cost first.. me and the neighbor hood kids did a bake sell once we made homemade brownies and such and we went around the neighberhood and sold out.. .. but it was for charity for the dog pound.. to see if we could get enought .. but by the time i kept up with those kids and made the food.. it was not worth it we did sell out but still never made alot to do waht i wanted.. so i never did it again.. and now i cant becasue im dedicated to mylot and getting my earrings up.. good luck.. hope you do well..
@Anne18 (11029)
•
9 Apr 12
Glad tat you think that I am funny.
I'm catching up as well on mylot, children have been out so done a bit of catching up on a good friend's discussions, just heating some home made soup up while waiting for hubby and older son to come back from watching a footy match. Just ned to put crumpts under grill.
I'm just giving away the extras if you get my drift, have to cook loads for the family so a few more is no trouble but the old folk like ot pay there way properly
1 person likes this
@telmesh (1793)
•
9 Apr 12
To take the last item first I'm sure that there is no one on here that will ever get bored or fed up up with your contributions.
Now think if one person will like your home baking then would many. Would you rather be baking than cleaning. The oven would have to be full and you would have to sell the lot. Cost the ingredients to do this and the cost of energy for the oven for the period of time it's on. Then divide the total by the number of Muffins and if you can't make a profit for selling them at 40p each, forget it. Don't forget if you continue to cook batch after batch for a day the cost of each will decrease because the oven only has to warm up once.
Is this your new business or not. By the way madolines are nice as well.
@Anne18 (11029)
•
9 Apr 12
You are always so very nice to me, might have to ask you ot be my second husband, but I don't want ot get rid of my husband and in England I'm not allowed two husbands in one go! Shame!
I'm not that good at cooking, just made basis cakes and my icing is very basis no fancy stuff like these other cake companys do. Rather clean I think. so not my new business, just like ot help people out and not all old folk can still bake but they do like ot eat home made cakes.
Will only cook while cooking the family cakes
1 person likes this
@telmesh (1793)
•
10 Apr 12
Thankyou for your kind remarks and it doesn't hurt to be nice does it and because we think along similar lines it's easy to talk to you.
Right it's not a new business then and you don't really want to charge, so I would guess that 30-50p each would be fair, or really what your happy with. It would be easier if your customer set the price at what she thinks is right, they are usually more generous than you would think would be the right price.
@mariab2000 (740)
• Canada
8 Apr 12
This seems to be a nice little side business if you can get a few clients. A nice way to earn some extra money. To determine the price, what you can do is to check for the price of these buns in the shops where you live and then based on that price you can see what you want to charger her. I would ask for less money than whta they charge in the shops...
1 person likes this
@Lisona (177)
•
8 Apr 12
Hiya, well I bake quite alot for my toddlers playgroups and I sometimes sell them on a stall to raise funds for his playgroup, basically I make all different types of scrummy things, Fairy cakes are a best seller :0) I charge £1.20 for six and they have plain icing. I usually make huge batches up especially if I am selling them at a stall. Sliced cakes eg, victoria sponges around £3.00 not a big huge one around 8 inch. I try and not make them too cheap or too expensive. Say you made an assortment of cakes in a tin you can charge her for the tin full eg depending how big a tin £4-5 up to you what ever.
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