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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this lady is seriously underpricing these gorgeous bouquets of cupcakes?

260 replies

caringcarer · 05/08/2023 23:05

They look so real I genuinely thought it was a bouquet of real flowers. She told me it took her 3 years to learn to do them to this standard. How much do you think she charges per bouquet and you can choose the colour theme too?

To think this lady is seriously underpricing these gorgeous bouquets of cupcakes?
OP posts:
RestingMurderousFace · 05/08/2023 23:48

£50+

fullbloom87 · 05/08/2023 23:49

Seeing as you can get a bog standard cake for £50-£60 I would definitely say she needs to charge at least £100 because they are incredible and would have taken a lot of hard work to create.

whynotwhatknot · 05/08/2023 23:50

50? they are very prety but id like to know if they taste good sometimes over styled things are very bland

SM4713 · 05/08/2023 23:51

No idea- I'm waiting for the OP to come back and reply.

Testina · 05/08/2023 23:52

Just state the price already 🤷🏻‍♀️🙄

Emmamoo89 · 05/08/2023 23:54

£30

Teenagehorrorbag · 05/08/2023 23:57

GenieGenealogy · 05/08/2023 23:19

Honestly cake making is a very unappreciated and underpaid craft.

All craft is. A friend handknits scarves for a premium brand. The scarves sell for £100+. Lots of sarky comments about who would pay that much for a scarf when they can get one in Primark for £2?

Agreed. A friend makes beautiful woollen mice (knitted, crocheted??) and each one takes her hours. At minimum wage plus materials they ought to be about £40 each, but no-one will ever pay that. If mass produced in B&M they'd be £4 probably.

It's so hard for crafters to get a reasonable price for their work. I can see both sides of the argument - you can usually buy something 'OK' for far less, but it's sad for people with skills and dedication not to be able to see the results of that in financial terms.

WelshNerd · 05/08/2023 23:58

£30 (I live in a cheap area though).

Also it really bothers me that there's 7 of them!

WannaBeRecluse · 06/08/2023 00:02

WelshNerd · 05/08/2023 23:58

£30 (I live in a cheap area though).

Also it really bothers me that there's 7 of them!

Things like this are always done in odd numbers for balance.

CarPour · 06/08/2023 00:06

Teenagehorrorbag · 05/08/2023 23:57

Agreed. A friend makes beautiful woollen mice (knitted, crocheted??) and each one takes her hours. At minimum wage plus materials they ought to be about £40 each, but no-one will ever pay that. If mass produced in B&M they'd be £4 probably.

It's so hard for crafters to get a reasonable price for their work. I can see both sides of the argument - you can usually buy something 'OK' for far less, but it's sad for people with skills and dedication not to be able to see the results of that in financial terms.

Show quote history

But not many people want a hand crocheted mouse for £50 no matter how beautiful.

I'm sure they are lovely, and take time and skill. But the number of people who have a spare 40 odd quid for a crocheted mouse is very small.

Not all skills are marketable.

RhymesWithTangerine · 06/08/2023 00:07

TMess · 05/08/2023 23:35

I just paid 90 for similar so I would say in the 75-100 range. Unfortunately people have a very odd view of appropriately compensating people who do a craft or art so it’s possible she can’t get nearly what her time is actually worth.

It’s not an ‘odd view’ of compensating people. It’s an understanding that that these are cupcakes. However much time and care is spent on them, they remain cupcakes. And £80 can get you a beautiful bunch of flowers, or some champagne, or a side of smoked salmon etc. The cupcakes just become uncompetitive so won’t be bought.

mondaytosunday · 06/08/2023 00:09

Well I'm amazed. I googled it and there are some fantastic bakers/decorators selling these things from about £30, the one near me is £48 for 12! They look amazing, though with practice are probably not as time consuming as people think. I hope they taste as good as they look!

BungleandGeorge · 06/08/2023 00:14

I’d say £35. Ingredients and power to make 7 cupcakes is not a huge amount of money, even less if she’s batch making them. Utensils are reuseable and I’d expect someone skilled with 3 years experience to be able to decorate them in not much time. The piping is quick it’s just that you need to be skilled at it to look good. So the main cost is the experience. If she also delivers I’d expect to pay a premium

BungleandGeorge · 06/08/2023 00:22

being a professional crafter is about being skilled but also quick. People are generally not going to make money out of a sideline hobby because they’re too slow and they’re purchasing materials in small quantities etc. of course hand made bespoke will cost more but people aren’t going to pay a fortune because someone works slowly!

SoShallINever · 06/08/2023 00:30

Honestly, I just don't get the fad for this sort of thing. It's just sugar and fat. Guess I'm not their target market, but I've worked in a diabetic foot clinic and it's put me off for life.

PromSeason · 06/08/2023 00:34

Honestly, I just don't get the fad for this sort of thing. It's just sugar and fat. Guess I'm not their target market, but I've worked in a diabetic foot clinic and it's put me off for life.

Such a mumsnet response. 😂

People buy these sorts of things for birthdays or other celebrations occasionally, an occasional cupcake isn’t an issue.

thereisnorightanswer · 06/08/2023 00:34

Honestly, from the tiny photo, they look like the sort of thing where a fair price is much more than I would be prepared to pay. So I just wouldn't buy them.

Waffle78 · 06/08/2023 00:36

Wow amazing did they taste as good as they look?

NoonaNeomuYeppeo · 06/08/2023 00:43

I'm sure they cost more than I'm willing to pay.

Hawkins009 · 06/08/2023 00:46

@caringcarer what ever the price is, if you price too high your client base is limited, I'f you price too low then it's making a loss, I guess somewhere inbetween to balance profit with customers.

Mumuser124 · 06/08/2023 00:51

Is expect to pay at least £70.

They’re fantastic.

Unicorn2022 · 06/08/2023 00:52

They look absolutely amazing but are just small sponge cakes with a disproportionate amount of buttercream so I wouldn't pay a lot for them

Original poster
caringcarer · 06/08/2023 00:53

I didn't make them. DH just found them on Neighbours website and ordered them for my birthday at the end of this month. They cost £30 which I think is too little as she apparently took 3 years to learn to make them to this standard. The reviews on her website say they taste as good as they look. DH also booked me 6 lessons of cake decorating with her which I've always wanted to do better than a blob of icing and a few smarties in the top. I'll share them with my friends and make a little tea party with prosecco as I've got a lot of beautiful old china tea sets. So I'll be posh for the day. I'm doing the tea party the day before my birthday. DH is taking out DS for a few hours. There are 7 in the bouquet. My DH and DS will prefer a gooey chocolate cake from Asda.

OP posts:
Unicorn2022 · 06/08/2023 00:55

Oh that's great of your DH. I'd love to learn cake decorating.

Sugarfree23 · 06/08/2023 00:56

I do think £30 is cheap but really it's 7 cupcakes I'd think she could up her prices to £35 so £5 each or at a push £45 but definitely not much more than that or she'll price herself out the market