“That’s Too Expensive!” – How to Handle Pricing Pushback with Confidence

Alright, let’s talk all things PRICING. I know, I know—it’s one of the most frustrating parts of running a baking business. But it’s ESSENTIAL. You pour your heart into everything you do (it is your passion after all 😉*)* but when someone side-eyes your price tag, you suddenly feel like you’re asking for a kidney. Sound familiar?

Maybe you've heard this before:

• “That’s too expensive.”

• “I can get a cake cheaper at Costco.”

• “Why is it so much for just cookies?”

  And because you don’t want to lose the sale, you panic. You start over-explaining yourself, lowering your price, or worse—throwing in extras for free. And friend, let me just tell you this makes you sound desperate. Undercharging is NOT a strategy. You can’t build a profitable, and sustainable, business on discounts and favors. So, how do you OVERCOME pricing objections? Let’s get into it…

1. First thing first…Do You Even Know Your Costs?

If you’re reading this as a hobbyist, you can leave this page now. I’ll wait…

Now that we have the SERIOUS business owners in the room, let’s get real. You’re running a BUSINESS, not a non-profit organization. Do you actually know how much it costs to make that cake? That cupcake? That cookie? Let’s break it down:

• Ingredients (yes, even the butter and vanilla count!)
• Packaging (because those cute boxes aren’t free!)
• Utilities (electricity, water, gas—your oven isn’t magic!)
• YOUR TIME (oh hey, you deserve to get paid!)
• Business expenses (marketing, rent, website, taxes... all the adulting stuff)

If you’re not covering these AND accounting for profit, you’re basically paying people to eat your products. Friend, we can’t have that.

2. You’re Not Costco—Own Your Value

Listen, you’re not out here mass-producing cakes in a factory. (If you are, congratulations and this blog is not for you!) You’re creating handcrafted, custom products with love, care, and skill that takes YEARS to master. Your prices should reflect that.

People drop hundreds on designer bags and VIP concert tickets without blinking. Why? Because those brands confidently OWN their worth. You need to do the same.

Instead of ghosting your clients, sitting in frustration, or saying things like, “I know it’s expensive, but…”, try:

• “I understand that my pricing may not work for everyone, however, my prices are the way they are because I use high-quality, fresh ingredients and custom design everything from start to finish to make sure every order is special.”
• “Each treat is handcrafted with love and attention to detail, unlike mass-produced desserts.”
• “I focus on quality over quantity, and my clients appreciate that.”

3. What to Say When Someone Tries You on Price

When someone questions your pricing, don’t shrink—straighten your crown, and stand tall. Here’s how to handle it:

Objection: “That’s too expensive.”

Response: “I completely understand that the costs of our products do not fit everyone’s budget. As per my website, our custom cakes start at a minimum of $100 and go up from there depending on the final design and size of the cake you choose for a couple of different reasons. 1) At the Cake Mamas we specialize in made-from-scratch flavors and make all of our fondant decorations custom and made to order. We use the highest quality ingredients and as I’m sure you can tell just by going to your local grocery store the costs of goods have increased exceptionally. This has impacted our business as well. 2) Our highly-talented and skilled decorators spend HOURS bringing our customer's visions to life from designing to researching to executing. They make everything by hand and can spend upwards of 20+ hours bringing a single simple design to life ensuring that our customers are blown away. Working with fondant is an ART form that takes years of practice to master, therefore we charge according to the detail of the design and how long our decorating staff estimates working on your individual order. If you have a budget in mind, I’m happy to work with you and see what we can do to make sure you get the cake of your dreams. Thank you for understanding and we’d love the opportunity to work with you in the future.”

Objection: “I can get a cake cheaper somewhere else.”

Response: “Absolutely! There are always cheaper options, just like there are fast-food burgers and high-end steak dinners. My customers choose me because they want something custom and high quality.”

Objection: “Can you give me a discount?”

Response: “I don’t offer discounts, but I do offer incredible quality and service! If you’re looking for ways to stay within budget, we can simplify the design to match your price point. Or I can share different options that may work with the budget you had in mind.”

See what we did there? No apologizing. No over-explaining. Just confident, clear responses that keep your value intact. (If you LOVED these responses, I share email scripts that I used in my own bakery that helped me win more customers in my Savvy Sales Bundle. You can check that out here!)

4. Attract the Right Customers (And Repel the Wrong Ones)

If you’re constantly dealing with price hagglers, you might be marketing to the wrong people. Instead of chasing bargain shoppers, position yourself as a premium brand:

• Show off your process: Share behind-the-scenes of a day in the life of your baking. business. Showcase yourself or employees decorating, packaging an order, what it’s like to work with you, etc.
• Highlight quality: Talk about your fresh, high-end ingredients and your attention to detail.
• Feature happy customers: Testimonials and social proof go a long way in justifying your pricing. (Fun fact about me: I’ll buy ANYTHING that has the reviews to back it up!)
• Be consistent: Set your prices and own them—confidence attracts the right buyers.

5. Raise Your Prices (Without Freaking Out)

If you’re booked out but still broke, that’s a pricing problem, not a sales problem. Here’s how to increase your prices without the stress:

• Start small: Raise prices by 10-15% to ease into it.
• Give a heads-up: Announce it confidently (“Due to rising costs and demand, my pricing will be increasing on [date]!”). Transparency is KEY to not pissing off the customers you do have. Be open and honest with them and it will go a long way.
• Keep delivering amazing quality: Just keep doing you. What you attract, comes back to you tenfold.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, YOU set the price for your work. Not your customers. Not your competition. YOU.

So next time someone questions your pricing, take a deep breath, stand firm, and remember: You’re running a business, not a charity. The right clients will see your value. And the wrong ones? Let them go.

Now tell me—what’s stopping you from raising your prices TODAY? Drop a comment below, and let’s talk about it!

P.S. If you find pricing your products to be confusing or a struggle, and you’re constantly booked and busy but aren’t seeing the results in your bank account, I wanna share my 10 PRICING MISTAKES with you- so you can stop undercharging and start making real profit. Grab your free guide here!