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Learning to sell cake online is a great way to enter the cottage food industry and reach a broad audience of potential customers. With so many avenues for selling food on social media and online, bakers and e-commerce sellers may ask themselves, "where can I sell my baked goods?". This article will show you how to sell baked goods from home. We'll cover everything from how to sell cupcakes from home to selling cakes on Facebook. Once you finish reading our tips and tricks on how to sell baked goods online, you'll be selling food on the Facebook marketplace and other platforms in no time.
The first step to learning how to sell cakes online from home is understanding how to start selling baked goods in general. There are a few regulations to consider before starting your online endeavor.
Cottage food law isn't one overarching law. It's regulated on a state-by-state and even sometimes a county or city basis. These laws govern what can or cannot be sold by a home-based vendor, as well as where they can sell, and how they can sell.
The details of this law explain precisely how to sell cakes from home without violating any rules. Always verify your state and local laws before moving forward with your cake business!
This law generally applies to food that is:
Under cottage food laws, the best baked goods to sell from home include cakes, cupcakes, cookies, muffins, breads, fruit pies, dry mixes, and more. You can sell these products from your home, at farmers' markets, through community-supported agriculture programs, and even online.
There are some restrictions on what you can sell under the Cottage Food Law. For example, in most states, you cannot sell meat or poultry products, dairy products, or anything that requires refrigeration. Additionally, all products must be clearly labeled with the name and address of the producer, as well as a list of ingredients.
If you're interested in selling food from your home kitchen, understanding the Cottage Food Law in your state is a must. It's essential to familiarize yourself with the law and ensure you comply with all requirements before beginning to sell any food products.
Now that you know how to sell cakes from home, let's take a look at some of the best platforms for selling food online.
Facebook Marketplace is an excellent platform for selling food online, as it has a broad reach and is easy to use. To sell on Facebook Marketplace, simply create a post with photos of your product and a description, and set a price. You can then choose to ship the product or meet the buyer in person to complete the sale.
Instagram is another great platform for selling food online, as it allows you to reach a large audience and build a following for your business. To sell on Instagram, simply create posts featuring photos of your product and include a description and price. You can then provide a link to your website if you have one, use the shopping feature, or you can converse through direct messages.
If you want complete control over your online food business, setting up your own website is the way to go. To do this, you'll need to choose a website building service. Castiron is the easiest website builder, built specifically for bakers. You can create your custom order forms directly in Castiron, send invoices to customers, and collect payments, all in one place! Then, you can create your website and start selling your products. You'll need to handle shipping and payments yourself, but you'll also have the freedom to set your own prices and keep all the profits.
No matter which platform you choose to sell your food products, take high-quality photos, write engaging descriptions, and set competitive prices. With a little effort, you'll be selling food online in no time!
If you're wondering, "can I sell cakes from home without a license?" the short answer is, it depends on where you live. Depending on where you live, you may need to obtain a business license to sell your homemade cakes and other baked goods. However, if you're worried about the bakery license and permit cost or the process of obtaining a license, usually neither is too overwhelming.
Your ability to sell cakes from home will vary from state to state. Here are a few popular state qualifications:
Home Bakery License Colorado Qualifications: Non-hazardous foods, take food safety course, contact local county offices to inquire about the need for a business license
Home Bakery License Illinois Qualifications: Non-hazardous foods, get food protection manager certificate, register with the department of public health, cannot be shipped outside of Illinois
Home Bakery License Texas Qualifications: Non-hazardous foods, complete food handler course, contact local county offices to inquire about the need for a business license
Home Bakery License NY Qualifications: Non-hazardous foods, register your business with NY Department of Agriculture, contact local county offices to inquire about the need for a business license
To find the qualifications of a state not listed above, please visit the state's respective official government website. You may also search our cottage food laws directory, which provides a comprehensive list of each state's cottage food laws and regulations.
If you live in a state that requires a license to sell cakes from home, obtaining one is usually not too difficult or time-consuming. However, it is important to ensure you are familiar with your state's requirements before beginning the process.
Once your business is official, you must decide how much to sell homemade cakes for. You'll need to ask yourself a few questions before knowing exactly how to develop your cake pricing chart. First, you'll want to answer the question, "how much does it cost to make a cake from scratch?". You may also want to do some market research. You'll likely need to look at birthday cake prices and cake prices by size.
To get an accurate idea of how much it costs to make a cake from scratch, you'll need to consider the cost of ingredients and the time it takes to make the cake. For example, if a cake recipe calls for two cups of sugar and one cup of flour, and those ingredients cost $0.50 and $0.25, respectively, then the sugar and flour for that recipe would be $0.75. Additionally, if it takes you one hour to make the cake, and you value your time at $15 per hour, then the total cost of making that cake would be $2.50 + $15, or $17.50.
Once you've determined the cost of making a cake, you can begin to set your prices. As a general rule of thumb, most bakers price their cakes at 2-3 times the cost of ingredients. So, using the example above, if it costs $17.50 to make a cake, you could charge anywhere from $35-$52.50 for that cake. Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule, and you may need to adjust your prices based on market research or the specific needs of your business.
After deciding how to price your baked goods, it's time to get your first customers! Creating a home cake business plan is the first step to putting all of your knowledge about how to sell cake online to the test. You'll start by outlining all your cake selling ideas, and then you can research to find ways to implement these ideas.
When thinking about your home bakery promotion ideas, social media is one of the easiest and fastest ways to gain customers. You'll want to think about cake selling ideas that can happen on the platforms your target audience spends the most time on.
During this planning phase, you can research different ways to create content for cake business that will help you get your cakes in front of as many potential customers as possible.
It's important to be creative with the types of content you create because this will help your business stand out from the competition.
Below are some cake selling ideas that can help you get started:
Now that you understand how to sell cake online, it's time to get started! Starting a home cake business can be a fun and rewarding experience, but it's important to do your research first. Make sure you understand your state's cottage food laws and regulations and what it costs to make a cake from scratch. Once you have that information, you can start thinking about how to price your cakes and develop some marketing ideas. Finally, promote your cakes on social media and in your local community. Social media is a great way to reach potential customers, so make sure you are creative with the content you create. You can start selling delicious cakes online today with a bit of hard work and simple tips!
The Cake Whisperer
My business would not be the same without my Castiron website! It is an easy setup with lots of customization and tons of support! I am so glad I set up my shop last year before the holidays — it really helped increase my sales!
The Whimsical Cookie
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Castiron provides me a professional site to my customers increasing my credibility and value while giving me the tools to effectively market and manage my business in an easy, user-friendly manner.
Wesley's Treats Hallie's Sweets
Castiron has made my cottage bakery shine, and my business easy to manage. As a platform they care about my business as much as I do.
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