If you’re interested in starting a cake topper business and selling them online, there are a bunch of things to think about.
Gumpaste cake toppers are in demand, but starting a cake topper business takes a little investigation and planning.
This article includes affiliate links that will pay a commission if they’re used to purchase something. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
To start a cake topper business from home you will need to determine what products you’ll be selling and how to price them to make a profit.
You’ll also need to decide what platform you’ll use to sell them, and whether the prices that you want to charge are aligned with that platform’s standards.
Many types of cake toppers are difficult to make and ship, so these details need to be sorted out before starting to sell them.
Gumpaste cake toppers are popular for birthdays and weddings, and you can charge a decent price for them depending on the amount of detail that you put into them.
You need to do more planning for these, though, because of their fragile nature.
Determining Pricing
This is definitely one item that you want to have a very firm pricing chart for. Gumpaste (or polymer clay) toppers are usually something that people want to be personalized in some way, so you’ll need to know how much time it takes you to adjust things so that you make enough on them.
Shipping is also a touchy thing for toppers. They tend to need more secure packaging than simpler items, so they take longer to wrap and need more packaging, which adds to the cost.
Make sure that these items are insured when you mail them, or you might run into situations where a topper is damaged in transit and you end up having to refund the cost without recourse against the shipper.
And I would STRONGLY advise only shipping these within your own country so that they don’t have to go through customs.
All the careful packaging in the world won’t matter if a customs agent opens and unpacks the box, because you know they won’t put it back the same way.
Comparison shopping to decide on pricing
Look at gumpaste cake toppers on Etsy and Google Shopping to see what type of prices and styles there are.
You should think about which type of toppers you want to make, because birthday cakes will have very different styles than weddings.
If you enjoy animal modeling, you might want to stick with birthday cake toppers that are made and ready to ship.
If you prefer modeling people, you might want to tap into the wedding cake market with personalized toppers of the bride and groom with their pets or hobbies represented.
Things to keep in mind for 3D cake and cupcake toppers
- If you can make toppers that are ready to ship and sold as-is, it’s a lot easier than making things as they’re ordered. You’ll also be able to ship things faster.
- And one more time (from the previous few weeks) it’s illegal to make cartoon characters for trademarked and copyrighted designs. So no Disney figures or characters. Yes, people still do it, but it’s a good way to get your online shop shut down due to copyright violations. Don’t be that person.
- Shipping these is tricky because they often have pieces that extend from the base of the figure (elephant trunks, arms, etc.) Make sure that you wrap the piece so securely it won’t break if it’s dropped multiple times. Wrap pieces that extend from the main piece first, then wrap the entire piece. Use more padding than you think you’ll need. It’s better to overpack and have it arrive in one piece than it is to have it break in transit.
- Because these aren’t meant to be eaten, you can advertise them as “decorative use only” and not have to worry about laws pertaining to selling food. You should still make sure that the part that will touch the cake is food-safe, and instruct the customer about that.
How To Pack Cake Toppers To Mail Them
Pack these using a smaller box inside a larger box, and a lot of padding around the inner box. If you use a lot of padding like polyfil around each one inside the smaller box to prevent it from moving, it’s unlikely that it will be damaged in transit.
You could also put polyfil around the topper, then wrap that in bubble wrap, the put it inside the smaller interior box. I also use mattress padding foam to cushion some items.
It might seem like overkill, but it’s important that you pack these very carefully to avoid damage.
Want to open a new Etsy shop? Use this link to get 40 free listings: 40 free listings for new shops (#ad)
