You hear all the buzz about Amazon Prime, but you just don’t get it. Why would you jump on the Amazon bandwagon because everybody else is doing it?
Not worth it. I agree. Doing something because everybody else is doing it too is not a good reason.
But, you’re a cake decorator, right? I’m talking hobby baker or business baker here. Regardless of which one you are, you bake and decorate cakes more often than you get your gel nails done, right?
If that’s the case, then you should know that there are 6 legitimate reasons every cake decorator should have Amazon Prime. Keep reading and I’ll fill you in.
6 REASONS EVERY CAKE DECORATOR SHOULD HAVE AMAZON PRIME
When you start baking as a hobby, the investment in materials increases gradually, as you have more orders. It’s different than starting a cake business and budgeting for those materials with your start-up funds.
I started baking and decorating cakes as a hobby. Back then, I wasted a lot of time and money getting materials for my cakes. I practically lived at Michaels, Joann Fabrics, and the local cake supplies store.
Sometimes I would go to all three stores until I found the tool I needed. And this happened on a weekly basis!
Does any of this sound familiar to you?
Here’s the thing, it doesn’t have to be that way. You can save yourself a lot of money and your very precious and limited time by having one simple service… Amazon Prime. Keep reading for the 5 reasons every cake decorator should have Amazon Prime member.
Whether you bake as a hobby or as a business, you want to maximize your precious time and the money spent on materials. Amazon Prime can help with that and more. Let’s get into the reasons:
#1 YOU’LL FIND CAKE DECORATING TOOLS THAT AREN’T AVAILABLE IN YOUR AREA
While stores like Michaels, Hobby Lobby, and Joanne Fabrics have great selections of cake decorating tools, they often fall short.
There simply are way too many cool cake decorating tools of great brands, like Ateco, that aren’t in those stores.
For example, does your crafts store sell edible printers? How about unique flower cutters?
Wafer paper and icing sheets also come to mind. Even if you don’t have an edible printer, you can now use wafer paper to make beautiful flowers for your cakes.
You might think, “I don’t need Amazon Prime to order from Amazon.”
This may be true if you want to pay for shipping on every order. But how are you saving money then?
Amazon has a much larger selection of baking and cake decorating tools than any physical store can ever have. And best of all, you can get it within two days of ordering.
So, any changes to your cake order on the week the cake is due? You can still order from Amazon and get it in on time before your cake order is due.
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#2 YOU’LL KEEP MORE MONEY IN YOUR POCKET
Think of gas money as you go from store to store trying to find that unique cake decorating tool. Or, as mentioned above, how much money do you spend ordering those hard-to-find items online in comparison?
Unless a baker donated all their materials to you, baking and cake decorating can get expensive very quickly when you’re starting out.
It doesn’t matter if you’re doing it as a hobby or as a business. In fact, as a hobby, you’re not charging people. So, then it’s crazy expensive!
With Amazon Prime, you’re buying from different vendors, with different prices. You can “shop around” for the best price AND save by getting free shipping on your items.
How many items do you need to ship before you make up for your $12.99 monthly, or $119 annual, Prime membership fee? Believe me, within a couple of months, you’ll save that money on shipping alone. This is especially true if you buy heavy items, like fondant. Shipping can be as high as $23 for a 20lb tub of fondant!
#3 YOU’LL SAVE TIME SHOPPING AROUND
Your time is very precious. You have to divide it up between family, work, play (hopefully), and this awesome cake hobby or side business.
So, do you really wanna spend your precious time going from store to store looking for a specific product?
It’s kind of old school at this point. But, I don’t discount or criticize it, because that’s what I used to do in Florida. I’d take my lunchtime to run over to the cake supplies store or Michaels and buy my tools.
And if you enjoy that, then great! But here’s the deal, time is money.
This is not just a phrase. If you haven’t gone through the exercise of calculating your cake prices, then I suggest you try it. Even if you’re a hobby baker, it’s important to go through the exercise of pricing your cakes so you can see how much time, energy, and money you’re really putting in.
It really gives you a different perspective on how to spend your precious time. Why? Because once you price your cakes, you know how much every minute of your day is worth. And wasting time on cake related tasks makes every hour worth less and less.
RELATED POST: How to Price Your Cake
#4 YOU CAN MEMORIALIZE ALL YOUR CREATIONS AT NO ADDITIONAL COST
When I first signed up for Amazon Prime around late 2010 (if I recall correctly) I was sold on their fast and free shipping and the wide variety of products available.
As time goes by, Amazon adds more perks to the Prime mix. And picture storage is a huge one if you’re a cake decorator.
As a hobby baker, pictures of each of your creations show your progression. Later, they serve as part of your portfolio for anybody who orders a cake from you.
As a business baker and in this world of social media, storing pictures of each of your cakes is even more important. They can be used to promote your business on a website or social media. That’s your portfolio proving your skills.
I wish I had this service back when I started because there are a bunch of cakes I made that I no longer have pictures for. I stored them in computers that I no longer have access to. They’re gone.
Use Amazon Prime to store your pics, it’s unlimited storage. There’s no paying to increase memory as you do with services like Dropbox.
#5 YOU GET FIRST DIBS ON SALES
As a Prime member, you get first dibs on sales, including black Friday and Prime Day (which is practically Black Friday in July).
In fact, you don’t have access to the crazy sales on millions of items during Prime Day if you’re not a Prime member.
Wonder if any of the sales include cake supplies? It’s impossible to know what will be on sale until right before or the day of. But, with over a million items, I can safely say that you’ll find cake decorating supplies.
For example, I bought two great items this past Prime Day at a fraction of their usual cost. The first one was a sous vide precision cooker. I know, not related to cakes. But awesome!
The second item was a rotating cake stand with spatulas and icing smoothers. I looove this cake stand.
For all these years, I worked on the lightweight, plastic, close-to-the counter Wilton cake stand. It works well. But you know what makes life easier? A heavier aluminum alloy revolving cake stand that’s well elevated from the base and very sturdy.
RELATED POST: How to Prep for Amazon Prime Day 2018 Deals
#6 YOU’LL GET ENTERTAINMENT AS PART OF THE DEAL
By far, one of my favorite movies is the BBC’s version of Pride and Prejudice. I’m a total girly girl when it comes to this movie and the book. Yes, I admit it!
I’ve watched the movie so many times that for years I’ve used it as background entertainment when I’m baking and decorating cakes.
When you bake as often as I used to, you also need to change it up. So, I would play music in the background when I didn’t have Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy with me. ?
The Amazon Prime membership includes free movies, TV shows, and millions of ad-free songs. And yes, Pride and Prejudice is included for free.
But my point is that you can use your membership from the point of purchasing the supplies you need for your cakes, down to the entertainment used while you’re working on your creations.
On the surface, this seems a little meaningless, but it sure makes long nights of decorating go by quicker when you have it. And nobody should ever underestimate the power of entertainment for relaxation during stressful times.
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU JOIN AMAZON PRIME
I can’t conclude this post without mentioning a couple of important things you should know about Prime membership.
- Once you become a Prime member, not every single item falls under the Prime category. This means that you may have to pay for shipping, or that shipping will take longer than two days. However, there are millions of products that do fall under Prime. So, from experience, this has not been an issue for me more than twice since 2010. Twice in eight years is pretty darn good, if you ask me!
- I always suggest you shop around for lower prices outside of Amazon. Sometimes you find cheaper prices. Many times, you don’t. But, the priority is for you to save money, so it doesn’t hurt to check. If you find a cheaper item somewhere else, make sure it doesn’t end up being more expensive once you add shipping.
- Don’t be surprised if you (or everybody else in your household) become obsessed. Pretty much everybody I know who has a Prime membership says they order something almost every week. It’s not necessarily that you end up buying more stuff, you just stop going to the store to get it.
HOW MUCH ARE YOUR TIME AND EFFORT WORTH?
So, the big question is, how much are your time and effort worth?
Do you want to spend precious time and money going around to different stores, only to have to order the supplies you need online?
Or, do you prefer to minimize the time you spend on cakes and make every minute of your day worthwhile?
With the savings, plus the additional perks and opportunities that come with Amazon Prime, I say it’s worth it.
Test it out, you can get it free for 30 days. Click here to sign up for Amazon Prime, save money on shipping, and gain back some of your time.
You have nothing to lose.
NOW IT’S YOUR TURN, TWO STEPS ON YOUR END
What’s your biggest challenge when it comes to finding cake supplies? Comment below and let me know.
And don’t forget to sign up for the Cake Decorating Planner. It’s perfect for when you need to plan your supply purchases.
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