Can customers set the price for custom recipes on my online business?

[cbrown218]

If I want To set up a business on Shopify where customers can send me recipes and pay me based on how the dish looks and tastes, is it possible for the customer to tell me how much they would pay me before I make the recipe or What if I already have to the materials to cook the food,how would I be able to calculate for how much the customers would pay me based on how the food taste? For example:I finished the food,the customers tastes it and for all my hard work they would pay me $20.

[Rick]

Hi @cbrown218 

That's an interesting idea! Thanks for reaching out here.

This is not something that would be possible by default on Shopify, as it's quite a niche feature. Have you already explored the possibility of using an app from the Shopify App Store? I had a look for 'name your price' type apps, and I actually found a few that I think are worth checking out:

• Negotio "Name Your Price" App
• Magical Make an Offer
• Pay What You Want ‑ PWYW

Feel free to contact the app developers of any app that you like the look of, and they may be able to offer advice and support for your specific idea. At the very least, they will likely be able to confirm if their app would be suitable for such a business.

Something else to consider is instead of allowing customers to decide the payment amount based on taste, you could simply establish fixed prices for your services. This way, customers know the cost upfront and can choose recipes accordingly. You could even create different pricing tiers based on the complexity or ingredients required for the recipe. This allows customers to select recipes within their desired price range etc. 

[cbrown218]

I still have one more thing that am confused about, and it's that how is it possible for me to create different pricing tiers based on the complexity or ingredients required for the recipe create different pricing tiers based on the complexity or ingredients required for the recipe?

[Rick]

Thanks for getting back @cbrown218 

There's probably a few different ways you could approach something like this, with some involving the use of apps or custom coding solutions.

It would be a good idea to first define the factors that contribute to the complexity and cost of each recipe. This could include things like preparation time and the cost of the actual ingredients (this will help you figure out your minimum pricing). You could then consider creating a single product for each meal/recipe, and then have variants for different pricing tiers. You would have the main product as the recipe itself, and then have variants simply for the pricing tiers:

• PRODUCT - This is the main recipe/product, select the option you want.
  • VARIANT 1 - $20: I am happy to pay full price
  • VARIANT 2 - $15: I don't want to pay full price
  • VARIANT 3 - $10: I am happy to pay a bit more than minimum
  • VARIANT 4 - $5: I only want to pay bare minimum

However, it may make more sense to simply choose one of my previously suggested apps, and instead go for the 'customer chooses the price' route. If you do, be sure to set some minimum prices to ensure you don't actually lose money on a sale.

If you need some professional help with setting up your store, and perhaps even implementing some sort of custom solution, then I would suggest checking out the Shopify Partner Directory here.

[cbrown218]

Well actually I'm not selling any products,they will be filled through files. You see:I will be making the food and giving them to the customers, and before I get payed I just need them to the dishes will be made for both pickup and delivery but I want them to me any recipe they can think of, from any country, appetizer, entrée, or dessert, I would be happy to make any of them. But I can only do one at a time and sometimes multitasking, and even though I'm only a cook,not a chef I'm still willing to take a chance. And the recipes will be displayed on my website through some files. Is there a way I can still calculate the price without using any products when I'm running my business?

[Rick · Accepted solution]

Thanks for the info @cbrown218 

You can certainly still sell on Shopify without actually using any physical products. Selling services or digital products on Shopify is a common practice. You can create product listings for services or digital files, and instead of shipping physical items, you can provide access to digital content or deliver services remotely.

You mentioned files on your store - the Digital Downloads app by Shopify makes it quick and simple to add digital files to new or existing products, track orders, and even send direct download links to customers if you wanted to. I would suggest checking out our resources about selling services or digital products here on our help center.