Online ordering for home bakers: take orders from your own link
Updated October 25, 2026
Most home bakers run on Instagram DMs, a notes app and a lot of "is this date free?" messages. An ordering link replaces all of it: customers see what you make, pick a collection date you allow, add the details, and pay, without a single back-and-forth. With Menuthere the link is free to start, you keep 0% commission, and card payments land in your own Stripe account. This page is honest about the two things home bakers must get right: cottage-food law, and the fact that there's no deposit split at checkout.
In short
- Off the DMs. Customers order and pay without messaging you first.
- A real cut-off. Set lead time per item, so nobody books a three-day cake for tomorrow.
- Weekly collection slots. Open collection windows (say, Saturday 10am–noon) and let customers book a slot.
- Honest on the law and deposits. Cottage-food rules differ by state; and there's no deposit split at checkout, so take the full amount or a Stripe link by hand.
Replace the DM back-and-forth
Here's the week a link fixes:
| On DMs today | With an ordering link |
|---|---|
| "Do you have Saturday free?" | Customer sees only the dates you've opened |
| "How much for 12 cupcakes?" | Price is on the item, with size and flavour choices |
| "Can you do gluten-free?" | Allergen note and options shown on the item |
| "I'll pay you when I collect" | Paid up front, no chasing |
| Orders in a notes app | Every order in one list by collection date |
You still get to talk to customers; you just stop doing admin in the DMs.
Lead time and weekly slots
Two settings do most of the work:
- Minimum notice per item. A plain loaf might be next-day; a decorated cake needs, say, 3 days. Checkout only offers dates that respect the notice, so you're never cornered into a rushed bake.
- Collection slots. If you bake in batches, open fixed collection windows (for example, Saturday 10am–noon) and let customers book a slot inside them. Great for a weekly drop of brownies or sourdough.
A worked example: you open Saturday collection, 10am to noon, and set 3 days' notice on cakes. A customer ordering Wednesday can book a cake for this Saturday's 10:30 slot; one ordering Friday sees the earliest cake date as next Saturday. The order lands with the slot on it, and your week plans itself.
Capture the order properly
- Flavour and size as required add-on groups, each with its own price.
- Message or personalisation as a free-text field the customer types.
- Allergen note so a customer can tell you about an allergy, and mark each bake's allergens so they show before ordering.
- A photo per bestseller, because people buy bakes with their eyes.
For the prices behind all this, see the cake price calculator and how to price cakes. For bespoke "tell me what you want" requests, the free cake order form template helps you take the brief, then you quote.
The money, kept simple
- Paid up front. Connect Stripe and take the full price online, so there's no chasing and no no-shows on a made-to-order bake. The money lands in your own account.
- The fee. On a $40 order, Stripe's fee is $40 × 2.9% + $0.30 = $1.46, so you keep $38.54. There's no commission on top.
- Deposits, honestly. Menuthere doesn't split a deposit and a balance at checkout. Take the full amount online, or send the customer a Stripe payment link for a deposit yourself and collect the rest on collection.
Cottage-food law comes first
Selling food from home is legal in most US states under cottage-food laws, but the rules differ a lot: which foods you may sell, labelling, income caps, and whether you need registration or a kitchen inspection. An ordering page doesn't change any of that. Check your state's rules before you take a single order; see cottage food laws and how to start a home food business. If you ship, interstate sales may fall under different rules again.
Honest limits
- No deposit split at checkout. Take the full price, or a Stripe link by hand.
- No built-in bespoke enquiry form inside the store. The store takes orders for items on your menu; use the free cake order form template for custom briefs, then quote.
- It doesn't check your cottage-food compliance. That's on you and your state.
- Not a marketplace. It's your own storefront, not a shared home-baker directory.
When you outgrow home baking, the same setup scales to a cake shop or a bakery. Regulars who prefer to message can reorder on WhatsApp, where WhatsApp handles order updates (note: Meta doesn't deliver marketing messages to US +1 numbers, so use email for offers).
Set up online orders for a home bakery
- Check your state's cottage-food rules first.
- Create your store and add your bakes with photos and prices.
- Set lead time per item and open your weekly collection slots.
- Add required choices for flavour and size, plus a message field.
- Mark allergens on every item.
- Connect Stripe and take payment up front.
- Share the link in your Instagram bio and to your DMs, then place a test order.
Take home-baking orders from your own link, 0% commission.
Frequently asked questions
Can I take cake orders online without messaging each customer first?
Yes. Customers see your bakes, pick a collection date you've allowed, choose flavour and size, add a message and pay, all without a DM. You get the full order in one list instead of scattered across chats.
Can I stop people booking a cake with too little notice?
Yes. Set a minimum notice per item, for example 3 days on decorated cakes. Checkout only offers collection dates that respect it, so you're never pushed into a rushed bake.
Can I take payment up front as a home baker?
Yes. Connect Stripe and take the full price online when the order is placed; the money lands in your own account. That removes no-shows on made-to-order bakes. There's no commission on top, only the card fee.
Can I take a deposit instead of the full amount?
Not at checkout. Menuthere doesn't split a deposit and a balance. You can take the full price online, or send the customer a Stripe payment link for a deposit yourself and collect the rest on collection.
Is it legal to sell baked goods from home?
In most US states, yes, under cottage-food laws, but the rules on which foods, labelling, income caps and registration differ by state. An ordering page doesn't change that, so check your state's rules before you start selling.
Sources (4)
- Stripe US standard pricing, 2.9% + 30¢ per successful domestic card charge (Stripe pricing page), accessed 26 Oct 2026.
- Cottage-food laws vary by US state (which foods, labelling, income caps, registration): see Menuthere /en/cottage-food-laws (read 26 Oct 2026).
- Menuthere Docs and product facts (confirmed in code, 26 Oct 2026): per-item minimum notice and days-ahead; collection slots (fixed windows); variants and add-on groups (Required, free-text note); allergens; pay-up-front via Stripe; no deposit/part-payment at checkout; single-business storefront (not a marketplace); free standalone /tools/cake-order-form; Free 50 orders/month; Lite $17.
- US WhatsApp: Meta doesn't deliver marketing templates to +1 numbers (utility messages work); consistent with Menuthere's coffee-shop and WhatsApp drafts (read 26 Oct 2026).