How to Sell Candy in School

Last Updated: March 2, 2023

If you're interested in selling candy at school to make some quick cash, you'll be pleased to know that selling candy is easy. The real trick is to make a decent profit that can be put toward the things you're saving up for.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Knowing your market

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Find out whether or not it's okay to sell candy at your school. There's no point doing this if the school specifically forbids it. If you're at a sugar-free school or a school focused on healthy eating and no candies, you'll likely get yourself into trouble with the authorities if you haven't told them and get found out. Realize that parents who don't want their children eating sugar may make trouble in such a case.^{[1]
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Do some market research. What kind of candy do people at your school want? Does anybody else sell candy? You need to know everything you can in order to maximize profit.^{[2]
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- The most popular candy tends to be candy bars but it may depend on where you are and what the current fad is.
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Realize that you won't become rich overnight, and maybe not at all. Realizing this is your first step, because you will most likely be let down. Think small, but by all means think profit!!!

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Purchasing and preparing the stock

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Save money. When you have at least $10 or more, you can go to a nearby bargain store and buy bulk packs that contain over 30 candy bars in each pack. That alone will cost you $10 or so and is a great way to invest in for starters.^{[3]
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- Buy only a little of any new brands of candy you want to try selling. If it is unpopular, you won't waste money and take a loss.
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Get a box that you can fit in your backpack. Put the candy inside. A box as wide and long as a shoebox is pretty good, but you may want to aim for one that's a little thinner. It doesn't have to go in your backpack; feel inclined to carry it. Take between 15 to 20 bars or bags a day of a good variety will help you maximize sales.
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List all the brands of candy in permanent marker on the lid of the box. This will save you from having to search inside the box to tell the customer the actual kinds of candy you have.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Selling the candy

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Go to school one day without your candy. Use the day to advertise. Tell everyone that you will be selling candy and that each bar will be around $1 or so. That way, they will come to school with money and ready to see what you have.
2
Sell the candy each day thereafter. Sell it on the bus, in the cafeteria, even during class, if people really want the candy! (But don't get in trouble.)^{[4]
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- Stay on top. Eventually, people will try to sell candy too. You need to make sure they don't. Get better product and deals than them, and run them out of business.
3
Take a break from selling, every so often. You may find that interest declines after a while and so do your profits. Take a break from selling, then come back with specials. Buy three bars, get one free. Create a bar-a-day club where customers can buy a bar each day Monday through Thursday and get a free bar on Free Friday.
- Expand your employees. Is anybody interested in joining you? If so, hire them. You could hire a supplier (makes candy) and a distributor (sells candy). That way, all you do is sit around and manage the money. Eventually, people could even work for your distributor or supplier.
- Gain more ground. Try to get distributors in different areas. Do you have friends in another school or neighborhood? If so, you could potentially get more profit off of different people.^{[5]
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Save the money you've made for whatever you want! While it's okay to spend some of your profit right away, it's best to avoid spending all or even most of it immediately. Instead, save the money you make for purchases that are better than what you can get with only a few dollars at a time.

Community Q&A

Question

How many employees should I have, and how do I pay them?

Community Answer

You can have as many employees as you want. You give them some candy to sell, then at the end of the day they can keep some of the profit. You can choose the amount they keep. You could also just give them some free candy.
Question

What if I ask the school and they say no, but I still want to do it?

Community Answer

This is the case at my school. I started off by telling my friends that I was going to start selling candy, and I asked them to tell their friends but to make sure the teachers didn't know about my small business. I would make money and candy transactions during lunch or passing periods from class to class. Just do your best to keep your activities hidden from the teachers.
Question

How do I let people know I'm selling candy? Should I just go up to crowds of kids and tell them I'm selling it?

Community Answer

Pretty much. Start, though, by telling your friends. Gauge the interest from there. If you sell for long enough, word of mouth will do a lot of advertising for you.

Warnings

Never trust people if they say they will give you the money tomorrow unless you know they are trustworthy.

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Be sure to have a safe hiding spot for your money and candy. If you store the money and candy in your locker, be sure to lock it at all times You will most likely be robbed.

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Never eat your merchandise, no matter how much you crave it.

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If you aren't supposed to be selling candy, do not make a stand. Stick with a sign and a box, easy to fold up and hide.

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With chocolate, put the candy in the fridge when your home. You don't want it to melt.

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Never have a large amount of money on you so that you don't lose too much if your money is confiscated. If you have no choice, then keep the candy and money in a separate place or deny having the money altogether. If you have to, say you gave it to a friend.

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Beware: If you are doing this in high school, you may be mistaken for selling drugs, and the police may get involved.

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