Are you hoping to make some extra cash? Then one of the best, simple and profitable ways of doing so is selling candies at school. But not all candy will turn out to be profitable – nor may all the hassle even be worth it. So naturally, you will want to know what are the best candies to invest in and sell to all of your fellow students. Here is all you are going to want to know, and consider.
So, what are the best candies to sell at school? The best candies to sell at school will be small, lightweight and available for purchase at a huge discount. They should also be easy to source too – whether it is first time around or for stock replenishment and repurchase.
The truth is, you want to start a candy-business here, right?
You want to set up some consistency – where everyone knows what you are selling and can come back to you time and time again.
You’ll want to know what you need to order, and when. Besides, you’ll need to be well stocked in order for this to work.
And you’ll want to ensure you make a good profit on each sale.
So, without further ado, let’s delve into six of the best options that I would recommend you purchase and then sell!
Best Candies To Sell At School
Starburst
- Contains thirty six (36) 2.07-ounce packs of STARBURST Original Fruit Chews Candy
- Product Note: Exposure to heat or sunlight may lead to melting/damage of product. Hence customers are expected to be available during the product delivery
- STARBURST can be enjoyed alone or as a burst of juicy flavor added to your favorite recipes.
- Add an unexplainably juicy treat to your party, around your house—or stash a few for snacking later.
- The strawberry, cherry, orange, and lemon flavors that started it all.
Starburst are immensely popular. Individual packets are relatively small and lightweight too making them ideal to carry and will likely get you a quick sale.
With 36 individual packs which you could sell for between $1-$2 each, you are looking at between $8-42 profit per box!
Hubba Bubba
- Sour Blue Raspberry bubble gum with a big sour blue raspberry taste.
- Individually wrapped, soft, chewy bubble gum.
- The perfect gum for challenging friends to bubble-blowing contests.
- The bubble gum for blowing wildly big bubbles.
- Package includes 18 individual packs.
Bubblegum is another fantastic lightweight option. And Hubba Bubba is quite simply the brand to get here.
There are numerous different flavors available too so you can find out what sells best.
At the price you can buy these at, you can sell each packet $2 each, banking around $18 in profit (or doubling your return).
Payday Peanut Caramel Bar
- Contains twenty-four (24) 1.85-ounce PAYDAY Peanut Caramel Candy Bars in a bulk box
- Full-size peanut and caramel bars perfect for snacking on at home, in the office or during your favorite movie
- Certified kosher, gluten-free caramel and peanut candy bars individually wrapped for freshness that lasts to the final bite and placed in a bulk box for easy sharing
- Bring peanut and caramel candy to birthday parties, anniversary dates and movie marathons to make each event even more exciting
- Protein-packed peanuts with a delectable, creamy caramel to hold them all together for a chewy, mouth-watering candy bar with the perfect salty-sweet finish for Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter and Halloween candy selections
It’s a great idea to stock something a little different too and that’s where Payday bars come in.
They’re hard so likely wont melt (even in hotter temperatures), and you can make upward of $7 a box by selling them for $1 or more.
Hot Tamales Fierce Cinnamon Chewy Candy
- Intense cinnamon flavored
- Product Note: Exposure to heat or sunlight may lead to melting/damage of product. Hence customers are expected to be available during the product delivery
- Printed using 100% certified renewable energy
- Offering a flavor-charged and mouth refreshing tast
Hot Tamales provide a lot of flavor, and will give your customers something to get excited about.
Again, this bulk-buy box will provide upward of $10 profit per sale assuming you get your pricing right!
Skittles
![Skittles Candy Packs: Original [36CT Box]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51Agy+atY8L._SL160_.jpg)
- 36 count
- Bite size candies
- Artificial and natural flavors
Who doesn’t love Skittles? Thankfully you can buy individual packs in boxes of 36 bags at a time, making savings that you can turn into profits.
These larger bags will likely fetch you upward of $2 each, and you can make upward of $36 per box!
Sour Patch Kids
- Twelve 3.5 oz boxes of SOUR PATCH KIDS Original Soft & Chewy Candy
- Chewy snacks in assorted fruit flavors that are SOUR. SWEET. GONE.
- Soft and chewy candy has the traditional SOUR PATCH KIDS shape for a hint of mischief
- Bring this SOUR THEN SWEET candy to parties, holidays, movies and more
- Sealed box keeps these snacks flavorful and soft
Sour Patch Kids were voted as the #1 most popular candy in the US. So it makes sense to stock and sell them.
This bulk-buy box is ideal for doubling your investment!
Nerds Rope
- NERDS ROPE: Contains one 16-count package of NERDS Very Berry and Rainbow Variety Rope
- HANG ON FOR SWEET & TANGY GOODNESS: Crunchy, sweet, and tangy NERDS heaped on a soft and chewy rope string create a unique combination of flavors and textures that are both tempting and hard-to-resist
- TINY, TASTY CANDY CLUSTER BITS: The bright and colorful morsels of NERDS candy heaped on the outside of each gummy rope may be small, but their sweet and crunchy texture is mighty tasty
- TRY THEM ALL: From original NERDS to NERDS Ropes to our crunchy and chewy Big Chewy NERDS and with flavors ranging from sweet to tangy, try out all the varieties of this legendary candy
- NO ROPE TRICKS, JUST TREATS: For fun-filled fruity candy party snacks, office candy, and more, add a NERDS twist and mix individually wrapped candy ropes into your candy mix for a chewy candy treat
Nerds Ropes are fun and a little different. Plus you can pick them up for around $12 a piece. By charging $2, you can literally double your investment and it will only take you 12 sales to do it!
Airheads
- CONTAINS: Unwrap the fun and play delicious with this 60-count, six-flavor bulk variety pack of Airheads individually wrapped full-sized candy bars
- Product Note: Exposure to heat or sunlight may lead to melting/damage of product. Hence customers are expected to be available during the product delivery
- INTRO: Get crafty with your treats at playtime. Airheads are the chewy non-melting candy sure to satisfy any sweet tooth
- FLAVOR: Your taste buds can’t get enough of these flavors: Cherry, Watermelon, Blue Raspberry, White Mystery, Grape, and Orange
- OCCASION: Stash a few in lunch boxes, dress up a wedding candy bar, do some crafts with the family, or stock up for concession stands
Airheads are another excellent candy to sell at school.
You get 60 individual air heads here, and the beauty of these is that you can offer promotions like buy 5 get 1 free.
You can also implement clever pricing to make fellow students buy more and minimize the number of sales you need to make!
Mentos
- CONTAINS: Each box contains 15 Mentos Fruit Chewy Rainbow Candy Rolls
- Product Note: Exposure to heat or sunlight may lead to melting/damage of product. Hence customers are expected to be available during the product delivery
- FEATURES: Each 1.32 ounce roll includes 14 pieces of Mentos Rainbow fruit flavored Chewy Mint candy
- FLAVORFUL: Rainbow fruit flavors include strawberry, watermelon, cherry, orange, raspberry, grape and pineapple
- FRUITY FRESHNESS: Mentos have a refreshing taste your mouth is sure to enjoy
Mentos are naturally non-melting so are great to sell in hot summers. You can buy rolls of mentos for great prices too and they tend to sell very well!
Where To Buy Candies To Sell At School
When looking to buy candy to sell at school, you want to ensure you can benefit from wholesale pricing. Therefore places like Amazon, Walmart, Target and Costco are ideal.
In order to make the most profit, you will need to be buying whole, unopened boxes, or candy in bulk.
Its typically best to avoid small or larger candy stores, as they will typically cost much more.
At the same time, it is best to avoid buying individual pieces as this tends to work out much more expensive too!
How Much To Sell Your Candies For At School
It is generally best to try to make a 100-150% ROI (return on investment) on your candy. In other words, try to sell your candy for twice the price you bought it for.
Put more simply, you need to calculate how much you are buying each piece for.
So, assuming you bought a box of 20 candies for $20, that means you bought each piece for $1.
To make money, you need to sell each piece for more than $1.
The more you sell over $1, the more profit you will make.
A good rule of thumb is to double the purchasing price.
So, you could sell these candies for $2.
If you managed to sell half of the box (you would break even – or make all your money back).
If you managed to sell the whole box you would be making $20 profit!
When To Sell Candies At School
The best time to sell candies at school is during breaks, such as during lunch. You want to do so outside of class, away from teachers and preferably before everyone has eaten!
You also want to sell at a time, and a location, where there are plenty of fellow students nearby.
You want to be able to attract interest without having too many customers at once.
Be mindful when selling and keep your candies close!
Other Considerations When Sending Candies At School
Candy Size & Weight
First things first, you will want to ensure you are selling compact candy. It should be small to and preferably, light.
This will enable you to fit more into your bag and will make carrying them much easier.
Weather, Season & Time
You will need to consider the weather and season as this can impact the longevity of your candy and how it lasts.
For instance, chocolate will likely melt on hot summer days and your customers may not be too happy about that!
At the same time, kids may want more bubblegum in the morning and after school than say lunchtime.
Suppliers
You need to think about where you are going to buy your candy and ensure they will have future stock should you sell out and need to buy again.
It’s best to go through a marketplace like Amazon as you can find plenty of sellers and different options.
You can also benefit from quick delivery with benefits like Prime.
Pricing
You’ll need to work out your pricing ahead of making your candy order.
Ensure you are actually making a profit.
Also be sure to research local shops/vending machines etc. to ensure that you are not too expensive compared to other options.
Its also best to work out the minimum prices you can take and accept for each piece of candy.
That way, you may even be able to sell some candy at a discount to ensure you sell all your stock.
Don’t Get Caught
It goes without saying but you need to be careful not to get caught.
Most schools will have a policy that forbids candy selling and you can get into trouble with the school or even your own parents.
So, be mindful of when and where you sell and who to.
Be Careful
It can get confusing when you have a lot of students waiting to order, cash being exchanged etc.
You need to try to remain calm, be slow, and be mindful about what you are exchanging and how much money you are getting.
Be mindful of bullies and keep your candy/money safe and protected at all times.
For instance, never leave your bag anywhere.
Get Help
From your friends. This will make sure you overcome issues such as the above and can ensure you make more sales at the same time.
You could even set up a joint venture with your friend and go halves.
This will mean less investment and risk is required upfront as you can go 50/50.
Competition
Are there other kids selling candy at school? Do you know what they are selling/their pricing?
Just be mindful of what they are doing and any new competitors that start selling after you.
Demand
You want to stick with proven favorites and popular candy only.
Even if you can get particular brands of candy cheaper, it may not sell as well.
For this reason, it is generally best to only sell known and popular brands and flavors.
If you are not sure what these are, you could always ask around or even ask at local candy stores to see what kids seem to like the most!
Lastly
Selling candy at school can be an immensely profitable business!
But there are certainly some things that can derail your efforts.
I have hopefully been able to point some of those out to you here today, and given you some suggestions to ensure you not only sell the right candy, but do so for the right price and at the right times.
Remember, the best candies to sell at school are cost-effective, in demand and small and lightweight.
Being able to buy candy in bulk is the key.
Other than that its all about how you manage your business.
Be careful of bullies, snitches and even teachers!
Just do one thing for me. Be clever about it and be safe.
It’s better not to make some (but not many sales) if it keeps you safe.
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Hello, I’m Matthew, a candy expert and enthusiast with over a decade of experience in the candy industry. My passion for candy started at a very young age. Since then, I have worked in numerous, large candy stores, and have been fortunate enough to try out hundreds of brands of candies, different types and flavors. In addition to my work, I enjoy sharing my extensive knowledge with others, and decided to create Sugar Stand in order to do so. My mission is to make the world a sweeter place, one candy at a time.
