Making extra money as a student can be challenging when you have a limited schedule and accessibility. However, turning your creativity into small businesses serving your fellow students can be rewarding and profitable.
Selling fun, customized products that appeal specifically to classmates is a great way to tap into the school market. You can even provide services that students need, like tutoring, tech help, and cleaning.
With the right mix of convenience, quality, customization, and marketing, your offerings will surely be a hit. Here are many clever ideas for selling unique things to make money while attending school.
Key Points
- Make and sell food, personalized school supplies, customized tech items, spirit apparel
- Offer tutoring services, cleaning help, birthday treats, and event planning for students who need
- Tap into trends and fads your classmates will love
- Price competitively and provide good value
- Use customization and quality to stand out
- Market your products and services around the school
Food and Drink Ideas
Food is always a big seller, with incredibly convenient grab-and-go options. Think fun flavors, individual portions, cute packaging, and customization.
Custom Candy Apples
Candy apples make for a nostalgic treat with widespread appeal. Purchase bags of Granny Smith or Fuji apples and wooden sticks. Prep the apples by washing and drying thoroughly.
Heat a saucepan of red cinnamon candy, caramel, chocolate, or other coatings like colored white chocolate or fruit roll-ups melted into “leather.” Carefully dip each apple stick in the coating, let any excess drip off, and place on wax paper to cool.
For extra flair, drizzle with a contrasting coating color, sprinkle chopped nuts or crushed candy over the top, or wrap caramel drizzle around the apple. Package each apple in plastic treat bags tied with ribbons. Charge $1-3 depending on size and complexity.
DIY Trail Mix
Making your custom trail mix is simple and allows many fun flavor combinations. In bulk, buy nuts, dried fruits, seeds, shredded coconut, chocolate chips, cereal, pretzels, etc..
Mix up different varieties like tropical with mango, pineapple, coconut, and cashews. Bag portions into plastic treat bags, tie them off and attach a homemade label listing ingredients. Sell 3-5 oz bags for $2-4.
Nutella Treats
Hazelnut-chocolate Nutella spread is guaranteed to be a hit blended into all kinds of treats. Make easy Nutella brownies, waffles, or doughnuts using box mixes, squeezing in extra Nutella.
Make Nutella cream- or ganache-filled mini cupcakes, cake balls, or thumbprint cookies for grab-and-go convenience. Homemade always beats store-bought, so bake and package your Nutella desserts attractively in 6-12 packs. Charge $10-12 based on materials.
Energy Drinks
Popular energy drink brands like Red Bull, Monster, and Rockstar are sure sellers. Purchase wholesale cases containing 12-24 cans of the top flavors like original, sugar-free, lemonade, fruit punch, etc.
Resell chilled cans or open a more excellent pack as a grab-and-go energy drink shop. Price singles at $2-3 for a solid profit margin. Offer discounts on 4-packs or multi-flavor bundles.
Boba Tea
Boba tea is a trendy bubble milk tea loaded with chewy tapioca pearls students go crazy over. Invest in equipment like a commercial bubble tea mixer, food-grade tapioca pearls, paper cups, and oversized straws.
Offer a variety of tea bases like classic black, Thai, Oolong, and matcha green. Let students customize additions like fruit jelly, pudding, or coffee. Charge $3-5 per boba tea, depending on size and add-ons.
Personalized Water Bottles
Water bottles are a school staple. Make them unique using vinyl cutter machines to customize them with students’ names or initials. Choose reusable bottle materials like stainless steel, plastic, or collapsible silicone.
Buy plain bottles in bulk and decorate them yourself. Consider trendy shapes like squares, infusers with removable fruit chambers, and built-in pill containers for students to take medication. Charge a few dollars extra for customized vs. plain bottles.
School Supplies
Supplies tailored to school use are hot commodities. Create original products or put a personalized spin on traditional items.
Custom Sticky Notes
Jazz up ordinary sticky notes by turning them into fun shapes or adding custom names. Use templates to cut note paper into fantastic shapes like animals, food, stars, or hearts.
Alternatively, order custom die-cut sticky paper pre-cut into specific designs. Print or write friends’ names or initials on each note for personalized packs. Sell 3-5 shaped note packs for $2-3.
Charging Locker Shelf
Controlling the cramped space in a school locker is simpler with storage products like shelves. Take them up a notch by building a frame with a USB charger port so students can charge devices inside their lockers.
Install a power bank with a charging cord on the underside of a mounted laminate, metal, or wood locker shelf. Paint or finish the frame in school colors. Include wall mount hardware. Charge $25-35 for this must-have charging shelf.
Locker Organizers
Help students keep their lockers neat with locker organizers. Offer products like adjustable shelves, hanging file folders or mesh pencil bags, stacking bins, magnetized dry-erase boards, and Velcro or adhesive hooks.
Source inexpensive materials from dollar stores to create organizers. For customization, color-coordinate with school colors or mascots. Sell locker organizer kits containing 5-10 complementary items.
Planner Stickers
Decorative, functional stickers are hugely popular for personalizing planners. Create sheets of themed stickers like inspirational quotes, emojis, reminders, class schedules, page flags, etc.
Use sticker paper and a cutting machine to customize shapes, or print out sticker sheets using a printable form. Arrange stickers on pages in a clear protector sleeve. Sell planner sticker packs for $2-5.
Pencil Pouches
Keep school supplies organized in a customized pouch. Use felt or faux leather materials to sew simple rectangular or triangle bags. Leave one side open.
Line pouches neatly with contrasting fabric, then stitch school initials, names, or monograms on the front. Attach a wrist strap if desired. Alternatively, decorate purchased plain pouches with fabric paint pens priced at $3-5 based on materials.
Tech and Electronics
Technology and electronics are hot sellers. Offer popular gadgets tailored with customization for individual styles.
Custom Phone Cases
Personalized phone cases stand out. Plain plastic cases can be decorated DIY style with nail polish, fabric paint, rhinestones, etc. Or, use a Cricut machine to iron on vinyl designs.
For photo-quality images, order custom-printed phone cases. Upload photos, text, or fun patterns that reflect students’ personalities. Carry iPhone and Android sizes in colorful options. Charge $10-15 for customized cases.
Earphones and Headphones
Trendy headphones and earbuds make great electronics to resell. Select quality options in the latest styles like Apple AirPods, Beats, Bluetooth wireless, etc. Gear them toward student interests with fun color and pattern choices.
Match sets of headphones and device cases for a complete look. Portable earbuds and over-ear headphones in bold pops of color or prints are hot items. Brand name products can retail for $20-50.
Portable Phone Chargers
In an age of constant device use, portable chargers are a lifesaver for students. Purchase and resell quality power banks and charge cords to keep phones powered all day. Look for compact sizes like credit cashapesape or mini cubes.
Consider capacity in mAh, at least 3000-5000 mAh. Include built-in cables for both iPhone and Android. For optimal charging speed, use models with Power Delivery. Price charger sets around $20-30.
Laptop Decals
Decals a way for students to customize their laptops without committing to a permanent case. Offer printable vinyl skins, sticks, ers, and trackpad decals to fit popular MacBook and Ultrabook models.
Let students choose from solid colors, patterns, school logos, or icons to complement their laptops. Provide customization by cutting vinyl decals to order in a cutter machine. Sell decal sets for $5-15 based on coverage area.
Tech Accessories
Beyond big-ticket items, tech accessories make simple add-on purchases. Offer useful gadgets like stylus pens, webcams, tripods, VR headsets, external drives, cables, gaming gear, screen wipes, and laptop bags.
Bright colors and patterns appeal to students. Bundle items like flash drives, mouse pads, and device stands together for affordable packages. Phone rings, pop sockets, and Airpod cases can sell for just a few dollars each.
Apparel and Accessories
Apparel, jewelry, and accessories representing school spirit or individual style are prized possessions for students. Make them unique with customization.
Custom Hair Scrunchies
Scrunchies are a trendy hair accessory to recreate in bold school colors. Purchase yards of soft stretch material like jersey knit, satin, or velvet. Cut strips several inches wide and sew them into loops.
Add fun embellishments like bows, buttons, pom poms, or custom fabric paint writing. Package scrunchies individually or in sets of 2-4 coordinating styles. They are priced at $2-4 each based on materials and complexity.
Personalized Socks
One of the most accessible clothing items to customize is socks! Make socks unique by sewing or ironing on student names, initials, or fun quotes. Use applique-style fabric paint, patches, or embroidery to decorate plain crew or ankle socks.
Choose bright, trendy patterns and colors that students will love wearing. Display pairs packaged in cellophane with bows or hang tags. Depending on materials and detail, charge $5-10 for customized socks.
School Spirit Temporary Tattoos
Temporary tattoos are an epic way for students to display school spirit for big games and events. Design small 1-3 inch custom tats featuring your mascot, logo, school initials, or fun phrases.
Print tattoos on special temporary tattoo paper using an inkjet printer. Apply to arms, faces, or legs so classmates can show their spirit together. Sell packs of 5-10 assorted tattoos for just a few dollars.
Scarves and Hats
Chilly weather calls for warm winter gear in your school colors. Knit or sew fleece scarves in school spirit hues or fonts—style chunky or infinity scarves in soft chenille or boucle yarn.
Sew cute beanies and slouchy caps from fleece or felt in colorful solids or prints. Add applique team logos or mascot patches. Display scarf/hat sets together for customized spirit combos students will grab. They are priced at $10-20.
Custom Phone Wallets
Phone wallets attach to the back of a phone case to hold cards, cash, and IDs. Sell leather, silicone, or crocheted phone wallets. Use vinyl cutters to customize wallets with student names or initials.
Adhere wallets to match the colors and patterns of your custom phone cases. Install crossbody phone lanyards and wrist straps to check for complete sets. Price phone wallets at $4-8 based on materials.
Snacks and Baked Goods
Satisfy student cravings and make money with homemade snack foods and baked goods. Wrap or package treats in ready-to-go portions.
Homemade Granola Bars
Batch up chewy homemade granola bars with oats, nuts, dried fruit, and chocolate chips. Make a big basic batter and separate it into smaller bowls to mix up fun add-ins like peanut butter chips, shredded coconut, or cranberries.
Scoop and pack bars into a lined pan to bake. Cut into rectangles or squares after cooling. Wrap bars individually in plastic treat bags or cellophane tied off with ribbon. Make nut-free and gluten-free varieties as needed. Charge $1-1.50 per bar.
Custom Cookies
Sugar cookies are a classic blank slate for custom decorating. Bake simple sugar cookie dough and cut it out using fun-shaped cutters like school initials, sports balls, stars, hearts, or circles.
Let students decorate cooled cookies creatively with colorful icing and sprinkles:
- Pipe borders, names, or doodles.
- Arrange decorated cookies in paper muffin liners secured with cellophane bags for giftable packs.
- Price packs of 4-6 custom cookies at $5-8.
Rice Krispy Treats
No-bake Rice Krispy treats are easy to whip up and always a hit—toast rice cereal with melted butter, marshmallows, and a dash of vanilla. Press into a parchment-lined pan to cool and slice.
Mix them in chocolate chips, crushed candy, or nut butter. Shape or mold sliced krispies for fun designs—package individually in small cello bags with twist ties. Sell 2-3 krispy treats for $2-4.
Cake Pops
Part cute dessert, part art project, and cake pops are perfect for themed packages and gifts. Mix crumbled cake with frosting, shape it into balls, and insert lollipop sticks. Coat pops in candy melts and decorates with sprinkles, crushed cookies, or piped gel.
Display on flower cookie stands wrapped in cellophane. Make cute pops for every occasion, like graduation, birthdays, or holidays. Charge $2-3 per pop, with discounted 4-6 pack pricing.
Smoothies and Juices
Blended drinks are refreshing, nutritious pick-me-ups between classes. Set up a blender station to mix natural fruit smoothies or vegetable juices to order. Let students select a base like strawberry, peach, orange, or green.
Add yogurt, milk, or nut butter for creaminess. Flavor boosts like cocoa powder, vanilla, or honey liven up drinks. Pour into disposable cups with dome lids and colored straws. Price smoothies and juices at $3-5 each.
Services
Sell your skills and time by providing helpful services tailored to fellow students’ needs.
Locker Cleaning
Offer to declutter, organize, and wipe down lockers for a flat service fee. Schedule appointments with students to access lockers before or after school. Remove trash, food wrappers, expired papers, and random objects that accumulate.
Use natural cleaners to sanitize locker interior walls and floors. Organize books, folders, and supplies into storage containers. Provide shelf and hook additions as needed. Charge $10-20 per locker based on size.
Face Painting
Get students psyched up for big games, school events, and spirit days with custom face painting. Practice quick, simple designs like stars, lightning bolts, paw prints, cheek swirls, and masks that can be replicated.
Use high-quality FDA-approved face paints in neon brights and fluorescents. Glitter paints and gems add sparkle. Offer cheek, forehead, or full face designs. Charge $1-5 per face design, with deals on multiple formats.
Test Prep Tutoring
Help classmates prep for standardized tests like SATs, ACTs, and GREs. Review materials like practice exams and books to become an expert math, verbal, science, and writing tutor.
Advertise group or solo tutoring sessions based on student needs and schedules. Meet at the library, cafe, or set location after school or on weekends. Charge hourly rates based on subject expertise. Discount for groups to make tutoring affordable.
Homework Help
If classmates struggle in subjects you excel in, offer homework help. Set up after-school study sessions to assist with assignments, test prep, and papers. Meet at the library, where you can utilize textbooks, computers, and other resources.
Put up flyers advertising your services with pricing for individual one-on-one or group sessions—discount rates for multiple bookings. Charge hourly or per project, like $15-20 per essay. Be sure to set boundaries regarding what assistance is appropriate.
Conclusion
Selling unique products and services to your fellow students is a creative way to make extra money while attending school. Tap into student wants and needs with fun food and tech, customized gear representing school spirit, helpful services like tutoring, and more.
The key is offering convenience, quality, and personalization at affordable prices. Market your offerings smartly and provide excellent service to build happy repeat customers and referral business. Feel free to get creative with what you choose to sell!
