How to make money as a teenager (middleschool), not the usual ways that are babysitting and landscaping?
I want to know how to make quick cash and money. Not the usual ways that are babysitting and landscaping. There's already too much highshoolers and paid services. And if i try to sell at school, what would i sell, not just gum and school supplies, almost everyone carries gum. I was thinking puppy chow but would it be enough profit. Also not just online money making. Last thing don't give me a link to the guide by =SMART= i've read it but i need other ways.
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Mar 1, 2012. 9:04 PMDayumPanda
says:
In order to do this, you must be a bit crafty and secretive. This is -DANGEROUS- but brings in a lot of profit. You can sell weapons such as, pocket knives, ninja stars, kunai knives, etc. Buy them online or Chinatown for cheap, and sell them for 200% more. It works for me.
Jan 4, 2012. 12:18 PMSmarty-Pants97
says:
I am in middle school, and I know most people LOVE knick-knacks. Random things usually tend to spark people's attention. Try selling them. I sell things like novelty pens(usually cost between $1-$2),fake spiders, and anything i can find hanging around my house.
Also, people enjoy crafty things. Try selling cool origami, pictures, paintings, those little wax beads you melt with an iron( I never knew the name. They are kind of like pixos), string crafts( bows, godseyes, voodoo dolls:), even hats), and if possible, airbrush shirts.
You could also get paid for services. Get paid for doing homework, tutoring, and doing anything anybody needs to get done. Heck, you could get paid for spying or being a wingman!
Also, people enjoy crafty things. Try selling cool origami, pictures, paintings, those little wax beads you melt with an iron( I never knew the name. They are kind of like pixos), string crafts( bows, godseyes, voodoo dolls:), even hats), and if possible, airbrush shirts.
You could also get paid for services. Get paid for doing homework, tutoring, and doing anything anybody needs to get done. Heck, you could get paid for spying or being a wingman!
Dec 10, 2011. 10:09 PMtspies
says:
You could make things out of duct tape like wallets or bows. You could sell them from anywhere from $1.00 to $5.00.
May 31, 2011. 2:42 PMunderdog114
says:
Easy sell warheads I did this at my school this year and as long as you Have good prices They'll keep buying. I sell them for 50 cents a pop which may not sound like a lot but it is if you get the 240 piece jar for $24.50 and sale each warhead for 50 cents you make $120 minus the price of more warheads you get an easy $95.5. I sale an entire jar in a week guess how long it took me to pay for my own X-box. Hope it helps. Try finding them at CVS or something like that.
Try firewood. Get an older friend who can safely handle a chain saw and work with him/her. First find people who need to have trees removed, dead or alive. Then find people who would want to buy the wood for firewood. Stores sell these little bundles that are to small for any real fire for lots of money.
As a selling point tell people it's not just for fireplaces but can be used for things like hot dog roasts, parties, any outdoor activity that a fire would add some atmosphere too. You can even offer as part of your service to set up the spot and make the wood ready for lighting.
Call yourself something like an "urban fire manager" and print up business cards to pass out to people. And if you get really well off doing this then you can give me a royalty!!
As a selling point tell people it's not just for fireplaces but can be used for things like hot dog roasts, parties, any outdoor activity that a fire would add some atmosphere too. You can even offer as part of your service to set up the spot and make the wood ready for lighting.
Call yourself something like an "urban fire manager" and print up business cards to pass out to people. And if you get really well off doing this then you can give me a royalty!!
Have you tried searching Answers for similar questions? This gets asked about once a week.
Mar 9, 2010. 6:05 AMorksecurity
says:
... and the answers don't change much more often than once a year.
Find a need that you can fill better/cheaper/both than the alternatives, which will make you enough profit to be worth the investment. Preferably a repeating/ongoing need so you don't have to spend all your time chasing down new customers. Then work your butt off.
Puppy chow? Can you get it at cheap enough price, can you find enough customers who will buy it at a high enough price, can you convince them why they should buy from you rather than directly the store? I think all three are going to be a challenge. And if you're talking specifically about puppy chow, remember that dogs are only puppies for a short time so the market is rather limited.
The candy/supplies idea has similar challenges: Even assuming a captive audience, they still need to find you to buy and you're going to be in class much of the time... and can you really get the stuff cheap enough to offer them a reasonable price yet still make enough profit to pay for the effort invested?
As a middle schooler you can't drive -- but if you've got a bicycle you could still do some kinds of deliveries. (I ran my paper route on bicycle... unfortunately paper routes are mostly obsolete these days.)
Paper routes bring up the interesting point that if you offer a service to adults, they may be willing to accept a slightly higher price -- not just for convenience, but because at least some of of them will approve of your initiative and be willing to be overcharged just a bit to encourage that. The sign by my doorbell reads "No Solicitors Over Age 16".
Find a need that you can fill better/cheaper/both than the alternatives, which will make you enough profit to be worth the investment. Preferably a repeating/ongoing need so you don't have to spend all your time chasing down new customers. Then work your butt off.
Puppy chow? Can you get it at cheap enough price, can you find enough customers who will buy it at a high enough price, can you convince them why they should buy from you rather than directly the store? I think all three are going to be a challenge. And if you're talking specifically about puppy chow, remember that dogs are only puppies for a short time so the market is rather limited.
The candy/supplies idea has similar challenges: Even assuming a captive audience, they still need to find you to buy and you're going to be in class much of the time... and can you really get the stuff cheap enough to offer them a reasonable price yet still make enough profit to pay for the effort invested?
As a middle schooler you can't drive -- but if you've got a bicycle you could still do some kinds of deliveries. (I ran my paper route on bicycle... unfortunately paper routes are mostly obsolete these days.)
Paper routes bring up the interesting point that if you offer a service to adults, they may be willing to accept a slightly higher price -- not just for convenience, but because at least some of of them will approve of your initiative and be willing to be overcharged just a bit to encourage that. The sign by my doorbell reads "No Solicitors Over Age 16".
Mar 30, 2011. 7:08 AMKing Haus
says:
What do you think about a company that has stuff to sell that we like. I am thinking clothes, hats, shoes. What do you think?
Mar 30, 2011. 8:30 AMorksecurity
says:
Can work, IF you know your market and IF you make the contacts to buy wholesale and IF you can afford to have money tied up in stock and/or buy only when you have orders (and in onesie-twosie quantities, which generally can't be done for clothing).
Also, consider whether the difference between wholesale and what you'd sell for is really enough to be worth your time and energy. Especially since you're also going to have to put time and energy into finding customers and explaining to them why they should buy from you.
My brother made some money as a PC components dealer, in the early days of PCs. But at the time that was a high-markup item which *could* be ordered one or two at a time, and it wasn't hard to establish himself as a legitimate dealer since there wasn't a lot of retail competition.
A better bet might be to find a need which *isn't* being served. Arrange a bulk order of custom-printed clothing, for example, if you are (or know) someone who can come up with a really appealing design.
What you _don't_ want to do is wind up having sunk money in a pile of stock that the customers aren't buying. That's what kills many startup companies. If at all possible, establish that there's definitely a market which will pay enough to let you take a fair hourly wage from the profits BEFORE starting the business.
The reason all those other things are popular with kids is that they don't require an up-front investment, and there's a pretty-well-established market -- so they're likely to succeed, and if not you've probably lost nothing but time. Retail is harder.
Also, consider whether the difference between wholesale and what you'd sell for is really enough to be worth your time and energy. Especially since you're also going to have to put time and energy into finding customers and explaining to them why they should buy from you.
My brother made some money as a PC components dealer, in the early days of PCs. But at the time that was a high-markup item which *could* be ordered one or two at a time, and it wasn't hard to establish himself as a legitimate dealer since there wasn't a lot of retail competition.
A better bet might be to find a need which *isn't* being served. Arrange a bulk order of custom-printed clothing, for example, if you are (or know) someone who can come up with a really appealing design.
What you _don't_ want to do is wind up having sunk money in a pile of stock that the customers aren't buying. That's what kills many startup companies. If at all possible, establish that there's definitely a market which will pay enough to let you take a fair hourly wage from the profits BEFORE starting the business.
The reason all those other things are popular with kids is that they don't require an up-front investment, and there's a pretty-well-established market -- so they're likely to succeed, and if not you've probably lost nothing but time. Retail is harder.
Mar 30, 2011. 9:16 AMKing Haus
says:
Hi Orksecurity,
Thank you for your response. I actually started selling watches to my friends and classmates in high school. I purchased them in onesie-twosie quantities but I did not have a large selection and it was hard to verify the quality of the watches since I purchased them online. I was successful at it tho, but once my friends and classmates had their watches I had nothing else to sell them. And being in school my customer base was limited to kids in my school.
My thinking was to build a business that gave other students the same opportunity to sell things like watches to their friends and classmates. And not to run into the same problem I had, have the ability to sell more than just watches.
I would like to know if there are any students interested in earning money this way, selling clothing and accessories. I have found suppliers for t-shirts and sunglasses but I do need to order them in larger quantities than one and two. I am ready to start this but first need to gauge interest. My friends are in college and cousins in high school so I have gauged it with them and they love the idea but they are not entrepreneurial. I need more people like the ones on this form that are interested and motivated to earn money.
Everyone let me know if you like this idea. Thanks!
Thank you for your response. I actually started selling watches to my friends and classmates in high school. I purchased them in onesie-twosie quantities but I did not have a large selection and it was hard to verify the quality of the watches since I purchased them online. I was successful at it tho, but once my friends and classmates had their watches I had nothing else to sell them. And being in school my customer base was limited to kids in my school.
My thinking was to build a business that gave other students the same opportunity to sell things like watches to their friends and classmates. And not to run into the same problem I had, have the ability to sell more than just watches.
I would like to know if there are any students interested in earning money this way, selling clothing and accessories. I have found suppliers for t-shirts and sunglasses but I do need to order them in larger quantities than one and two. I am ready to start this but first need to gauge interest. My friends are in college and cousins in high school so I have gauged it with them and they love the idea but they are not entrepreneurial. I need more people like the ones on this form that are interested and motivated to earn money.
Everyone let me know if you like this idea. Thanks!
Mar 30, 2011. 2:09 PMorksecurity
says:
I think you're going to run into the same problem: Sell one to each of your friends and your market is saturated.
Mar 30, 2011. 2:12 PMorksecurity
says:
And if anyone else at your school is doing the same thing, the market is saturated before you get there.
For comparison: It takes a population of about 10,000 people to keep one locksmith in business at a decent living wage. You aren't trying to make that much money, but it makes the point that you need to understand just how much demand there is for the product or service and who/what is competing against you.
For comparison: It takes a population of about 10,000 people to keep one locksmith in business at a decent living wage. You aren't trying to make that much money, but it makes the point that you need to understand just how much demand there is for the product or service and who/what is competing against you.
Mar 9, 2010. 6:07 AMorksecurity
says:
One other thought: It wouldn't make you money now, but spending some time as a volunteer can help build up references and skills which might make you a more attractive candidate for jobs in the future.
Mar 30, 2011. 7:11 AMKing Haus
says:
I started selling watches to my friends and classmates. I had my parents help me find a place to buy them and set up a small business to get the wholesale account. But this did require money up front for inventory and expenses related to starting a business.
Mar 20, 2010. 9:54 AMdrbill
says:
Make cinnamon flavored tooth picks with cinnamon oil and sell them in school 5 picks for a quarter wrapped in tinfoil. I made lots of money doing that in Jr.High.
Mar 10, 2010. 12:24 PMcvianna1
says:
Depending on the neighborhood you live in, if you are on good terms with your neighbors you could ask them to save their recyclable cans and bottles for you. You could create a weekly route the day before garbage day and turn them in for the money.
And one job I know people would pay for is "yard pet sanitation services" aka poop patrol. Yeah it's gross, which is why people will be happy to pay. If you charge $5.00/ visit and it takes 20 minutes, do three visits an afternoon, that's $15/hour... you figure people will need about 3 visits a week. You might even be able to charge more if there is more than one animal.
And one job I know people would pay for is "yard pet sanitation services" aka poop patrol. Yeah it's gross, which is why people will be happy to pay. If you charge $5.00/ visit and it takes 20 minutes, do three visits an afternoon, that's $15/hour... you figure people will need about 3 visits a week. You might even be able to charge more if there is more than one animal.
Mar 9, 2010. 4:36 PMflashanimator (author)
says:
yah, pretty much lawn mowing, weed removal, that general area.
I'm going to go with my usual answer and suggest "IKEA/flatpack furniture assembly services." I know quite a few people who just can't seem to put these things together so they call me. Seems like an easy way to make a few bucks, and the start up costs are pretty much zero!
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