The following is a guest post from Thomas. Thomas blogs over at i need money ASAP! where he helps people who need money fast. He is a husband and new father who’s been late on rent and bills before. Follow him via Twitter or Facebook.
Please let me know if you would like to guest post on MMYW!
Bottled water sales are massive. Total sales were $11.8 billion in 2013! You can find bottled water in vending machines, at connivence stores, just about everywhere. But at summer time events like fireworks shows, festivals, fairs etc there is still an opportunity to make money selling bottled water. Try it yourself and get a small piece of that $12B pie.
How Much Can You Make Selling Bottled Water?
It’s actually pretty easy to make money selling bottled water. If you’re in a high traffic area you could move anywhere from 20-50 bottles an hour. You can usually charge between $1-$2 per bottle. Depending on the price you want to charge and the profit needyou want to make per bottle you could be making up to $75/hr selling bottled water. Not too bad right!?!
What Do You Need To Make Money Selling Bottled Water?
- Cooler: You’ll need a good cooler to store your cold bottles of water. People buying your product will want it ice cold so its important to have a good sized cooler. If you have one with wheels that’s awesome. Once it’s loaded with water and ice it’s going to be pretty heavy. So the easier your cooler is to move the better.
- Water Bottles: The type of water bottle doesn’t really matter. No-name or brand name, as long as it’s cold it will sell quickly.
- Ice: You’ll need plenty of ice to keep your product cold. It also looks appealing to passers by to see a cooler full of ice. The cool refreshing image of all those icy water bottles sitting in your cooler will help you sell your product even faster.
- Extras/Nice To Have: A sign with prices is great, it’ll help advertise your product. If you have an old white T-shirt you can turn it inside out and write on it with a black sharpie, this will help advertise too. (See more on advertising below)
Where Do You Make Money Selling Bottled Water?
- Summer Events – 4th of July Fireworks etc
- Fairs & Festivals
- Outside Concerts
- Sporting Events
- Community Parties
- Almost any summertime event!
Make Sure To Advertise:
Of course its going to be hard to make money selling bottled water if you don’t advertise what you’re selling. But you don’t need external financing for this or fancy signs. The best advertising will be on the spot. You want to encourage passers by to make that impulse purchase.
- Tape a simple sign to your cooler – This will help passers by see what you’re selling. Include the price and some wording like “Ice Cold” or “Refreshing” to entice people to buy.
- Be vocal (but not obnoxious) – Tell people what you’re selling, think of the peanut guy at the ball game “get your ice cold water here!”. This is works really well and its cost effective.
- Engage with passers by – Talk to people. Tell them what your selling. Tell them how affordable it is. Ask them if they’re thirsty. Even tell them they look thirsty. Plant that seed so they think about your product and make the decision to buy.
- Be fun/funny – Have fun with it. People will like that and be more inclined to purchase.
- Wear a white T-shirt & write “Water $x” in black sharpie – It doesn’t need to be perfect. People will read your shirt as they go by and this might help drive more purchases.
Tips For Selling Bottled Water:
- Keep it cold
- Use a cooler (ideally with wheels)
- Use lots of ice
- Have enough change handy
- Pick a high traffic area to sell
- Advertise (see comments above)
- Have “2 for $x.xx” and “3 for $x.xx” deals to encourage people to buy multiple
Check About Legality/Permits:
The legality of selling bottled water will vary by state and even locally. There are some states/counties that don’t require a food handling permit while others might require it. Call you local health and safety department to get more details. It’s even possible in certain states to get your food handling training & permit online. So there won’t be any delay and you can start selling immediately. If you need fronted cash for startup costs like this, see if title loans are a good option for you.
If you want to make money selling bottled water at local events then you might also need a permit from the event planner. You can enquire with the event planner about the cost. Explain your situation and they might just let you come for an hour or two to sell water during the day at no cost. Or offer to donate part of the proceeds to their charity of choice.
Usually selling bottled water during community organized events and in busy public parks wont require an event permit but you still might require a food handling permit and/or a vendors permit from your city/town depending on your local legislation.
Always be respectful of other vendors on the street. Remember that these people make a full time living this way and they might not be thrilled with another person competing for their business. Try to pick a spot that’s sufficiently far away from other vendors to avoid any trouble.
Make Money Selling Bottled Water:
As you can see its pretty easy to make money selling bottled water. Supplies are easy to get. Locations to sell your product are all over the place. You just need to go out and do it and you’ll be making money in no time.
Good luck!
When I was in college I always saw guys selling bottled water by the mall. It was a busy intersection and on a hot day, they did really good business (especially with the truck drivers who couldn’t get out to buy a drink). I believe they also sold candy bars. If they bought a big pack at BJs or Costcos they probably paid very little and then charged $1 a water (that was almost 10 years ago), not a bad markup!
KK @ Student Debt Survivor recently posted…My search for lost money: I just “found” $400!
Hey KK! That sounds like a great spot to sell water. When dealing with cars/traffic just watch out for the legality of selling water beside a busy road or intersection. Some towns will tolerate it while others won’t at all.
Thomas recently posted…Make Money Selling Bottled Water
thank you buddy it is a great advice actually let me try my luck
Very intriguing. There are some days in the DC area where it can get oppressively hot in the summer. There are always people at buys areas selling ice cold water. I may have to find my own place to sell! Great idea.
Syed recently posted…Navigating Life After Graduation
Give it a try Syed and let us know how you do!
Thomas recently posted…Financial Help For Single Mothers And Fathers
I ride my bike on a trail that backs up to houses. One woman has a cooler out by the trail with bottles of water for $1. She goes on the honor system and only checks periodically to refill the cooler and take some money from the jar. It’s a really smart idea.
Jon @ Money Smart Guides recently posted…Mutual Fund Basics
The honour system is great idea. From Freakonomics I remember reading that the loss rate is much lower than you’d expect, only around 5-10%.
Thomas recently posted…Financial Help For Single Mothers And Fathers
I live in Las Vegas. On the Strip there are water sellers about every ten feet. In the desert heat you can understand why. I’ve always wondered if they made any money doing it. Thanks for the insight.
Brad @ How To Save Money recently posted…Don’t lose it, reuse it – Recycling and Reusing Ideas
Hey Brad, I have the feeling they probably do pretty well! But it does sound like there is a lot of competition. If you’re going to give it a try for the first time I’d recommend finding a less competitive area.
Thomas recently posted…Financial Help For Single Mothers And Fathers
Love your posts! I’m slowly moving in that direction and would like to add this to what I make yearly. Thank you!- See more at interesting post
Thanks Charles!
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You can definitely make $20 off a case of water in our area by selling them for just a dollar each…I need to remind my son about this! We have a couple of ball fields that are always overrunning with parents watching their kids play ball but no concessions available.
This would be a good idea for him to make some money. Maybe do candy bars too, but definitely water!
Sounds like a great idea AJ. You’re son would be in good company. Apparently Warren Buffet sold sticks of gum as a child to make money. Buying them at 5 for $0.02 and selling them for $0.01 each (this was in the 1930’s obviously).
Thomas recently posted…Get Discounted Phone Service
Where would one get cheap plastic bottles? You can drill a well for water, but bottles would be harder to come by. I haven’t seen anywhere that would sell them either.
Making money or not, i will say promote the source is also very important.
One Water recently posted…The Malaysian Rainforest: Nature’s Pollution Free Oasis
Sorry to say but it is easier to make money when you have no rules like taxes and such.
I realize it is an experiment and all but what you are doing is illegal and promotes pan handling and just like the squeegee guys can lead to aggressive behavior for the motorists just wanting to get where they need to get.
First, legality depends on your state and locality, second, “aggresive” water vending???…your gonna what, force someone to be parched with thirst,
Consumers like bottled water because it is widely accessible in all grocers, and it’s easy to carry. Instead of taking the time and energy to fill up a reusable bottle of water throughout the day, packaged bottled water provides the ease of access to water anywhere, anytime. For some, having access to bottled water increases total daily water consumption.
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Hello I been selling water for the pass 8 years and a half it goes great can’t complaint, and if was about complaint it will only be against the NYPD they don’t like you selling and make a dollar to feed the family overfishing been a great bussiness I adore snack like fresh fruits trays and candies and it’s been going great
My name is Devon and Im trying to start my own vending company. I’m doing the bottled water idea to raise money for my first vending machine. I’m not doing great but got my food handlers permit today. Its exhausting when people just avoid you and say get acreal job but I’d like this idea to pan out. Any tips?
I’m retiring in the summer of 2018, moving to Delaware, I think that this is an idea that just might work for me, we will see.
Her ass and breasts were a contrast to her slim body.