Think about the number of hours per day you spend in front of your computer screen, or on your smartphone. But why should that time be spent, when it could be an earnings opportunity?
If trying to make money online seems like an impossible feat; or a more-trouble-than-it’s-worth kind of a gig, perhaps you have been looking in the wrong places. With a few extra clicks, shares, or a shift in your approach, you will find that there is an endless amount of money to be made online. Using the skills you have already developed, the junk already sitting in your closet, or the time you already spend, you can start adding supplemental income to your daily routine.
Below are 7 quick ways to make money online.
- Sell your stuff
- Poshmark allows you to buy and sell fashion through a simple-to-use app. Simply take a photo of your clothes or accessories, describe them, set the price, list it, and share! Follow your friends, or people with similar sizing or style as you. When you sell an item, you can print out a prepaid shipping label and see your earnings within days.
- thredUP is another easy way to sell your clothes. Request a ‘clean out kit’; a bag that will be sent straight to your home; and send it back full of your clothes. ThredUP will evaluate your items based on condition, trend and brand. If accepted; thredUP will either credit you right away, or list your items and pay you on a consignment basis. If they don’t accept your items, they will be donated to a worthy cause (or sent back to you if you prefer).
- Ebay is still a great way to sell your stuff – and they offer a wider variety of products and categories than most reseller sites. To succeed on Ebay, take your time. Share high quality photos, and be honest and accurate in your descriptions.
- Amazon can make you a ton of money, and I don’t just mean by allowing you to resell your used books at the end of each semester (but yes, this could make you a pretty penny, too). Find your niche and run with it on Amazon. Follow the latest trends to choose the right, sought after products; but beware that low price is not the only factor that wins on Amazon.
- Etsy is an amazing place to sell your vintage or handmade pieces. Offer a clear vision to your brand and personal shop, and you can develop a great customer base. Offer high quality products, and spread the word through social and SEO.
- Sell your talents:
Fiverr is a freelance marketplace that offers ‘gigs’, or jobs, for $5 increments. Gigs can range from helping someone with website coding to helping someone cross the street. List your talents; however niche they may be; and attract buyers.
Upwork is another freelance site for more virtual help. Typical jobs include website development, voice-overs, blogging gigs, or even full time remote employment. Set your rate and apply for jobs that interest you; either hourly or at fixed prices.
- Sell your photos
You don’t have to be a professional photographer to do this. Take your passion of photography and earn directly from your phone with app Twenty20. Participate in photography contests, and follow, like, and share photos from friends or other photographers. Each photo sold earns you money, plus the same photos can be sold multiple times. Success here is based on unfiltered, high quality, high resolution images where people may be featured but are not looking directly in the camera.
- List your home
Airbnb is a great way to make extra money when you are already planning to leave your house and travel. Simply take photos of your home, list your features and amenities, and manage your calendar and requests from your smartphone or computer. Travelers are seeking a unique place to stay that feels more welcoming and comfortable than a hotel; and with Airbnb’s damages protection and your ability to curate who stays in your home, you can rest assured.
Be sure to do your due diligence on each interested visitor by reading their reviews and checking their social profiles if available, and be aware of rules and regulations in your building, neighborhood or city.
- Use Google AdSense on your Website
If you have your own content-driven website, join Google AdSense and earn per click from advertisers that bid to place ads on your pages. AdSense is free and quite simple to use, but be sure to follow their detailed rules and regulations.
If you don’t have a website, consider starting one! GoDaddy and WordPress are great places to start. If you identify domain names that you think may earn you some cash down the line, purchase them, as well.
- Kickstarter
If you have a business idea but lack the funding for it, pitch it on Kickstarter; a crowdfunding site for entrepreneurs. Share your story and business plan; along with a video to tell potential investors/ donors why they should back your project. Offer a tiered structure for your backers to incentivize them to pledge more money; offering rewards with your products for high-paying donors. You will set a financial goal and timeline. If your goal is reached, your backers will receive the product you promised and you will get the funding. If your goal is not reached, nobody will be charged.
Blogging is one of the most popular ways to make money online. If you have your own blog site, consider adding advertisements to earn money. Or, consider the countless sites looking for bloggers and ghost-writers; HubPages, Upwork, Freelancer… etc. Understand the value of SEO, backlinks, and always focus on driving traffic to your blogs.
