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Rising fuel prices and the cost of living in general are affecting the bottom line of many individuals. Finding a side hustle is a great solution to help meet the end. There are many opportunities on the internet that can help you earn extra money without necessarily giving up your day job. This guide on how to make money online for beginners will give you some options and ideas on how to get started.
1. Sell your junk
If you’re a fan of Marie Kondo and her method of keeping only things that bring you joy, you can clean your house and make some money on the side. There are many websites where you can sell clothing, accessories, home furnishings, collectibles and more. All you have to do is photograph the items and write a description of what you are selling. Some marketplaces and websites you can sell your items from include:
- Poshmark (fashion)
- eBay (collectibles and pretty much everything else)
- Facebook Marketplace (local and long distance shipping)
- Craigslist (local)
While the opportunity is there to make money, be sure to watch out for scams, especially in the local marketplaces.
2. Tutor or Tutor Online
If you have a skill worth sharing, you may be able to teach or teach someone else online. Becoming an online homework tutor or an English instructor for individuals in other countries are some of the most common options.
You don’t even need an education degree – you can help elementary school kids with their homework or a high school student with algebra or geometry if you have some knowledge on the subject. Some places you can advertise your skills and services to teach online include:
- Wyzant
- TutorMe
- Cambly
- VIPs
- Tutor.com
3. Sell products on Amazon
If you are a master at finding the best deals in stores near you, this can be a profitable online business. You can make cash on the side by selling clearance items for a profit on Amazon with a seller account.
If you have less than 40 items per month to offer, you can sign up for the individual plan. With this plan, you will incur a fee of 99 cents per item sold. For more volume, you can sign up for the Professional plan, which includes a fee of $39.99 per month. Note that both plans have additional transaction fees once you sell the items.
Some of the best places to look for discounted items to resell include:
- Ross
- Marshalls
- Home goods
- Big Lots
- Outlet stores
4. Rent out your possessions
There are a growing number of websites that allow you to rent out or crowdsource your belongings. Some examples of platforms you can use to rent things out for a profit include:
- Swimply: Rent out your pool for the day
- Teach: Rent out your car
- Airbnb: Rent out a house or room as a vacation rental
Most of the sites that offer your items for rent offer insurance or coverage that protects your belongings from loss or damage and even provides some liability if something goes wrong.
5. Earn rewards
If you have some downtime and don’t mind spending time on your phone or computer doing activities like taking surveys or watching videos online, you can earn points, rewards and cash.
Sites like Swagbucks, InboxDollars and Survey Junkie work with brands to receive consumer input about their goods and services. In some cases, you may even receive products to try out and review.
For more information on how you can earn money by investing a few minutes each day to shop online, surf the web or answer a few questions, check out these money making apps.
6. Start a blog
It may take some time before you see any rewards after starting a blog. This is simply because you will need to invest time and effort into writing your blog posts and finding an audience willing to read them. However, the investment can be worth it. Once you have built a loyal audience, there are many ways to monetize the blog. Some ways include:
- Advertisements: Google Adsense is a great way to sell space on your blog to the right advertisers for a fee. Every time a reader clicks on an ad, you will receive money, which depends on the category and popularity of the topic.
- Affiliate Marketing: With affiliate marketing, you can promote a certain product and if someone buys it, you will receive a commission. One of the easiest ways to get started with affiliate marketing is by using Amazon Associates. You’ll need to apply, but if you’re approved for an account, you’ll earn a commission when a customer you’ve referred makes a purchase.
- Sell your own products: If you have a unique voice or experience that can be useful to others, you can sell your goods or offer services for a fee, write an e-book for sale, or even start a subscription-based membership for select readers.
7. Sell handmade goods
If you enjoy making things like blackout phone cases or hand-knitted blankets or scarves, you might be able to sell your creations online on sites like Etsy or Amazon Handmade.
For example, once you set up an Etsy account, you can list products for 20 cents per item for up to four months. If the items sell, you will pay a transaction fee of 6.5% and a payment processing fee of 3% plus 25 cents. Selling your handmade goods, especially if they are unique and popular, can be a great way to make money online for beginners.
8. Start a Drop Shipping Business
Drop shipping is a way to sell products without investing too much money to get started. You don’t have to buy products and hang on to them in the hope of selling them and then pack and ship them yourself. All you have to do is set up a website with products and when a purchase is made, the manufacturer you work with ships the product directly to the customer on your behalf.
It does take time to learn the ins and outs of the business, but there are plenty of resources, especially when it comes to creating a website. There are templates you can use from sites like Shopify and WooCommerce that can help you set up a professional-looking website in no time so you can start selling right away.
take away
The Internet offers almost limitless opportunities to make a living with side gigs. All you need to know to get started is how to make money online as a beginner. Regardless of the path you choose, do your research. There are many resources available that explain the steps required, what works – and what doesn’t.
Information is accurate as of 21 October 2022.
