7 Ways to Make Money Online Fast
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We could all use some extra money from time to time, and usually the faster the better. Some of the ideas I’ve listed will be easier and quicker than others, but it all depends on your personal situation, time, and talents. Any of these are possible if you’re fully-committed.
1. Become a Freelancer
You can make money through online freelance websites. These sites offer opportunities for you to do freelance services like proofreading, editing, logo design, virtual assisting, writing services, web design, and so forth.
No matter what type of service you want to offer, you can probably offer it on Fiverr. Fiverr connects businesses with on-demand freelance talent. Depending on your skillset, you could do reasonably well offering services on Fiverr.
Upwork is another freelance work site. You can create a profile to help them match you to the work you want. You can also search on their marketplace for the work you’re looking for.
2. Start an Etsy Shop
Etsy is a global online marketplace where you can buy and sell unique items. You can find things like jewelry, photos, clothing, décor, and crafts. If you are handy or crafty, there may be people out there willing to pay good money for your custom creations.
Another popular, growing niche on Etsy is selling digital products. This could include things like logos, digital planners, website theme templates, design files, and so on. The great thing about selling digital products is that you don’t have to worry about physically shipping anything. The customer pays for their item and you send them a file or link to download their digital item.
3. Take Surveys or Participate in Research for Money
There are lots of companies looking for consumer opinions on products and services. So much so that many of them are willing to pay for your opinions. This could range from responding to surveys or polls, answering questions, or participating in discussion groups.
Here are a few resources that offer paid survey or research participation:
4. Sell Your Photographs
If you have an eye for photography and have a decent camera, you can sell photos on online sites. Sites like ShutterStock, iStockPhoto, and SmugMug will pay you when someone purchases copies of your photographs. You could also open an Etsy shop to sell photographs.
For a quicker option, you could advertise online to shoot photos for families, weddings, and other events. People are always looking for photographers for events and family photos.
I have a Nikon D90 that I’ve used for taking lots of high-quality photos. I’ve had it for about 15 years! I highly recommend their cameras if you’re serious about taking great photos. If your budget allows for it, the Nikon Z50 is a highly-rated, newer mirrorless camera option.
5. Sell Your Stuff on an Online Marketplace
Being able to sell your stuff online with a broad audience gives you a much better chance of selling something. Marketplace sites like eBay and Mercari are great options for reaching a wide audience, if your items aren’t too heavy to ship.
You could also list your items on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. Also, Amazon allows you to sell certain items like old books, games, and devices. If you have an old cell phone or certain other device to sell, you could sell it using Gazelle.
6. Create How-to Videos
If you need to figure out how to do something, like change your car battery or troubleshoot your computer, there’s a good chance that there’s some YouTube videos out there that can help you. YouTube has grown into a powerful source of helpful information and tutorials.
Why not create your own how-to videos and get paid? With enough views, YouTube will pay you for the ads that play during your videos. If you’ve got some great, creative ideas and your content gains in popularity, you can start to make more and more money with your video views.
It helps to know what people are searching for most when looking for YouTube videos. To find potential popular topics, start typing “how to [your topic]” into YouTube’s search area to see what phrases come up in the auto-fill dropdown. You should use these same phrases when creating your video title, description, and tags.
If you need a mobile action camera to shoot your videos, a GoPro is a great option. With the right accessories, it can be mounted to your head or body for on-the-go shooting. It can also be mounted on a tri-pod for stable shooting.
7. Start Drop Shipping
If you’re not familiar with drop shipping, it is a retail fulfillment method where a business doesn’t keep the products it sells in its physical inventory. When a customer makes an order, your third-party supplier sends the items directly to the customer.
With drop shipping, you never have to keep a stock of physical inventory on hand. This comes at a price, though. Your profits are usually thinner with drop shipping, since the third-party supplier handles tha actual inventory.
Print on demand is a type of drop shipping where you sell your own designs on things like t-shirts, mugs, and pillows on a per-order basis. Print on demand is a great low-risk way to sell custom products for some extra money. Check out my 5 Websites to Make Money With Print on Demand blog post where I talk about printing on demand with the following companies:
Online opportunities for making money allow for flexibility and portability. Whether you’re looking to make a few extra bucks or change careers, it’s easier now than ever to do that.
What are some ways that you’ve made money online?
Check out some of my other posts on saving, making, and investing money:
- 5 Websites to Make Money With Print on Demand
- How to Save $1,000 for an Emergency Fund in 90 Days or Less
- 7 Steps to Create a Personal Budget
- Financial Checklist: 10 Things to Do Before Year End
- 7 Habits of Successful People Who Are Never Broke
- 17 Ways to Save Money This Fall
- Why Should I Invest in an IRA?
Disclaimer: This information is intended for educational purposes and is not tailored for the needs of any specific investor. It is important to conduct your own analysis and research before making any investment. It is recommended to independently research and verify or seek financial advice from a professional in connection with any information on this website before using it to make an investment decision or otherwise.