1. Sell Your Gently Used Items on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace
Do you have gently used items that you no longer want? If so, there probably is someone — or several someones — who gladly will pay you for them. Take a few photos, write a brief description and post your items for sale on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. You also can make a tidy profit by selling high-quality clothing and accessories on platforms such as Poshmark or Tradesy.
2. Trade in Old Gadgets and Electronics for Cash
To make quick cash with minimal effort, try trading in your old, unwanted electronics for cash. Here are some items to consider:
- Phones
- iPods
- Fitness trackers
- Tablets
- Game consoles
- Laptops
Buyback services will purchase old gadgets and electronics like these online. Some electronics buyback services include ItsWorthMore, Decluttr, Gazelle and Trademore. You can also use eBay and other third-party marketplaces to price your items appropriately and sell them independently.
3. Sell Unused Gift Cards
If you have unwanted gift cards gathering dust in a drawer, sell them. You might not get full face value for the cards, but it’s not like you’ll take a loss. Remember, you didn’t buy them. So, it’s essentially free money in your pocket.
Sell unused gift cards on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace or eBay. Or, visit sites such as CardCash to see how much you can sell your gift card for and make the sale in just a few clicks. You also can offer gift cards on your social media accounts to see if there are any takers.
4. Host a Yard Sale
Yard sales are an effective way to figuratively kill two birds with one stone. Not only can you put money in your pocket fast, but you can also get rid of items in your home that are doing nothing more than collecting dust.
The process is simple.
Go through your house and find all the items that have been hidden away in closets and cupboards for longer than you remember. Next, get your hands on a few pieces of construction board and make signs to point people to your home for a yard sale.
Now, set your unused items up nicely in your front yard or driveway and post signs starting at the nearest main road to your home, directing people to your sale. Be sure you have cash on hand to offer customers change. Then watch the money roll in!
5. Work as a Freelancer
- $5 or more per project
Fiverr is a great place for first-time freelancers looking to build experience and their portfolios. From logo design and animation to editing and voice-over work, you can find tasks suited to your skills. Prices start at $5 per project.
Once you accumulate feedback, referrals and experience, you can start charging much more. Some people have taken their Fiverr gigs full-time, with jobs paying as much as $10,000 per project, according to the company’s website.
6. Be an Affiliate Marketer
- Up to $300 a day or more
Affiliate marketing involves sharing products online and earning a commission by joining one or more affiliate programs, such as Amazon Associates, ClickBank or ShareASale. You’ll earn by promoting and selling those products through your blog or social media channels.
According to Affise, a performance marketing platform for advertisers, low-level affiliates can earn up to $300 a day, while high-level affiliates can earn more than $3,000 a day.
Affiliate marketing can be an entire career — not just a side hustle — based on passive income, which is as close as most people will ever get to free money.
7. Sell Digital Products
- Pay depends on the pricing of products and units sold
Digital products can be sold through a number of marketplaces, many of which also handle physical sales: WordPress blogs, eBay and Etsy are a few popular options to sell courses, artwork, printables and more.
According to Oberlo, there were 2.14 billion global digital buyers in 2021. The more digital products you have to sell, the more passive income you’ll potentially make.
8. Become an Online Survey Taker
- Up to $16 an hour
It’s not the most exciting side hustle, but there is money to be made by filling out online surveys. Many sites such as Survey Junkie and Swagbucks allow users to earn cash and gift cards.
You also can visit the website of the Columbia Business School Center for Decision Sciences to sign up for online research studies that pay about $16 an hour.
9. Become a User Tester
- $10 per 20-minute assignment
If you have 20 minutes to spare, you can make money fast at home on UserTesting, which pays $10 per test. The company pays people to visit websites and apps, complete sets of tasks and give opinions on the experience.
10. Tutor Students Online
- Up to $25 per hour before commission
If you have a computer, an internet connection and expertise in just one subject area, you can tutor students online. TutorMe hires tutors in more than 300 subjects and pays $16 an hour. Preply uses tutors in more than 100 subjects, and the tutors set their rates. English tutors on the site typically charge $15 to $25 per hour before Preply’s commission.