*This post contains affiliate links, please see my disclosure for more info*
Whether you work a full-time job or stay at home, it’s always smart to look for new ways to make extra money. I’ve been making money online for years now, trying different ideas. Some have been more successful than others. Working from home makes it possible for me to stay home with my kids.
Here are 17 ideas for ways to earn extra income online:
Be a Website Tester
User Testing is an awesome service that allows you to make money from home in just a matter of minutes. You get to “test” out websites and apps, then offer your thoughts and opinions on elements like navigation, design, and content. For each test you complete, you earn $10.
Freelance Writing
This is my main way of earning income online. Do you have a way with words? If so, offer your skills as a freelance writer/blogger. Check out sites like the ProBlogger job board to connect with site owners seeking skilled writers.
Read More: How I Started Freelance Writing, and You Can, Too!
Be a Virtual Assistant
Website owners can use a little help now and then, and that’s where virtual assistants come in. As a virtual assistant, you could be doing tasks like responding to emails, updating social media, researching info, and more.
Get Paid to Pin on Pinterest
Do you love browsing Pinterest? Start getting paid to use the Pinterest platform by helping bloggers and entrepreneurs. You can offer your services to help these businesses grow their Pinterest reach and share their pins with the right audience.
Start a Blog
Start your own blog and start sharing your thoughts and ideas with the world! Whatever you want to blog about, you’ll be able to find products or services to promote as an affiliate. There are plenty of advertising networks out there today worth checking out, like AdSense and Media.net.
Having your own blog is also a smart way to build up your brand and present yourself as an expert or professional. This comes in handy if you’re pursuing other ways to make money online!
Become a Coach
Do you have specialized skills, solid experience, or knowledge about something that could benefit others? You could offer services as a coach or mentor, sharing what you know with people interested in the same things and helping them on their journey.
This can go hand-in-hand with blogging, too. If you have people emailing you or asking for your advice often, you can turn that into a business. While helping people and sharing knowledge is great, it can time-consuming. Make money off of your insight and knowledge and help others at the same time.
Sell on eBay
You probably don’t need me to tell you all about eBay. From selling off unwanted items to selling collectibles, eBay is the place to go if you want to reach a worldwide market. The startup costs are minimal, assuming you aren’t purchasing brand new items to sell.
Sell on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace
Craigslist is an ideal place to sell furniture, appliances, and household items, among other things. Another new option is the Facebook Marketplace. Just take some pictures of the item you want to sell, set a price, and wait for the offers to come in! Much easier than loading your car and heading to Goodwill to donate, and you get some quick cash.
Start Your Own Etsy Shop
Do you make something cool? Do you love to craft, or collect vintage items? Turn your passion into cash with an Etsy shop. This is a great starting point if you want to eventually run your online web store since Etsy gets tons of traffic and makes it easy to start selling your handmade and vintage items.
Sell on Amazon
Amazon allows you to start a shop through their Fulfilment by Amazon program. You get the products, ship them off to Amazon’s warehouses, and they handle the selling. It’s a little more involved than selling on eBay or Craigslist, but once you get the hang of it, it could be a nice way to generate income.
Earn Gift Cards
Swagbucks is a great site to join if you like to earn gift cards for places like Target, Starbucks, Old Navy, etc. You build up your rewards balance by doing easy activities, searching through their site, and taking advantage of offers. Read more about why I love Swagbucks here.
Offer Web Design Services
If you have web design skills, put them to good use by offering them to others. There are plenty of bloggers and site owners out there (like me) who have minimal skills in this area and are happy to pay someone else for their creativity and knowledge.
Sell Your Creative Designs
If you create beautiful, original designs, you can sell on sites like Spoonflower. Spoonflower specializes in original designs for fabric, wallpaper, gift wrap, and decals. You can see your designs turned into an actual product, and you get a percentage when it sells. Here are some sites that allow you to sell your designs:
Teach English Online
If you have a Bachelor’s Degree, you can teach English to students around the world right from the comfort of home. Check out companies like:
Start a YouTube Channel
If blogging’s not your thing but you like to be in front of the camera, start a YouTube channel. Focus on creating content that you love. Build up your audience, connect with viewers, and eventually, you could be earning an income online.
Offer Services on Fiverr
This is a really easy way to make some money on your terms. If you can think of it, you can probably offer it on Fiverr. People are making money off of silly things like writing your name in spaghetti, and people are making money on skilled things like freelance writing and video production.
Whether you want to earn extra income online or want to work from home, this freelancing site could be the answer. Check out my in-depth review of Fiverr here. You’ll be able to earn way more than a Fiver, too!
Be an “Influencer”
Do you love social media? Have you built up a following on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc? Leverage your social media influence to make some easy money! If you have a decent following on social sites there are brands willing to pay you for exposure to your audience. Izea is a great way to earn by doing sponsored tweets for brands.
If you build up a big enough following on Instagram, you could even have brands approaching you about collaborations.
You probably aren’t going to replace your full-time job with any of these (unless you go full-time freelance), but they could make excellent side hustles if you want to earn extra income online. A little extra certainly never hurts!
What a great list! There are a few here I have never heard of. We do often sell on eBay and have sold on Craigslist. Of course, I’m also working on the blog thing and actually had a direct deposit of $75 the other day. Woot! Woot! Lol! I might get there some day;0)
$75 is definitely exciting!