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If you're willing to get your hands dirty, you're the crafty type or you can offer another service altogether, there is money to be made on the internet. (pixelfit/ Getty Images)
Almost everyone finds themselves in this financial position at some point – you want a way to earn some extra money but are at a loss as to how to bring that revenue in. You just know that you want to make some money, fast. Or you want to find a regular, dependable way to earn cash. Or maybe you just have some time to kill and really like money.
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Everyone knows that there are websites out there that can help you earn money, of course, but before you scour the internet for ideas, check out this list.
Fiverr. This is a popular website that can be helpful for freelancers with actual skills. Know something about digital animation? You can work for someone who doesn't and pick up some extra cash. But if you just have a brain but few skills, you can offer to do web research for someone, and maybe someone will hire you. Just know that you probably aren't going to get rich doing these jobs. The website's tag line is, "Freelance services for the lean entrepreneur," which tells you right away the pay is – meh. Plus, the website's name comes from the fact that many people work for $5 per task (but, yes, you can ask for more). Still, if you get a lot of gigs, it can add up.
Etsy. Are you crafty? This is one of those websites where, once again, it helps if you have a real skill. If you're artistic and are the type of person who can make custom jewelry or refrigerator magnets with the best of them, Etsy is the place to sell it. For the rest of us, we must find another website to go to, so we can earn money to buy things from the crafty people at Etsy.
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You have a lot of options, though many of them are low-paying ones.
TaskRabbit. Are you willing to get your hands dirty? (Nothing shifty … we're talking, like, weeding somebody's garden.) People come to this site to find those willing to do various tasks for them, such as putting together a bookcase or running an errand for them. Do as many tasks as you want, and this could become quite the part-time (or full-time) job.
Wonder. People come to this site when they need research done. Wonder doesn't just hire anyone, but you can apply, and if they think you have the skills to do research, you'll get access to their dashboard. You can then choose to answer a question – perhaps coming from a business executive or an author writing a book. Researchers report making, on average, $8 to $16 for each detailed answer, although you can make more, so this is probably only a gig for those who really enjoy doing some digging to find an answer, as opposed to someone who just wants to make fast money.
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ThredUp. Their tag line is "secondhand clothes, firsthand fun." And they have to get their clothes from somewhere. Are you catching on? You are that somewhere. The website sells women's and kid's clothes (sorry, guys). You send your clothes in a ThredUp bag with a prepaid mailing label, and ThredUp will decide the value. They're looking for nice clothes and popular brands, and there's a fee if your items aren't accepted. So if you have clothes better suited for a yard sale, hold a yard sale. But if you have quality outfits you no longer want, ThredUp will probably pay you enough that you can buy new threads.
Swap.com. Like ThredUp, it's an online consignment store. You send in used clothes (women, kids, men's) and kids toys and games, and Swap will sell them for you. Hopefully. They may reject them, in which case you'll either have to pay a fee to get your things back or donate them. But assuming you're sending in clothes and toys that people will want to buy, your odds of selling them should be good. The website says that "sellers, on average, earn about $150 per box they sell on Swap.com when sending in-season, high-quality items." Especially note the words, "high-quality."
Gazelle. If you have an old cellphone or an Apple device, you can sell it here. The website will give you a cash offer for your device. If you agree, you'll be sent packaging materials. Gazelle pays the shipping costs, and you wait for a check in the mail, a gift card to be sent or cash transferred to your PayPal account. You may not make a fortune, but it's better than letting an unused device collect dust on a shelf – and far better for the environment to sell it than toss it in a landfill.
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Cardpool.com. This is a popular site for selling gift cards. Maybe some of the gift cards you got last Christmas have sat around unused, and you don't think you'll ever use them. Well, tell Cardpool what you have, they'll make you an offer and if you agree, you can exchange it for cash or, oh, the irony, another gift card.
OfferUp.com. If you don't have the energy to hold a yard sale, OfferUp may be the next best, profitable thing. Sell one thing at a time. Take a picture of what you have, put down a price and hopefully somebody nearby will see it online, love it enough to buy it, send you a note and you'll meet – in a public place, OfferUp's website recommends – and you can get your cash for whatever you're selling. Of course, you might ask how this is different than selling on, say, the ever-popular Craigslist. Some users claim that it's an easier site to post on, and members have profiles, so you can rate each other and get a better sense that people are who they say they are, which isn't always the case on Craigslist. Nevertheless, you'd still do well to use common sense and buy and sell OfferUp items in public places rather than at someone's home or in the dark woods.
OnlyTheBreast.com. If you're a woman with breast milk, you can sell (or donate) your unused breast milk at this website to moms. You can sell for whatever price you want, but generally, moms sell for a couple bucks an ounce, which can add up, if you pump enough. You can sell locally, but many users ship their breast milk to willing buyers, as well.