Oh, how we wish that money could grow on trees. Unfortunately for us, that is not the case and we often find ourselves with a dilemma of just how we’re going to bring in some extra cash.

While singing on the sidewalk may attract a lot of attention for some, not all of us are blessed with angelic voices. So what other easy options are there to make money on the side? Below is a list of three ways you can make money online and how it works.

Selling Items On eBay

One great and very popular option that allows you to work at home is by selling items on eBay. In order to make money online from eBay, you need to follow these five simple steps.

1. Create an Account

The first step in starting your online job with eBay is to create an account. Simply visit the eBay website and click the register button in the top left-hand corner. Here you will be presented with two options, the business account option and the regular profile registration.

If you first want to try out the site, opt for the regular profile for now. Also, be sure to create a PayPal account, whilst you’re at it. PayPal is also free to sign up and is an affiliate of eBay, which will make transactions only so much easier for you.

2. Choose what to sell and Niche

The only way you will be able to make money through eBay, is by selling items. Start by choosing what it is you’d like to sell. Working in a niche market will allow you to specialize your products and offer your buyer more competitive products.

Take the time to research the product that you want to sell, the price, and play around on the site to see what other sellers are selling the same or similar product as you. Remember, the point is to have someone buy your product from you, and they will only do so if there is an actual demand for it. Once you’ve decided on the product, you can list it on the site.

3. Be Competitive

There are millions of sellers on eBay from all over. If you want to set up a reliable and sustainable business through eBay, you need to be competitive. A good starting point is a price. Competitive prices are somewhere in the middle unless you sell premium products. Try to not be the outlier.

Upload plenty of high-quality photos of your products and give a detailed prescription of the benefits of your product. Be sure that the description is professional, thorough, and of a high English. There shouldn’t be any spelling or grammatical errors in your description. Also, tell the buyer what all is included in the price, such as shipping and guarantees.

4. Deliver On Promises

For a long-lasting and successful business, you want to be sure that you deliver on the promises given to your customers. The age-old saying can be adjusted to a happy customer, happy life. To ensure continued buyers, you need to make sure that your customers are satisfied. If you make your customer wait too long when resolving issues, as it will negatively impact your business.

5. Feedback

Who would have thought that something as minor as a four-sentence feedback would have such a long-lasting impact on your success? However, whether or not you believe in the importance of reviews, your customers often do. Reviews show them that, firstly, your product is not a scam and other people have also bought it, and secondly, what other people thought about your product.

Selling Items On Craigslist

Craigslist and eBay work very similarly with only a few slight differences. As with eBay, start by creating a profile on the site, you do this by choosing your geographical location on the site, then choosing my account’ option on the left-hand side of the page (the third option from the top).

The top side of Craigslist is that it is absolutely free to post an addition to the site. There are two main ways to make money on Craigslist.

1. Sell Your Original or Unused Products

The first way of making money on Craigslist is by selling your product as you would have done on eBay. The same rules for eBay listings apply here. Make sure that you choose the right products, display them in an attractive manner and wait for the buyers to come to you. Remember to put the same amount of effort in here as you would with an eBay listing.

2. Resell Products

While selling your own unused or original products through Craigslist is a great option to make money, another lesser known way is by “flipping” products. This is when you get products for free from the free stuff’ section or buy products at low prices, and then resell them for a higher price when the time is right.

To be successful in this, make sure you know the market. For example, you might buy (or find for free) multiple woolen jackets during the summer for a very affordable price. However, trying to sell those jackets at a higher price while it’s still summer won’t bring in any customers.

Rather wait until winter comes, the demand for warm jackets rise, and then sell your jackets at a higher price than what you bought it for. Therefore, you might want to hold onto your items until you are more certain that it’s the right time to sell.

You might also want to consider repairing and restoring low-cost items to ensure that you can sell it at a higher price. Another way to make money through Craigslist is by offering to deliver the items to your buyers when they are located close to you. Time is money, and customers are often willing to pay a bit higher price to ensure that their items bought reaches them, rather than having to collect it themselves.

Doing Online Paid Surveys

One other way to make money online is through paid surveys. The pay for surveys varies and it’s recommended that you sign up for more than one site to ensure you get a reliable income from this online job type. There are many different sites offering paid surveys of different degrees of authenticity. Here are three highly recommended sites to have a look at.

1. Survey Junkie

Survey Junkie is one of the biggest online communities offering paid surveys, with over 3 million members. Simply create a profile on the site, fill in your details so that they can match you with suitable surveys, and earn points for each successful survey that you have completed. You make more money by completing more surveys, and at the end of the day convert your points into cash through PayPal or an online voucher.

2. Swagbucks

Swagbucks is another reputable online survey company that offers great incentives. It works similarly to Survey Junkie, by simply creating an account and starting to complete surveys. Swagbucks, also offers a point-back system, where you receive one point for every dollar spent online shopping.

3. CashCrate

CashCrate offers five ways for one to earn money, by trying new products and signing up to websites, completing surveys, getting points for online shopping, referring the site to your friends, and lastly interacting and socializing with other members. This is a great site if you want to start making a bit of money on the side.

The Wrap-up

Making money online or finding work at home shouldn’t be a daunting task. If you’re an excellent negotiator or have a product that you know will be in demand, have a go at selling products through either eBay or Craigslist.
Alternatively, if you’re looking for a less taxing, yet still rewarding venture, you might want to try out paid surveys online.