Whether you’re cashing in on your skills, doing the big annual clear out, or completing a feedback survey, there are plenty of ways to make money online, and we've rounded up some of the best to get you started!
Whether it's old clothes, tech that hasn't seen the light of day in months, or toys your kids have grown out of, the chances are you can sell it on the internet. Even old mobile phones are worth something (yes, even old broken phones can still be recycled for a small income). Of course, the better the quality of the stuff you're selling, the better your chances are of shifting it at a good price, but there's usually a home for everything if you know where to look!
You can use selling sites such as Depop, eBay and Facebook Marketplace to shift old stuff, and it won’t just fatten your pockets but also helps others pick up a bargain. Here are over ten tips on how to turn your clutter into cash.
Spotted a killer bargain? Don't keep it to yourself. You can get rewarded for sharing voucher codes and special offers at Latest Deals. But that's not all, you can even earn some extra cash by sharing your opinions. Slice the Pie is a great place to share reviews on everything from music to fashion, and the best bit is that it can take minutes to leave your opinion, and you get paid for every review you leave!
Also look out for customer referral deals, where you invite friends to try a product in return for cash or discounts. If you get enough of your friends to click on these offers, then you can be rewarded.
Market research is important for any business, and you can earn cash, vouchers or win prizes simply by participating. Taking surveys on anything from your political beliefs to views on different brands means you could be rewarded with dosh, and to increase your chances of success, there are plenty of places that would welcome your thoughts!
Registering with sites such as YouGov, OhMyDosh and E-Rewards is a good place to start if you're new to things, as they’ll find surveys that fit your criteria. The rewards vary between providers but if you do enough of them each week, you’ll soon build up a sizable stream of cash.
It’s not just market research that pays but also testing technology too. Intellizoom is a community that you can join that rewards its members for testing the performance of its websites and apps.
There are so many competitions online, so it’s a basic rule of probability that the more competitions you enter, the more chance you stand of winning a prize.
Entering competitions en masse is called ‘comping’. Unlike the other ideas in this article, this isn’t a guaranteed return. You could win anything from £1000s to absolutely nothing. But the only thing you’ll invest is your time, so if you’ve got an abundance of that, it could prove to be lucrative.
Your phone is also a great tool to help you make cash. Clickworker is an app that asks you to perform tasks on the go using your smartphone in return for cash rewards. The more you do, the more you build up in credit, and you can keep track of how much you earn within the app's dashboard.
If you have access to a laptop or computer and a pair of headphones, transcribing can be an easy way to make a lucrative side income. This involves simply turning an audio recording into a text document, and can be a decent way of earning anywhere between £6-16 per hour, depending on your typing speed.
Whilst it’s not an instant source of cash if you’re a beginner (this article shows how little the returns can be at the start) - if you’re looking to get a regular stream of income that will steadily increase, it’s a good shout.
If you've got a specific skill set, you might consider sharing your knowledge and expertise to generate a revenue stream - all from the comfort of your own home. Online courses are as popular as ever, and although it can be a challenge to stand out against the competition, there are plenty of resources out there to help you get off to the best start. Whether it's a course subscription or downloadable resources that you create, whatever your area of expertise, there's likely to be an audience for it.
To get clicks, you’ll need to create useful content which is easy to find through online searches. Although it’s not an instant source of revenue, the best ways are making money via YouTube, building a social media channel or starting your own blog.
There might also be freelance work for you in your industry. Check sites like OneSpace to see if there is a demand for what you do.
Remote and hybrid working has never been as normal as it is now, and with more people than ever taking their businesses online, the demand for virtual assistants is constantly growing. You often don't need to have experience in this type of role, as it encompasses a wide range of skills that you may have picked up from other positions. A virtual assistant is often self-employed, with daily tasks including everything from email management to customer support, bookkeeping, and more - and can earn a good income!
It's worth noting that you will be required to complete a self-assessment tax return if you're self-employed, regardless of your earnings or how much you've been trading. You can find out more about this here.
Are you a keen gamer? If so, why not set up a Twitch account and potentially earn money simply for enjoying your hobbies? Twitch allows you to watch and stream gameplay to your subscribers, and if done right, can be a big earner! It's a popular platform, and there are loads of resources out there to learn how to start earning money as a Twitch streamer, though you may need some kit to get started initially.
If you're committed to starting a side hustle, check out some other ideas to get you off to a good start.
Disclaimer: We make every effort to ensure content is correct when published. Information on this website doesn't constitute financial advice, and we aren't responsible for the content of any external sites.
Fiona is a personal finance writer with over 7 years’ experience writing for a broad range of industries before joining Ocean in 2021. She uses her wealth of experience to turn the overwhelming aspects of finance into articles that are easy to understand.
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