Increasing fuel prices and the cost of living in general are affecting the bottom line of many individuals. Finding a side hustle is a good solution to help make ends meet. There are plenty of opportunities on the internet that could help you earn some extra cash without necessarily having to give up your day job. This guide on how to make money online for beginners will give you some ideas on how to get started.

                By                    Cynthia Bowman                

How Can a Beginner Make Money Online?

If you’re looking for ways to earn extra income online as a beginner, here are some of the best options you can choose from:

1. Sell Your Clutter

If you’re a fan of Marie Kondo and her method of only keeping things that bring you joy, you could clear out your home and make some money on the side. There are plenty of websites where you can sell clothes, accessories, home furnishings, collectibles and more. All you need to do is photograph the items and write a description of what you’re selling. Some marketplaces and websites you could sell your items from include:

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  • Poshmark (fashion)
  • eBay (collectibles and nearly everything else)
  • Facebook Marketplace (local and longer-distance shipping)
  • Craigslist (local)

While the opportunity is there to make money, be sure to watch out for scams, especially in the local marketplaces. 

2. Tutor or Teach Online

If you have a skill that’s worth sharing, you may be able to tutor or teach someone else online. Becoming an online homework tutor or an English instructor to individuals in other countries are a couple of the most common options. 

You don’t even need an educational degree — you can help grade school kids with their homework or a high school student with algebra or geometry if you have some knowledge on the topic. Some places you can advertise your skills and services to teach online include:

  • Wyzant
  • TutorMe
  • Cambly
  • VIPKid
  • Tutor.com

If you have less than 40 items per month to offer, you can sign up for the Individual plan. With this plan, you’ll incur a fee of 99 cents per item sold. For more volume, you can sign up for the Professional plan, which comes with a fee of $39.99 per month. Note that both plans come with additional transaction fees once you sell the items.

Some of the best places to hunt for discounted items to resell include:

  • Ross
  • Marshalls
  • HomeGoods
  • Big Lots
  • Outlet stores

4. Rent Out Your Belongings

There are a growing number of websites that allow you to rent out your belongings. Some examples of platforms you can use to rent things out for a profit include:

  • Swimply: Rent out your swimming pool for the day
  • Turo: Rent out your car
  • Airbnb: Rent out a home or room as a vacation rental

Most of the websites that let you offer your items as rentals offer insurance or coverage that protects your belongings against loss or damage and even offer some liability if something goes wrong. 

5. Earn Rewards

If you have some downtime and don’t mind spending some time on your phone or a computer doing activities such as taking surveys or watching videos online, you could earn points, rewards and cash. 

Websites like Swagbucks, InboxDollars and Survey Junkie work with brands to receive consumer input about their goods and services. In some cases, you may even receive products to try out and review. 

For more info on how you can make money by investing a few minutes every day to shop online, surf the web or answer some questions, check out these money-making apps.

6. Start a Blog

It could take some time before you see any rewards after starting a blog. This is simply because you’ll need to invest time and effort to write your blog posts and find an audience willing to read them. However, the investment could be well worth it. Once you build a loyal audience, there are many ways to make money from the blog. Some ways include:

7. Sell Handmade Goods

For example, once you set up an Etsy account, you could list products for 20 cents per item for up to four months. If the items sell, you’ll pay a transaction fee of 6.5% and a payment processing fee of 3% plus 25 cents. Selling your handmade goods, especially if they’re unique and popular, could be a great way to make money online for beginners.

8. Start a Drop-Shipping Business

Drop-shipping is a way to sell products without having to invest too much money to get started. You won’t have to purchase and hang on to products in the hopes of selling them and then packing and shipping them yourself. All you need to do is set up a website with products, and when a purchase is made, the manufacturer you work with sends the product directly to the customer on your behalf.

It does take some time to learn the ins and outs of the business, but there are plenty of resources, especially when it comes to creating a website. There are templates you can use from websites such as Shopify and WooCommerce that can help you set up a professional-looking website in no time so you can start selling right away.

Takeaway

The internet offers nearly limitless opportunities to make a living with side gigs. All you need to know to get started is how to make money online as a beginner. Regardless of the path you choose, do your research. There are plenty of resources available that explain the steps required, what works — and what doesn’t.

Information is accurate as of Oct. 21, 2022.

  • How can a beginner make money online fast?

  • One of the best ways to make money online fast is to sell your belongings that you no longer need, such as electronics, collectibles, clothing and more. Websites such as Poshmark, eBay and even Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist are good options.

  • How can I earn money via the internet at home?

  • There are many ways to make money online at home. Many companies seek workers willing to work from home. In addition, you can start a blog or run an e-commerce shop.

  • How can I make money online with no skills?

  • If you don’t have the skills to qualify for a work-from-home job, you could always sell products or learn more about a skill that interests you so you can start making money online.

  • One of the best ways to make money online fast is to sell your belongings that you no longer need, such as electronics, collectibles, clothing and more. Websites such as Poshmark, eBay and even Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist are good options.

  • There are many ways to make money online at home. Many companies seek workers willing to work from home. In addition, you can start a blog or run an e-commerce shop.

  • If you don’t have the skills to qualify for a work-from-home job, you could always sell products or learn more about a skill that interests you so you can start making money online.

  • Shopify. 2022.

  • “What Is Dropshipping and How Does It Work? (2022).”

  • Google AdSense.

  • “How to make money from blogging.”