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How to make money online

Here's 20 ways to earn money online and without leaving your home.

Gary Hunter
Gary Hunter

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Thanks to the internet, there's hundreds of ways you can potentially make some money online.

Whether you need to replace your income or you're simply trying to earn some extra cash on the side, here's 21 ways you could earn some extra income online.

20 easy ways to earn money online

1. Sell your old things online.

Shoes

If you take a good look around your home, chances are there's a number of things you no longer need that could be sold online. You can use sites like Gumtree, Facebook Marketplace or eBay to sell pretty much anything; from clothes you no longer wear, book you've already read to bikes, old ski gear, kitchen appliances and furniture. You'd be surprised what people will buy, and your old junk might just be someone else's treasure.

2. Start an eCommerce Site.

Online shopWebsites like Shopify have made it easy to build an eCommerce site to sell products on. Creating and selling goods you know and are passionate about is a good way to start. That's because there's likely to be other people out there who love it as well. You can get a 14-day free trial on Shopify here.

Think of some of things people might want during this time to keep them occupied whilst at home e.g. plants, candles, games, sound systems etc. You could even pivot your focus sell digital products like E-cards, E-books, online training.

Check out Finder's guide to e-commerce here.

3. Use survey sites.

Survey

You can join a survey site online and fill out consumer surveys and questionnaires for money. These surveys are used by companies as research. You could complete surveys on any topic, for example your grocery shopping habits or your use of technology.

4. Freelance writing.

Writing

If you've got writing experience, you could get some freelance writing work with a number of publications and websites.

Take a look through popular job sites like Seek or the jobs section on LinkedIn for thee roles. Keep in mind these roles aren't always advertised, so you might be better off emailing the company directly and asking if there's any online freelance work available.

There's also a bunch of online platforms that make it easy for freelancers to find jobs.

5. Invest in the stock market

Stock market

Share trading can a lucrative business, if you're willing to take on a little risk. During these times, a lot of the market is expected to crash - which may be a good time to get in. There's also a few stocks that may even perform well.

Thanks to trading platforms such as IG or SelfWealth, you can can trade stocks from your own living room online. For a less risky stock market alternative, you can invest in exchange traded funds (ETFs), to access multiple company stocks in the one trade. Just remember, while there's plenty of money to be made, there's also plenty to lose in these times.

Be sure to read the coronavirus stocks guide written by our share trading expert, Kylie.

6. Affiliate marketing.

Distribution

If you have a website or blog, affiliate marketing can help you earn some money from referring products and services via your site. The affiliate site will give you a personalised link to place on your various sites, and every time a sale is made through that link you earn a small portion of the profit.

Check out serial blogger Jake Falkinder's e-book on how to make money from blogging. The book takes you through all the steps to start a blog from scratch e.g. from choosing your topic through to getting your content to rank on Google.

7. YouTube.

Youtube

If you've got a certain skill set, or your have a niche hobby or passion that others might be interested in, try posting some videos to YouTube. For example if you're really into fishing, you could try posting some videos with tips and tricks for catching the best fish. Once you've built up a bit of an audience, you can start to make money through advertising.

8. Writing e-books.

Ebook

If you're an expert in an area that is of interest to a large audience, consider penning a book and self-publishing it through Amazon. For example, do you have a lot of knowledge about the stock market and investing? Do you know a lot about cooking, and have a bunch of your own recipes to share?

9. Sponsored posts.

Team

If you've got a decent social media following (maybe you have a few thousand Instagram followers?) some brands would be keen to pay you to post about their products. Try approaching a few smaller brands first, and make sure they align with your existing content. For example if a lot of your Instagram posts are images of you at the snow skiing, a small ski gear band would be a good place to start.

10. Online tutoring.

Video player

You can tutor students online in a range of topics, from maths or English to computer science or a foreign language. Sites like LearnMate allow you to register to become an online tutor in the subject area of your choice.

Watch: How much money could you make selling items on eBay?

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