The internet offers
endless ways to make some extra cash. Hannah Ricci looks at some of her
favourite money-making sites.
Last updated: Mar
23rd, 2012
Feature by Hannah
Ricci
The internet has
revolutionised how we manage our money. We can keep our bank accounts in check
at the click of a mouse; save money by shopping around for everything from
holidays to DVDs, and compare the best deals on a whole host of financial
products – all during our lunch hour or while sitting at home in our PJs.
It makes you wonder
how we ever managed before the worldwide web came along.
The internet is not
only useful for saving money; it’s great for earning some extra cash too.
Here’s my pick of some of the best ways to make money on the web.
If you can take a good photo…
Sign up to a stock
photography website and you could get paid for your pictures.
Stock photography
websites are used to source photos in the media by other websites, blogs,
articles and advertisers. Lots of sites accept good amateur photographs in
addition to professional shots, and pay on a per-download or a per-sale basis.
Popular,
well-established sites include Fotolia, 123RF, iStockPhoto andAlamy.
Commission rates and
copyright issues vary from site to site, so be sure to research each site
thoroughly before signing up. Each site looks for a different type and style of
photography so don’t get disheartened if your shots aren’t accepted by one -
it’s worth trying them all.
How much money you
make will depend on how often your photos are viewed and purchased, so it’s
important to carefully consider the type of photos you take and the keywords
you use that will lead buyers to your shots.
If you’re crafty…
Etsy has taken the craft world by storm. It’s like an online
craft fair where you can sell anything handmade – think jewellery, art,
ceramics, knitting, furniture - the list is pretty much endless. You can also
sell vintage items, which need to be more than 20 years old, and have 'vintage
appeal’.
Etsy is the biggest player
in this market, but it is based in the US UK
The UK
Once registered, you
can build a profile and ‘shop window’ with your products, and you get your own
web address. Both are free to join, but charge 20p to list an item, plus
commission of 5% on Folksy and 2.5% on Corinadr on any sale you make.
If you shop online...
Signing up to a
cashback website is one of the easiest ways to make some extra cash if you
already buy goods and services online.
Cashback websites like Quidco, GiveOrTake and GreasyPalm are essentially advertising sites that
link through to hundreds of popular retailers. When you click through to a
retailer’s website to purchase something, it pays the cashback site a lead fee
for generating your business.
You’ll get a portion
of this fee, so you’re effectively being paid to shop.
The amount of cashback
you can earn depends on how much you spend, and it varies between each site and
retailer. Read the small print before you sign up as each sites works a little
differently.
If you can write…
If you’re a budding
writer or perhaps just want to share your views on life or a particular topic,
you can earn money through blogging. It won’t make you rich, but you could
build up some extra pocket money from writing about your interests.
Writing a blog in
itself doesn’t pay - you’ll need to introduce advertising in order to earn
money. Google’s AdSense is one of the most popular programs.
It allows you to run relevant ads alongside your blog, which will generate
revenue on a per-click or per-impression basis, The more traffic your blog
gets, the more money you’ll make – so when you start a blog you’ll have to work
hard to publicise it to attract regular readers and followers.
You can also invite
'sponsors' to advertise on your blog. So for example, if you write a food blog,
you could try approaching supermarkets or popular food brands.
If you’ve got junk…
eBay is nothing new but it really is a handy way to turn your
clutter and junk into a money-spinner without the hassle of organising a
carboot sale or going to an auction.
Even if you think no
one will be interested in your ancient, bulky TV or that slow cooker you’ve
never got around to using, try it out – you’d be surprised what people want.
eBay estimates the average British house has about £450 worth of unwanted items
that could be sold on the site.
If you’ve never used
eBay before, it may take a little time to familiarise yourself with the site
but it is pretty straightforward. You’ll need to open a seller account and
create a separate listing for each item you want to sell, with a description
and photo, and information such as postage costs, or whether it’s collection
only.
You’ll pay a listing
fee of between 15p and £1.30 depending on the starting or ‘reserve ‘ price of
your item, and commission of 10% of the final selling price.
If it seems like hard
work and you’d rather not pay to sell your stuff – you can advertise and sell
for free on Gumtree.com.
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