The internet is an incredibly useful tool. It shares ideas and connects us like no other point in human history. If we have a question, we can find the answer to it in seconds. It’s a great time to be alive if you have a thirst for knowledge. However, the internet can also be a wonderful way to make money, either as your main income stream or as a supplemental way to earn extra cash.
Today we will explore the different ways to use the internet to your financial benefit. Whether you are a student trying to make some money while hitting the books or a stay-at-home parent looking to gain financial freedom, there is something out there on the vastness of the web for you.
Freelancing
There are several websites out there that you can go to if you have an interest or skills in writing, coding, graphic design, photography or the like. Websites like Upwork or Fiverr can be great places for you to go to find a project to bid on or to post your services so that clients can find you for a job.
Competing with others in these marketplaces can be a downside and discouraging when a proposal doesn’t go your way, so there is a risk involved. But if you stick with it, you can eventually land a project and start building your reputation.
Secret Shopping
Secret shopping can be a quick and easy way to make some extra money. Sites like Best Mark, Market Force, Intell-shop and Sinclair Customer Metrics are good places to start. Simply create a profile for the sites and you can gain access to the various secret shopping gigs in your area.
Be careful of scammers out there. Never pay a company to see their list of jobs. Any company that requires a credit card to join should send up the biggest red flag. Make sure the company you are working with is a member of the Mystery Shopping Professionals Association (yes, it’s a thing) to prove their legitimacy.
Selling Your Stuff
Teetering on the edge of being featured on an episode of Hoarders? You can sell some of your stuff online using the services of Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist or Shopify. Using websites that are tailored towards connecting buyer and seller can be a great way to downsize or do year-round spring cleaning.
But if happen to be a creator of goods or crafts, a site like Etsy can be a fairly easy way to find people to sell to.
Sports Betting
While this perhaps the riskiest path to take to earn extra money, since there’s a fairly good chance you can actually end up losing money, sports betting and fantasy sports offer quick ways to earn some serious cash.
Sites like BetDSI, DraftKings or FanDuel are good places to start if this is of interest to you. They are publically vetted sites and usually offer to match or give away money to new users. These sites allow you to either bet straight up on games, be the line or prop bets, there are several ways to potentially make money off sports.
Using Apps
There are several apps out there that can allow you to make money in a variety of ways. For instance, apps like iBotta and Ebates allow you to make money from giving you cash back for products you are already buying.
Apps like iPoll, QuizXT and Swagbucks can help you earn extra money by taking surveys, watching videos or recruiting friends. They typically offer easy tasks to complete and you eventually build a large enough sum to be deposited in your bank account.
Of course, there’s Lyft and Uber you can use to become a driver and make money driving people to where they need to go.