How to Make Money

Step-by-Step Guide

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   Step 1: Buy underpriced used books.

   Outfit a phone or PDA (personal data assistant) with a scanner, scan the ISBN numbers of books at used bookstores and thrift shops, and compare the asking prices with what the books are selling for on a site like Amazon.
   
   Whenever you get a good hit (which won’t be often but, since the process is fast, won’t take long, either), buy the book and resell it online.
   
   Be discreet about this, as the store managers probably won’t like what you’re doing.
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   Step 2: Bargain-hunt at yard and thrift sales.

   If you have a bit of knowledge in a particular area (ex.
   
   Taxco Mexican silver, action figures, classic National Geographics) or even just a good eye for quality, visit private sales early and often to find unexpected deals. , You can find incredible deals here, and though may not be able to resell a car that was involved in a serious crime, you can probably find some spectacularly cheap jewelry that someone else would be happy to buy off you. , If you have lacquer thinner, sandpaper, stain, and some craft sense, you can buy worn-out furniture and fix it up for a great resale price. , Pallets and pallet stock are cheap (or free) and easy to come by.
   
   Look for untreated specimens at construction sites, community colleges, buildings under renovation, or shipping warehouses and plane them down and/or kiln-dry them in a homemade kiln-dryer to uncover their hidden beauty.
   
   You can then resell the wood as is or even turn it into beautiful furniture. (Be sure to advertise that the wood is “reclaimed,” as people are often willing to pay much more for this.) , If you are a handy(wo)man with great design sense, a knowledge of what’s valuable in the construction of a home, and assets you’re willing to play with, consider buying, fixing up, and reselling real estate.
   
   This requires quite a bit of up-front cash and elbow grease, but the payoff can be big. , Studies that you are eligible to participate in pop up sporadically but pay quite well – often more than $50 for an hour of your time.
   
   You can also look for focus groups online but will have to sort through a lot of bogus “opportunities” and sites that ask you to pay up-front for the privilege of participating before you find anything worthwhile. , If just the thought of this frightens you, know that the intensity of such studies varies greatly.
   
   Some studies ask participants (particularly those with medical conditions) to test treatments or medications that can have adverse side effects, but others ask participants to perform physical tasks with no lasting effects.
   
   If you are able-bodied and paranoid about keeping it that way, you can even participate as a control in a study at a nearby medical research facility or medical school. , If you have a decent camera and a good sense of light, color, and composition, you can take and sell stock photos – i.e. nondescript images that lend themselves to many applications and are commonly used to illustrate online articles or products – with minimal effort.
   
   Stock photos of locations (a fire hydrant, a bare wall near an interesting tree, or anything you might find as a default background image on your computer) are easier to take, but stock photos of people (i.e. people arguing, people kissing, people laughing) usually sell for more, as they have more uses and require the written legal consent of your subjects.
   
   Hunt for a reputable stock photo dealer or database that will pay you fairly before signing on with anyone. , By pairing good aesthetic sense and the use of design or photo-editing software, you can make and sell background graphics for social media pages, web logos, or computer icon packages.
   
   If you know or are willing to learn computer programming, seriously consider making web pages; programmers may be easy to come by, but programmers with an eye for beauty are another thing altogether. , If you are even a little bit crafty, consider selling your goods on a site like Etsy.
   
   Though you can make more money on intricate projects (ex. an exquisitely woodburned gourd), even labor-light projects can bring in good money if you’re willing to produce them in high quantities.
   
   Who knows – if you do well, you might even be inspired to start a crafts business. , This means doing business with various establishments and rating their products and services without their knowledge.
   
   It may sound like cake, but remember that it requires discreteness, a good memory for detail (ex. the name of every individual who helped or served you), and enough cash for you to be able to pay for your shopping experience up-front and then wait to be reimbursed pending the approval of your review. , Many companies will pay a lot more than two cents for your two cents.
   
   Product reviews are a great way to get paid for being opinionated that doesn’t require the writing background that many other writing jobs do. , Though tedious, online surveys are often quick and painless and, for a few bucks at a time, can add up quickly.
   
   Read How to Make Money with Free Online Surveys for more details. , Sure, competition in the online world is steep, but one thing that makes a good site or blog stand apart is the dedication and enthusiasm of its writer.
   
   Plenty of sites focus too hard on SEO and keywords, and while SEO-optimization is certainly necessary to help your content make money, delving into something that truly matters to you will set you apart from your fluff-and-stuff competitors. , Being passionate usually translates to a superior product and better service, which is especially sought after in the age of the anonymous, 1-minute online review.
   
   Worried that there isn’t a market for your interests? The fact is that though you may not personally know many people who want what you have to offer, thanks to the internet, there’s a huge market for niche-products (pigeon diapers, chainmail wedding dresses, you name it)… and you might just end up being a trend-setter.
   
   To create an online store, you can either make your own website or, if don’t want to self-host, you can sell on eBay or a similar site.
   
   Copywriting.
   
   Bloggers and business owners are out there looking for freelance writers to help them with their internet marketing campaigns.
   
   If you can write a good video marketing script, sales copy, press release, product reviews, website content and advertising copy, you can make money doing exactly that.
   
   You may need basic SEO skills since most of these copywriting jobs require some knowledge on how search engines work.
   
   These people are looking for traffic, and they will only hire you if you can deliver that., Taking a few pooches to the park every week is a good way to have fun, get some exercise, and meet new people, all while making a little cash on the side. , Look for brush-clearing, mowing, or woodcutting jobs, some of which may land you regular customers.
   
   This can save you money at the same time: if you are hired to pick up pine needles, use them to mulch your roses, which will appreciate their acidity and smothering effect on weeds; if you are hired to cut and clear a fallen tree, use it to heat your house that winter. , Contact your local community center or church to get in touch with people who need help getting groceries, cleaning their gutters, or getting to the post office.
   
   You might cultivate some lovely friendships at the same time. , Check out Craigslist, Fiverr, or Zaarly for interesting or unusual gigs that come up. , These can be anything from mystery-shopping to making deliveries to testing apps to taking photos.
   
   Simply install the app, make a profile, and start looking for gigs in your area. , taking a photo of yourself with your favorite beverage or eating at a new establishment) for points that translate to cash.
   
   Though the per-task reward is small, there are millions of participating businesses and the points can add up quickly.
   
   The location-based rewards are best if you already have an active lifestyle and won’t have to force yourself to starting eating/drinking out all the time. , This is a handy way to make a little extra while you do your shopping, but note that the rewards are either actual products or gift certificates – no actual cash. , Believe it or not, people love using them for crafts projects.
   
   In fact, many of the things you don’t even look twice at have to be ordered online by people living in cities don’t have access to them. ,, Extra long or large ones make beautiful holiday decorations, especially with a simple twist of ribbon. ,, You can also divvy up and sell bits of your water lily, water hyacinth, fairy moss, or any other plant that’s doing its best to overtake your pond anyway. ,,, Plenty of people would happily hire someone to cut back their Manzanita forest or wade into a pond and break apart their water-lily thicket, meaning you can make money from both gathering and selling your product. , “Wrap” your car in an advertisement, go about your usual commute, and get paid monthly to do it. (Some car-wrappers in San Francisco make as much as $400 a month doing this,but of course this varies depending on how big a city you live in and when / how often you make your commute.) You can also get paid to wear a company’s logo t-shirt around (particularly if you wear it someplace conspicuous, like at your school; see ShirtsInSchools.com as one example). , If you have a spare room, an unused parking spot or driveway in a busy part of town, or even an empty lot that you wouldn’t mind seeing transformed into an urban garden, rent it out and enjoy an extra monthly paycheck. , This means promoting someone else’s products or services for pay without actually carrying an inventory.
   
   There are many ways of incorporating affiliate marketing into your website/blog/page including banner ads (which are generally ineffective, as people tend to avoid these), linked articles (which are quite successful when the article content is thoughtful and doesn’t appear spammy), and product-placement videos (which can be very successful when done by people with charisma or a good sense of humor).
   
   You can even become an affiliate marketer without a website.
   
   Basic ways of making money through of affiliate marketing include:
   Cost-per-click: you get paid a very small amount every time someone clicks from your content onto the advertiser’s site; good for high-traffic content Cost-per-lead: you get paid a bit more every time someone signs up or fills a form with the advertiser thanks to your content Cost-per-acquisition: you get paid a (fixed or percent) commission every time someone makes a purchase with the advertiser because of your content; good for focused, high-quality content , Back up your collection on a computer or external hard drive, then sell the original discs.
   
   You’ll make quick cash and save space at the same time.
   
   If you have prized collections (boxed sets, limited-release editions, etc.), sell these individually for what they’re worth; otherwise, sell your discs very reasonably (remember, your potential buyers can also get the exact songs they want instantly by downloading them for buck or less apiece).
   
   Even for a mere $4 each, a sizeable collection of CDs can haul in a tidy – sum. , Long, healthy, untreated hair can be sold for a variety of purposes (including high-end wig- and extension-making) and earn you anywhere from several hundred to several thousand dollars depending on color, health, and length.
   
   Plasma can be “donated” (for compensation) provided that you are old, healthy, and heavy enough to qualify.
   
   Sperm can be donated, but you usually have to know (and be able to document) a fair amount of information about your parents as well as your medical history to be eligible.
   
   But be wary; for example, donating eggs is often touted as a fast, high-profit medical procedure, but the process is actually requires that the participant undergo hormonal and medical treatment, receive regular checkups and ultrasounds, and abstain from sex and intoxicants, all of which take weeks or even months before the eggs are even eligible for removal.
   
   The removal process itself is invasive and lasts about 30 minutes.Consider your options very carefully before taking on anything like this. ,
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   Step 3: Go to police auctions.

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   Step 4: Refinish ratty furniture.

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   Step 5: Rescue battered wood.

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   Step 6: Flip houses or apartments.

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   Step 7: Sign up with focus groups in your area.

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   Step 8: Participate in medical studies.

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   Step 9: Sell photos.

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    Step 10: Design web images.

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    Step 11: Make and sell crafts.

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    Step 12: Become a mystery shopper.

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    Step 13: Write product reviews.

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    Step 14: Complete online surveys.

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    Step 15: Start a website or blog.

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    Step 16: Start a small business.

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    Step 17: Watch and/or walk your neighbors’ pets.

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    Step 18: Landscape.

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    Step 19: Run errands for the elderly.

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    Step 20: Find odd jobs online.

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    Step 21: GigWalk: This iPhone app allows you to team up with companies posting gigs and get small jobs done for cash.

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    Step 22: WeReward: This iPhone and Android app allows you to complete small tasks (ex.

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    Step 23: CheckPoints: This iPhone and Android app allows you to go to stores and scan items for points

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    Step 24: which you can then use to redeem prizes.

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    Step 25: If you have a manzanita thicket: trim and dry the branches and sell them online.

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    Step 26: If you have a curly willow tree: trim

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    Step 27: and sell the twisting branches online to craftspeople or to a local florist

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    Step 28: as they are commonly used as accent pieces in bouquets.

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    Step 29: If you have a pine tree: sell the pinecones that flood your yard every fall.

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    Step 30: If you live by the beach: sell driftwood

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    Step 31: which can be used for crafts or

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    Step 32: if the pieces are large and dense

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    Step 33: as decorations in marine aquariums.

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    Step 34: If you have a pond: pick and dry the cattails before the downy seeds begin shedding and sell them as decorations for bouquets (or even bunched together as stand-alone bouquets).

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    Step 35: If you have a tree drowning in mistletoe: cut the mistletoe down

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    Step 36: turn it into festive

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    Step 37: ribbon-wrapped bunches

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    Step 38: and sell it around the holidays.

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    Step 39: If you are selling something that you know or can verify hasn’t been treated: you can even advertise it as being organic

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    Step 40: which might heighten interest and allow you to increase the price.

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    Step 41: If you don’t have access to any of these items: get paid to collect them from other people.

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    Step 42: Become a moving advertisement.

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    Step 43: Rent out a space.

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    Step 44: Try affiliate marketing.

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    Step 45: Sell CDs and/or DVDs.

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    Step 46: Sell hair

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    Step 47: plasma

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    Step 48: or other body parts/fluids.

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    Step 49: Read How to Make Money Fast for more ideas.

Detailed Guide

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