Make Money This Week

In this economy people are not only looking for a stable income, but in many case they are in dire need of fast cash now. While generating a stable, steady income from home takes time, there are ways to generate tie-over money fairly quickly; this week even. Here are some of the fastest ways to make money at home this week.

Amazon.com – You can sell a variety of your used items on Amazon.com, but my preference is books. I have tons of them and seem to always be bringing in more. Fairly new non-fiction sells best, but fiction and other types of books can sell well.

1. Start by gathering all the books in your house, stacking them cover side down.
2. Visit Amazon.com and click on “Sell Your Stuff” in the “Features and Services” box on the left hand side of the page.
3. Click on “Start Selling” under the “Sell Your Stuff” option.
4. Find the ISBN code on the back of the book and enter it in the box (you can enter the title or keyword but I find the ISBN is faster). The ISBN is listed near the bar code of the book, usually on the back cover. Click on “Start Selling”.
5. Enter the condition of the book such as any marks or defects. Click “Continue”
6. Enter a price. On the right hand side of the page you’ll see how much the book is currently listed as a used item. I always choose a lower price. My goal is to make money quickly and anyone buying used is buying to save money. So I always list mine lower than the current lowest price.
7. Indicate how many copies you have.
8. Give the zip code of where the book is located (your location).
9. Indicated if you’ll provide expedited shipping. Click “Continue”.
10. If the listing looks good, click “Submit Your Listing”.
11. If you don’t already have an account, you’ll be asked to create one.

Go through the process to add as many books as you’ve got. Be sure to pick up some quality mailing envelops to send your books. Amazon.com gives you a shipping credit to help cover the cost of mailing the book. Unless otherwise indicated (i.e. expedited shipping), ship the book by media mail. Amazon.com pays you through direct deposit every 14 days.

eBay – I like eBay for selling all my clutter. I’m always amazed at what can sell at eBay. In the past I’ve sold a chili pepper wreath, an old college football ticket, and some of my son’s Pokemon cards. eBay requires a bit more planning and effort than selling on Amazon.com, but it can be worth it if your items sell well. To sell on ebay:

1. Gather items around the house that you don’t want anymore.
2. Take a quality picture of the items. While eBay does offer stock photos for many items, most people prefer to view the actual item.
3. Visit eBay and register for an account.
4. Log into your account and click on “Sell”. eBay is intuitive and will guide you through the process of classifying your item.
5. Provide details about your item. Be as descriptive as possible in the title to encourage people to click on your listing. Don’t just say a blue dress. Instead indicate the brand, size and other details.
6. Upload the picture you took of the item.You get one free picture. You can add more for an additional fee.
7. Include a description of your item. Again provide as much detail as you can to help buyers.
8. Put in a starting bid amount and auction length (number of days).
9. Indicate how you’d like to be paid. Most people prefer to use Paypal as its fast and more secure than a check.
10. Give shipping information (cost and method) if you’ll be passing the shipping costs on to the buyer.
11. If you need to charge tax, include that next. Indicate if you’ll accept returns and what the return policy will be.
12. When finished, hit the “Continue” button to view your listing. If its acceptable, click on “List Item”. If it needs work click on “Edit”.

Like Amazon.com, eBay doesn’t require payment until after your item has sold. If you use Paypal to accept payments, you can get a Paypal debit card or ask Paypal to direct deposit the funds into your bank account (this takes a few days).

DemandStudios – Of all the online writing sites, DemandStudios is probably one of the best. It pays a set fee (as opposed to revenue share although it does have that option as well) of $5 to $15 (experienced writers can get paid up to $30) for each article. There are hundreds, if not thousands of available topics to write on. And it pays twice a week through Paypal. If you can write 5 articles a day, 5 days a week, at $15 an article, that will be $375 per week. Some writers crank out as many as 10 articles a day ($150/day).

DemandStudios is free to join, but you do need to submit a writing sample and application. As a beginner you’ll only be able to reserve a few articles at a time until you’ve had some experience. Then you can reserve up to 15 at a time. Editors review your submissions and often ask for edits. Once the article is approved you can be paid. Payments are made on Tuesdays and Fridays.

There are a host of other ways that have the potential of making money fairly quickly (i.e. affiliate marketing, contract/freelance jobs), but there is no guarantee and usually it can take a little time. If you don’t have time, the above three options offer solid ways to generate income quickly.

WAHS Podcast #79 Ask the Pajama Mama

This week is Ask the Pajama Mama where I answer your work-at-home questions.

If you’d like to download any episode you’ll notice a new “Download MP3″ below the player. You can get the podcasts through iTunes as well.
Listen here:

You can also subscribe through iTunes.

Resources Mentioned On the Show

Creative Hot List
Media Bistro
Canadian Telework Association

Best Ways to Make Money Online

The Internet has not only changed how people work and run home business, it has created entirely new income options. With the Internet, making money at home is easy. That’s not to say that internet-based income is automatic or doesn’t require work. Instead, it provides tools that if used correctly, can have anyone making a good income from home. Here are some of the best online income opportunities.

Writing – If you can string words together, there are a host of income options available to you. Businesses are paying writers to create articles, reports, books, ads, sales letters, emails, and blog posts. Many of these companies are posting their jobs online and providing ongoing work for the write writer. Or you can start your own writing business.

Affiliate marketing – This method of making money online is so low cost and easy, but it’s highly misunderstood. Affiliate marketing is a way for you to make money promoting other businesses’ products and services. But success in affiliate marketing, as in any business, is in the marketing. People can’t use your affiliate links if they don’t see them. Most successful affiliate marketers use a website or blog to provide information and promote products in a specific niche.

Virtual Assistance – If you have good office support skills and the needed tools and equipment, virtual assistance work may just be for you. Many businesses are outsourcing tasks they don’t want to do or don’t know how to do. These tasks can include everything from email management, follow up contact with clients, scheduling, website management, ghost writing, web design, research and much more.  Some virtual assistants focus on a target market such as Realtors or authors. Others focus on providing a niche service such as blog management.

Online Storefront- The success of Amazon.com and eBay indicate that people do a significant amount of shopping online. You can take advantage of this by opening your own online store. Options include selling your home-made items, finding used items to sale, or using wholesalers who will provide you with products that you can resale for profit. You can sell your wares at Amazon, eBay or Etsy, or create your own storefront website.

Be an Expert – People go online to find information or support. There are a variety of ways you can provide this information and support, and get paid. Virtual tutoring and coaching are expanding fields. Or you can create your own informational products and training materials to sell online. Another option is to get work as a subject expert at a content-based website like About.com in which you write articles and blog about your area of expertise.

The Internet has everything you need to create a home-based income. You can find virtual work or create your own virtual business, as well as find a host of free and low cost web-based tools and resources to make it happen.   While nothing will work overnight or run itself, working online can be simple and straightforward. All you need is your imagination, desire, and the willingness to do the work.