Whether you’re short on change, need to pay off your student loan debt, or want to afford something new, knowing how to make money fast can help move you toward your goals.
With technology progressing at an increasing rate, it’s easier than ever to make money. The internet can connect people worldwide, and there is an elevated demand for goods and
services.
However, it can be hard to identify money-making opportunities if you don’t know where to look. You may not realize it, but many chances could be slipping by you right now.
This post will unveil 18 ways to make money fast. No matter what your situation, you’re sure to find something on this list for you.
How to Make Money Fast: 18 Easy Methods
The key to making money fast is knowing exactly where to look. The following section will show you various methods to try if you want to start making money right now.
Sell Old Books on Amazon
Many people make money online through Amazon. If you have some old books lying around, you could earn money fast through Amazon by selling them.
Textbooks are particularly valuable. Though some free textbook websites allow students to save on school costs, most textbooks are only available in physical form.
Make sure that you’re selling old books through Amazon. Be upfront about any defects or scratches. The worst thing that could happen is somebody purchases a textbook from you, believing it to be new, then leave a bad review. This could damage your credibility as a seller on the platform.
Become an Uber or Lyft Driver
If you have a clean driving record, a car, and a need to make money quickly, consider driving for a service like Uber or Lyft.
Driving can be a great way to earn extra money, especially considering you don’t even need to go out of your way. For example, one way to make a couple of extra bucks daily is to wake up earlier and drive someone with Uber or Lyft on your way to work.
Of course, if you want to make good money as a driver, you’ll need to do many jobs. However, if you want to make a quick buck, Uber and Lyft can be great. The time required to start making money is however long it takes for you to pass a background check.
Do Tasks with TaskRabbit
Another way to earn quick cash is by doing tasks through TaskRabbit. This online platform connects local people in need of jobs done with taskers (people like you who are looking to make some money).
You can make fast cash with TaskRabbit by doing something small (like picking up groceries), but larger jobs like home renovations are more lucrative and will pay out more.
Sell Artsy/Crafty Things on Etsy
Etsy is a place where homemade arts and crafts thrive. Many people make a good living selling things on Etsy.
If you have a knack for arts and crafts and are looking for a way to make extra money, consider selling some of your items on Etsy. Some popular Etsy items include magnets, jewelry, candles, and clothing.
You can also use your social media accounts to promote your Etsy business and drive even more sales!
Do Gigs on Fiverr
If you have a unique skill set in demand, you can monetize it on Fiverr. Fiverr is a marketplace for freelancers and those looking to pay for a service. You’ll find many gigs on the site, from freelance writing to song recording. Some requests even require you to temporarily become a virtual assistant or social media manager for someone.
Depending on how fast you can market yourself and do the gig required, you can make extra money quickly with Fiverr. Of course, you won’t be able to earn passive income, but you could earn money online doing something you genuinely enjoy.
Babysit for Your Neighbors
One way to make a little extra cash without traveling too far from home is babysitting for people around you.
Many families have two parents that work full time and can’t take care of their children. So you can step in, offer your services, and potentially make good money (especially if the family is well off).
If you get lucky and end up with toddlers who are easy to babysit, you’ll be making extra money doing very little work.
Walk Dogs
Another way to make money that you can add to your list of side hustle ideas is to walk dogs in your neighborhood. If you have friends or relatives with dogs, you can reach out to them and make money immediately.
Of course, you could also use a website like Rover to connect with those needing dog walking and sign up for jobs with them. Once you build up a solid reputation with your clients, you can likely reach out in the future when you need some quick cash.
Sell Photos
If you have a knack for photography, consider taking photos and selling them to stock photo websites like Shutterstock. It doesn’t pay much per photo, but if you can get many images accepted at once, you can still make a decent amount of money.
Alternatively, you can also sell photos directly to individuals needing photography services. The bonus is that you might even attend an incredible event like a wedding, birthday party, or anniversary.
Sell Unused Gift Cards
If you have a whole bunch of free gift cards lying around your house, one way to make money quickly is to sell all of them.
Many sites offer to purchase gift cards from you at a decent rate, depending on the kind of card and its terms and conditions. Typically, you should be able to get more for an Amazon gift card than a movie gift card.
Complete Online Surveys
There is a high demand nowadays for quality market research. For that reason, you can get paid for your opinion through online surveys.
Some online survey sites include Survey Junkie, Focusgroup.com, and Swagbucks. Though taking surveys takes time, and you won’t be able to generate passive income, you can still make some amount of money if you have many surveys lined up.
Teach English Online
If you’re a native English speaker, you can teach English online and earn a decent amount of money.
Many international students are willing to pay top dollar for a fluent English speaker and writer to tutor them.
Teaching English can earn anywhere from $20 to $40 an hour. The best part is that you don’t need to spend any money to get a certification, and many sites already pay you to teach English.
Consider checking out Italki, Verbal Planet, VIPKID, and Lingoda to offer your services for cash.
Write
One incredible way to leverage your writing abilities and make money online is to write for others. There are many “gurus” selling online courses regarding freelance writing to try and rake in some cash, but it’s not that complicated. All you need to do is find some clients, do excellent work for them, and then ask for referrals.
If you repeat the process of searching for new leads, producing excellent work, and growing your network, you’ll find yourself with more work than you could ever hope to handle.
Work for Amazon Mechanical Turk
Amazon Mechanical Turk is similar to Amazon home services but it exclusively focuses on connecting business owners with taskers who can do menial tasks that computers can’t reasonably handle yet.
Some examples of things that you might be required to do are:
- Audio transcription
- Categorization of products
- Data collection
- Writing descriptions
- Market research surveys
These are all tasks that won’t take too long but will give you a little bit of money quickly.
Test Websites and Apps
One of the benefits of today’s gig economy is that you can make money directly from the comfort of your home. One way to do so is to test websites and apps.
Specific testing sites will pay you to use a website and to give feedback on how the site works (on the front end). Your feedback will be valued even higher if you can point out any existing bugs or performance issues that need fixing.
Depending on your understanding of software and computers, your task may be as simple as checking out the user experience of a website to doing more professional testing (requiring prior computer knowledge).
Some sites that pay for website and app testing are:
- UserTesting
- Userlytics
- uTest
- test IO
- Userfeel
List a Spare Bedroom on Airbnb
One of the best ways to make a decent amount of money relatively quickly is to rent out some space.
If you have a spare bedroom that you’re not using, you can rent it out on Airbnb for as much as a couple of hundred dollars a night! All you have to do is get your room ready, list it on Airbnb at a fair price, and wait for responses to come rolling in.
Alternatively, if you have a strong network of contacts, you can reach out to them and see if anyone needs a short-term living arrangement.
If you enjoy renting out your room, you could even attempt real estate investing (and make even more money that way).
Trade in Old Electronics for Cash
A lot of tech gadgets get a new upgrade every few years. As such, you likely have many old electronics lying around that don’t get much use. Though they might be useless to you, many places will gladly take those electronics off your hands and even compensate you.
These places will usually pay you less than what you might be able to sell the electronics for, but they are very easy to use. If you don’t want the headache of listing your electronics on sites like eBay or Craigslist, these sites are the next best option.
Some websites that offer cash for old electronics are:
- Decluttr
- Amazon Trade-In
- Apple Trade-In
- Best Buy Trade-In Program
- ItsWorthMore
Rent Out Your Car
Likely, you don’t use your car 24/7, and sometimes it sits idle in your garage. Why not put your vehicle to work and earn some extra cash?
Just like how you can rent a room with Airbnb, you can also rent your car for periods of time. Some sources estimate that the average car owner can make up to $14,000 renting out their vehicle.
Some sites that offer this service are:
- Turo
- Hire car
- Getaround
- Avail
- TravelCar
Make Food Deliveries
Another way to put your car to good use is to make food deliveries. For example, apps like UberEats and DoorDash pay you to pick up food and drop it off at a designated location.
If you have a car and spare time, delivering food is a great way to make money quickly. You might even explore a new part of town that you’ve never frequented!
How to Make Money Fast
There are more ways to earn money fast. If you have a talent or skillset that you can leverage, you can quickly make a lot of money. So it’s up to you to experiment with different methods. You might like doing something so much that you’ll want to start your own side hustle!
More Articles by Wealth of Geeks
This article was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.
Jeff is a current Harvard student and author of the blog Financial Pupil who is passionate about learning, living, and sharing all things personal finance-related. He has experience working in the financial industry and enjoys the pursuit of financial freedom. Outside of blogging, he loves to cook, read, and golf in his spare time.
