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Do you want to make some extra income? If you have a mobile device, you have access to money-making opportunities.
Mobile phones have made it easier than ever to make money in any place, at any time. Discover easy ways to pick up some extra income, from listing unwanted items on online marketplace apps to harnessing the power of WhatsApp Business to support your side hustle.
Stop scrolling and start generating some extra cash!
Sell items on eBay, Vinted, Facebook Marketplace, or Depop
When was the last time you cleared out your cupboards? It’s a great way to free up some extra space, and selling those unwanted items could also bring in some extra money. Pre-loved and second-hand purchases are experiencing a recent boom, driven largely by the environmental and ethical concerns of Gen Z and Millennials.
eBay
With 138 million users, eBay is still one of the big hitters when it comes to selling second-hand items. You can sell nearly anything, from collectibles to electronics. Choose from “Buy It Now” pricing, which allows you to set an immediate fixed price, or auction-style pricing, which welcomes bids up to a particular date and time. Private sellers can list up to 1,000 items for free, after which an insertion fee of 35p per item applies. Once your item sells, ebay takes 12.8% of the final price of the sale, plus a fixed charge of 30p per order.
Depop
Depop has a community feel that’s more like a social media platform than an online shop, boasting over 30M+ registered users in over 150 countries. Like Instagram, you can follow your favourite sellers and discover trending items on the Explore page. List up to four photos and one video of your item, add hashtags and a description, and set your price. It’s free to list items for sale, and Depop takes 10% of the profit from each item sold, along with a small standard transaction fee which depends on which country you are selling in.
Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace is another great option for selling many different categories of items, all on the same platform. Clothes, furniture, electronics, books, baby care products, and sports supplies perform exceptionally well. Be sure to specify your location, category, and price so buyers can find you easily – and mention whether you’re willing to deliver or if your item is collection only (and save on postage).
Find out more about Facebook Marketplace.
Vinted
Vinted is another popular platform that mainly features second-hand clothing and accessories. With 75 million members worldwide, it’s easy to see why people love using Vinted to make extra income. The app doesn’t charge selling fees, so the costs to sellers are low. Instead, the app makes income through buyer protection fees, charging for closet spotlights and bumping listed items, and third-party advertising.
Another big bonus of Vinted is that the app even sorts out the shipping label for you, leaving you to print, pack, and drop off the item to be sent.
WeBuyBooks
If you want to sell books, CDs, DVDs, and games, WeBuyBooks is an incredibly easy option. You can scan the barcode or ISBN number of your items and get a free instant cash offer. If you’re happy with the valuation, you can arrange a collection for free or post your items if you prefer.
Find out more about WeBuyBooks.
Take stock photos and sell them
Fancy yourself as a photographer? With mobile phone cameras producing better quality photos than ever, it’s never been easier to make money taking and selling stock photos in your free time.
Shutterstock is a great option to get started on. Become a contributor and sell images to customers around the globe. With Shutterstock’s contributor app, you can upload and submit images, track your activity and monitor your earnings, all from your mobile device. You’ll make money each time a Shutterstock customer downloads your content. Shutterstock contributors earn a percentage of the price that their content sells for, ranging from 15% up to 40%. The more you sell, the more money you make from each transaction.
Find out more about Shutterstock.
Do some work as a freelancer
Even if you don’t want to give up your day job, the income from freelance work in the evenings and weekends can really add up. If you have a great speaking voice, have you considered picking up work as a voice-over artist? If you love websites, perhaps working as a WordPress developer could suit you. Illustration, graphic design, social media, translation – the possibilities are endless. You can set up a website to help market yourself or use one of the many freelancer apps to find work.
Fiverr
Fiverr is an online marketplace offering a streamlined transactional platform to connect freelancers with employers. Fiverr covers a wide range of categories, including:
- Graphics and design
- Digital marketing
- Writing and translation
- Video and animation
- Music and audio
- Programming and tech
- Business
- Lifestyle
- Data
- Photography
You can sign up and list your services for free, and keep 80% of each transaction. You can set the price of your services and stay in charge of how much or how little time you spend on the platform.
Upwork
Upwork is another freelancer marketplace that connects businesses with independent professionals and agencies around the world. Upwork features freelancers in all kinds of industries, including:
- Development and IT
- AI services
- Design and creative
- Sales and marketing
- Writing and translation
- Admin and customer support
- Finance and accounting
- Engineering and architecture
Sign-up is quick, easy, and free. You can set up a detailed profile showing your background, skills, areas of expertise, and hourly rate. You can secure work in two different ways – by being approached by an employer who finds your profile, or by submitting proposals for jobs that are advertised on the site. Upwork charges a 10% freelancer service fee, so you can keep 90% of your earnings.
Get paid to take surveys
If you’re willing to share your opinions on a wide range of topics, paid surveys can be a great way to turn spare time into cash. Companies, political parties, and media organisations are interested in what their target audiences think and feel. It’s not likely to be a huge amount of income, but in an economy where every little helps, it’s a great option that doesn’t take too much energy to organise.
Ipsos iSay
Owned by Ipsos, a leading market research company, this site offers a range of surveys across different topics. Opt-in for notifications to receive survey invitations based on your profile. You can earn points, then redeem Global Gift Cards or retail vouchers to spend online.
Set up a side hustle
Stuck for ideas for side hustles? Think of your talents, skills, and interests, and try to think of paid opportunities that you could use them in. For example, animal lovers might want to set up a dog walking or pet sitting side hustle, writers might want to try their hand at blogging, and arty types might like to sell their homemade crafts online.
Take a look through these side hustle ideas:
- Lifestyle or specialist blogging
- Babysitting or childcare
- Digital personal assistant
- Pet sitting, doggy daycare, or dog walking
- Cleaning or car washing
- Handyman or decorator
- Personal trainer or accountability partner
- Arts and crafts seller
- Tutoring and instruction
- E-book writing and publishing
- Proofreading, editing, and writing
- Online courses and coaching
- YouTube and social media creator
- Podcasting
No matter which side hustle you choose, we think WhatsApp Business is a must-have for connecting with customers and clients (although we might be a teensy bit biased, of course)!
Not only is it easy, reliable, and secure, but it also offers a range of tools specifically designed to help small businesses communicate effectively. Harness the power of Quick Replies, QR Codes and Short Links, Labels, Automatic Greeting and Away Messages, Catalogs, and a Business Profile, and watch your side hustle take off.
Running a side hustle in your free time can be stressful, so it’s also important to separate out your personal and professional communications wherever possible. WhatsApp Business can help you achieve a better work-life balance because it’s housed in a separate app on your mobile, and you can set up auto-replies to manage customer expectations if they contact you outside of your working hours.
It’s quick and easy to set up both apps on the same phone – but you’ll need a second virtual phone number for this. You can’t create a WhatsApp Business account without a number, and you can’t use the same phone number for both WhatsApp Messenger and WhatsApp Business. Handily, we’ve got an easy solution that takes only a few clicks to set up – simple, flexible, and you’ll be off and running in seconds.
Get A Virtual Number Now!
Receive your number for WhatsApp verification in just 3 clicks!
Author:
George Lineker
Get A Virtual Number Now!
Receive your number for WhatsApp verification in just 3 clicks!
