With inflation, middling wages, and the state of the world, it can be difficult to make ends meet. When times get tough, many people rely on pawn shops and Craigslist ads to get a little extra money.
While those are great sources, most people end up making rash decisions, such as selling family heirlooms or personal collectibles that they regret later on. The good news is, you don’t have to throw away your computer or your great-grandmother’s prize china to make ends meet. Instead, take a deep breath and consider the myriad of other opportunities for things to sell to make money. You can even leverage your computer to make this more convenient for you too!
30 Things to Sell to Make Extra Money
Check out this list of things you can sell to make quick money easily:
1. Old household items, clothes, and books
If you’re no longer using it, why not turn it into cash? Selling old is a great way to declutter your storage areas and make quick money at the same time!
If you have a bunch of old books you don’t read anymore, someone else might want them! Used bookstores will often pay you store credit at 50% of what the books can sell for or 25% of their value in cash. This is another great way to clean the house and clean up at the same time!
Try your nearby local bookstores or sell books on Decluttr or Amazon.
2. Handmade goods
If you are handy with arts and crafts, you can sell your handmade items through sites like Etsy, Artfire, Handmade at Amazon, and Cargoh. These are great things to sell to make quick cash and, eventually, you can turn this into a profitable side business.
A few popular handmade items are scented candles, bath bombs, jewelry, enamel pins, and scrapbook items. Some people like to give personalized gifts. That gives you an opportunity to sell personalized items with an added value.
There’s a limitless number of items you can create at home. You just have to be creative and resourceful!
3. Opinions
Everyone has their own opinion on something. Why shouldn’t you get paid for yours? There are websites and companies that are willing to pay you for your input and ideas to make their products and services better!
For example, you can write reviews on places you go on Yelp! Or you can answer marketing surveys on Branded Survey. After which, you’ll be able to collect rewards from Amazon and PayPal.
Writing reviews or taking surveys can be a pretty decent way to earn money during your free time. Although it won’t give you a good sum of money, it’s still better than nothing. Beware of scams, though!
4. Car advertising space
If you’ve ever seen a vehicle wrapped in an ad for a company, the logical conclusion is that the person driving it works for the company. This is not necessarily the case, however.
Companies will pay from $400 to $900 a month or more for you to turn your car into a mobile billboard for their product or service. In other words, car space is one of the great things to sell to make money.
That amount typically is enough to be covering your rent and possibly a load or two of groceries for most places! Wrapify is one of those companies.
5. Spare room in your house
Renting out a room in your house may not seem like a great idea initially. You run the risk of tenants being generally bad people, avoiding paying rent, or being a general disturbance to the entire household.
But if you can find a solid and reliable tenant, renting a room is another one of those great things to sell to make money. The room can also provide an opportunity for the tenant to get on their feet too.
Depending on the rental market in your area, you can rent a room for anywhere from $150 to $1,000 a month or more. Check out Spareroom and you can rent your room within days.
6. Used gadgets
Let’s admit it. You probably have one or two old gadgets laying somewhere around the house, inside your drawers, or in your closet. Well… it’s about time you make use of them by turning them into cash.
Decluttr is an online trading store that allows you to sell your used gadgets online, such as old mobile phones and old laptops. Buyers will bid their desired price. And if you agree with it, it’s a win-win situation.
Amazon Trade-In is another good alternative for selling used gadgets. The only disadvantage here is that they’ll pay you using Amazon gift cards which are non-convertible to cash. So if you’re looking for actual cash, then this option might not be the best for you. But if you’ve been waiting to check out that item on your Amazon shopping cart, then go ahead and sell your used phone on their website!
7. Gold jewelry
With gold at record-high prices per troy ounce, it’s a great time to weed through your jewelry drawer or box and get rid of some of that hideous jewelry you inherited or received from well-meaning but clueless friends and relatives.
The value of gold fluctuates but you can expect to make around $600 an ounce or more, which means you could be sitting on a treasure trove of spare cash!
Sites like Cash For Gold USA and Express Gold Cash allow you to securely sell your gold online in exchange for cash.
So what are you waiting for? Time to turn that bling into bucks!
8. Recyclable materials
Bottles, cans, bags, newspapers… the list of things that can be recycled just keeps getting bigger. Check out your local recycling center’s website and start a collection bin for the things they take.
Depending on the effectiveness of your gathering, the amount of money you’ll make isn’t substantial. However, these are still great things to sell to make money! They’ll help the environment, and you’ll get some nice supplemental income for little effort.
Alternatively, TerraCycle is a global foundation that helps you recycle your stuff if you have no idea how to do it. They offer free recycling programs, contests, and rewards.
Recycling is a commendable way to save Mother Earth.
9. Photos
How would you like to turn your amateur shutterbug hobby into a money-making profession? Sites like 123RF.com and Shutterstock are always looking for new photos to license. The best part of doing this is that your pictures can turn into a perennial revenue stream that pays you over and over even if you thought no one would ever want them.
Because these sites drive so much traffic, the payout per picture is pretty low. So be sure to regularly upload your photos to the site.
Other websites include Alamy, Fotomoto, and 500px. If you’re trying to establish your name as a photographer, it’s better to create your own website or photo gallery. And you can do that for free via WordPress or some other website builder.
10. Plasma
Blood banks always need plasma and blood products to help treat sick and critically injured people. Depending on your blood type, you could turn your blood products into a helpful source of extra income.
You might be wondering… What’s the procedure? Is it safe? And does it hurt? Well, since plasma is the liquid portion of your blood, the procedure for plasma extraction is pretty much just similar to blood extraction.
You’re qualified to sell your plasma if you’re at least 110 pounds and aged between 18 and 65. Some donation centers might have additional requirements so it’s best to do your research before selling or donating.
11. Sperm
Not everybody is comfortable with the idea of selling their DNA. However, for couples who have a hard time conceiving by traditional methods, this can help them know the joy of parenthood and help you out by giving you some bucks. Win-win situation!
If you are fit and healthy, you can become a sperm donor here. As long as you pass the mandatory health screening, you can donate as often as you want. It sure is an odd thing to sell to make money, but your benefactors will thank you for it. You also have the option to remain anonymous if the idea of having your sperm out there makes you uncomfortable.
12. Egg cells
On the other hand, you can donate or sell your eggs if you’re a woman. Egg cells are by far the most sought-after and costly form of conception assistance. A woman selling her eggs could realize upward of US$10,000 on one batch, making this a very lucrative way to help yourself while helping others create a new life!
If you are healthy, you can become an egg donor here. Likewise, you’d need to pass a medical screening to be able to donate. Egg donors are typically aged between 21 and 29. Visit Egg Bank America to know the other requirements.
13. Ideas
Every day, there are billions of problems around the world needing solutions. What if your idea might just be the one? Your thoughts may actually be worth the bucks. Writers, journalists, and people in all manner of professions are always looking for new and innovative ideas. Many people are willing to pay you some cash in exchange for your thoughts and ideas.
With websites such as Innocentive.com, you can turn your dreams into a reality and earn a decent compensation! Who knows? You might have a million-dollar idea that could solve an economic crisis or can spark a scientific breakthrough.
14. Video gaming skills
Believe it or not, people can actually get paid to help online video game players navigate puzzles, defeat bosses, and solve troubleshooting issues. Being a video game consultant is a good way for gamers to make money while helping newbies get through that infuriating level you had so much trouble with. It could pay you up to $50,000 a year!
You can offer your consultation service on freelancing platforms like Fiverr, or you can also optimize your Facebook profile so you can market yourself on Facebook groups. LinkedIn is also a good place to connect with business professionals and to look for potential clients.
15. Shopping sense
Companies like to know what the customer experience is like on their sites and in their stores. As such, the idea of a mystery shopper was created.
Mystery shoppers can make a full-time income by working only three to four hours a day, making this a great solution for stay-at-home moms and people who want to pull in extra money without committing to a full-time schedule.
You can get mystery shopping opportunities via Mobee app or Marketforce.
16. Petsitting or babysitting
Do you like kids and pets? If so, one of the great things to sell to make money is your time to look after those individuals. This increases your social skills and you can walk away with so much more. It’s a fun way to meet new friends and furbabies.
According to Zippia, the average salary for a petsitter in 2022 is $7.34 per hour while a babysitter can earn double. You can check out petsitting opportunities at Petsitters or childcare opportunities at Sitter.com.
17. Planners
Are you the type of person who likes to collect planners? Because you’re not the only one! Now, you can also design your own planner using Canva and sell them on Etsy.
Canva is an online designing app with a drag-and-drop feature so you don’t have to sweat about the technical stuff if you’re a non-techie. So as long as you are creative and imaginative, have a good eye for design, and love planners, then this is good news for you!
18. Consultations
Doing consulting work can be fun and rewarding, and it pays well if you are really good at what you do. Tutoring, helping build a better website, or even giving interviews and information for books and articles are avenues in what to sell to make money through this. The demand is especially not that hard if it’s on a subject you are passionate about. There are some companies that look for consultants: FlexJobs and Upwork.
19. Blog advertising space
If you have a blog, you could be making money at it. High-traffic blogs with interesting or controversial material can be leveraged to create an additional revenue stream for minimal work on your part. Selling blog advertisements can help you draw more traffic to your own site and pull in extra money just for the time it takes to post a sponsored ad!
With Google Adsense, you can easily monetize your blog.
20. Editing services
Maybe you are not a writer but you know good writing when you see it and know how to make it better. If you’ve ever said, “If this writer had just used this word,” then you have the potential to be a freelance editor.
Freelance authors are always looking for editorial input at reasonable prices. Expect to break even or maybe lose a little money short-term if you do this. But as your reputation and that of your clients grow, you can bet you’ll start making great money for doing something you do for free anyway! Fiverr offers many opportunities and you can also check Upwork.
21. Articles
People with a flair for words and a unique way of getting their point across are worth a lot of money to blog owners, and they’re willing to share. Textbroker.com is one of those great places to make money off your ability to communicate!
If you are handy with a turn of phrase, you can turn this into income by selling your work to e-publishers, article-writing sites, and even self-publishing. It’s a good way to meet new people, make new connections and generate income! Find out more about this at Freelance Writing Jobs.
22. Art
If you like playing with computer graphics and images, and you enjoy imagining characters from books on the screen, then you have everything you need to be a book cover artist. A good freelance book cover artist can make $75 or more per cover created, and many cover art sites even do discount specials on premade covers to help generate business. Fiverr also offers many opportunities like that.
You can also create digital art and turn them into stickers. You can sell these stickers online or link them to messaging apps. You will earn money every time someone downloads your sticker pack.
23. Photo manipulation skills
If you are good with Photoshop or GIMP, and you like to restore or manipulate photos, then you can turn your hobby into revenue. Photo retouching, eye color correction, and even image cropping for holiday and birthday cards are all possible ways you can make money on your photo-fixing chops.
Check out Fiverr for anyone looking for photo editing skills. Photo editing services are usually priced between $50 to $70.
24. Your business idea
Maybe you have a new take on an old business model, or want to try a new approach to an idea you’ve always wanted to work on. Why not start your own business? The out-of-pocket expenses could go as little as $15-20 a month or as high as your budget will permit. But remember you have to spend money to make money!
There are companies like IdeaBuyer that help to turn your idea into a real business.
Starting your own business can be a very satisfying way of making money on your terms and your schedule. The income potential is really limited only by what you are willing to invest in your success.
25. Designing shirts
You can design your own shirts online or you can simply hire a designer to do that for you. And it’s not limited to just T-shirts! You can create tote bags, mugs, hoodies, keychains, and lots more! Spring, previously known as TeeSpring allows you to put up a virtual store where you can design and create your own merchandise. This allows you to sell your items anywhere in the world while working remotely. This method is quite similar to dropshipping.
26. “Flipping” items
You’ve heard of house flipping before, right? Well when figuring out what to sell to make money, you could look to flipping or reselling items. Once you’ve got a decent cushion (perhaps from old things to sell from home), you can then spend money to make money.
Buy items from eBay, Etsy, or even Craigslist. Restore them, and turn them around for sale to get big profits. A good rule of thumb here is to never spend more than 75% of the item’s list price and never accept less than 25% more than you bought it for.
Another idea is reselling thrift store items. You can buy them in bulk for a cheaper price and resell them for a good sum of money. Unlike dropshipping, buying thrift goodies allows you to handpick each item that you wanna sell and ensure that they’re all of good quality.
27. Videos
Do you like to record videos of yourself? Or maybe videos of your pets, sceneries, covers, or whatever you’re passionate about. You’d be surprised at how much you can make online just by creating and uploading videos on the web. That’s why vloggers are on the rise.
With platforms such as Tiktok and YouTube, you can easily sell your videos to make money online. Tiktok supports short-form content that is easy to digest while Youtube can support videos for up to 12 hours long for verified users. If you wanna jump into this, this guide on how to make money on YouTube might be a good start.
28. Food
Who doesn’t like food!? If you’re able to cook meals or bake goodies at home, you can start selling that to your friends and families. Take good photos of your food items and post them on Instagram. Foodies around the corner are gonna flock to you.
Some easy recipe ideas include mac and cheese, lasagna, brownies, cookies, and cupcakes. These are crowd favorites that you can sell all year round.
29. Collectible items
Funko Pop heads, Yu-Gi-Oh! and Pokémon cards, K-pop posters and albums, Barbie dolls. These collectible items are everywhere! Fanatics spend generously over collectible items. Rare items can be sold for a higher price. So look closely inside your house; you might find one of these limited edition items laying around. Someone else would love to buy it from you!
Again, eBay and Etsy are good websites to start selling collectibles.
30. Your hair
Yes, you can sell your hair to make money! There are lots of places online where you can buy & sell hair. Your hair can either be turned into a wig or it can be donated to charity to support cancer patients.
Want to know how much your hair costs? Try out this Hair Price Calculator by HairSellon. But before chopping off your long locks, read this guideline first to get to know the do’s and don’ts.
It’s Easy To Find Things To Sell To Make Money
Finding what to sell to make money is a simple step. But depending on the things to sell from home you decide on, the task will be easier or harder.
Nevertheless, there is no shortage of things to sell to make money. All that you need to do is do more research and see what options appeal to you the most.
