4w ago

What are ways to independently make a few bucks on the side?

So I was just brainstorming a bit thinking of ways to earn a little extra without the responsibilities of actual employment, meaning you can do it when there's time and put it on hold if you have to. Personally I like crafting so I could imagine having something like a little etsy store. I could carve beads from wood, antler or bone and turn them into jewelry. Something like that. That wouldn't just be a way to make money but also sounds like a nice hobby. Not sure how financially feasible it would be though, maybe someone here already has some experience? But yeah I'd love to hear about your ideas/advice. Anything that's legal and not exploitative, be it entirely independent or also freelancing stuff that doesn't require special training.

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One of the risks around monetizing hobbies is that while you may enjoy that hobby now, doing it to make more adds level of stress and responsibility that can quickly make it into another job that you no longer love. Places like Etsy are competitive and reward consistency in listing and sales, so to have any real success you can't really list just one or two items and wait for them to sell. You'll drop far down in search rankings and suddenly your store dies because Etsy stops sending people to it.
This isn't to say don't try, but be aware it isn't as easy as "hobby but get paid for it".
- I know my wife sells glass art but really only doesn't it to make room and break even on materials. So it may be allot more work to make a profit at it.
- Every time I start a hobby, I end up monetizing it, then all the fun goes out of it, and I eventually drop it.

This is tough without special training or scummy morals
Like you can resell stuff but that’s gross
Crafting is cool but that’s a special skill. I know people that sell crochet, needlepoint, etc
I refurbish electronics but that’s also a special skill, it’s not terribly difficult to learn though and can actually be quite lucrative. Good for the environment too. Buy a switch that someone is just going to throw away, fix it, resell it as refurbished, that kind of thing. This is getting much harder though. Ebay was the primary way to go and they’ve been shifting away from refurbished and used sales a lot over the past few years
I have a friend that does custom artwork for people but that’s a special skill. I have another friend that sells music for people that wants beats but again special skills. Fivver type stuff
Basically a lot of these will be “monetize your hobby”
- Basically a lot of these will be “monetize your hobby”
  Yeah that's totally within the range of what I'm looking for. I meant special training more as in people want to see certificates. I'm fine with investing a little time to teach myself how to do something.
  
  Well then the skies your limit, you just have to get good enough at something.
  I could never get good enough at the creative stuff to justify that. I love music and write my own stuff but I’m not nearly good enough for that. It takes me like 2 weeks to write one song. My friend that writes beats will bust one out in like 40 minutes and can basically do whatever. You want reggaeton? Sure
  But I buy up broken shit and resell it. You spilled a drink on your macbook? You broke the hdmi/usbc on your console? Your graphics card died? I will swoop in and lowball you since I know you’re gonna throw it away if I don’t buy it. I take on a lot of risk because a lot of things either can’t be fixed or aren’t economically viable to fix but at the same time I also often pay like $1-200 for a ps5 and resell it for $400 refurbished with like 2 hours of work and $10 of parts so it balances out. Graphics cards are the worst ones tbh, the risk:reward is too high. I get a ton that are just fucked and are parts boards but every once in a while I get a repairable one and then it’s a $5-600 profit or more. I won’t pay more than 2-300 for a dead 4090 because they’re often totally fucked
- Like you can resell stuff but that’s gross
  Buy a switch that someone is just going to throw away, fix it, resell it as refurbished, that kind of thing.
  Huh? So are you for or against reselling?
  
  Fair question, I should’ve expanded. To clarify I think it is helpful and good to divert something that was going to be trashed anyway and resell it for a fair price based on your labor to restore it. I actually think it is important. Most of what I do is stuff that people were literally going to trash and while I do earn a decent amount I sell the stuff for fair prices, usually at least 30-40% off of retail
  I think it is scummy to merely act as a middle person that artificially buys up supply and then resells at artificially high values (eg consoles, Pokémon cards, sneakers, etc). Scalping, basically

Prostitution works for me
- I salute you. Despite society’s warped morality, it is a noble profession.
- N/R/S#?

[off topic]
Get this book. "Discover What You Are Best At" by Linda Gail. It's a series of self tests that gauge what skills you already have, and then lists the jobs that use those skills. For example, a hair dresser and a nurse both need good social skills and good dexterity; two totally different jobs with a similar skillset.
I spent my whole life thinking I'd never find a job I actually liked, then I got the book and it led me to a career I enjoyed and got a decent salary.
- What career did you discover with this book?
  
  It doesn't matter, because what I enjoyed might sound terrible to you.
  Like I said, two different jobs will have a similar skill set, and the book gives you a long list of all types of jobs. It even breaks them down by how much education you need.
- Also, selling self-help books

I created !flipping@lemmy.world as I resell as a hobby on eBay and marketplace. It's a good way to clear out stuff that you don't want or need and fuel your hobbies. I think it's pretty funny that the other user says that reselling is gross and goes on to explain that they buy and resell things for a profit.
I'm going out to the middle of bfe this morning to pick up some stuff I won through an online estate auction. I got a dresser for $1. I might keep it I might sell it for a profit. Nobody else wanted it and I'm saving the family the hassle of having to throw it away somehow and someone else might be really happy to have it after I clean it up.
- I think it's pretty funny that the other user says that reselling is gross and goes on to explain that they buy and resell things for a profit
  I think what they meant is drop shipping where you're just selling any old crap from alibaba
  Reselling sounds like a neat idea if you have the space.
  
  It's highly recommended that you sell small items anyway. I've sold 6 CD's and a cassette tape this month. Some graphics cards, a motherboard, handheld game system that I repaired, etc. I have a small shelf with my inventory on it. I rarely do larger items, but I think I can sell the dresser in a day or two if it doesn't work well in my space.
  If you have a hobby like video games or card collecting you can buy collections and resell what you don't want she keep what you do or sell games after you're done with them. It's fully scalable so you can put in as much or as little time as you want and pause your listings if you decide to go on vacation.
- I took up guitar during Covid and got obsessed. Now I am buying up beat up old guitars, cleaning, repairing, restringing them, and reselling them at a profit. It feels great to take an old guitar that may have been neglected for decades, and put it back in the hands of someone who will give it a new life.

I'm a tax consultant, so I see a lot of people's side hustles.
As other's here have said, once you monetise a hobby it's not a fun hobby anymore... just another responsibility.
Take the beads thing for example. Carving some beads to make some cool jewellery sounds like a great hobby, and you could make some really amazing unique gifts for family. However, if you want to make money from it then you need to compete with other etsy vendors - you'll very quickly find the pieces that sell and then it becomes a question of how many of those pieces you can turn out per hour or per day.
Economically, making money requires time, or skill, or capital. The most appropriate will be a mix of all three that fits your circumstances. As a "side hustle" you kinda want a little of each rather than a lot of each. Good examples might be:
window cleaning - for businesses or residences
gutter cleaning - get one of those telescopic pole thingies with a camera so you don't actually need to go on anyones roof
lawn mowing - just a few customers in your street
These things aren't "hobbies" but they will be a lot more satisfying, enjoyable, and profitable than carving beads.
- Thanks, that's quite insightful. I think I could see myself walking dogs actually.

Do you live in a place where cottage laws are a thing? You could bake or can and sell them, if you have good cottage laws. Depending on where, might need various certs before doing it though.
- I live in Germany and to no one's surprise there's quite a bit of bureaucracy involved unless you're selling raw produce. But it's a good idea. I like cooking so maybe I can come up with something.

Honestly if you got nice feet, sell pics of them
Be sure to not post any identifyable data with it, and no backgrounds of your location
If you find a few weirdos (no kink shaming from me) that buy feet pics take their money and be happy with a win win.
Probably only works if you are female.
- Probably only works if you are female.
  It's all about a clean shave and the right angles
  But seriously I don't think anyone wants to see that 😅 And if they do I'm gonna have to protect them from their own recklessness. Maybe I can find a willing friend and take care of distribution for a share 😄
  
  Fair point, if i had nice feet i would definitely sell em off.
- I think people underestimate how much hustling selling pictures online involves. Finding the sect of your audience who is actually willing to pay, beating your competition while trying to respect the market (in certain communities there are price floors to keep it stable), then attracting your customers without revealing your identity or identifiable backgrounds, while competing with other sellers who don't care about privacy, then the actual content creation, and after all of that customers really like personal touches, and some conversation. Then if you say or reveal anything that messes with their fantasy, you lose them. Even if you're a hottie, it's not easy money. Easier to just get a regular ol job.

- If I had the money, I would be investing in Yieldmax ETFs. MSTY and ULTY specifically.

Donate plasma. Easy $500/mo.
- Donate for money?
  
  Yep. $500/mo if you donate twice per week. For your first 5 donations you usually make like double that amount.
  When I used to drive Uber I would start my driving day with a donation and that would be my gas money for my shift. I would turn that $500 into like $3500

Donating plasma has been pretty good for me. $60 per donation and you can donate twice a week.

I think as long as you strike a chord with your community, you could easily sell your wares.
Every saturday morning, setup a table with your latest stuff outside your house, offer free coffee, a chair for you and an extra for a passerby, casually read a book, and smile at people as they walk by

There's a reason onlyfans got so popular. Get training or follow them

Just started wiring houses on the side with an old friend. He works for himself with one apprentice. My electrical career is basically 100% industrial, other than random stuff like this
30/hr cash, I can work nights and weekends, make some extra cash and it helps him out. This is on top of my full time job, which usually requires overtime and traveling around the country to different industrial sites and steel mills.
I enjoy the work. I like being physically active and learning and using my brain.

Bee keeping. Sell the comb and honey on etsy.

Scrap metal. Copper and aluminum, steel if you have space for bulk.

What can you do? Can you do anything? If not, learn to do something! Then sell that?

Software development is much, much easier than it looks
You can start for free with Python, Javascript or PHP

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