Since this whole internet thing started, we’ve heard about people making money online. The big problem back then, and even now if you’re not careful, is that scammers were everywhere.
Today we’re going to show you our top 10 list of real, nonconformist, non-scam ways of making money online in 2017.
Before we start, you need to understand that these means of making money online are not all simple, involve real work and perseverance – if you want to make money, not pennies.
They are by no means a “get rich quick” kind of thing, and they have nothing to do with MLMs – because we absolutely hate those!
All the methods below are personally tested by us, and some have become over time from side hustle to full-time jobs.
Why should you care about this list?
It’s simple. You’re in your 20’s, and HUNGRY. Hungry for more, not just food.
You need to buy that book you’ve been seeing in the library on your way to/from work.
You want that cute pair of shoes. You want to go out on a date with your loved one and not feel like shit because you can’t go to a nice place.
Personally, we have made over 500$ per month with some of these methods, but the sky is the limit.
It’s all up to you and how much time and effort are you willing to put into them.
But enough with the chit-chatting! Let’s get to it!
10 Real & Nonconformist ways of making money online in 2017
1. Design stuff and sell them on Zazzle
If you like designing stuff, but don’t have the means to make the goods yourself, Zazzle is here to help you.
Zazzle is a great website where you can design almost anything you can think of, and receive money for your work, and the best part is that you can do all of that for free.
If your design can be printed on something, then you can make money with it.
You can design almost anything from invitations, cards, clothing items, accessories, home decor and living, electronics, office supplies, baby and kids products, art, all you need for a wedding and personalized gifts.
You design it, they make it for you, they take care of shipping, customer care, and all that madness.
Then all you need to do is post it for sale, and decide on how much royalty do you want to make. The recommended percentage is under 20%, but that is your call.
How much can you earn?
The sky is the limit when it comes to how much can you make. You just need to decide how much time and effort you put into it and the results will be directly proportional to your work.
Tip. Make your designs customizable, that way you have a better chance to sell. And create a lot of products.
Where to start?
Here. Then, create a shop and start to design.
2. Create awesome fabric designs and sell them with Print All Over Me
PAOM.com is is the world’s leading online platform for custom created apparel, home goods, and textiles.
They manufacture every item ordered, on-demand. PAOM has an active community of 250,000+ designers and over 200 silhouettes to be customized.
Over 5 million products have been created and are available for sale on the platform.
How does it work?
Similar to Zazzle, you sign-up and start creating your products.
How much can you earn?
Again, it depends on your level of commitment and a little bit of luck. Creating interesting designs surely makes you a big earner sooner rather than later, but don’t get discouraged if you don’t sell on the first day.
Where to start?
Here. Create your account and start designing.
3. Become a transcriber for GoTranscript
GoTranscript is a professional transcription company, founded in 2005 in Edinburgh (UK). Their team has nearly 2,000 professional transcriptionists, proofreaders and Customer Support Executives.
They started out in 2006, with only 37 transcriptionists and 15 proofreaders, but grew over time to the big numbers they have today.
If you’re an introvert, you will LOVE this.
You don’t need any certification or qualifications for this job.
They don’t ask for your degree, they ask for professionalism and quality work. Though, You must have good typing skills and great hearing.
How does it work?
Basically, you have to listen and type. As simple as that, but, you must pay attention to the job requirements.
Some of them are very easy to make, with little effort, but some can get harder, in the sense that you have to time stamp while transcribing, or stuff like that.
It’s a freelancing gig, so you’re not bound to the desk 8 hours per day from 9 to 5. This is another thing that I love about it, besides the fact that I have no stressful interaction with clients and other people.
This is another thing that I love about it, besides the fact that I have no stressful interaction with clients and other people.
How much money can you make?
It totally depends on you and how much you actually work. Every job has a price, and you can make as little as a few $ per day to 1200$ per month, or even more.
How do you join?
Here, all you need is to register and choose to work. Then, you will be given a file to transcribe, as your job interview. Of course, they offer instructions and guides so that you can do it properly.
After you finish that, you submit it and wait about 1 to 5 days for an answer. I got my answer in 4 days from the moment I applied.
4. Make money while you shop with Ebates
Okay, confession time. This is not an actual “making money” situation, but more of a “save”, but it still counts. Let’s put it this way: if you’re a shopping online enthusiast, like us, then you can’t pass up on using Ebates!
Yes, you’re not dreaming.
There is a possibility to shop online and make money at the same time.
They feature dozens of sites ( from Amazon, eBay to Forever 21) and offer you cash back every time you activate the magical Ebates cash back button.
How does it work?
You either get a percentage back from your purchase or an amount of $$, depending on the site you are shopping from.
Each merchant has their own cash back deal, and they change depending on the season.
It’s so easy to use because of the button you can add to your browser, and you can get up to 40% cashback for your shopping! Wow! If that doesn’t make shopping fun, I don’t know what does!
Where to start?
Here – also get the 10$ bonus! (cuz we love you!) . Create your account, be sure to add the magical Ebates Cash Back Button to your browser and you’re all set! It will automatically tell you what sites have cash back.
5. Sell your crafts on Etsy
If you are a super crafty person, you love-love-love making stuff with your hands – from accessories to clothing, to home decor- having an Etsy shop is by far the easiest way to sell your stuff online.
How does it work?
Joining and starting a shop on Etsy is completely free.
But, there are three basic selling fees: a listing fee of €0.17 to publish an item you have for sale to the marketplace, a 3.5% transaction fee on the sale price (not including shipping costs), and a payment processing fee.
Even though they charge a small percentage for every item you sell, it’s worth it. It’s the place to be for any DIYer or collector with a business in mind.
They offer a great set of tools so you can grow and promote your business and have a support system if you’re ever in need of anything.
And the fun fact is, you can sell anything from crafts to craft supplies and even vintage items that are older than 20 years!
6. Go Freelance
Freelancing is a good way of providing services that require your skills. From proofreading, accountability, data entry, market research, testing sites, web design, writing – you name it.
You don’t even need that much experience in making money online or even working, to be honest.
I, being Maya, got the sweet taste of writing from a freelance gig I got about a year ago. I was a freelance writer for a company for a couple of months. It was super fun and it paid a decent amount.
Sites that help you find freelance jobs include Upwork, Freelancer, Craigslist.
7. Become an Influencer
Social media can be a goldmine for people with access to the internet, a little bit of patience and a camera, or a decent one attached to their phone. Instagram is only one of the places to be for this kind of “work”.
And the funny thing is, you don’t even need tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands followers to make this work.
If you learn the basics of creating a stellar Instagram, it will be easier for you to pitch your idea to a brand for promotion, or better yet, you’ll get contacted!
From free stuff to money per post, brands will give you what you need to promote their stuff! Crazy right? But it works!
8. Start a YouTube channel
More and more people, especially our age, early and mid 20’s, don’t have a TV in their homes. That means they use other forms of entertainment… and the best one? YouTube, of course!
If you’re a strange little being, have some crazy ideas you’d like to share with the world and writing is too boring for you – vlog it up!
For a successful start in the YouTube world, you need some basic photography and filming skills – if you don’t have them check our article of the top 5 FREE photography courses available out there.
Next is a decent camera and a little idea of how to process the awesome stuff you just filmed and turn them into awesome videos!
There are a few ways to monetize your YouTube channel: from ADS to affiliate marketing, to sponsorships. If you gain a decent following, you’re in for a decent income!
9. Start a blog
To be frank, I never ever thought that someone could make money just by having a blog online.
My fiance Andy still thinks is impossible, even though we are making money blogging, and he’s the one that published our first Income Report (but that’s just because he’s very skeptical in general).
Why start a blog?
There are so many reasons why you should start a blog! We wrote all about that in the article 10 fantastic reasons why you should start a blog, so you can go and check that out if you want.
Our favorite reasons include: helping others and sharing our knowledge.
Ways to monetize your blog include ADS, affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, offering services and the biggest one of all, selling your own stuff – think of e-books, courses, and other merchandise.
Where to start?
For a detailed step by step guide into the magical land of blogging, feel free to download our Blogging 101 e-book from the Resource Library! It’s FREE & there is no opt-in required!
Related:
What You Should Know About The First Month of BLOGGING
10. Get into Affiliate Marketing
If you’re the kind of person that could sell anything, even ice to an Eskimo, but don’t have or can’t create your own products (yet), then you’re meant for affiliate marketing.
This is somewhat related to starting your own blog because it’s easier to display affiliates, but having one is not necessary in order to make money.
Being an affiliate means that you promote other people’s products and make a percentage of the sale, without affecting the price. The buyer doesn’t need to spend extra on that item.
There are more than a few sites out there that offer an affiliate program, some with bigger financial rewards than others.
Here are a few that we love:
a) Amazon Associates Program – This is one of the first affiliate programs created, launched in 1996. It’s free to join and easy to use. You can earn up to 10% in referral fees per sale.
For example, let’s say that someone needs this nice camera lens for their Nikon so they could start a YouTube channel the right way. If they buy it from your link, you can make up to 15.8£ per sale! Yep!
b) ShareASale – They have been in business for 17 years, exclusively as an Affiliate Marketing Network. Unlike Amazon Associates, they don’t offer you the possibility to promote products, but other merchants that have their own program and affiliate agreement.
For example, ShareASale offers a huge sale commission of $150.00 for each merchant that signs up through your affiliate link, and lead
Commission of $1.00, for each affiliate that signs up.
c) Tailwind – They are the awesome Visual Marketing Management program that we, and many many other bloggers use, to have a simplified work life.
Personally, we save about 30 hours per week since Tailwind is in our lives, so we can honestly say that they are worth it!
For a more detailed description, be sure to check our article: Tailwind 101.
Through ShareASale, they offer recurring 15% sales commission, that means, for example, if someone signs up for a monthly Tailwind plan, you will receive 15% commission every month!
If you’re already a Tailwind member, they offer special commission bonuses for writing reviews, creating videos or having case studies about them. Crazy!
Also, you can make 0.5$ per lead commissions and if they like what you say about them, they will actually help you promote those articles!
d) Print All Over Me (PAOM) – Through ShareASale, you get 15% commission on sales, earn $10 for each friend who’s approved as a referral and custom coupon/promo codes if you become a top affiliate. Not bad, not bad at all.
e) Bluehost – if you don’t have a blog and you chose to start with Bluehost, or if you already have one hosted through their services, be sure to check their affiliate program!
They offer 65$ per sale generated, regardless of the payment plan the buyer chooses.
f) Ebates – The affiliate program from Ebates gives you 5$ for every referral and additional bonuses! For the first 2 referred, you get 40$, for the next 10, you get 100$, and the bonuses keep rising!
So there you have it! These are our favorite 10 real and nonconformist ways of making money online in 2017.
Our question for you is: What is your favorite way of making money online in 2017?