Have you ever wanted to make money selling stuff online but weren’t sure where to start?
Perhaps you wanted to make some quick money to pay off debt, build an emergency fund, or even make a full-time living.
Making money selling stuff online can seem complicated, but it’s easier than ever before.
Whether you sell stuff around your house that you no longer use, or sell a digital product you created, just about anybody can make money selling online.
In this post, I’ll summarize the 25 best things to sell online to make money and tips to make the most from what you decide to sell.
25 Best Things to Sell Online to Make money
1. Clothes you no longer wear | 14. Coaching |
2. Used furniture | 15. Tutoring |
3. Books you no longer read | 16. Graphic design |
4. Shoes you no longer wear | 17. Writing |
5. Old electronics | 18. Web design |
6. Unused gym equipment | 19. Editing |
7. eBooks | 20. Jewelry |
8. Digital courses | 21. T-shirts |
9. Software and apps | 22. Handmade goods |
10. Photos | 23. Flipping items |
11. Videos | 24. Your opinion |
12. Virtual assistance | 25. Wholesale Products |
13. Social media management |
Old Stuff
If you don’t use it, why not make a quick buck? Selling stuff you no longer use is the fastest and easiest way to make money selling online.
Selling old household items you no longer use is also a great way to clear out your storage areas.
Here are several items you should consider selling that you no longer use:
1. Clothes
You probably have clothes you haven’t worn in the past year. If you don’t intend to wear them ever again and they are in decent condition, you should try selling them on apps like Poshmark.
Poshmark is a free app that lets you list clothing for sale. Simply create a free account, take photos of the clothing you want to sell, write a description, set a price, and list them on the app.
If you would rather sell clothing in person, you can use buy and sell groups on Facebook. These groups will allow you to find people in your local community to sell your clothing to in person.
2. Furniture
Do you have used or antique furniture collecting dust in your garage or a spare room in your house?
You can make some decent money if you clean it up and list it for sale.
Sites such as eBay and Facebook Marketplace are great platforms to list your used furniture. To ensure your furniture will sell, be thorough and complete in your online listing. Make sure to take high-quality photos and write an accurate description.
3. Books
If you have a collection of expensive books that you have already read and don’t plan on reading again, there’s probably someone else that wants to read them.
Sites such as Bookscouter are a great place to start. They will compare offers from over 30 book-buying vendors to help you make the most money.
After going to their website, simply search for the book you want to sell using the ISBN, compare prices, and then ship your book for free. You will receive a payment via PayPal or a mailed check.
You can also try local bookstores or sell them on Decluttr or Amazon.
4. Shoes
Like clothing, you probably have shoes you no longer wear. If they are in decent condition, you should consider selling them.
While you most likely won’t get what you paid for them, they could still be worth a decent amount of money.
Poshmark is also a great platform to sell shoes. If you would rather sell them in person, consider using Facebook Marketplace or Facebook buy and sell groups.
5. Electronics
If you have some old electronics lying around your house, why not sell them for some quick money?
Gazelle is an excellent platform for selling old gaming consoles, tablets, laptops, computers, phones, iPods, and much more.
After creating an account, it should take less than a few minutes to see how much your old electronics are worth and receive an offer from Gazelle.
If you accept the offer, Gazelle will ship your items for free.
6. Gym Equipment
Like furniture, if you have gym equipment that you haven’t touched in a while and it’s just collecting dust in your garage or a spare room in your home, you should consider selling it.
Before selling your gym equipment, clean it and make it look nice as possible, and ensure it’s up to current safety standards.
Sites such as eBay and Facebook Marketplace are also great platforms to sell used gym equipment.
Digital Products
Do you love writing? Are you a photographer? Selling digital products online is another excellent way to make money.
One of the great things about selling digital products is that you won’t have to worry about physical inventory.
Depending on the digital product you sell, you might only need to create it once, and then you can sell it over and over again. If you promote your products correctly, this can be a great way to earn passive income.
Shopify, Etsy, or your own website are all great platforms to sell your digital products.
Here are several digital products you can sell online to make money:
7. eBooks
If you enjoy writing, selling an ebook is an awesome way to make money online.
Thanks to Amazon KDP, publishing an ebook has never been easier.
You can also become a Kindle publisher or create your own website to sell your ebooks. However, most writers prefer to create their own website to sell their ebooks because they keep 100% of the profits and can choose how much to charge.
If you don’t enjoy writing but still want to publish an ebook, you can hire a ghostwriter to write it for you.
8. Courses
What are you an expert in? Nutrition? Gardening? Building credit? Make an online course or tutorial and sell it.
Selling online courses can be very profitable. It’s a great way to earn passive income by monetizing your skills or experience.
Once you have created your course, you can sell it on Udemy. If you want to, you can also sell it on your own website.
However, keep in mind that the platform you sell your course on will determine what you will need to do.
For example, if you sell it on Udemy, you won’t have to promote it much. On the other hand, if you sell it on your own website, you should consider running ads to promote it.
9. Software and Apps
If you know how to code, you should consider creating software or an app and selling it.
This can be difficult to achieve, but if you do, you can make an insane amount of money from a single app if it gets acquired by a company for millions of dollars.
If you create an app and it doesn’t get acquired, there is still the possibility of having a recurring income stream from people buying it in app stores.
If you don’t know how to code but still want to create an app, you can hire professionals to bring your idea to life.
10. Photos
Are you a skilled photographer? Whether you’re a professional or just enjoy taking high-quality photos, you can monetize your photography in many ways.
You can license your photos on sites like Shutterstock, Getty Images, and 123RF.com, or you can post your photography services on Facebook for your local community.
If you decide to license your photos, most platforms will allow you to set your own prices.
Photos in high demand include images of people, travel, nature, cities, food, and even pictures of things like tools, books, laptops, etc.
11. Videos
Do you enjoy creating videos? Similar to photography, there is a large demand for high-quality videos.
Businesses will pay you for long action shots or even short clips to use for their specific media purposes.
Videos that are currently in high demand include drone footage of almost anything from buildings to landscapes.
However, even if you don’t own a drone, you can still make some good money selling 4k and 1080p videos online.
Online Services
If you’re not interested in creating and selling digital products, consider promoting and selling online services instead.
There are many businesses that need various types of online help that will pay you for your services.
Here are several services you should consider offering to make money online:
12. Virtual Assistance
With more and more entrepreneurs building online businesses, the demand for virtual assistance is constantly increasing.
As a virtual assistant (VA), you will do various tasks, from managing emails to processing orders. You might even have to write and do some bookkeeping.
To find work as a VA, use websites like Indeed, Upwork, and Virtual Assistant Jobs. If you’re up for the task, you can also reach out to entrepreneurs and brands and ask if they’re interested in hiring a VA.
13. Social Media Management
Are you savvy with social media? Similar to virtual assistance, companies are always looking to hire social media marketers for their expertise.
Most people aren’t even sure how to even create a business Facebook page or grow an Instagram audience, but if you do, you can make a lot of money offering these services.
To get started, all you need to do is contact businesses and pitch how you can improve their social media presence.
If you help them get the results they want, they will be more than willing to pay you quite a bit of money.
Once you have a handful of clients, you should easily be making several $1,000s a month as a social media manager.
14. Coaching
Do you enjoy helping others? As a virtual coach, your goal will be to help people move from one state of being to a more desirable one.
Unlike being a virtual tutor, your experience should be more than enough, so you don’t necessarily need a degree or certification to be a virtual coach.
For example, let’s say you decided to become debt-free in a few months and were successful. It’s more than likely there are several people who would gladly pay you to help them do the same.
Your debt-free success story will be inspiration and proof that you know what you’re doing.
Keep in mind this is just an example. There are countless other things you can help people with as a virtual coach.
15. Tutoring
Do you enjoy teaching? If you do, what academic subject are you particularly good at?
You can make a lot of money tutoring students over the internet. In fact, there are many stay-at-home parents making a full-time income tutoring students online.
Although math and science have a high demand for tutoring positions, language arts is very popular among international students. One example of this is teaching English to Chinese students.
Having a degree or experience is essential for tutoring, so showcase your degree or other proof that you’re qualified to tutor a specific subject.
You can land tutoring jobs on platforms like Tutor Me, Cambly, Chegg Tutors, and Tutor.com.
16. Graphic Design
Do you have experience with Illustrator, Photoshop, etc.? Graphic design is a very valuable skill that you can monetize in several ways.
You can sell graphic design services to people and businesses or you can go the print-on-demand route and sell custom products with your own designs.
If you decide to sell your graphic design services to people and businesses, clients will want to see examples of your work, so make sure you have a portfolio of your previous designs that you can send them.
If you decide to go the print-on-demand route, you can pitch your designs on a crowdsource platform such as 99 Designs, or you create and sell them on marketplaces such as Creative Market or GraphicRiver.
17. Writing
If you’re a skilled writer, you should consider offering writing as an online service.
Writing articles and creating content for blogs can be very profitable. There’s also no shortage of people willing to pay you to do it.
Simply find a niche that you are an expert in or a niche that you would like to be an expert in, and find bloggers writing about that subject. You can also find work as a freelance writer on sites like Fiverr.
In addition to writing content for blogs, you can also create manuals, draft reports, and much more.
18. Web Design
Do you have experience creating websites? Can you create a high-converting landing page?
If you can create awesome websites, there is a massive demand for your skills.
Even though companies like Wix and GoDaddy advertise how easy it is to create a website, it’s not as simple as they make it seem, and most people still need help.
This is where you can swoop in and pitch your web design services to them for a decent profit. There are many web designers making $1,000s a month creating websites for their clients.
19. Editing
Do you love to read and have a good eye for grammatical errors? Is poor punctuation one of your pet peeves? Do you know the difference between there and their?
If you answered yes to the questions above, you could easily use your English skills to make money online as a freelance editor.
There are countless businesses that need editors for a variety of written material like books, blog posts, manuals, speeches, and much more.
Fiverr is a great platform to find work as a freelance editor.
Handmade Products
Are you handy with arts and crafts? Do you enjoy making custom accessories?
If you do, you can make money selling your items online. The great thing about this option is that you’re doing something you already love, which is everyone’s dream.
It might not make you rich, but it can be a great side hustle to supplement your income.
Here are a few handmade products you should consider selling online to make money:
20. Jewelry
It has never been easier to create your own jewelry. There are many gemstone wholesalers who sell tools, wires, beads, and even crystals at very affordable prices.
Start with a couple of items such as earrings and bracelets, and slowly add more items to your product line.
You can also consider selling jewelry that you bought but no longer wear.
You can sell your jewelry in person or create a website and open your own online store.
21. T-shirts
If you like fashion, you can design and print t-shirts to sell online. You can also make them for companies and businesses that need to buy them in bulk.
Thanks to print-on-demand, you can sell them without having to worry about inventory.
Simply upload your design to Spreadshirt, and they will market and sell your shirts for you.
You can also use other print-on-demand services to sell t-shirts, such as Redbubble and Amazon Merch.
Like Spreadshirt, all you have to do is upload your design to their marketplace. Once someone orders your t-shirt, the platform will handle everything from printing to shipping.
22. Any Other Handmade Goods
Jewelry and t-shirts aren’t the only handmade products you can sell online to make money. The list of handmade products you can sell on your own online store is nearly endless.
Here is a list of other handmade products you could consider selling:
- Dog treats
- wall hangings
- hair scrunchies
- Bath bombs
- Coffee mugs
- Coasters
- Candy
- Candles
- etc.
Miscellaneous
What you sell online to make money doesn’t necessarily have to fall under old stuff you no longer use, digital products, virtual services, or handmade goods. There are many other things you can sell online to make money.
Here are a few other things you could consider selling:
23. Flip Items
Aside from selling stuff you already own that you no longer use, flipping items online is one of the quickest ways to make money. However, you will need some extra cash to get started.
Buying items from Etsy, eBay, or even Craigslist, rehabbing them, and then turning around and selling them can earn you big profits. You can also use the Amazon FBA program.
To get started, first compile a list of popular and trending items online, then purchase those items at a discounted price, rehab them and then sell them for a profit.
Keep in mind that you should never spend more than 75% of the item’s list price, and you should never accept less than 25% of the price that you bought it for.
24. Your Opinion
Everyone has an opinion, and you can get paid for yours by completing online surveys.
There are many companies that are willing to pay you for your input and ideas to help them make their products and services better.
You can take these surveys in your downtime, such as in the morning before you leave to work or at night when your relaxing and watching TV. Each survey should take around 5-15 minutes to complete.
Here is a list of some of the most popular survey sites:
25. Wholesale Items
Last on our list of what to sell online to make money is wholesale items. If you want to sell stuff without leaving the comfort of your home, you should consider dropshipping.
According to Google Trends, the popularity of dropshipping has grown rapidly.
Dropshipping is a business model in which you sell products online that you don’t have to pay for until you receive money from the customer.
The supplier will store, package, and ship the product to your customer on your behalf. This means there is no need to buy and keep inventory.
For example, let’s say you have your own online store where you sell gas grills for $1,200, and the supplier charges you $950. Considering this, you will make a profit of $250 for each grill you sell while not having to worry about anything other than running your online store.
What to Sell Online to Make Money FAQS
Here are the four most popular questions about what to sell online to make money:
1. What Are the Most Profitable Items to Sell Online?
The most profitable items to sell online will depend on your marketing budget, seller fees, packaging and shipping costs, taxes on your profit, and the time and effort you will invest.
You should also take into account competition, price point, size, weight, durability of the item, and seasonality.
Considering these factors, digital products might be the most profitable items to sell online.
Although you will have to spend some time and effort to create your digital product, you won’t have to worry about packaging, shipping, size, weight, and the durability of your product that you would otherwise if you sold a physical product.
2. What Can I Sell Online to Make Money Fast?
Every option on our list is a great way to make money fast selling online.
However, if you want to make money at this very moment, your best option is to sell things around your house that you no longer use in the buy and sell groups on Facebook.
There are also many other great websites to sell stuff locally.
This way, you can find people in your local area to meet up with as quickly as possible to sell your items.
3. What is the Best Site to Sell Stuff Online?
Determining which site is the best to sell stuff online will depend on which products or services you choose to sell. However, you really only have two options: your own site or an online marketplace platform.
Here is a list of the best sites to use based on what you’re selling:
- Your website: Your own products and services
- Poshmark: Clothes and shoes you no longer wear
- Facebook Marketplace: Used furniture and gym equipment
- Bookscouter: Physical books
- Gazelle: Old electronics
- Amazon KDP: eBooks
- Udemy: Courses
- Shutterstock: Photos
- Vimeo: Videos
- Upwork: Virtual assistance
- Tutor Me: Tutoring services
- 99 Designs: Graphic design
- Fiverr: Freelance writing and editing, web design, etc.
- Spreadshirt: T-shirts
- Survey Junkie: Your opinion
4. What Handmade Items Sell the Best?
Handmade items that sell the best are subscription boxes, Jewelry, candles, bath bombs, dog treats, hair accessories, and artwork.
To find other handmade items that are popular and in demand, you should analyze Pinterest and Google Trends. You can also search for the best-sellers on platforms such as Amazon Handmade and Etsy.
Final Words
There it is, the 25 best things to sell online. Now all you need to do is choose one and start earning money.
If you’re having trouble choosing what to sell, just consider how fast you want to make money, how much you want to make, and your skills and experience.
For example, if you have experience writing, enjoy doing it, and aren’t just interested in making a quick buck, you should consider writing an ebook.
If it pays off, you could be earning passive income for many years.
On the other hand, if you just want to make as much as possible in the shortest amount of time, consider selling stuff around your house you no longer use.
However, keep in mind that you’re absolutely not limited to choosing just one thing to sell.
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