Cyber-Cash: 10 Weird Ways to Make Money Online

One in four Americans makes money online in some form or another. You can, too, if you know how.

As the economy grows and the Internet widens, more companies are hiring freelancers or remote workers.

This gives you the freedom to work on your own time and set up your own schedule. You can finally pay down or pay off your student debts or buy a home with your extra money!

When you make money online, you can become your own boss or you can work as a contractor or subcontractor for another company. It is up to you how you’d like to achieve your goals.

Read on for some truly weird ways to make money online.

1. Weird Ways to Make Money Online: Sell Your Used Socks and Underwear

You might have seen the episode of Orange is the New Black where the main character starts an empire from her jail cell. She does this by having the inmates wear underwear and then selling them online.

Considering how weird the Internet is, you shouldn’t be surprised this is actually a thing.

You, too, can sell used socks and underwear online. If you know the right venues.

Some companies like eBay have cut down tremendously on this activity, saying that selling these items are not sanitary. While that may be the case, people aren’t necessarily buying them for sanitary purposes.

There are some websites that cater exclusively to selling these types of items. Some individuals offer “extras,” such as videos of them wearing the socks and underwear, that a customer and purchase.

It’s up to you if you want to show your face or simply keep it anonymous.

Also, unsurprising with the Internet, is that both men and women are able to make a solid chunk of change doing this. It’s not a girls only thing!

Especially appealing in the men’s department are clothing items worn by sports players or construction workers.

There are sometimes postal service rules when it comes to what you can mail. Make sure you’re up-to-date before starting in this business.

2. Teaching English to Children Abroad

Okay, this one isn’t as weird as the first on the list. But it’s still a little strange to be able to say you’re teaching a child in China English while living thousands of miles away.

There are several websites that operate and allow you to teach children from all over the world. Depending on the site, you may have a curriculum given to you, or you may need to prepare one.

During your time teaching English, you’ll get paid for the amount of time you spend interacting with the child. Typically, this will be on a video chat-like client, either over Skype or on the company’s website.

Some individuals find themselves making several thousand dollars a month doing this. You’ll just need a quiet space and a webcam, and you can start.

3. Dropshipping

Dropshipping is also known as a “turn-key” store. Essentially, this means all you need to do is turn the key to make the store run smoothly.

With dropshipping, you pick an item or category of items you’d like to sell. You allow customers to order the item through you and you get a percentage of the cost.

Then, a third party or fulfillment center will send the product out. They will also deal with customers who have issues with the items or products.

Basically, you get paid to have an inventory of products.

4. YouTube

We all know that the most famous YouTubers in the world are now millionaires. With television shows, clothing lines and makeup deals, they’ve created their own version of Hollywood.

While YouTube may not be as easy to break into as it used to be, it still is an industry without gatekeepers. This means anyone can break into it in theory. Of course, it helps to have connections and know exactly what you’re doing. But even if you don’t, you can still take the plunge.

Start a channel talking about something you like or one of your favorite hobbies. If you have a passion for it, it’ll shine through and people will want to watch you.

Whether you’re funny and cracking jokes, unpacking products or playing with slime, there will be an audience for you. Be consistent with your uploading schedule, and you might just find a growing community wants to listen to you.

YouTubers make money by both AdSense revenue and with brand deals. This means brands will reach out to you and ask you to speak about them on their behalf for a fee. The more subscribers and viewers you have, the more brands will clamor to work with you!

5. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing can be a difficult niche to tap into, but once you have, the possibilities are endless.

Affiliate marketing means that while you don’t sell products on your site, you recommend them to your site’s visitors. If they see a product they like, they’ll go directly to it from your site. You may get a small commission for the click.

If they then decide to purchase the product, you’ll get a commission of the sale.

The trick, of course, is getting enough people to your blog to have them look at the products you’re showing off.

You can accomplish this by creating several blogs on a variety of topics. Most affiliate marketers have several blogs up at once, and often hire people to create articles for them.

Big bloggers in the industry, however, only operate with one blog. For example, any big fashion blogger will have affiliate links on his or her blog. He or she may only have that blog, but because the blog is so high volume, the affiliate marketing pays for itself. It can give them a nice chunk of side change in addition to all other revenues associated with it.

6. Webcam Modeling or Broadcasting

This one sounds a little bit dodgy, but it doesn’t have to be.

You’re probably familiar with webcam modeling for its more sexual overtones. And in some cases, webcam modeling is sexual. But it doesn’t have to be.

A webcam model basically chats with individuals whenever he or she would like to. If the site allows nudity or sexual play, he or she can choose to get naked as well. He or she can also choose to be a non-nude model who only speaks with his or her audience.

There are also several non-nude broadcasting sites that don’t allow any sexual content. This is where individuals make money on their talents or skills. For example, they can play an instrument and ask their audience for tips, or simply entertain them with their personality.

YouTube also now offers a live streaming feature which is similar to this. There is no nudity or overtly sexual content allowed on YouTube, so you must keep it clean. However, people can send you monetary donations in the form of “superchats.”

7. Tutoring

Again, this one isn’t super crazy, but you can still get a good hustle going through it. If you’re good at math or English and have a college degree, you could earn some money by helping students learn online.

There are many different tutoring sites that offer students the ability to have sessions from the comfort of their own home.

This can mean that you sit with a student in an old-fashioned chat room and go over certain topics the student needs help with. You can also get paid to go over students’ homework or papers and help them with grammar, spelling and research issues.

In some cases, you might be asked to use a webcam to tutor the student. This would be very similar to tutoring a student in English via a webcam. You would teach the student the material he or she needs to learn face-to-face and interact in real time. This is a great way to brush up on your skills and make some extra money without having to actually leave your house.

8. Create a Podcast

Have something you like to talk about? Get in on the mix with a podcast. Whether you want to be snarky about your favorite reality TV shows or talk about Irish politics, there will always be someone who’s willing to listen to what you have to say.

You can create a podcast just by using your computer and a microphone. People can then download it and listen to it as they go about their day.

But how do you make money if the content is free for the viewer? That’s simple. Sponsorships. Just like the radio days of yore, most podcasts will spend time hyping up a product or playing a small jingle for a company. This gets them in with their target audience and gets money in your pocket.

Which is the Best Way for Me to Make Money Online?

There are countless weird ways to make money online. If you can dream it, there’s probably a niche for it. Be creative and put yourself out there. In no time, you’ll find yourself able to pay the bills from your online endeavors alone.

For more weird news, visit our blog.

Weirdomatic is the place where all weird things come to life through the amazing world of photographs – a corner of our wild imagination or the whimsical face of the reality?