Selling something can be a great option when you want (or need) to make money. You can make a quick buck by selling physical items you already own, or you can develop digital products, potentially providing recurring income. While physical items typically require less time and upfront, they can be more labor intensive, especially if you want to make money consistently. On the other hand, digital products can take a big time investment in the beginning but much less time on an ongoing basis.
You might choose one option or the other, or you can go for a mix of both. For instance, maybe you sell physical products and an e-course or e-book that helps customers learn how to use them.
Whatever your approach, you should also understand your skills, available resources, and customer needs. This will help you decide which kinds of products to sell. We’ll walk through some examples of potential products and when it might make sense to sell them.
Selling Physical Items
You can sell tons of physical items, both those you already own and those you either create yourself or flip. Of course, selling your existing items will be limited compared to creating new ones or buying things intending to flip them. However, selling possessions can be one of the quickest ways to make money. Apps to sell stuff locally can also be a big help here.
But, again, you can always sell more than one kind of item — there’s no law against it. Here are some ideas for physical items to sell.
Declutter Your Home
If you have valuable items in your house, you might be able to make some quick and easy money. Plenty of apps, such as Decluttr, make it easy to sell.
Examples of items you can sell are:
- Clothing and accessories: This includes gently used clothing, shoes, handbags, belts, and hats. If possible, try selling vintage or brand-name clothing, as these sometimes have higher resale value than generic items.
- Electronics: This includes smartphones, tablets, laptops, gaming consoles and video games. Technology is always in demand, so even older models in good working condition can be valuable! Before selling, perform a factory reset on devices like smartphones. Including accessories like cases and chargers can increase value.
- Jewelry: Sell outdated or unused jewelry such as necklaces, rings, bracelets, and earrings. Some jewelry can be valuable, especially pieces with precious metals like gold, silver, or gemstones.
Selling old items in your home can help you make money and free up space, reducing stress. But once you get that quick win, you’ll need to turn to items you create from scratch or flip for a profit.
Create Handmade Goods
If you are crafty, creating handmade goods can be an excellent way to make money by selling stuff. And even if you aren’t particularly crafty, you can always learn! Having the motivation and a healthy amount of free time is often enough to learn how to create your own handmade items.
Examples of handmade goods include:
- Arts and crafts: Create items like jewelry, pottery, or home décor items like wall hangings or planters. Many buyers like unique items you can’t find at big-box stores, giving you an edge as a small store.
- Candles and soaps: These might include scented soaps or candles, soy wax melts, natural soaps, or bath bombs. Self-care products, especially those with natural or organic ingredients, are sometimes in high demand.
- Holiday-themed items: Design Christmas ornaments, Halloween decorations, Valentine’s Day cards, or Fourth of July flags. These days, there are holidays all year long, letting you create products for different months and seasons.
- Custom products: Offer personalized t-shirts, mugs, notebooks, or keychains with names, initials, or special messages. You can create these for special occasions like birthdays and weddings. Consider investing in a Cricut machine for vinyl cutting or a heat press for custom apparel. These tools aren’t too expensive but can take your business to the next level!
Many buyers appreciate the uniqueness and quality of handmade items. While it can be difficult to market yourself at first, you can attract a loyal customer base over time.
Buy and Flip Items
Another option for the non-artistically inclined is to buy and resell items. This is a good choice for those with an eye for deals or who have several wholesale or thrift stores nearby.
Some things you can buy and flip might be:
- Second-hand or vintage items: These could include many items, like designer clothing, mid-century modern furniture, antiques, vintage toys, or vinyl records. These items are attractive to collectors, especially if you have items they are still missing.
- Limited-edition or collector’s items: Look for sneakers, trading cards, limited-edition merchandise, and rare books could be in this category. These items are sometimes in limited supply, creating an opportunity to turn a profit.
- Electronics: Keep an eye out for items like smartphones, laptops, gaming consoles, headphones, and accessories. Electronics can have great resale value, especially in good condition. However, you should test them before selling to make sure everything is working as expected.
- Thrift store and garage sale items: Head to the thrift store or garage sales for items like clothing, home décor, or books. These items are sold cheaply in these places, even if they have high value.
Flipping items for a profit isn’t always easy, and profit margins can sometimes be thin. But if you have an eye for deals and are patient, it’s possible to make a good amount by reselling items.
Selling Digital Products
Another way to make money on an ongoing basis is with digital products. Personally, I love this option because it only requires you to make the products once, and then you can keep selling them for a profit! The time commitment can be huge upfront. In addition, you must know your audience. With the right approach, though, you can make a nice profit without spending all that much.
Here, we’ll cover some digital products you can potentially sell and make money.
E-books and Guides
E-books and guides are among the most straightforward digital products to sell for a profit. If you have expertise in a particular area, create an e-book or guide to break down the topic for your audience. There is generally a low barrier to entry with these products, and you don’t need a huge amount of money to get started. Despite this, e-books and guides can create sustained passive income. This can be a great way to make passive income on Amazon.
You can use a simple program, such as Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, or Canva, to create these products. Once finished, promote and sell your products on a popular platform like Amazon Kindle. You can also use your own website, which likely has less reach but lets you avoid Amazon’s fees.
There are many possible topics for e-books and guides, such as health and wellness, self-help, and business. As the saying goes, “Start with what you know.” Rather than trying to become an expert in one of these areas, start by using your existing knowledge and work backward from there.
One benefit of e-books is that they establish you as an expert in your field. Plus, you can pair them with services such as consulting or coaching to create a product ecosystem for your customers.
Courses and Tutorials
Some customers prefer a more interactive approach to learning, which is where courses and tutorials can be helpful. Whether you are an expert in coding, cooking, or crafting, you can monetize your skills and provide value to learners worldwide.
Basically, you can teach people about almost anything as long as you are knowledgeable and there is a demand for the information. Plus, if the market the course well, it can generate a lot of recurring income over time.
The first step in creating and selling a course or tutorial is identifying your niche. As mentioned, start with areas where you already have knowledge. Then, research market demand by exploring course platforms, online forums, or keyword search tools.
Next, get laser-focused on your audience and their needs. Are you selling a course or tutorial for beginners or experts? Most importantly, your course or tutorial should solve a real, palpable problem for your audience.
Outline your material and break it into clear lessons or modules. If possible, create high-quality content using a professional camera and/or microphone. Once you have finished your course material, explore course platforms such as Coursera and Udemy to market and sell it.
Digital Art and Templates
Selling digital art and templates can be a lucrative and creative way to earn money from home. Business owners, entrepreneurs, freelancers, and individuals often need visual templates or art for various purposes. The ability to customize them to meet the customer’s needs is especially valuable, as it can save them a lot of time.
You can use tools like Canva or other simple tools to keep your costs down when creating these.
There are many types of digital art you can create, such as:
- Wall art, posts, or greeting cards
- Custom illustrations
- Digital portraits of individuals or pets
As far as templates, there are many you can create, such as:
- Resumes
- Invoice templates
- Social media post templates
- Planners, calendars, or budget templates
Once you create your digital art or templates, you can sell them on many sites, including Etsy, Gumroad, Notion Marketplace, and many others.
Print-on-demand
If you aren’t familiar with print-on-demand, it can sound a little technical. However, many stories exist of people starting lucrative side hustles from print-on-demand businesses.
So, what exactly is it? Basically, print-on-demand (POD) involves selling custom-designed products like t-shirts, tote bags, socks, and posters. However, instead of holding inventory and waiting for orders, you create the product only after you receive an order—hence, “on demand.”
Here’s how the process generally works:
- Design your artwork or patterns
- Upload your designs to a POD platform
- Offer your products for sale through an online store or marketplace
- Let a POD provider handle printing, packaging, and shipping when a sale is made
As mentioned, you can create many kinds of POD products, such as apparel, accessories, home décor, and novelty items. The trick is to target something with demand and for which you have the creativity to create great products.
One of POD’s biggest benefits is its startup costs are quite low compared to traditional stores. However, profit margins can be low, and you won’t have as much control over the items you produce. Still, it can be a great way to start earning income online.
Services You Can Sell
Another way to make an ongoing income is by selling services. Technically, you aren’t selling a *thing* in this case; you are selling your time and the services you provide. The biggest benefit of selling a service is you don’t need to spend dozens of hours working on and marketing a product before you start making money. It can take some work to attract clients, but once you have them, you can hit the ground running and earn an income.
Here, we’ll consider some of the most popular services to provide and get paid in return.
Freelance Services
Offering freelance services is a great way to make money online. It’s one of my personal favorites, as I’ve built a six-figure career as a freelance writer. But freelancing isn’t limited to writing, as you can also offer services as a designer, programmer, marketer, and many other kinds of professions. Generally, you can set your own schedule as long as you meet your deadlines.
I also like that freelancing allows me to be location-independent–all I need is a laptop and an internet connection, and I can work from pretty much anywhere. This is why it’s one of my favorite jobs for lazy people.
The cost of starting freelancing is also low. If you already have a laptop or desktop computer, you don’t need much more. Perhaps invoicing software and some other basic administrative tools, but these things are very affordable.
Other than freelance writing, some of the most popular freelance services include:
- Graphic design
- Web development and programming
- Digital marketing
- Working as a virtual assistant
Remember to leverage your existing knowledge and skills if possible. One of the biggest challenges with freelancing is not the work itself but landing clients, especially when you are new. Learning how to get clients is invaluable in this line of work.
Consulting or Coaching
If you like working directly with people, one option is to offer consulting or coaching services. This broad category could include business consulting, financial planning, or career coaching. Financial coaching is also a popular service in the personal finance sector.
There are so many kinds of services in this category that I couldn’t possibly list them all. However, here are some other examples:
- Marketing and brand consulting: Offer social media strategies, SEO optimization, or content marketing plans. You can offer these to entrepreneurs, e-commerce businesses, or influencers.
- Personal development coaching: Offer life coaching, mindset coaching, or time management techniques. Many individuals might be interested in this, but especially those seeking self-improvement.
- Career coaching: This service could include many sub-services, such as resume writing, interview preparation, and career planning. Offer this to job seekers, professionals looking to advance, or those changing careers.
- Health and wellness coaching: Create fitness plans, nutrition advice, or mental health strategies. Offer this to people seeking healthier lifestyles or fitness goals.
You might offer many services under consulting or coaching, and it can be hard to decide what you should do. Again, using what you know can be a good starting point.
Subscription Services
If you already have an established audience, you can offer a subscription service to give them exclusive or early access to your content. For instance, you can offer exclusive articles, blogs, or newsletters. Another option is Substack, which lets you offer premium newsletters and articles. You can also use Patreon, which allows users to support you financially.
You can offer several other things with a subscription, such as private forms and discussion groups, subscription boxes, or seminars. You can also have a tiered subscription model (i.e., basic, premium, VIP) to cater to different budgets and needs.
In addition to Substack and Patreon, you can also use platforms like Buy Me a Coffee or Kajabi to host and promote your content. Consider starting with a free or low-cost trial period to bring new subscribers to your content.
Bottom Line
Selling stuff to make money isn’t always easy, but the options are endless. You can sell physical items, including those you already own and new ones. Alternatively, you can sell digital products or services. Selling the items you already own can give you a quick way to make some money, while digital products can take a significant amount of time before they pay off. If patience is not a virtue for you, there are many jobs that pay daily.
