top 5 make money online sites

 

Fiverr

How it works: This is a popular website that can be helpful for freelancers. Know something about digital animation? You can work for someone who doesn't have these skills and pick up some extra cash. Even better, you can offer to compile web research for someone.

Highlights: You can make good money from the site, says Dan Bochichio, a web designer and digital strategist in Albany, New York, who runs a small company called Bocain Designs. He says his firm earns $3,000 to $5,000 a month from Fiverr. "To stay ahead of the competition, I make sure my Fiverr profile and gig descriptions are well-written and communicate the value of the services I'm offering. When someone reaches out to me, I make sure to reply as quickly as I can and follow up with the inquiry by asking good questions. A quick but carefully written reply will increase the odds of them hiring you drastically," Bochichio says.

Drawbacks: Bochichio's success aside, Fiverr's name comes from the fact that many people used to work for $5 a task. You can ask for more, but a lot of your prospective clients may expect low rates. Keep in mind, Fiverr takes a 20% commission.

Time investment: Possibly considerable. If you’re asked to create a digital animated short, for instance, that isn’t something you’re going to whip up in 20 minutes. Plus, it may take 14 days for your money to reach your bank account after your work has been approved, although if you are a regular on Fiverr, you may get it in seven days.

Upwork

How it works: Upwork is essentially a meeting site where businesses and freelancers throughout the world can connect and collaborate on certain projects. Businesses hire freelancers for a variety of services, including writing, web design and pretty much any work that can be done on a computer.

Highlights: Upwork takes a commission from 5% to 20%, but the more money you make, the less commission you pay.

Drawbacks: Upwork is popular, so there is a lot of competition on the website, and that can be a real drawback for people who are new to Upwork, says Sacha Darosa, owner of a digital marketing agency in Toronto called The Shirtless Web Guy.

"Before I started my business in web design, I created profiles on websites such as Upwork. In the beginning it was a struggle to attract any attention from buyers on those platforms because there's so much competition. And much of the competition was from overseas, which made it impossible for me to compete with others on price," he says.

Darosa lowered his prices, and for a while he was working for next to nothing. But the positive feedback made his profile look better, and Darosa began charging more.

"Although platforms like Upwork can be helpful in building a portfolio and initial client base, I am glad to be off them and on my own," Darosa says.

Time investment: As with Fiverr, you may be working for days or a week or so. If you’re tasked with creating someone’s website, that may take a little time. Then after your work has been approved, it can take 10 days to get paid. If you’re working regularly for someone, you may be able to get paid weekly.

Etsy

How it works: If you're an artistic person who can make custom jewelry or refrigerator magnets, Etsy is the place to sell your products.

Highlights: It's easy to navigate the site and set up a shop.

Drawbacks: There's a lot of competition on Etsy. On one hand, a lot of people know about Etsy. But once you put up your wares, as with Upwork and Fiverr, you are among scores of people selling stuff on Etsy. It may feel a little overwhelming.

Time investment: How fast does it take you to make custom jewelry or refrigerator magnets? You’ll work at your own pace, so depending what you make or sell, it could take a week, or it could take a couple hours. Generally, you get your money about three days after your point of sale. After three months on Etsy, you’ll start getting paid the next business day.

TaskRabbit

How it works: Are you willing to get your hands dirty? People come to this site to find those willing to do various tasks, such as putting together a bookcase, cleaning out a garage or running an errand. Do as many tasks as you want, and this could become quite the part-time (or full-time) job.

Highlights: You can apply for tasks, but you can also create a profile, explaining what tasks you're skilled at, and people may seek you out for work.

Drawbacks: A lot of the tasks you'll find on TaskRabbit are, as noted, physical – like setting up furniture. Of course, if that's your jam, that's a plus.

Time investment: Plan on several hours. Generally, these tasks aren't huge time investments. Payments are usually approved within 24 hours of task completion, and you can expect the money to land in your bank account three to five days later.

Merch by Amazon

How it works: John Frigo, an affiliate manager for a website called MySupplementStore.com, says he sometimes makes money on the side by creating designs for T-shirts. He also sells on Merch by Amazon as well as other platforms like Redbubble.com.

Highlights: Frigo says you can simply upload your designs to Merch by Amazon and get paid. "Graphic designers can upload T-shirt designs and at that point it's pretty much entirely passive, and you're paid a royalty for every one of your designs that sell – but you don't have to handle returns, do any customer service or ship anything," Frigo says.

Drawbacks: You probably won't get rich. For instance, Merch by Amazon offers examples of royalty prices, and for a T-shirt that sells for $15.99, the royalty would be $2.21. Still, once the hard work – designing the piece – is done, it's easy money. If somebody buys your T-shirt, that is.

Time investment: Let’s assume at least a few hours. Maybe you’re an artist who can knock designs out in a hurry. Maybe you take weeks. But for most people, logic would suggest you should put aside a few hours. As for when you see your money, assuming you’re doing a brisk business selling your products, you could get paid once a month.