If you’re trying to be an online seller and is on a mission to decide between Etsy vs. eBay as a marketplace to focus your efforts on, you’re on the right path.
Many sellers skip this step, jumping head first into an environment they’re not really familiar with.
The problem occurs when they find out later in the game that the marketplace they chose isn’t really compatible with the niche of their items for sale or the type of audience active in that platform.
If you want to reap the most benefits in terms of sales and market reach, which marketplace do you choose?
Read on for a comprehensive comparison of Etsy vs. eBay from a seller’s perspective…
Etsy vs. eBay Target Market
Etsy and eBay are very different marketplaces.
If you already have an idea of what you’re going to sell, choosing between Etsy vs. eBay is easy.
Etsy is home to many creative people who sell their handmade items on the platform.
The website encourages made-to-order and customization of items, but do not allow second-hand items.
As such, the buyers you see at Etsy are expecting to find unique items, supplies for arts and crafts, or vintage items (that are over 20 years or older).
On the other hand, eBay is a monster when it comes to online selling.
You can list any kind of item there, as long as it isn’t illegal. Sellers who are planning to sell a wide range of items can do so without question.
Etsy vs. eBay Seller’s Fees
I understand why listing cost is a concern for you.
Fees will affect your business, even if it involves only cents per listing. These fees add up real quick, especially if you’re selling in bulk.
Etsy follows a simple seller’s fee:
No joining/membership fee (start a store right away FREE)
Pay Etsy $0.20 for every listing you post. It can stay online up to 4 months or once you sell the item. You’d have to pay another $0.20 if you’re going to re-list the item.
Pay Etsy 3.5% of the item’s price if someone buys the item.
eBay has a bit more fees than Etsy. The fees also vary if you’re just an individual selling items on eBay, or if you decide to open an eBay store.
Membership fee for personal-use eBay is free, while an eBay store has a flat-fee depending on the type of plan you choose.
eBay gets $0.20 for every item listed. It is valid for 30 days.
Final value fees (transaction fee per listing) also vary with each category, but it ranges from 8% to 15% of the sale price.
eBay also gets a cut on the amount you charge customers for shipping.
eBay stores do have some benefits over personal-use eBay, such as free listings monthly and zero transaction fees, among others.
If possible, don’t stick to only fees when choosing the marketplace to build on.
Check out the pros and cons of Etsy, as well as the pros and cons of eBay to get a deeper understanding of how each platform could be the right or wrong one for your business.
It is definitely a lot smaller than eBay in terms of membership size, but this is one of the things that make Etsy special.
Niche audience
The best thing about Etsy is that the people who visit this website are divided into two groups
those who explores the listings in hope of finding something special, and
those who know exactly what they need (supplies for jewelry making, or sewing patterns, etc.)
The buyers at Etsy are not looking for mass-produced stuff. They know that the marketplace features thousands of artsy, creative people from glass-blowing artists, painters, pottery masters, and so on.
User-friendly set-up
If this is the first time you’ve joined an online marketplace, Etsy won’t make you feel like a total beginner.
Instead, you can quickly set-up your listing, payment options, shipping details, and other store elements without CSS or coding knowledge.
A community of helpful folk
Etsy has a reliable customer support.
Plus, the site also has an active forum, where many sellers and buyers alike hang out.
Selling on Etsy Cons
The main reason why people get turned off by Etsy is that it still adds two kinds of fees on every listing (listing charge and finale sale fee).
Unfortunately, there’s no going around these fees.
Branding and standing out on Etsy can be hard when you’re starting out. This is because the listings look exactly the same – there are no customization options available.
The only way to get a bit of an edge over your competition is to take gorgeous product photos and produce eye-catchy graphic design.
eBay is the largest online buy-and-sell marketplace in the world.
It is home to 25 million sellers and an outstanding 75 million buyers.
List Products Effortlessly
eBay has been around since 1995.
Imagine how many times the company has improved the method of listing products.
Even if you’re new to eBay, you can list products as quickly and easy as possible.
eBay guides you every step of the way, so there’s no way you can get lost navigating the listing manager.
Global Reach
The best thing about eBay is that it is available both locally and globally.
You can choose to sell your items only locally, or take advantage of selling products that may not be available in other countries.
As long as you follow the rules of eBay, the world can be your oyster (while sitting in the comforts of your own home).
How cool is that?
Selling on eBay Cons
eBay has a lot of attractive features, but there are 3 major things that may turn your off from selling on this platform:
1. Complicated and Expensive Fees
Fees on eBay vary from one listing to the next. The amount depends largely on the type and value of product you’re selling.
The finale sale fee can eat up most of your earnings, especially if the eBay’s cut goes higher than the average 10 to 15 percent. This is especially true for high-priced items.
2. Sold Items aren’t Paid Instantly
Buyers may have bought an item from you, but it doesn’t mean the money is transferred to you immediately.
Unfortunately, eBay has no control over how fast or slow buyers pay for the items they buy on the website.
Buyers may even fail to pay for the product you thought was already sold.
From the seller’s perspective, this can be annoying, time-consuming, and even financially-destroying.
3. Unfair Buyer Protection Policies
eBay favors the buyers over sellers all the time.
This means that if you and your buyer get into a dispute (about the item, shipping, etc.), there’s a bigger chance that eBay decides in favor of buyers, even if you’re in the right.
Interestingly, Etsy and eBay are such opposites that I bet you’d be able to decide, even before you finish reading this comprehensive comparison.
I recommend you go with eBay if you’re planning to sell mass-produced, low-priced items that you can buy cheap and sell high.
If you’re going to sell one-of-a-kind handmade products or vintage items, Etsy is definitely the marketplace for you.
You can also sell items on both marketplaces, if you wish. But it means fees will multiple as well.
Do know that both platforms have copycats that will steal your idea, product images, and even product description word-per-word. Once a product begins selling like hotcakes, get ready for other sellers replicating your listings.
Whichever route you took between Etsy vs. eBay, it’s important to note that these third-party owned marketplaces will remain just that – owned by other companies.
As such, you don’t really have a say if eBay or Etsy decides to close shop, increase fees, or change rules that will affect your business.
I say start with eBay or Etsy, and if you’re ready to go solo, create your own website (with a store) and sell products without having to pay fees and while pocketing 100% of the profits.
You can even create exciting promos, which in turn, build customer loyalty and brand recognition.
Would you like to know how to make money on Instagram in 2024?
Instagram is an awesome place for looking at gorgeous pictures and shopping, but earning some kind of income through the app is my favorite reason to use it.
When Instagram launched in 2010, it was a simple photo-sharing app.
Without the noise and fluff on Facebook, Instagram was a respite, only featuring visual content.
Eventually, it expanded into a video-sharing app as well, with users initially being allowed to upload a 15-second video, which increased to 60-second videos. Then came Instagram Stories for shorter-form videos, followed by expiring content and IGTV for longer videos.
By 2020, Instagram saw over a billion active users monthly, with 500 million users daily logging in and actively engaging on the platform.
Obviously, the demand is there, and marketers, brands, and companies willing to ride the wave will be there too.
Yes, even if TikTok seemed to be growing by the day.
So how do people as young as 13-year-olds make money on Instagram?
Let me explain the tried-and-tested income-generating methods for you, and give you real-life examples and success stories for each one.
How to Make Money on Instagram: 10 Ideas to Try in 2024
Before we dive in, I just want to refute a point that you might have encountered when reading about making money on Instagram.
Don’t believe anyone who says you can make money on Instagram WITHOUT followers.
You’d need customers to buy what you’re selling—whether you’re selling an idea, information, or an actual product.
The first 5 methods below can be used by Instagram users who are just starting out, while the last 5 money-making methods are best for influencer-level users.
1. Affiliate Marketing
In traditional affiliate marketing, you’d need to set up a website and promote products on multiple platforms in hopes of getting a commission.
Affiliate marketing commissions are possible whenever one or more people click on the link you posted and buy at the third-party website. You then get a cut of the sale.
To make money on Instagram via affiliate marketing, you only need your Instagram account and accounts on various platforms like Amazon, Clickbank, Skimlinks, Shopstyle, Shopify, and others.
Probably one of the most popular affiliate marketing tools for Instagram comes from LTK (formerly rewardStyle), a members-only affiliate network with only a 10% acceptance rate.
What makes rewardStyle amazing is the invention of its LIKEtoKNOW.it app.
With LIKEtoKNOW.it, followers of your Instagram account can just “like” your post and they’ll be e-mailed details of your outfit, products included in the shot your posted, and so on.
This is how LIKEtoKNOW.it works:
You post a photo on Instagram.
The photo featured a close-up of your makeup-perfect face with a pair of gorgeous earrings.
A follower likes your post.
If that follower also has LIKEtoKNOW.it installed on their phones when they liked your post, they’ll receive an email with links directing them to where they can buy the earrings and all the makeup products you used.
If this follower buys from when they clicked the link, you get paid a commission from the sale.
Imagine how much money you can earn from Instagram if you have thousands of people stalking the things you wear, use, or feature via LIKEtoKNOW.it.
2. Dropshipping
Dropshipping is similar to affiliate marketing, in that you don’t have to manufacture or buy stocks of products to sell them and make a profit from selling them.
Here is what happens with dropshipping:
Choose a product that you know people will buy.
Make a deal with a dropship supplier, such as AliExpress, that sells that product.
You promote a product on Instagram and direct it to your store.
When an Instagram follower buys that product on your store, the dropship supplier will handle processing, shipping, and post-sale customer service on your behalf.
You earn either a pre-discussed flat fee or a percentage of the sale as commission.
Instagram is full of fantastic photos from both beginner and professional photographers.
If you have an eye for photography or exceptional graphic design skill, you can sell your photos on Instagram.
It’s up to you if you want to sell usage rights, print them as posters, or just sell digital copies of your drawings, paintings, animations, and so on.
At that time, Arnold had about 22k followers and decided to put all his Instagram photos for sale on the eve of his 34th birthday. He priced a 4×6 print of any of his Instagram images for $150, even if he hasn’t really sold any of his images professionally.
24 hours after announcing the sale, he has sold $15k worth of prints and extended the sale.
Learn all about hashtags. Mastering hashtags is the secret to reaching the right audience for your products.
4. Create Masks and Filters for Instagram Stories.
Back when Instagram Stories were introduced, skeptics thought it was a mere Snapchat knockoff and wouldn’t last.
Today, over 500 million users watch or create Instagram Stories every day.
Because there’s a time limit on these stories, users who see them are highly engaged.
Businesses see this as an opportunity to engage their target audience through Instagram masks and filters.
They usually hire graphic artists to do this for them, but many brands also work with Instagram influencers who specialize in Instagram masks and filters.
You can start with Facebook’s Spark AR Studio to create masks and filters.
You can do this as a side gig, or even turn it into a full-time job.
5. Set up an Instagram Shop – Enable IG Shopping Features
Social media platforms are no longer just exclusive for “socialization.”
Social selling has been growing in the last two years.
If you have products to sell, this is great news for you since Instagram gives you native features to just turn on the ability to sell stuff directly from the platform.
Meaning, even if you have a separate website (and ecommerce store), you don’t have to make your Instagram followers go “out” of the platform in order to buy.
Plus, even those who are not your followers can find your products because of Instagram’s smart shopping tags. These tags can reach over 130 million people on the platform.
You do have to work on setting up your Instagram shop at first. From there, you have an option to post products on Stories or posts, buy ad spots (and include shopping tags), or conduct live shopping.
6. Sponsorship: Earn Money Promoting other Brand’s Products
This is the most common way to get paid for your Instagram posts.
Companies can make a deal to sponsor a few posts on your Instagram feed to market their product to your followers. In most cases, companies give an Instagram influencer control over how the sponsored post looks, feels and sounds like.
Sponsorship can be pitched by the Instagram influencer, or submitted by companies.
You can actively search for brands with the help of tools like TapInfluence or Ifluenz.
The important thing is you disclose to your followers that a post is sponsored and follow FTC guidelines.
Shelcy Joseph began her personal fashion/lifestyle blogging with her sister on Instagram and YouTube around August 2014. By 2017, she was earning between $75 and $100 per sponsored post. Imagine how much she’s been taking home by now.
7. Become a Brand Ambassador
Ambassadorship is a bit more long-term than sponsorship.
Depending on the company you talk to, this deal can go as long as several months to over a year.
The following three websites are all looking for influencers/ambassadors to help shape their future products:
I highly recommend signing up will all three to increase your chances of actually making money as an influencer.
As a brand ambassador, the company sees you as someone who is in line with their values, products, and future.
Coca-Cola’s #ThisOnesFor Instagram Campaign is a great example of this. The cola giant enlisted the help of 14 Instagram influencers to create over 20 posts in a span of several months.
Earnings as a brand ambassador can be per-post or per-campaign. It can be a mix of photos, videos, and other types of media too.
Join an Instagram influencer community like Shoutcart, Tribe Group (Australia-based), and Popular Pays (among others) to find brands willing to hire you as ambassador.
You can mix the brick-and-mortar retail business with the modern magic of Instagram by selling your own products and promoting them online.
If you have thousands upon thousands of followers who just can’t get enough of what you’re selling, then you can get paid for Instagram posts through product sales.
There are a ton of “slime famous” Instagrammers out there, but you can’t look away from the creations of Nicolette Waltzer, whose Glitter Slimes Instagram account gained 2 million followers.
The New York-based, DIY slime creator began sharing mesmerizing slime videos in 2016. She then eventually began selling her creations, leading to about $500 sales from slime each week.
Waltzer now sells her slime on her own online store and sells out every time she uploads new slime variants.
9. Teach Others Instagram Marketing
Many people make money on Instagram not by selling products, but by providing useful information. Long-term experience as an influencer is a must.
Your Instagram feed can be your résumé as proof of your marketing prowess and communication skills.
As a travel blogger like Veera Papinoja, a huge chunk of her Instagram income comes from consulting for companies and other organizations. She makes around €500 to €2,000 every month to maintain Instagram accounts of other companies.
Veera also does training and lectures about successful Instagram marketing on the side. She takes home somewhere between €500 and €10,000 a month from these side gigs.
10. Earn from Instagram Badges and Subscriptions
There are two ways you can earn money directly from Instagram without selling anything.
Instagram Live Badges – “Badges” are like tips that your followers send your way if they love the content you share during a livestream. Badges are icons people buy in increments of 99c, $1.99 and $4.99, then give away to whoever they like on Instagram (this could be you!).
Paid subscriptions – If you offer valuable content on Instagram and have a solid following, you can definitely monetize your account by offering paid subscriptions. This is like a VIP section where members who pay can see your extra content. The subscription program is open to US creators only though. Plus, you should have over 10k subscribers. A good alternative to this is using third-party subscription tools like Patreon or Substack.
How to Become an Instagram Influencer
Out of all the social media platforms today, Instagram has the highest engagement rate.
Companies know this and have included Instagram into their marketing efforts.
And why shouldn’t they?
If you have at least 2,000 to 15,000 followers, fall under a trusted niche, create eye-catching content, and have a loyal audience who trusts your judgment, here are the steps to take to become a full-time Instagram influencer:
So, how do you cash in on the opportunity to make money (and more) as an Instagram influencer?
1. Grow (the quality of) your Instagram following.
Companies have gotten pickier about the caliber of Instagram influencers they’re willing to work with.
It’s not unheard of for current brand requirements to include a minimum of 100K followers and/or 1K likes per post.
Before you get discouraged, consider that many brands are also looking for a certain type of audience, regardless of the actual number of followers.
For example, if you have only 1,000 followers, but they are top-level hospital health professionals, then a company like Johnson & Johnson might be very interested in talking with you.
In light of this information, you should consider cultivating your audience to reflect a specific interest, such as beauty, travel, health, etc.
Post photos that cater to just one or two subject areas and follow influencers who do likewise.
If you repost, like, or comment on their photos, those influencers are likely going to do the same for you.
Their followers may then notice you, and then you’ll get more followers that are interested and engaged in your content.
2. Create example campaigns.
Just as you would do an unpaid internship at a company you were hoping to get hired for, you could create example campaigns on Instagram to showcase your social media talents.
Consider generating a series of photos around something that interests you, such as healthy eating.
Then, follow businesses that are also focused on this topic.
You can learn which businesses are into healthy eating by doing a hashtag search using Instagram’s search bar. Instagram will then provide you with content that uses that hashtag.
As you post your photos, use the hashtags that your targeted businesses and audiences are using.
3. Complete your profile.
Businesses and companies can’t contact you if they don’t know who you are.
Be sure to complete your Instagram profile and add your name, a phone number, a web address, Facebook page URL, etc.
You may wish to add some information about your geographic location too, especially if you are generating content about travel.
Use your Instagram profile as a mini-résumé and list your experience in the topic of your interest.
Maybe you’ve been in the food business for a few years and that’s why you started a healthy eating-themed Instagram account. Or maybe you’ve been running marathons and are trying to incorporate better eating habits into your active lifestyle.
4. Reach out to marketing agencies.
To increase your chances of being selected as an influencer, you should sign up with as many social media marketing agencies as you can find.
A good selection of these agencies focus on Instagram; two examples include Instabrand and Hashmeta.
Why should you partner up with marketing agencies?
Because some companies, especially big companies, will not bother to manually research, contact, and negotiate with individual influencers.
They either don’t have the time or would rather expedite the process using third-party mediators who can choose appropriate influencers.
Having said that…
5. Reach out to individual companies and businesses.
Smaller companies and businesses typically do not have the budget to work with agencies.
That doesn’t mean that they don’t have the budget to work with individuals, however, and this is one of the best chances you have at seeing how to make money on Instagram.
Consider reaching out to smaller operations with a proposal package that includes a set number of Instagram promoted posts, blog posts, and comments on fellow influencer sites.
You might easily score a work contract for several hundred dollars compared with three times that amount for a standard agency’s deal—as noted by this business owner’s comment on Ecommerce University:
6. Keep track of your followers.
As you grow your audience and followers, keep tabs on who these followers represent.
Companies will first follow you to learn about how popular you are and how relevant your content is to their goals.
Only after learning these facts will those businesses reach out to you.
So, if you know ahead of time who they are, you can channel your energies on specific products, trends, etc. that they are also focused on.
Making Money on Instagram still Possible in 2024?
Anyone can join, become an influencer, and make money on Instagram.
You don’t even have to follow the footsteps of the Kardashians when it comes to the number of your followers, or look like a Victoria’s Secret model to get paid for Instagram posts.
Brands and marketers prefer to work with micro-influencers (those with less than 10k followers) instead of macro-influencers (celebrities/famous people with over 10k followers) because followers of micro-influencers trust their recommendations more.
Even regular people like me and you can take Instagram for a spin and try your luck earning life-changing cash with the platform.
Did you know Instagram isn’t the only social media platform you can use to earn insane amounts of money?
If you’d rather try out other platforms instead, here are my guides for others:
Imagine getting paid to sleep. Isn’t this the dream? (Hah! Couldn’t resist.)
Believe it or not, there truly are ways to make money while sleeping.
Opportunities may be rare, but they’re out there.
Interested?
Read on to learn all you need to know to make money in your sleep.
1. Get Paid to Sleep by Participating in Sleep Studies
What are sleep studies?
Getting involved in paid sleep studies is the best way to make money in your sleep.
Well, why are researchers conducting sleep studies in the first place?
Well, the majority of these sleep studies help develop and discover treatment options for sleep-related problems.
Mattress companies, health app developers, wearable fitness tracker manufacturers, and the like have studied and tracked people’s sleep habits in the past.
Hospitals even have entire departments dedicated to figuring out how to tackle sleep problems.
What’s cool is that these studies are currently being conducted in places all over the country.
And you might get hired even if you don’t have sleep apnea, insomnia, narcolepsy, periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD), or other sleep-related problems.
To get paid to join sleep studies, you first need to check if there are available trials locally (we list the sites further down this section).
Sleep studies look for volunteers within a specific age range, weight, or sometimes gender.
In some cases, you should also have sleep apnea or other specific medical requirements to participate in the study.
Carefully read the criteria of each sleep study listed and make sure you’re eligible. Don’t even consider making up a sleep disorder or faking sleep difficulties just to get paid to sleep.
Learn what you’re signing up for before you fill out and send an application. Read up on the duration of in-hospital stays, payment terms, and other details.
ClinicalTrials.gov is a Web-based resource where patients, health care professionals, lab researchers, and the general public can access information on clinical studies on a wide variety of diseases and conditions.
Use the search filters to find actively recruiting and about-to-recruit studies (as opposed to already completed studies) with the keyword “sleep.”
CenterWatch is one of the largest online databases of clinical trials, where patients and caregivers can get information on the latest clinical trials.
You can filter the search for the “sleep” keyword and specify your location to see a list of trials in your area.
Aside from this search function, you can also register to be a volunteer so you can be notified through email of any sleep-related trial coming up.
This branch of Harvard Medical School regularly recruits both completely healthy people and those suffering from sleep disorders to come to their research facility for testing.
Most studies pay you to sleep onsite overnight with pay ranging from $100 to $350 per night spent in their research labs.
Developed by Mass General Brigham Research, Rally is an online platform to connect the right subjects to the right paid sleep clinical research trials.
Like Harvard, the hospitals often hosting the studies on Rally are based in Boston.
What to Expect Once You Land a Spot in a Paid Sleep Study
If you’re accepted to the study, you don’t just begin sleeping at the facility. You still have to complete several tests and interviews, including:
A physical exam — this involves the typical cup-peeing and blood-sampling tests
A psychological exam — a test or interview so doctors can determine if you can handle the stress involved in the study
Other sleep-related exams — to confirm your sleep problems (if any) and determine their severity
While there isn’t any actual sleeping just yet, you’d be pleased to know that you will still be paid for your time just by completing the final assessment phase.
Plus, the physical examination and lab procedures are normally free, so if anything, you get an idea of where your physical health is at.
After passing the exams, you’ll be given several assignments to complete.
This may include wearing a fitness device to track your activity, listing down food intake throughout the duration of your trial, keeping a sleep log, or other types of documentation that the study requires.
In most cases, you’ll be assigned a contact person who will tell you everything you need to know and remind you about these requirements. They will see you through the study and work with you so you don’t get kicked out of the trials.
What Happens During the Sleep Study
Once you start the actual study, you can’t expect the same quality of sleep you get at home in your own bed, with your own sheets, pillows, and blankets.
Here are a few reasons why you might have some trouble sleeping:
Medical devices
Be prepared for a couple of needles throughout the trial.
You will definitely get paid to sleep, but be aware that most participants are required to wear an IV, electrodes, and other medical devices in some parts of the study.
Bedpans may also be needed, since some phases of the study may require you to maintain a constant position.
Challenging sleep requirements
Aside from the IV and other medical devices you must wear, you might also be required to maintain a specific position while sleeping.
This can be challenging since we’re all used to our own sleeping positions, and being forced to change it up can lead to sleepless nights.
Don’t worry though, because you’ll be given all the details of the study before you begin.
So if staying in the same spot for several hours is something you just can’t do, you’d have the chance to back out before the sleep trial begins.
Isolation
Can’t stand a few hours without your phone? How about not knowing the actual time?
As a participant in sleep studies, you’ll be cut off from the outside world.
This means no internet, no phone, no laptops, not even a clock.
In most cases, you won’t even have windows to know if it’s daytime or nighttime.
During the study, the doctors will only tell you what you need to know. They’re in charge of telling you if it’s night or day throughout the study’s observation period.
Depending on the details you’ve signed up for, sleep studies held in a facility may be as short as a couple of days to as long as a month. Most long-term studies are done half at the facility and half at the volunteer’s own homes.
6 Other Careers Where You Get Paid to Sleep
If you’re not a fan of being isolated or poked by needles, you can try to look for a job that pays you to sleep.
Some of these jobs may allow you to sleep overnight, while others may allow you to take a nap during your shift.
Professional mattress testers, or bed testers, test mattresses and sometimes bedding during the development of these products.
Mattress testers have to sleep on a prototype mattress and then fill out feedback forms or create a report on the comfort level of the mattress.
Aside from mattresses, other things you might be hired to test include blankets, pillows, comforters, and other sleep products.
The first website you should look at to find mattress tester jobs is FlexJobs, where they’ve carefully vetted the companies that list open positions.
If you aren’t successful in finding a job from FlexJobs, you can compile a list of mattress companies yourself through an internet search and initiate contact with them.
3. Hotel Mystery Shopper
Not only will you get paid to sleep with this job, but you’ll also get paid to sleep in style.
Now that the travel and tourism industries are picking back up, there is again a demand for hotel mystery shoppers.
As a hotel mystery shopper, you’ll be expected to act like regular clients throughout the entire process; booking the stay, checking in, staying the room, enjoying the amenities, and checking out.
But you’ll be working all throughout this process: evaluating the booking, check-in, and check-out processes, providing feedback on the staff and their service, observing the quality of the facilities and food, and other aspects of the hotel stay that employers will require.
Depending on the mystery shopper company, you’d either be provided a budget to work with or you’d be required to front the cost and then be reimbursed.
4. Overnight Pet Sitter
Traveling with pets can be stressful and may not always be feasible. Thus, pet owners are in the market for pet sitters who can provide services beyond the usual pet daycare.
They need people who can take care of their pets while they’re out of town.
Here’s where overnight pet sitters come in.
You can either work as a two-in-one house sitter and pet sitter to stay in their house and take care of both the house and their pet.
However, another option is that you can host pets in your own home overnight. This is sought after by pet owners who will be out for only a night, or for those who will be out for a few days but for whom house sitting won’t work.
When you host pets in your home, you get paid to sleep in your own home, in your own bed.
Start your gig search with pet sitting companies like Rover.
5. Overnight Caregiver
Some families may need babysitters for overnight shifts, while other families may need overnight carers for elderly, sick, or injured family members.
Overnight caregivers are generally allowed to sleep while their wards or patients sleep, as long as they are quickly alert to administer care during the night, such as giving night feedings to infants, dispensing time-sensitive medications to sick patients, or changing bandages of injured patients.
Other duties that may be expected from overnight caregivers include preparing snacks or simple meals, light housekeeping (e.g., tidying away toys, emptying trash, making beds, etc.), and providing companionship or activities.
Start your search for these jobs on websites like Care.com, which lists down all the local opportunities in your area.
6. Become a Sleep Professional
Studying sleep development is a wide field.
If you’re planning to switch careers or deciding on one, you can become a sleep professional. Here are some career options:
Sleep coaching and consulting – Get certified as a sleep coach and help others improve their quality of sleep. You can provide consulting and coaching either face-to-face or remotely.
Sleep app programmer, QA, engineer, etc. – Work in the sleep technology development industry, if you’re skilled in app development, quality assurance, engineering, and other relevant skills.
7. Make Sleep-themed Content
Sometimes, you don’t even need to go outside your home to get paid to sleep.
The internet gives anyone opportunities to turn your precious slumber into cold, hard cash. You can do this by:
Creating a YouTube channel – Unbox sleep assistance gadgets, discuss sleep techniques, and talk about other sleep-related topics. You can monetize your YouTube channel with ads.
Starting a sleep-themed blog– Review sleep assistance products, educate people about sleep technologies, coach on sleeping, and talk about various sleep-related issues. You can monetize your blog with ads, sponsorships and affiliate marketing.
Building a community on social media – You can monetize communities with memberships (for premium content), affiliate marketing, and sponsorships.
What makes these options great is that you can focus on just one, or do all 3 at the same time, which in turn, triples your sources of income.
Creating sleep-themed content online is also considered passive income, so as long as you’re consistently pushing out helpful content, you’re bound to make money from your work.
How Much Can You Earn From Sleeping?
Now that you have an idea of what jobs pay you to sleep, let’s take a look at how much you can potentially make from these jobs or gigs.
Sleep studies normally pay you per day or per task during the assessment phase, which includes the exams, interviews, and other assessment activities during the application period.
During the actual study in a sleep clinic, the average pay is around $4k to $6k for a 5-day to a week-long study. A 30-day study can go for $10k or more.
For rare cases when you can sleep at home, the average pay is around $150 to $200.
As for the other jobs and gigs on the list, the pay varies widely depending on the company hiring, how long you need to do the job for, and how many other factors.
Get Paid to Sleep Today!
It doesn’t have to be a pipe dream anymore; you can now really get paid to sleep.
Go through the opportunities on your list, find the ones that fit your personality and lifestyle (and maybe sleep disorder) and dream your way toward that cash!
Almost all of them required you to opt-in or at the very least give up your email address.
I’ve narrowed down the list a bit to find a bunch of free stuff on your birthday without signing up for anything.
Companies that offer these birthday freebies without the need to sign up are relying on good karma.
In theory, people who have good experiences with a particular brand tend to remember its name and in turn, either intentionally or unintentionally choose these brands when shopping, dining, or just going out.
Birthday Freebies: FREE Admission to Attractions
If you’re asking yourself: “What can I get for free on my birthday?” Your best bet it to filter your search by location.
Many museums, zoos, parks and other local attractions open their doors to birthday celebrants free of charge. You do have to double-check and call the place you wish to go to first, just to be sure.
In most cases, you only have to prove that it’s your birthday (an I.D. will do, if your birthday is printed on it).
You may also have to prove that you’re a local… so if you can bring anything proof of billing, postal ID, or any other document that shows you live nearby, then bring it with you.
All-You-Can-Use Birthday Coupons
Many businesses need your e-mail addresses, personal info, or membership for future marketing.
They use birthday freebies into luring people to sign-up.
And it works.
The upside to this is that you’ll never run out of birthday coupons.
Even if you don’t want to sign-up to claim a birthday gift or freebie, there’s a good chance that you’ve already signed up to a couple of them in the past.
If your birthday is coming up, check all your e-mails for birthday coupons by doing a search for “birthday” and print out those you like best. Check your spam folder. You might see treasures there, too!
Most companies send birthday coupons weeks or a month before your actual birthday, so you can begin hunting for good birthday freebies ahead of your birthday.
20 Birthday Freebies (Without Signing up for Anything)
The following establishments give you free birthday gifts just for visiting their store on your birthday (or sometimes, even within your birth month).
The most common requirement is that you have to flash your ID before you can claim your free food, drinks, dessert, or even a lively birthday song from the crew.
Freebie: Get a free Birthday Mini Hot Fudge Sundae. It’s disappointing not to have a cheesecake freebie when you visit The Cheesecake Factory, but a free sundae is still free food.
If you’re ordering a cake or any other dessert, The Cheesecake Factory can decorate it with a “Happy Birthday” greeting, confetti and candle free of charge.
How to Claim: If you’re dining in at The Cheesecake Factory, just tell your server that it’s your birthday and let them handle the rest.
Freebie: You can get a free dessert and a lively birthday song from the crew.
How to Claim: If you’re planning to celebrate your birthday at Cracker Barrel, tell your server that it’s your birthday. The birthday freebie is valid with purchase of a meal.
Freebie: Get a free drink of your choice (except for bottled drinks)
How to Claim: The Dunkin Donuts website states that in order to claim your free birthday beverage, you should be a DD Rewards card holder. However, many Dunkin Donuts branches give out free birthday drinks just with an ID.
How to Claim: The Firehouse Subs website states that you’ll have to sign up to the Rewards club, but many fans of this company report that they were able to claim their birthday freebies just by showing their IDs.
Freebie: Get a free adult-sized meal on your birthday. (The meal’s worth $10)
How to Claim: You have to be a local or visiting Arizona, since both restaurants only have local branches. You’d also need to present you ID to prove it’s your birthday.
Freebie: Get a regular entree of your choice (up to an $18 value) and free fried ice cream. You can even get a free picture with their huge sombrero to commemorate your celebration there, as long as you provide a camera for the picture-taking.
How to Claim: You must visit Iguana Mia on your actual birth date and present an ID or birth certificate.
Freebie: Get a chocolate espresso cake on the house.
How to Claim: If you’re dining at the Capital Grille on your birthday, you can claim your dessert as long as you bring your ID exactly on your birthday. The birthday freebie comes with meal purchase, so prepare to eat here as well.
Freebie: Choose from a New York cheesecake, chocolate overload cake, or 5-piece mini churros snack. Sometimes, the freebie depends on your local branch.
How to Claim: There’s no sign-up required, but you have to visit the Jack in the Box website and print out the birthday coupon. Once you’re in a Jack in the Box location, show your ID as proof and claim your birthday freebies.
How to Claim: If you’re looking for a bar to spend your birthday at, check out this New York-based bar. If you’re lucky and you share your birthday with one of the dead poets listed here, claim your free beer while listening to good music.
Freebie: Birthday freebies vary from blooming onion to dessert. This would depend on your local Outback.
How to Claim: The home of juicy steaks doesn’t advertise birthday promos often, but they do provide birthday freebies to celebrants who dine in store. Be sure to prepare your ID to verify your birthday.
Freebie: Get a free dessert when you dine in on your birthday. You’ll have more birthday freebies if you sign-up for rewards, or you enlist your kid/s for the CPK Kids Club.
How to Claim: Just visit any CPK near you, show proof of identity (with birth date of course), and enjoy your treat.
Freebie: Get a free ice cream (when you dine in). The crew will even sing a “Happy Birthday” rap or song for you.
How to Claim: Normally, TGI Friday’s only give birthday celebrants birthday freebies when they’re a member of the Rewards club. But if you dine in at a local branch and tell your server that it’s your birthday, you’ll be given your treat, no questions asked.
Freebie: If you’re going to see a movie at Harkins Theatres on your birthday, you can get free popcorn.
How to Claim: You don’t have to sign up with any clubs or newsletters, but you do have to show proof with a driver’s license or birth certificate. Visit the box office when purchasing your ticket. It’s valid across multiple Harkins Theatres locations.
How to Claim: Visit your local Benefit Browbar Beauty Lounge and claim a free brow arch anytime during your birthday week. There’s no sign-up required for this free service.
Tips for More Birthday Freebies
Most birthday freebies require you to become a loyalty member of some sort in order to claim a reward.
Your best bet at getting free stuff on your birthday without signing up for anything will be in the form of a comped appetizer or dessert.
When making a reservation at a restaurant, make sure you specify that you have chosen their establishment to celebrate your birthday, just be prepared for the staff to sing “Happy Birthday” while you sit there awkwardly salivating at the free cake.
I have also received free desserts when noting that we are coming in to celebrate our anniversary. Don’t limit yourself to just birthdays!
Happy Birthday!
I hope this list of birthday freebies bring a hint of joy to someone’s birthday. After all, everyone loves free stuff.
Did you know that you can get a ton of free stuff on your birthday?
Yup, that’s right! Companies will reward you just for being born.
Okay, most of these are meal ideas and odds are, you aren’t going to visit 100 some different restaurants.
But with all these possibilities, there’s a good chance your favorite spot is in this list below.
All you have to do is join a company’s e-mail newsletter or its membership club. Most of these birthday freebies require no fees (they’re absolutely free), but you do have to fill-in some personal info like birthday, e-mail address, phone number, and so on.
Don’t let your birthday blues get you down. Spend as little cash as possible on your big day.
Check out this huge list of free birthday meals, pampering birthday freebies, and other experiences made free by companies that want to make you feel special on your birthday.
Free Stuff on Your Birthday: The Breakdown
This list is rather massive, so here are so links to help you jump around:
How to Claim: Register as an Email Insider. Make sure the branch you go to honors this promo since birthday freebies are the discretion of the franchise owner.
Freebie: Free birthday meal (either a burger or sandwich)
How to Claim: While this varies between locations, you can get your birthday treat after joining the Famous Nation club. Make sure to get your birthday treat a week before or after your birthday.
Freebie: You’re entitled for the Birthday BOGO (buy one, get one) free entrée, so the treat is definitely your choice.
How to Claim: Ivar’s will send you a birthday postcard weeks before your birthday. You have to bring it with you to Ivar’s, along with an ID and your Carte Clam Club card.
Freebie: If you can choose just 5 out of all the free stuff on your birthday, add this one to your list for a free chocolate overload cake, New York cheesecake or 5-piece mini churros.
How to Claim: You don’t need to sign up, but you do have to print their coupon and prove it’s your birthday with an ID.
Freebie: $25 birthday reward will be added to your Rewards card at the start of your birthday month.
How to Claim: It’s the mother of free stuff on your birthday since it home to over 70 other brands of diners and restaurants. You have to get the Rewards Card to claim your birthday treat and other rewards.
How to Claim: 7 days before your actual birthday, you have to sign up for the newsletter and receive Fresh Catch News, or download the app to join Red Lobster Rewards
How to Claim: 13 year-olds and up must join the club to get free stuff on your birthday. If your birthday falls during winter months (when Rita’s closes shop), you’d still receive a surprise on your inbox.
Freebie: FREE Double Steak Burger WITH Cheese n’ Fries
How to Claim: You can claim these free stuff on your birthday exactly or 45 days following your birth date. Just make sure to register for the Steak ‘n Shake eClub.
Freebie: If you’re listing down fast food as priority for the free stuff on your birthday, don’t forget Subway’s 20-point freebie that can get you two cookies (at 10 points each) or a bag of chips (15 points.) Or if you already have points being accumulated, then enjoy a subway with these free 20 points.
How to Claim: You should already be signed up to the Subway Rewards Program
Freebie: free Bruschetta appetizer and another birthday surprise
How to Claim: Become a member of Zio’s club
Free Birthday Sweets, Treats and Drinks
If you want to add more free stuff on your birthday, but focus on sweets and treats, the following birthday freebies would definitely make any sweet tooth’s birthday complete.
Join BJ’s Premier Rewards and receive a free pizookie on your birthday. A pizookie is a mouth-watering ice-cream-topped deepdish cookie. Claim it 7 days before or 7 days after your birthday.
As a member of the Lofthouse Cookies Club, you’ll have access to the birthday coupons that you can claim to receive a free package of cookies via mail.
Get crazy with free chocolate fondue on your birthday and you can bring a friend too! Just make sure to join the Club Fondue first. If you buy some of the special items on the menu, you might even get to bring home a box of chocolate-covered strawberries on the house.
How about some bundlet to add to all your free stuff on your birthday? Sign-up for the eclub and print out your coupon once your birthday month kicks in.
Here’s more sweet, free stuff on your birthday to enjoy! Pinkberry gives away a free frozen yogurt with the topping of your choice. Just make sure to get a Pinkcard, or download the Pinkberry app, so you can claim it on your exact birthday or 30 days after.
Join Club Tropical and receive your special birthday treat each year.
Need to burn some of those calories you just ate? Check out these apps that could give you some cool side cash just by walking around.
Shopping Discounts
Not in the mood for food on your birthday?
How about some retail therapy, instead? Aside from restaurant, bars, and other food places, you can also get a ton of free stuff on your birthday by going shopping online, or IRL.
The registration part is a bit different, since you’ll have to request for a catalog and fill-in your details, but once you do, you’ll receive a birthday surprise.
Receive your $5 Kohl’s cash birthday gift for Kohl Rewards members, and $10 off from your total if you use a Kohl’s Credit Card for purchase on your birthday month.
Join Landry’s Select Club (it does need a one-off $25 fee), but you’ll get priority seating, $25 birthday reward, and $25 off with every $250 you spend at Landry’s.
World Market Rewards Program members receive a $10 off coupon for their birthdays.
For the Kids and Pets
You’re not the only one who could get free stuff on your birthday. Even your kids and pets have coupons, discounts and treats specially offered to them on their birthdays.
If you sign them up for Geoffrey’s Birthday Club (only kids 10 years and under), your kid can receive a free card every year until his/her 10th birthday, a $3 gift, and a free, in-store celebration (with a balloon, crown, and special announcement). Geoffrey even calls Birthday Club members at home for birthday greetings.
Got furbabies instead? You can also sign them up for Petco’s Birthday Club and receive big discounts on their birthdays.
Beauty and Birthday Makeup Freebies
Your birthday is the time to stock up on all your beauty products and favorite makeup since you can receive a ton of free stuff on your birthday. Some of them include:
How about a free brow arch any day during your birthday week? Create an account with Benefit and be on your way. Not all branches offer this though, so better check before you go.
At La Mer, you get complimentary skincare items with every order, but if you sign-up for email updates, you’ll also be entitled for a free birthday kit.
There are tons of free stuff being given away to Elite Rewards members, but the annual birthday gift is probably the one you should be excited about. Registration is free, so check it out.
A favorite out of all the stuff you can get for free on your birthday, Nars sends out a birthday gift on the house if you’re registered to the NARS newsletter.
Become a member of “Being a Love Your Body Club” and receive professional, customized skin care advice and $10 each year to spend on your favorite Body Shop products.
Join Ultamate Rewards to receive your free birthday set, which includes a lip mask and lip oil. You can claim this gift any day throughout your birthday month.
Take advantage of complimentary samples, free shipping and a birthday surprise containing anti-aging skincare products if you join the Vichy USA newsletter.
Visit the Winky Lux website, enter your birthday details at the bottom of the page, fill-in some personal details, and be prepared to get a birthday surprise.
Want to preserve your memories of the day? You can sign up for the Birthday Club and your kids (ages 3 and below) can claim a free package on their birthdays.
Receive a free birthday movie rental at your nearest Redbox kiosk. Just make sure to sign up for the Redbox Play Pass first.
Get as Much Free Stuff on Your Birthday as You Can
Whether today’s your birthday or you have one fast approaching, I do hope you have a great day!
Hopefully this list helps make it extra special.
Note that restaurants and other businesses end or change their promotions often, so consider this list of free stuff on your birthday as a guide. I’ll try to update this often, but if you see a birthday freebie changes, please let me know.
Have fun with these birthday freebies! Let me know which ones you claim!
