Here’s How to Sell an Idea to a Company

Selling ideas isn’t exactly new.

For as long as there have been inventors, they’ve been turning their ideas into profit.

Have you ever had a lightbulb moment and thought of a product, service, application, or process that you think may benefit people and be profitable at the same time, but you didn’t have the time or resources to turn it into reality?

Don’t you regret letting your potentially million-dollar idea go to waste just like that? Don’t you sometimes wonder if that idea may have made you rich by now?

Well, wonder no more!

Today, let’s discuss how to sell an idea to a company so the next time you have a life-changing thought, you’ll know exactly what to do.

How to Sell an Idea

Selling an idea might not be a new concept, but it’s rarely simple and straightforward.

Here is a step-by-step guide to selling an idea to a company.

1. Research Your Idea.

You may think your idea is ground-breaking but is it really?

First, look up patent, trademark, and copyright records and see if your idea really is new or someone already beat you to it.

If you find a match, sorry to say, it’s over. Move on to the next idea.

Once you know that your idea is really unique, check if there’s a demand for your idea.

Your idea may be amazing in theory but the world may not be ready for it; that is, there isn’t a large enough customer base for it.

You’d also need to research the industry involved if you’re not already working or studying in it. How fast do things change in this industry? How long do you possibly have before your idea becomes obsolete?

2. Develop Your Idea.

Creating a detailed analysis and framework of your idea (if the idea is abstract or intangible) or designing a prototype (if your idea is a physical product) allows you and others to visualize your idea so that it’s not just in your head anymore.

Doing this also allows you to flesh out the details of your idea, along with its potential benefits and pitfalls. This way, you can sell your idea more effectively.

While you’re developing your idea, ask yourself the following questions:

What problem is your idea solving? Who benefits from this problem being solved? Do other solutions currently exist? How is your solution different?

What strengths and weaknesses does your idea have? Why is your idea better than other existing solutions? Why might your idea fail?

What are the opportunities and threats? Is your idea profitable? How large is the market for your idea? Who are your potential competitors?

3. Protect Your Idea.

You can’t sell your idea without telling someone about it.

But if you tell someone about it, what’s to stop them from claiming your idea as their own and thus stealing your profit?

This is why patent and copyright laws exist. But a layperson can certainly be intimidated and abandon their idea because the process of ownership seems too daunting to even start.

So here’s a quick lesson on patents and licensing.

A patent gives its owner “the sole right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention.”

It’s a form of intellectual property. For reference, a trademark is an intellectual property that protects your brand (e.g., the name “Coca-Cola®” and its image on bottles are protected by trademark; no other brand can use that name or image).

On the other hand, copyright is another form of intellectual property that protects intellectually created works, such as movies, music, software code, etc. from other people copying, distributing, and profiting from the works without the copyright holder’s permission.

For idea makers such as yourself, patents are important because they grant you exclusive rights to sell an idea or invention, essentially keeping copycats from bringing the same idea into the market.

You apply for a patent from the US Patent and Trademark Office.

If you believe in your idea 100% and you can afford the costs (the fees alone are at least $600; hiring a lawyer to do all the filing and legwork will cost you up to $10,000), applying for a patent is the best way to protect your idea.

However, if you can’t afford to patent yet, your next best choice is to get a provisional patent.

A provisional patent covers the same legalities as the real patent, but it only gives you 12 months of legal protection and rights to sell your ideas.

Benefits of a provisional patent:

  • Cheaper application fees. This can be submitted for as low as $65.
  • Earn money without the huge upfront costs. Because you didn’t spend hundreds or thousands of dollars in patent fees, you can enjoy the earnings of your idea
  • Easy to file. You can file a provisional patent application with the USPTO online.

The problem with a provisional patent is that within the 12-month period, you need to convert this patent to a non-provisional patent.

A non-provisional or utility patent is the “regular” or full patent, but will only protect your idea or intellectual property for as long as the patent is in effect.

It’s more expensive than a provisional patent with fees ranging from $900 to over $15,000 depending on several factors, including:

  • The type of invention or intellectual property – Is it a software-related invention? app invention? complex science invention? and so on
  • The size of your business – If you’re just an individual filing a patent, you’d likely spend less than as an owner of a small business.
  • Your location – Some states have more expensive patent applications than others.

Of course, utility patent cost will increase depending on the legal team you hire.

Assuming you do get a patent, how can you now sell your idea without selling it? That is, how do you get a company to invest in your vision without giving up your ownership of it?

The answer is to license your patent.

Patent licensing is like renting out your idea to a company and letting them use your idea to generate products or provide services.

The licensing arrangement benefits both you and the company: you get to earn from your idea while not having to shell out time or money to manufacture products or deliver services, while the company gets to earn from selling the products while not having to invest in the research and development phase.

I’ve previously written about how to make money from licensing your invention.

4. Create Your Pitch

Your pitch is the story behind your idea, why it’s important, and how profitable it can be for both you and the company you’re selling your idea to.

First, write down the story in your own words, so when you create the presentation for the companies, you have a reference ready.

Write down your non-negotiables as well. While selling your idea, some negotiation will be involved. But there are supposed to be some boundaries that you don’t want to overstep.

For instance, you should have a minimum amount or percentage in mind, below which you’re not willing to pursue a deal.

Make a presentation that addresses the problem that your idea solves, how your idea can solve that problem, how the idea can be implemented, and how everyone benefits from this idea: consumers, you, and the company.

5. Find Companies to Sell Your Idea.

List down potential buyers of your idea. Whether it’s an individual entrepreneur or a multinational company, what should matter is if the company has enough capital to take your idea and make it into a reality.

So how can you identify companies that are a good fit for you and your idea?

If it’s a consumer item, research similar products and who manufactures them.

Another way is to find trade associations or organizations of the industry involved and go over their membership list to find companies.

Sometimes, a simple Google search can work wonders and give you plenty of results.

In addition, here are some trusted sites that can help you find companies to work with.

1. IdeaBuyer
This site has been around for over a decade and has helped made ideas of individuals and small companies into a real, functional business.

They do not guarantee million-dollar deals for you, but prefer a partnership with idea-makers in working hard to meet specific goals, whether this goal is a successful retail outreach or help with patents.

Simply put, “Idea Buyer does not buy ideas. Idea Buyer does, however, provide opportunities for an idea to be bought.”

2. InventRight
This site has partnered with over 1,000 companies that are actively looking for bright ideas.

Although this site is focused more on invention ideas for fields like sports, kitchen, hardware and toys, you should definitely look around and check what companies are look for.

You might be surprised that your secret idea has been waiting to find its perfect company to adopt it.

3. InnoCentive.com
Maybe you don’t have just one idea to sell, but dozens and dozens of ideas.

If this is the case, take on the challenges from government agencies, non-profit orgs or private corporations and get a chance to win up to $1 million.

The ideas needed here range from math to engineering, sciences to design, and so much more.

5. Make Your Pitch

Now, the key is to be able to convince companies that they should license your patent.

Contact all of the companies on your list and ask for meetings to present your pitch. Write up a letter of introduction explaining why you’re contacting them and attach a sell sheet, which is a quick summary of your pitch.

Do note that this route requires you’re a top-notch communicator, since you’ll be pitching and selling your idea to numerous boardrooms. If you can’t communicate your ideas properly, it’s impossible to impress a company into licensing your idea.

If you’re going to show detailed information about your idea, like design plans or even your prototype, make sure you’re already advanced in the negotiation phase such that everyone is comfortable with signing non-disclosure agreements.

Familiarize yourself with the following payments make sure you’re offered a fair price.

Upfront payment – This is paid by the licensee (the company) to the licensor (you) for the rights to use your idea. It can be an outright payment or a payment against future royalties. The usual minimum asking price for this is the cost of filing the patent plus 10% as good faith.

Royalties – These are the payments made to you based on a percentage of the sales. Depending on the industry, the usual is 2% to 5%, but can go as high up as 15%.

Annual minimums – This is a contractual amount that the company agrees to pay you, regardless of the actual royalties due. The purpose is to make sure the company does their part to maximize sales of the item.

Exclusivity – If your idea is sufficiently unique and significant, companies might want to pay an extra percentage to guarantee exclusive rights to your idea.

What do you do if the company wants to buy you out?

If your idea is definitely one-of-a-kind and valuable to a specific industry, the first company you pitch to would likely offer you a massive payoff.

While this is a good thing, especially if this is your first big idea, make sure you weigh the pros and cons first before deciding.

Are you 100% willing to let go of this idea to the first company that offered a buyout?

If not, licensing your idea is perhaps a better option. With this route, you will work with a company to bring your idea to reality, but with full knowledge that the company will brand it, manufacture it, promote it and control many functions of that product or service.

You may have some control throughout the process, but it depends largely on your licensing contract. When it comes to revenue, you will be given somewhere between 5% and 15% commission from every sale of the product.

6. Make a Decision.

Know that the day you make the pitch is not going to be the day a deal is made.

It can take a number of negotiations, meetings, and conversations before a contract is finalized.

Consider all the factors: profits, pros and cons, and the company itself before deciding to accept or decline an offer, or changing it to a more acceptable one.

If the sale is successful, document everything and have contracts looked at by a lawyer and notarized as soon as possible.

On the other hand, if a company rejects your idea, it doesn’t mean your idea was not a good one; it’s possible that the company knows that your idea isn’t ready to go to market yet, or that they are not a good fit.

Either way, don’t get discouraged. Keep on selling your idea until you’ve gone through your list and then some. If all you get are “no’s” then move on to your next idea.

Sell Your Idea Today!

If I could sell my idea for a million dollars days after my lightbulb moment, I would.

Realistically, it is best to sell your ideas through a reputable, already-existing company before launching your own company. This route gives you hands-on experience of everything from applying patents to dealing with copycats and eventually selling your ideas to the right buyer.

Selling your ideas is best if you have a mind filled with profitable ideas but lack the acumen for actually building a business from the ground up.

But once you have the right knowledge, experience, and capital to launch your own startup, don’t let anything stop you from sharing your ideas to the world.

Ever tried to sell an idea? How did that go? Share your stories with us in the comments!

The Best Ways to Sell My Phone and Make the Most Money

Got an old phone or two, or maybe a drawer full of them? Ever wondered “Where can I sell my phones?”

Maybe you want to make some side cash, or maybe you want to buy a new phone and selling your old one gives you additional funds to put toward your new phone.

Well, wonder no more.

Today’s article is a guide to selling your phone to make some cash.

What Should I Do Before Selling My Phone?

Before you log on to your first online marketplace or contact your first buyer, there are some things you need to do first.

1. Pay it off.

If you’re still under contract with your wireless carrier (i.e., you’re still paying off your phone), chances are it won’t be accepted by resellers, and individual buyers won’t be able to use the phone.

The phone you’re selling should not have any problems or liabilities associated with its identifying serial numbers.

2. Unpair your phone.

Your phone might still be paired to your Bluetooth devices.

Make sure you unpair your phone from these devices before you sell them.

3. Log out of all your accounts.

All your email, social media, and cloud backup apps, among other apps, should not have your accounts connected to them any longer when you sell your phone.

4. Back up important data.

There’s a lot of information on your phone that you’re likely going to want to keep.

Make sure you download everything from your phone and transfer them someplace safe.

5. Remove all accessories not included with the phone.

It’s easy to forget your SIM card/s and external memory card/s in your phone because they aren’t readily visible.

Make sure to remove them.

6. Reset your phone to its factory settings.

Any information that you have on your phone is personal, sensitive, and possibly identifiable, so make sure all of this is wiped out before you sell your phone.

The procedure for resetting a phone will depend on the device, but you can easily look that up online.

Be aware that when you do a factory reset, there’s no way to undo it, so make sure you’ve backed up your data properly.

7. Clean up your phone—physically.

It’s not enough to trade in a digitally clean phone; it needs to be physically clean as well.

I mean, would you buy a filthy phone?

Remove lint from crevices, wipe off fingerprints from the screen, and remove any visible dust or grime on the back.

For heavier cleaning jobs, inexpensive cleaning tools and accessories for phones are readily available.

8. Set your price.

There are plenty of factors that go into the price at which you can sell your phone.

First, name-brand phones like Apple or Samsung phones retain their value longer than non-name brand phones, so if you have a name brand phone, even if your phone is one or two generations old, you can expect to fetch a price that’s nearer the price you bought it at.

iPhone accessories

Second, the original packaging and accessories will increase the value of your phone.

Packaging the box and all the other accessories that came with your phone, such as the charger, cord, and earphones, can increase buyers’ interest in your phone and make it more likely to be snapped up.

Where Can I Sell My Phone?

Once your phone is ready for selling, you can now look for places to sell your phone.

When deciding whether to sell your phone online or offline, consider your convenience, your preferences, and how much profit you want to take home.

You’ll also want to consider if there are fees and if the fees are worth the seller protection, buyer traffic, and other benefits you’re likely to get.

If you prefer to sell your phone online, do your due diligence when researching platforms or shops where you can sell your phone.

Look for genuine customer reviews on TrustPilot or ResellerRatings.

Here are some of the places where you can sell your phone.

Sell Your Phone to Individual Buyers Through Marketplaces

1. Craigslist

People have been using Craigslist to sell various stuff for over two decades, and it’s still good for people who want to sell their stuff locally.

Selling through Craigslist is as straightforward as it has always been: take good pictures, write a compelling description, and post.

After that, all you have to do is wait for potential buyers to contact you and set up a meeting.

However, meeting a stranger in person has its inherent risks. Make sure to meet up in a public, well-lighted place, and never give the phone unless you already have the cash in hand or transferred to your Venmo.

This goes for all transactions with strangers: Be safe!

2. eBay

Another classic, tried-and-tested way to sell your phone is by offering it through eBay.

You can either put your phone up for auction or name a price for it. Either way, ensure that you took eBay’s fees into consideration, as well as the packaging and shipping costs.

Also, make sure that your phone meets eBay’s seller standards.

3. Facebook

Plenty of Facebook Groups exist for buying and selling things, so this is one of the avenues you can take to find a buyer for your phone (read more about using Facebook groups to sell your stuff online).

You can also use Facebook Marketplace to find buyers in your local area.

Simply list your phone for sale so buyers in your area can see it on their Marketplace and buy it from there.

Since you’re dealing with individual buyers, and Facebook is free, you don’t have to think about transaction fees.

However, you do need to vet the Facebook groups you’re joining or the buyer you’re selling to.

You certainly don’t want to waste your time with individuals who don’t plan to buy your phone or are just planning to drive the price down once you’ve met with them.

Again, be vigilant when meeting with strangers.

4. OfferUp

Another way you can sell your phone to local buyers is to sell via a selling app like OfferUp.

OfferUp works a lot like Craigslist, in that buyers don’t purchase the items directly from the app.

Instead, they connect sellers with buyers to agree on a price, as well as a date and time to meet and exchange the goods for cash.

This means that OfferUp has no liability, and both buyer and seller take on the risks, so take all the necessary precautions so that you don’t get robbed or tricked into accepting a low-ball offer.

Here are other selling apps you can use to sell your phone to a local buyer.

5. Swappa

Swappa is a user-to-user marketplace that guarantees buyer and seller protection through PayPal, fast and immediate payment to sellers, and no seller fee (the buyers shoulder this minimal fee).

They only accept “newish” items; that is, they don’t accept broken items and claim to have an approval process that ensures only quality items are sold on their website.

Swappa Local is another service they offer, which works similar to Craigslist but claims to be safer. It is currently in beta version and it’s not available for all cities as of this writing.

6. BankMyCell

BankMyCell is a website dedicated to helping users find the best possible price and buyback program for their phones.

Thus, BankMyCell connects users with resellers and recyclers; they aren’t the ones who actually pay you for your phone.

Selling your phone to BankMyCell is pretty clear-cut: get a quote for your phone based on brand, model, and condition, accept and lock in your quote, mail your phone with the prepaid shipping label that your chosen reseller will send, and wait for your payment.

Sell Your Phone to Dealers and Resellers

7. MaxBack

MaxBack is a reseller site that buys your phone and sells it to other users, hopefully for a profit.

The process of selling your phone to MaxBack is similar to that of BankMyCell: get a quote, accept your quote, mail your phone with the prepaid shipping label, and wait to get paid.

The difference is that MaxBack actually does the buying and reselling.

The prices they’ll quote are likely to be lower than other reseller sites, but their approval process is more reliable than others and the payouts take mere days to process.

8. Buyback Boss

In terms of buying selling your phone, it couldn’t get simpler than going through Buyback Boss.

Go to their site, answer a few questions about your phone and get a quote (they say it can take less than 30 seconds!), print out your shipping label, ship your phone to them, and get paid when they get your phone.

Sellers who have sold their phones to Buyback Boss appreciate the simple process and the excellent customer service, but noted that their phones sold for less than they expected.

9. OCBuyBack

OCBuyBack works pretty much the same: get a quote, ship your phone for free, and get paid.

They accept even older smartphone models and any condition, even damaged.

Aside from smartphones, they also buy smartwatches, GoPros, and game consoles. Sellers can also send in multiple gadgets in one shipment, scoring points for convenience.

Trade In Your Phone For Cash or Store Credit

10. Amazon Trade-In

The next few items are trade-in programs and not for cash, but for store credit. As these are popular stores, chances are you’d be able to use the credit quickly.

Amazon’s Trade-In program exchanges your gadgets, such as Amazon Devices, electronics, phones, video games, and others for an Amazon.com gift card.

First, do a search for the phone you want to trade-in to see if they accept that particular brand and model. Then, answer a few questions about the phone.

When your phone gets accepted for a trade-in, a prepaid shipping label will be sent to you to print and attach to your phone when you ship it to them.

You might fetch a lower price for your phone than if you sell your phone on eBay, for example.

But there are no fees when trading in with Amazon, even for shipping, plus you get excellent customer service and the entire process is efficient.

11. Walmart Trade-In Program

Walmart’s trade-in program works similarly to that of Amazon’s.

Find your phone in their list of accepted devices, answer a few questions, get a prepaid shipping label, send it back, and get a Walmart gift card for your phone.

Despite being handled by a third party, the transactions are still pretty simple and straightforward.

Plus, the third party dealing with Walmart’s trade-in program recycles phones that can’t be resold, refurbished, or repurposed in accordance with strict environmental management standards so you’re reducing the waste your old phone would have become.

12. Best Buy Trade-In Program

If you’re a frequent shopper at Best Buy, the Best Buy Trade-In Program may be a good choice for you.

You can take your smartphone (as well as your other electronics) into a Best Buy store to do the trade in, or you can do it online. They do offer competitive prices but they only provide store credit in the form of gift cards (no cash or PayPal).

13. Apple Trade In Program

Apple Trade In works similarly to Amazon’s and Walmart’s programs.

The main difference is that Apple can only accept Apple products for trade-in.

Also, you can choose to process your trade-in either online or in-store.

Lastly, you can choose to get an Apple Store Gift Card or put in the trade price of your old phone toward a new Apple device.

Tips To Help You Sell Your Phone

Here are some more tips to help you sell your phone quickly for a good price.

Write your own description.

Copying your description verbatim from another website, especially when it’s directly from the manufacturer’s site, is not advisable here.

Of course, an exception would be the technical details of the phone, such as its hard disk space, memory, operating system, etc. This information is better obtained from the manual with the phone or the actual website of the manufacturer.

Learn how to take compelling photos.

With very few exceptions, potential buyers of your phone would want to look at photos of the phone you’re selling.

Review the image guidelines of the website or store you’re selling your phone with.

Make sure you take pictures of the phone from all angles so that any imperfections or damage is visible.

Have a broken or cracked screen fixed.

There’s not much you can do about minor cosmetic damage, like scratches or small dents.

But a broken or cracked screen decreases the value of your smartphone by a huge amount. So much so that whatever you’re spending to fix the screen will likely be less than the difference in the amount you’ll get for your smartphone.

In other words, it’s worth fixing a cracked screen before selling your phone.

Be honest.

Give other people and reseller sites a reason to trust you.

Be as truthful as you possibly can about the condition of your phone and the history of any imperfections.

The more details you can include in your product description, the better.

Selling Your Phone: The Bottom Line

Selling your phone can get you some extra cash, but it doesn’t only benefit you.

It helps other people save money on a new phone while reducing potential waste because your phone becomes reused instead of taking up space in a landfill and contaminating the environment.

Don’t have an old phone to sell, but need to declutter? Here are some things you may have lying around in your house that you can sell to make money.

Have you been successful in selling your phone for cash? Where did you end up selling it? Tell us how below!

How to Sell Baseball Cards for Top Dollar

Baseball card collectors know this too well: if you came into this hobby years ago to sell baseball cards in the future to make a profit, there’s a good chance your cards can get top dollar.

If you’re a long-time baseball card collector, you’ve likely spent a lot of time and money finding and collecting these baseball cards over the years.

Or, as luck would have it, you may have gotten a few baseball cards by chance; as a gift, an heirloom, or a garage sale find.

Either way, you’ve probably thought about how to sell these baseball cards so you can get some side cash from them.

Today, let’s look at how to sell baseball cards: what to consider, where to sell them, and how to maximize your profits.

Important Things to do Before You Sell Baseball Cards

Dealing in sports cards is exciting, but it’s no cakewalk.

Learning the ins and outs of the buy-and-sell world is important, especially if you have a lot of baseball cards or even collections lined up for sale.

Here are the top things you need to do before introducing your baseball cards into the market.

1. Identify and make a record of what baseball cards you have.

Selling baseball cards (or anything, really) is so much easier if you know exactly what you’re selling.

Having a catalog of what you have makes it easier for you to see the details of a particular card at a glance.

Here are the important details that you need to know for the baseball cards you have.

Print Year

Baseball cards are generally classified into four eras. Since the year a card was printed heavily influences its selling price, cards from certain eras are valued differently.

  • “Pre-War” baseball cards were printed before World War II. Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner or Christy Mathewson are just some of the names dominating this category.
  • “Vintage” baseball cards were printed between 1948 and 1969. Topps released many of the highest-valued cards of this era, but those printed by Bowman, Fleer and Leaf could still fetch some cash. You’d find names of Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays in-demand in this category.
  • “Semi-vintage” baseball cards were printed in the 1970s. Many dealers don’t distinguish these from “vintage” cards, but baseball cards printed in this decade tend to be common and lower priced, unless one sells an entire collection or if they’re in mint condition.
  • “Modern” baseball cards were printed from 1980 to present. Unlike the older baseball cards, modern ones are printed on a massive scale, so your chance of getting a lot of money from them is pretty slim. Your card does have to be extra-special to be sold for a high price. For instance, if it’s a certified autographed card, has a rare feature like a refractor or a colored border, or is a rookie card that’s autographed.

If you’re not sure how to tell what year a card was printed, look on the back at the statistics listed and look for the last year mentioned on a player’s stats. For example, if the last year on the back is 1955, then the card is from 1956.

Manufacturer

The current baseball card market is dominated by Topps, but various companies released sets of baseball cards over the years. Goudey, Bowman, and a few other smaller manufacturers have put them out.

Many baseball cards will have the copyright date and manufacturer printed on the back as well. If not, try a Google search for the player’s name and any other information printed on the card to find the manufacturer.

Player

Find out if you have any star cards; that is, if you have a baseball card of one of the greatest baseball athletes.

If you’re unsure, you can look up ESPN’s Hall of 100 or Clutchpoints’ top 50 MLB players and see if you have cards with those players.

2. Know the condition of your baseball cards.

Do your best to examine your baseball cards closely using a magnifying lens if you have to; any flaws, such as corner wear, creases, scuffs, paper and color loss, writing on the card (that’s not an autograph) and other visible marks will affect its price.

It makes sense to do this even if you’re opening a set of cards fresh out of the pack. Just because they’ve stayed in their packaging doesn’t mean they’re automatically in mint condition. Older cards were manufactured with imperfect printing processes and equipment, and they’re likely to have print defects or centering issues.

Assume that if you find even the smallest imperfections, others will, too.

3. Familiarize yourself with the grading system.

One of the most important things to know when selling baseball cards is the grading system.

Baseball card collectors often turn to third-party graders, such as
Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), Sports Card Guarantee (SCG) and Beckett Grading Services all help collectors and dealers put a value on vintage cards and memorabilia.

Knowing how to judge your baseball cards’ condition by yourself is a great skill to have, and will save you a lot in fees for professionally inspecting and grading your cards. You can then focus on the ones that can potentially earn you more profit.

Read up on PSA Grading Standards and learn the basics.

4. Send out those baseball cards that have the most potential profit.

After you’ve gone over your collection and judged which ones you can sell at a relatively high price, weigh the costs of grading (around $15 to $20 per card for basic services) against the potential profit.

Send the ones that are potentially valuable off to professionals to have them officially graded. These tend to be worth more than ungraded or “raw” cards. Read this article on whether or not to get your cards graded to help you decide.

5. Organize and store your baseball cards.

As I’ve mentioned, the condition of your baseball cards is a huge factor in determining their price.

Invest in proper trading card sleeves for your baseball cards. Toploaders made of hard plastic are most commonly used for baseball cards, and some collectors even use a soft sleeve aside from the toploader itself.

If your baseball cards aren’t too expensive and you’d like to protect them but not spend too much, soft sleeves and pocket page protectors (the ones that can store 9 cards on a plastic binder page and has holes so you can fit them into a binder) are also good investments.

Find a secure, dark, dry, cool, and dust-free place to store your baseball cards to greatly slow down their deterioration.

6. Decide which baseball cards to sell and where to sell them.

While your cards are safely tucked away, go over your catalog and decide which cards have the most value. Choose which ones you’re willing to let go and decide where you’d like to sell these baseball cards.

Where to sell baseball cards

6 Places to Sell Baseball Cards

Another important aspect of selling baseball cards is knowing where to sell them.

Note that all of the options below each has its own benefits and disadvantages, so choose wisely to prevent being lowballed, getting scammed, or costing you a lot in fees.

1. Card dealers and shops (in-person)

If there’s a card dealer in your local area, and you have older baseball cards to sell, selling to them is a good option.

They may have connections to more buyers, plus they may participate in events and conventions that you may not have access to, so they’re likely to be able to sell baseball cards you may not be able to sell yourself.

This is a convenient, easy way to offload baseball cards and get quick cash. However, since they are in the buy and sell business and will aim to sell your cards at a profit, you may not get the best price for your cards.

2. Online through eBay

This online marketplace is perfect for selling sports cards because you have an option of putting up a baseball card for sale with three kinds of formats:

  • Fixed price via “Buy It Now” – You decide the amount you wish to sell your card and wait for someone to buy it full price.
  • Auction-style – You set a minimum amount, wait for buyers to put in their “bids” and let the listing go its course. The highest bidder wins the baseball card (if the amount reaches the price you set at the beginning of the auction)
  • Fixed price with “Best Offer” option – You set a fixed price when listing the baseball card for sale, but add a button that tells would-be buyers that you’re willing to consider their best offers.

3. Online through COMC.com and other similar sites

Sports card dealers nowadays can now be found online, which makes it even more convenient for you, as you can sign up to sell your baseball cards without having to leave the house.

The specific process may vary, but generally, you send your baseball cards for sale to them, the online stores list them on their sites, and when someone buys your cards, you get paid.

Fees and commissions may also vary among the online stores, as well as their promotions and return policies, so it’s good practice to read up on these terms and conditions before you agree to them.

Here are some online stores where you can sell your baseball cards.

4. Sell through an auction house

Auction houses are geared toward expensive baseball collections, one-of-a-kind cards, and other valuable pieces from your collection. A good auction site values your cards as their own, which is why they’re setting up auctions for big-pocketed buyers.

The biggest benefit of going this route is the amount of marketing auctions provide.

Auction houses take care of everything from promoting to paying for a public event, shipping and handling of the cards, insurance, and so on. It does take longer to sell cards here, so you have to be a little patient.

The largest and probably the most well-known of these auction houses is PWCC Marketplace.

5. Online through Craigslist and other selling apps

You can use Craigslist to sell your baseball cards to individual buyers. They’re convenient and good if you want quick transactions. However, do prepare to haggle and research your buyers’ past purchases if you can to avoid getting scammed.

6. Online through communities of baseball card collectors

If fetching a better than usual price for your baseball cards is not a priority, join online communities of baseball card collectors and offer up your cards.

These communities already have plenty of enthusiastic buyers looking for cards to add to their collections, plus you get to compare notes about dealers and buyers and find out who is legit and who’s not.

You can find plenty of these communities on Facebook Groups, and here are some of the popular ones:

How much can I earn by selling baseball cards?

Selling your baseball cards can be a quick way to make money in a day.

Unless you have a 1909-11 T206 White Border Honus Wagner baseball card lying around (this is the highest-sold card of all time at $2.8 Million and only 57 of them are known to exist), you really can’t go rich overnight selling baseball cards.

However, like other things you can sell to make money, your collection of baseball cards could get you through a rough patch, to earn extra cash for your Christmas fund, or other personal reasons.

Whether you’ve decided to just buy-and-sell now (or decades ago), flipping baseball cards is something you might want to try.

Are you a long-time baseball card collector looking to sell? Or maybe you just decided to start flipping baseball cards today? Tell us in the comments!

Get Paid To Recycle Everyday Things: Earn Cash for Trash

How To Get Paid To Recycle Everyday Things

You know the 3 Rs of saving the environment: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.

But did you know that you can also receive cash for doing these 3 Rs?

Earning money while saving the environment sounds great. Fortunately, small and large businesses are becoming increasingly interested in reusing, repurposing, and recycling various materials.

Many of them are even willing to pay individuals as an incentive to give up their unused items to be recycled instead of throwing them away.

Today, I run down all the ways you can get paid to recycle things that would otherwise go into landfills and become waste.

Get Paid To Recycle These Everyday Items

1. Glass Bottles

These are one of those items that you can put out on your curbside recycling bin to be recycled by your local waste management company.

Recycled glass

Also, if you live in a bottle bill state and surrender your beverage bottles to designated centers, you get your bottle deposit back.

But you can also sell your glass bottles and earn some money from it.

Wine, beer, and spirit bottles, glass jars that contained sauces, jam, or baby food, as well as bottles that contained non-food items are in demand on eBay and on Etsy, as these can be used by crafters.

2. Aluminum cans

Aluminum cans are classic examples of items you can get paid to recycle, as recycling aluminum costs less than mining and processing them.

If your household or your neighborhood uses several aluminum cans, you can collect them, clean or at least rinse the inside, crush them to maximize transport, store them until the dollar amount you can get for them is worth the cost of transporting them.

Your local recycling centers and scrap metal centers will pay you for these cans.

3. Electronic Devices

The materials used to make your gadgets, such as smartphones, laptops, tablets, and other electronic devices, are harmful to the environment and should be kept out of landfills and thus out of contact with soil, water, and air as much as possible.

If your gadget is fairly new, or a few years old but still looks and operates as good as new, here are some websites where you can sell them:

However, if your gadget has seen better days, there are still companies that’ll still pay you to take it off your hands:

In addition, here are some electronics retailers that have trade-in or recycling programs:

Before you send out your electronic devices, make sure you’ve backed up the data and files you need and that you’ve cleared your device of your personal information.

See also: Where To Sell Your Phone

4. Printer cartridges

As working and studying from home become more common than ever, your ink, toner, and laser cartridges tend to pile up.

Instead of watching the clutter build up, you can actually earn from recycling these cartridges.

You can sell these empty cartridges on eBay, especially in lots. Or find cartridge buy-back websites that provide you quotes and often send you prepaid shipping labels for your convenience.

If you live near an office supply store, such as Office Depot or Staples, you can get rewards points for each empty cartridge you bring in, but these rewards are only of value in the store you got the rewards from.

Most printer manufacturers, such as HP, Brother, Lexmark, Canon, Xerox, and others, have their own recycling and take-back programs. Check the websites for the manufacturer of your printer and cartridges to know the details.

5. Clothing

If you Marie Kondo’ed your house recently, plenty of the items you’ve cleared are most likely clothing.

The environmental impact of producing clothes is massive, and so is the impact of every effort to reduce the number of clothing that are wasted and left to languish in landfills.

Like-new or slightly used clothing, especially branded ones, always has interested buyers. Sell it to companies who can offer it to these interested buyers, donate them to the needy, or transform them into other materials. Either way, you’ll get cash for recycling your clothes.

Here are some companies that will buy your clothes:

6. Cardboard Boxes

Almost everything you buy online arrives in a cardboard box.

Recycled Cardboard

And unless you return the items you bought or have your own business where you ship out items, those cardboard boxes have nowhere to go but the waste bin.

Why not sell these cardboard boxes and earn some change?

Chances are your friends and family have used cardboard boxes in their households that you can ask to have.

Commercial establishments, such as your local grocery stores, liquor stores, restaurants, and retail stores, may also be willing to give you their cardboard boxes instead of throwing them away.

Here are some companies who are willing to buy your used cardboard boxes:

7. Books

Do you have too many books that are in good condition but don’t read anymore?

You can swap them out for other books that you do want using websites such as BookMooch or PaperBackSwap.

It’s not exactly cash, but you save the money to buy a new book in exchange for keeping your old book from the landfill.

8. Cooking Oil

Your used cooking oil can be disposed of by pouring into a container with a lid, cooling it, and disposing of it in the trash (Note: NEVER pour used cooking oil down the kitchen drain or in the toilet; it’s going to clog pipes).

That’s a waste of oil! Companies buy and collect used cooking oil for repurposing, such as for biodiesel.

Here are some companies that will take your used cooking oil off you:

On the other hand, if you have unused cooking oil that is past its best before date, you can actually still make something of it: soap.

Homemade Soap

Yes, soap.

Here’s a step-by-step instructional guide on how to use rancid oil for soap.

You can make bars of soap and then sell them on Etsy, or use them and save what you’d normally spend on soap for your home. Either way, you get money from recycling cooking oil.

9. Car Batteries

Car batteries contain heavy metals and acids that are harmful to the environment, so it’s really important to prevent them from leaching into the soil or water.

Advance Auto Parts, an automobile parts store with branches all over the country, accepts old batteries and gives you a $10 gift card in exchange.

You can also sell old car batteries to your local scrapyard. Download the iScrap app to find the nearest scrapyard.

In addition, companies such as United Battery and Rockaway Recycling will buy your scrap batteries from you. However, they only serve certain areas and cities.

10. Junk Cars

If you have an old car lying around that costs too much to repair, there are companies you can contact to take your junk car so they can salvage parts and scrap metal off it. That way, instead of it just rusting in your garage or garden, you can get paid to recycle it.

Below are a few companies that will pay you for your junk car:

11. Random Trash

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

And this is nowhere more apparent than in eBay.

Here are some random knickknacks that you would normally throw away but can fetch you a few dollars on eBay:

  • paper towel/toilet paper rolls
  • wine corks
  • egg cartons
  • Box Tops For Education (make sure they’re not expired or expiring soon)
  • high-value mailed coupons (especially for expensive items like furniture and appliances)
  • broken crayons
  • plastic bottle tops
  • beer bottle caps
  • empty candle jars
  • old catalogs
  • old magazines
  • empty perfume bottles
  • pinecones
  • installation CDs
  • empty MAC cosmetics containers
  • trophies
  • board games with missing pieces

A downside of doing this is that you might have to be hoard some of these items in your home for a while since buyers prefer to get these in bulk. But if you have a high turnover of these items, you shouldn’t have to hoard for long.

12. Hard-To-Recycle Waste

No matter how much you recycle, there will always be something left over. Recycling programs such as Terracycle and Recyclebank encourage you to enroll in various recycling programs or do so-called “green actions” in exchange for points.

These points can, in turn, be exchanged for rewards, such as discounts in their partner businesses, or items in their online store made of materials that they recycle. You can also donate them to their educational programs so they can teach children how to recycle.

They’re not exactly recycle-for-cash programs, but you still get something in return for helping the planet.

Get Paid To Recycle Today!

Recycling reduces waste and is good for the environment.

Now that you know these everyday things to recycle for cash, start saving the planet and some money for yourself today!

Have you ever managed to make money from recycling before? Do you have any other recommendations for recycling for cash? Share them with us in the comments!

How To Sell Vinyl Records For Side Cash

How To Sell Vinyl Records For Side Cash

It’s probably hard to imagine now, but vinyl records were the standard format for decades before Sony came up with the compact disc in the early 1980s. Since then, music has evolved into MP3s and into streaming, the format we all know and love today.

But streaming music on demand can make listeners feel like they don’t really own the music, leaving the door open for a vinyl resurgence in the mid-2000s. There’s just something about buying and collecting vinyl records that fill a need for actual ownership.

The comeback of vinyl has spurred on entrepreneurial types to cash in, and you can certainly join in if you have some quality records to sell.

In today’s article, learn how to sell vinyl records: from determining how valuable your records are to where you should sell them to get as much out of them as you can.

Is Selling Vinyl Records Profitable?

The short answer: Maybe.

Unfortunately, I can’t just predict whether this will be a profitable venture for everyone.

What determines the value of your vinyl records? Two major things: release version and condition.

Release version applies to vinyl albums that have been released multiple times. Some of these pressings are worth more than others, so make sure to find out the release version of the vinyl records you intend to sell.

Condition will greatly influence how much you can sell your albums for. It doesn’t matter how valuable the release version of your album is; if it doesn’t sound or look good, you won’t fetch a very high price for it.

Vinyl records that look like new, such as if the sleeve looks pristine, the record hasn’t been played, and in general doesn’t have visible dents or dings, are almost guaranteed to be worth more.

Vinyl records for sale

On the other hand, if the record is warped or the sleeve has scratches, water spots, or any other visible damage, it will be worth considerably less than a pristine one.

While you’re inspecting your vinyl records, you’ll probably want to clean the opened ones, especially if they haven’t been opened in a while. Invest in a high-quality vinyl record cleaner, especially a good brush that will clean dust out of the grooves while not scratching them.

The most widely used guide for buying and selling vinyl records is called the Goldmine® Grading Guide. Check it out and learn it so you can grade the vinyl records you’re selling for yourself.

Other factors that determine the value of your vinyl records include:

  • Artist
  • Sealed or opened?
  • Autographed or not?
  • Commercial or promotional?
  • Small label or major label?
  • Mono or stereo or quadriphonic?
  • General release or limited edition?
  • Black or colored or picture disc?
  • Demand (i.e., are people looking to buy it?)

 

Additionally, there are websites you can consult to find out the price of your vinyl records.

Popsike is a database updated every two days that aggregates data from eBay’s sold record listings. You can easily search and filter their listings, both from their website and their mobile app.

The number of searches is limited for non-members, and $17.50 can get you full membership and thus unlimited searches for 6 months.

Another website tool to help you price your vinyl records is a site called Discogs, which as you’ll see later, is also a marketplace to buy and sell vinyl records. Records are listed here as individual releases as opposed to per album or master release, so you’d know exactly which release you have. Registering for an account in Discogs is completely free.

Other websites you can use to price your stock are MusicStack and ValueYourMusic where you can search for your records and they give you prices based on data on various auctions.

Where To Get Vinyl Records To Sell

From your own house

If your parents or grandparents were big music fans in their day, they might have a few vinyl records (or a few boxes of them, even) lying around in your basement or your attic.

Start sifting through them, list the titles and whatever metadata you have, and then use the Goldmine® Grading Guide to classify the records you have.

Group records together based on their condition and release version and create a detailed inventory so you’d have an estimate of how valuable your entire collection is.

Buying from secondhand stores

Stores that sell secondhand items have some potential of earning you some money from flipping records. Thrift stores, used book stores, flea markets, and even garage sales may have some hidden gems.

Records store

They may also be more willing to sell them to you if you’re willing to buy them in bulk. Just make sure you have some way to know if what you’re buying has some value.

Buying at record fairs

A record fair is an event where music lovers go to buy and sell records, and sometimes even swap or trade them.

You’ll be more likely to find records that are in good condition here than in garage sales or thrift stores because the people who participate are record collectors themselves, or otherwise in the music business, like record store owners, record producers, or DJs.

The trick is finding out when and where the next record fairs are happening. Check out your social media communities and local message boards to find out.

Where To Sell Vinyl Records

1. Online Through Discogs

Discogs helps you price your records (as we’ve seen above) and is a tool to organize your own personal vinyl collection. It’s also a very popular online marketplace to buy and sell vinyl records.

You already have a strong advantage of being in a community of genuine music and vinyl lovers. Plus, Discogs provides seller tools and shipping materials, allows you to leave your records up as long as it takes, and provides a dedicated support team to resolve whatever issues that you might have.

They do have a price, though; Discogs takes 8% as a fee. Also, they require you to submit highly detailed data and metadata about each record, such as country of release, pressing information, material, artist credits, conditions of the discs and the sleeves, and other identifiers.

Best for: Rare, mint condition vinyl records

2. Online Through CDandLP

Another online marketplace for used music is CDandLP, which has been around almost as long as Discogs.

Each new seller is also required to provide plenty of details for all records they list.

They have a detailed pricing guide, but sellers are free to price their items. Shipping fees are automatically calculated, but sellers outside of France can also set their own shipping methods and fees if they prefer.

Listing is free, but CDandLP does take a commission of 5% to 15% of each sale on their site.

Best for: Rare, mint condition vinyl records

3. Online Through eBay

A popular way to sell vinyl records is through eBay. The advantage of selling through eBay is that you can put up more valuable records for auction and less valuable ones for sale for a set price.

It’s easy to start selling through eBay; a few seconds and you have your account set up (if you haven’t already got one). Plus, eBay has looser metadata standards, so you don’t have to input too many details about what you’re selling.

Thus, you can expect buyers here to be more casual collectors of vinyl.

However, if you haven’t sold anything on eBay, you’d have no seller rating, and you might not get good bids for your records. Plus, eBay charges a 10% fee, cutting in on your possible profits.

Best for: Any of the vinyl records that you want to sell at a fair price

4. Your Local Record Store

If you’re desperate to offload your vinyl records that aren’t in very good condition or not very popular, consider selling them to your local record store.

Not only do you get to help a local business but you can also get some cash for doing so.

If you do wind up selling your vinyl records to your local record shop, make sure to manage your expectations. They need to make a profit off the records you’re selling, so they’ll try to offer you a lowball bid for your records.

If you’ve consulted pricing websites and the Goldmine® Grading Guide, you should have an idea of how much you can get approximately for your records. Be willing to accept a lower offer than you normally would, but don’t allow yourself to be stiffed.

In general, if they say they can’t offer you at least a dollar for a record, it’s not something they want to carry in their store. Worst case scenario, call their bluff and don’t sell it to them. If they really want it, they won’t let you leave.

Your old vinyl records may not be worth as much as you’d like, but it doesn’t mean you can’t earn a few dollars from them.

Best for: Not so rare, not so mint condition vinyl records

5. Garage Sales Or Record Fairs

The point is to go to where the buyers are. And you’ll find plenty of vinyl enthusiasts looking to add to their collections in record fairs or in the grounds when there are concerts or music events.

Records at garage sale

Location is important here. If you think you can get buyers near where you live, then holding a garage sale is a low-cost, low-overhead way of selling your merchandise.

Otherwise, go where the buyers are. Participate in record fairs so you can find enthusiastic buyers.

If you’re selling other items aside from your vinyl records, here are some garage sale tips to take note of.

Best for: Popular vinyl records that aren’t in mint condition but are in high demand

6. Online through communities of vinyl record collectors

Selling vinyl records straight to collectors may not sound very lucrative (or particularly safe), but just like record fairs, online communities of collectors have plenty of already-enthusiastic, already-searching buyers.

Some of them are very picky about the conditions of the records they’re buying, but some of them are just starting out or are more focused on completing their collection of a certain artist or genre that it doesn’t matter as much whether the record is in mint condition.

Getting to interact and network with like-minded people is a bonus.

You can find plenty of these communities on Facebook Groups, and here are some of the established ones:

Best for: In-demand vinyl records no matter their condition

7. Online Through Selling Apps

Offering your merchandise through a selling app is another option if you want to appeal to a local buyer but don’t have the energy or motivation to host a garage sale.

An advantage is that it’s similar to selling in an online marketplace but there are no fees and you can negotiate prices with the buyer in person.

Here are the five selling apps that we recommend.

Best for: Any of your records that have local buyers

8. Repurpose And Sell Online Through Etsy

The resurgence of vinyl means there’s also a resurgence of vinyl record-themed décor and other knickknacks. With a little DIY spirit and some elbow grease, transform your unsellable vinyl records into crafts and sell them on Etsy or on your own website, if you have one.

Repurposed Vinyl

Here are some ideas for repurposing vinyl records.

  • Jewelry
  • Guitar picks
  • Clocks
  • Canvas for pour paintings
  • Coasters
  • Cupcake stand
  • Stools

If you don’t have the skills, tools, or just don’t have the time for DIY crafts, you can always sell your banged-up records as is and advertise them as good for crafting. Other crafters get their raw materials, you get some money out of them, and everyone’s happy.

Buyers pay for the shipping fees, while you pay a 20-cent listing fee plus 6.75% in transaction and payment processing fees when your records sell.

Best for: Beat up, damaged, heavily played vinyl records

Get More For Your Vinyl Records

Take care of your records.

The main thing to remember is that when you get your vinyl records out of storage, or once you buy them, you’ll need to store them properly.

Record collection

Make sure to place them upright in a dust-free, waterproof container. Stacking them or laying them flat is going to warp the records.

Also, remember that the sleeves are protective, so keep the records in them. The sleeves will keep dust and other elements away from the records.

Find the coolest, most consistent area in your house and store your records there. Alternatively, if you have too many records to store in your house, find a temperature-controlled storage unit or a space that’s pest-free and has ample ventilation.

Have your most valuable vinyl records appraised.

Having a mere idea of what your records are worth is one thing, but when you have a record in your stock that could be worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars, the best thing you can do is to have those appraised by a professional.

One of the most popular appraisers online is Marshall, more widely known as Mighty John Marshall. You can send in your records to him (minimum of 5) through his website MoneyMusic, which he’ll appraise for $1 per record.

Consider more than one buyer.

Unless you’re looking to move your items really quickly and get cash right away, you’d want to consider as many offers as you can. You want to get the best price, but more importantly, you want to examine all the potential buyers so you can weed out the sketchy ones.

Start Selling Vinyl Records Today!

After all this, you’re probably wondering whether people will buy vinyl records in the first place.

For a vinyl enthusiast, it’s not just that the quality of the audio is much better when playing a vinyl record (some music experts even argue that this is a myth).

The entire experience—taking out the record from its sleeve, putting it on a turntable, and focusing your attention on listening to one side at a time—is almost ritualistic. It adds a new, aesthetic aspect to music that isn’t available in its other usual forms.

Plus, nothing says collectible more than the huge cover art and the liner notes that provide context and a personal glimpse into the artists’ musical journey.

Want to sell other things in your attic?

Do you have other old stuff in your attic aside from vinyl records? You might want to sell them for side cash, too. Here are some articles to show you how.

Are you sitting on some vinyl records in your house that you want to get some side cash for? Or do you plan to start buying them up and flipping them? Share your stories with us in the comments below!

Selling Crafts Online: A Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Started

If you’ve started a crafting hobby and wondering whether you can make extra cash from it or maybe even turn it into a full-time business, look no further. Today, I’ll detail all you need to know about selling crafts online.

I’ll answer commonly asked questions, discuss what you need to get started, the best places to sell your crafts online, and other tips and advice to increase your chances of success.

Selling Crafts: Most Common Questions

First, let me cover the most common questions that crafters ask when starting out.

What craft should I sell?

If you already have a craft that you enjoy doing and are good at, then great!

But if you’re doing a few crafts and you’re not sure which one to start with, check out what’s popular on Amazon Handmade right now for some ideas to start.

I also recommend reading our breakdown of the Etsy best sellers. You’ll get a good idea of what some of the more popular craft items are and how much they sell for.

After all, you want to be sure you have an audience first.

Where is the best place to sell crafts online?

Etsy is arguably still the biggest and best platform online.

This e-commerce site has been running their ship for years and have the means to help new sellers easily get set up and selling their crafts.

The other bonus is that it’s one of the most well-known places to buy crafts so there’s a steady stream of customers flocking to the site.

I have a detailed guide on how to get started with Etsy if you’re interested.

Etsy isn’t the start and end of selling crafts online, however. There are other ways and stores available online that will help you sell your handmade items. I list the various ways and sites for you later in this article.

Do I need a business license to sell crafts online?

This depends heavily on where you’re located. In general, you do need a business license whether you sell online or from a brick-and-mortar business. So it’s best, in this case, to consult your local laws and/or an accountant.

Some regions won’t require a business license if you sell to customers that are located outside of the country. But many countries or states (if you’re in the US) require that you collect sales tax from the items you sell, which means you will have to register your business.

Some sellers on stores like Etsy change their business names on the platform to be more unique. Nothing wrong with that, but you may need to register a Doing Business As (DBA) even if you’re not required to get a business license.

How do I start an online craft business?

Starting an online craft business can be as simple or complicated as you want to make it. The easiest way is to set up your own store on an already popular e-commerce website. But you can also take the easier (though sometimes more rewarding) route of setting up your own e-commerce website.

Another way to start an online craft business is to simply use social media.

You can start building a community around your crafts business through your chosen channel and sell your products directly to them.

How to Sell Your Crafts Online

1. Find Your Niche.

When you know which craft you’re going to focus on, you’ll want to figure out what your niche is; that is, what exactly you’re going to make.

For instance, if you knit or crochet, would you want to focus on making baby clothes, such as bonnets and mittens? Or would you want to focus on sweaters and shawls for women?

Focusing on a niche makes it easier for you to hone your skills, define your target audience, create a marketing plan, and build your reputation as the go-to crafter for that particular product.

2. Know How To Price Your Products.

An important aspect of selling your crafts online is knowing how to ask for a fair price for your products.

It’s also the aspect that first-time sellers often get wrong.

You don’t want to price your products too low. Customers are suspicious of too-low prices and may think that your products are low-quality or you used subpar materials.

Plus, it’s difficult to offer discounts if your prices are too low to begin with.

More importantly, pricing your crafts too low undervalues the time, materials, knowledge, and skill that you put into your craft.

Obviously, you don’t want to price your crafts too high either; when presented with the same product, comparable quality, but different prices, customers will go lower. It’s that simple.

You need to hit that sweet spot where your products get sold and you earn a profit from it.

Always factor in everything, as in everything that goes into making your product: the cost of raw materials, packaging, shipping, seller’s fees, maintaining your online presence; the complexity of the design and expertise involved; the time it takes to make the product.

Once you have a baseline for your costs, add around 50% to 75% to it. Do your research on Etsy and other similar websites as well so you can find out the usual price range for your product and tweak your own pricing accordingly.

3. Establish Your Branding.

Building a strong brand identity from the start will help you connect to your target audience and will help you effectively sell your crafts online.

Having a strong brand involves a catchy brand name and an eye-catching logo, but it’s so much more than that.

It’s understanding who you are, what your story is, what makes your crafts unique, and then applying those core values in everything you do: your shop name and logo, product photos, product description, social media posts, blog posts, even your packaging.

Being consistent helps your customers remember your brand and builds customer loyalty.

4. Choose An E-Commerce Platform

First-time crafts sellers love e-commerce stores because setup is easy, there are little to no start-up costs, and there are plenty of prospective buyers already browsing these sites.

Here are the top e-commerce stores where you can start selling your crafts online right now:

Etsy

Etsy is the number one choice from beginners to experienced crafts sellers, and for good reason.

They already have a solid reputation as the go-to website for everything handmade, custom-made, one-of-a-kind, and vintage items.

Getting started is easy and the customer base is built-in, but there’s also a wide seller base, which means plenty of competition. Plus, there are transaction fees, listing fees, and fees to upgrade to Etsy Plus to allow more personalization on your shop page.

Amazon Handmade

Amazon is one of the largest brands in the world and attracts millions of visitors each month.

They’ve set up a special category for selling handmade items and it’s free to list however many items you want. However, your application has to be approved first and Amazon takes 12% of every sale.

You’ll also have to pay $39.99 per month to retain your membership.

ArtFire

This site focuses on hand-made items and craft supplies.

They also offer buyers the option to post “wanted” items if they want to have something specific made. ArtFire has a few pricing plan options.

There’s generally a per-item listing fee with a limit to how many items you can list, a monthly subscription fee, and they take a percentage of the final cut.

Folksy

Unlike the other stores on this list, Folksy caters specifically to crafters from the UK.

It’s a great opportunity for British crafters to get their handmade items out there with a bit less competition from the rest of the world.

Folksy has a Basic subscription that charges a listing fee per item and takes 6% of sales. The Plus subscription that doesn’t charge per listing but charges £5 monthly and also takes the 6% cut.

Handmade Artists’ Shop

As the name implies, this is a home for artists who produce handmade items.

Items have to be handmade or altered significantly from existing products and family-friendly. They charge a flat monthly fee of $5 (or $50 annually); no listing fees or transaction fees.

Since this site doesn’t have as many sellers as Etsy, there’s less competition and thus less effort to show your goods to potential buyers.

However, the website design isn’t as polished as Etsy’s, which can possibly be a turn-off for some buyers.

Facebook Marketplace

Selling crafts locally has never been easier, thanks to Facebook Marketplace.

At first glance, the goods look random, but there is an Arts and Crafts category to place your products under.

Because you’re selling locally, you might be able to do away with shipping costs, or at least get it cheaper. In addition, because Facebook Marketplace is linked to your customer’s Facebook accounts, you get additional customer insights and target them for social media promotions.

However, if your aim is to go national or even global, you should be selling on more e-commerce sites than just Facebook Marketplace.

Zibbet

Zibbet is unique in that not only does it have its own marketplace but you can also integrate it with other ecommerce platforms, particularly Etsy and Facebook, and manage your listings, inventory, and orders for all three marketplaces in one place.

They charge a monthly fee of $5 per sales channel. No listing fees, no percentage. If you only sell on Zibbet Marketplace, then you only get charged $5. However, if you sell on Etsy, you still get charged the Etsy fees on top of the monthly fee of $5 to Zibbet.

5. Create Your Own Website and Open Your Own Online Craft Store

Working with popular e-commerce stores is an easy way to get started with selling your crafts online.

But having to abide by their rules and paying them a monthly fee can be chafing.

At some point, you will need to move off of the major platforms and transition into your own online store.

Creating your own web-based business isn’t as hard as you might think, though.

There are plenty of tools, advice, and tutorials out there that will help you set up your online crafts store even if you’re a complete rookie who hasn’t heard of the term HTML before. Shopify is one great option here, and there’s also IndieMade.

Google for Retail can be a great help in this regard too.

They provide you with the tools that are necessary to help get your business off the ground and keep track of how it grows. Many people who want to sell their crafts online look to Google tools like Adsense, Google Analytics, Google Shopping, and Google Checkout to help them with running the more technical aspects of an online business.

One essential cog in the machine of a successful e-commerce store is a great blog.

Blogging has many benefits, but two of the main ones are helping your customers (which helps you and your reputation) and getting your page ranked higher in search results pages.

6. Run a Successful Facebook Page

It’s entirely possible to run a crafts business entirely from a Facebook page.

A website will add legitimacy to your business, but it isn’t necessary if you build up trust with your page followers. This method is especially forgiving for those who sell as a local business, as people are more likely to trust that they’ll get what they order from you.

Like Google, Facebook has a lot of tools that business owners can use to reach their audience and analyze their growth through their Facebook for Business Program.

Opening up a business page on Facebook also grants you access to the various features they provide, like live-chat, reviews, the ad center, publishing tools, and ways for customers to get to know you.

One of the best things about creating a crafts business page on Facebook is that it’s completely free to set up and you have a platform that billions of people already use.

Plus their advertising system lets you reach people in their whole audience network, including Instagram and various Google Play apps.

7. Utilize the Power of YouTube

This might not seem like a legitimate way to start selling crafts online but YouTube has many faces and crafts is definitely one of them.

All types of crafters have uploaded thousands of hours of videos around crafting and their crafting businesses. The key here is to make entertaining videos, strategically reference your craft business, and tell your viewers all the ways they can buy your products.

You’ll still need an online storefront where they’ll be able to order the crafts you create.

But the advantage here is that you don’t necessarily have to rely as much on getting traffic to your website from other means. Freeing you up to focus on creating the best and most unique videos and crafts you can.

Of course, utilizing both YouTube and Facebook in addition to an optimized web page is a surefire way to set yourself up for success. The more avenues you can use to reach potential customers and get your amazing crafts out there, the better.

Tips to Successfully Selling Crafts Online

Let’s face it: it’s pretty intimidating to start selling your crafts. But you’re not the first one to do it, and we have the benefit of wisdom from those who have come before you.

Here are some tips and advice we can learn from more experienced crafts sellers.

Don’t overlook the small details.

You may be too in deep with your online crafts business that you forget to restock your raw materials, order more custom packaging, or get shipping supplies.

Monitor your supplies and schedule your supply runs regularly. I know this sounds more work on top of making the crafts and maintaining your online shops, but trust me, you’ll wish you’d have done it when you’re frantically rummaging in drawers for packing tape or looking where to buy yarn at 3 in the morning.

Learn how to do product photography.

Product photos are the first and only impression potential buyers would have of your products. They can’t touch, feel, or smell the products, so they’ll rely on the photos to see all the details and estimate their sizes.

You can actually put together a mini-studio for cheap; you can even create a photo lightbox out of nothing more than bond paper and tape.

It’s the actual training and practice that you’ll have to invest in, especially learning a particular style and aesthetic that fits your brand identity.

You want a consistent look and feel for all your product photos, even if you’re showcasing different products.

Trust in yourself and your work, but be open to feedback and change.

It takes a lot of time, dedication, and patience to sell crafts, and if you second-guess your talent and skills, as well as how great your product is, you’ll probably just give up.

Put your passion into making crafts that you love and know that other people will love, too.

On the other hand, if you’ve been at it for months and even years and you’re still not going anywhere, you may have to change something.

Listen to your buyers when they tell you what they liked and what they didn’t like and use that to improve your products or maybe even focus on other products instead.

Start Selling Your Crafts Online Today!

There’s a lot of information here, which might seem overwhelming. But the great thing is that you aren’t limited to just one choice.

If you decide to sell on Etsy and other stores in addition to running your own e-commerce website then you’re fully free to do so. In the end, making the most out of each platform that is available to you is what will spell success for your crafts business.

The other great part about this is that you aren’t reinventing the wheel. Plenty of other sellers have had success with their own sites and online stores like Etsy, and you can learn from them.

Are you currently into arts and crafts? Are you considering selling your creations? Share your plans with us in the comments!

6 Legit Ways to Get Paid to Advertise

Companies are increasingly turning to individuals to advertise their products and services. So even if you don’t have a marketing degree and hold a full-time job, you can get paid to advertise for companies.

Traditionally, large companies promoted themselves on TV, in billboards, magazines, newspapers, and other media.

But now that everything is digital, advertising has also moved to digital platforms like websites and social media.

And with the rise of influencer culture, companies have found a way to maximize the ROI on their advertising budget by working with individuals instead of working solely with marketing companies.

This, in turn, opened up opportunities for individuals to make money on the side by advertising for companies that fits their needs, skills, and their schedule.

Here are some legit ways you can start getting paid to advertise for companies.

6 Ways to Get Paid to Advertise for Companies

How much money you make by following the methods outlined below will depend on the option you choose and how much effort you put in.

Some options require little effort but don’t yield a lot of income while others might offer a steady enough salary for you to quit your full-time job. You can, of course, make money through advertising by doing any or all of these at the same time.

1. Create Your Own Blog

Creating a blog on your own website can be a great way to make money through advertising. Practically anyone can do it provided they find the right niche and work hard to increase their audience.

All you need to start your own blog is a computer and a web page to share your ideas on. It’s recommended to set up your own website so you’ll have more control over the topics you can write about and your advertising options. However, many beginners start with a free blog site, such as Blogger.

Before you can successfully advertise on your blog, though, you need to grow your audience first. The more followers you have, the more advertising opportunities you’ll get and the greater your earning potential.

Getting paid to advertise on your blog can be one of two ways: rent out ad space on your blog or create sponsored posts.

Ad Space

Once your blog reaches a certain number of followers, companies may pay you to display their product or service to your visitors.

This is commonly through display ads through the sidebar or the bottom of the page.

You can start with Google Adsense early on, as there is no minimum number of visitors required to join, but your earnings will be in cents at the early stages.

Sponsored Posts

Sponsored blog posts are articles mentioning a product or service of the brand, or solely about the brand itself, for which the brand pays you for the exposure.

For instance, a smartphone manufacturer can sponsor a post listing the top smartphones one should have and listing their smartphone as the top option.

Or they can send you a smartphone for you to write a product review blog post that they’ll sponsor.

Important: Always disclose sponsored blog posts. Not only does this transparency build trust with your followers but it’s also the law.

You can get started with sponsored posts by waiting for brands to reach you, reaching out to brands, or joining sponsored posts networks that connect brands to bloggers.

Here are some of the top sponsored post networks you can join.

2. Become a Social Media Influencer

This works much the same as blogging does, except you don’t necessarily have to write about what you’re advertising. Instagram and Facebook brand ambassadors get paid to take photos of themselves or the products they are promoting, while YouTubers usually get paid to either talk about or review products.

Naturally, getting paid to advertise as a social media influencer requires that you have a large following on your chosen platform.

How to make quick money:

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.

There are different ways to approach affiliate marketing through social media, and I’ve set up handy guides if you’re looking to get started on any of these platforms:

3. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is an advertising model where companies pay a commission to affiliates to advertise their products and services and generate sales.

You’re given affiliate links that you promote online. Every time a link gets clicked by a reader or viewer and that click leads to a sale, you get a commission.

It is one of the most effective ways to get paid to advertise online. First, you don’t have to build up too many followers to start. Also, once it’s been established, it can turn into passive income.

This is normally found under blogging, but affiliate marketing deserves its own entry because you can actually promote affiliate links through different channels, not just blogging.

Aside from your blog posts, you can share affiliate links on your social media posts, videos, landing page, and newsletters.

To start with affiliate marketing, you can look for companies that have “Affiliate Program,” “Affiliates,” or “Partner With Us” on their websites.

Or you can join an affiliate network, which connects affiliate marketers to companies offering affiliate program opportunities.

The following are some of the best affiliate networks to join:

Important: Just like sponsored posts, disclosing affiliate links is mandated by the law. Whenever a link is used on your website that results in a commission, you must tell your site visitors.

If you want to know more, I’ve put together this practical guide on how to get started with affiliate marketing if you’re looking to be one.

Another option, if you’re a complete beginner, is the Wealthy Affiliate training program which teaches everything you need to know; I’ve also reviewed them if you want to check that out.

4. Use Legitimate Car-Wrap Advertising Companies

Car wraps are probably the most well-known way of getting paid to advertise. It’s also one of the best ways to get scammed.

There are plenty of examples out there of people getting scammed in this way. But is it possible to actually make money by getting a car wrap?

The short answer: Yes, it is possible if you drive around a lot in big cities.

Legitimate car wrap advertising companies like Carvertise and Wrapify do exist but getting a gig with them is conditional.

Both have different requirements, but in general, they will require that you own a newer car, that it isn’t damaged, and that you have a clean driving record.

They will also require that you drive a certain amount of hours or distance every week during the campaign.

If you don’t fancy putting a huge sticker on the outside of your car, then you can opt for getting paid to show ads inside your car from companies like Vugo.

They only target drivers for ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft, however.

5. Skinvertising

Not every money-making opportunity involving your body has to be illegal.

Skinvertising involves having an advertisement tattooed on your body, whether permanently or temporarily.

There used to be a site called Lease Your Body that was a marketplace for companies and willing participants for tattoos.

Of course, you’ll need to be aware of the risks of tattoos before you go this route, but if this isn’t your first time and you’re still willing to do this, there are ways to make it happen.

You can auction off parts of your body as advertising space on eBay. Or you can reach out to brands directly and offer to do it.

6. Wear T-Shirts With Ads

T-shirts emblazoned with a company website or name and logo can be distributed by companies and they can pay individuals to walk around for a number of hours in high-traffic places to advertise their brand.

While this is a legitimate way to get paid for advertising, the opportunities are few and far between. Right now, influencers and celebrities get paid to wear branded clothing and post them on their social media to promote them.

But if you don’t mind going the extra mile, you can certainly reach out to companies to offer to wear clothes with their brand in exchange for a fee.

Jason Zook famously made a million dollars doing this way back in 2009, so there might still be a market for this.

Beware of Shady Companies and Scams

The methods I mention here are tried and trusted but always make sure to be on the lookout for scams. Tapping into the world of advertising can be a lucrative deal but its sheer size means there are plenty of ways to get scammed.

Always approach an opportunity with a bit of skepticism.

Here’s why:

You don’t want to waste your time or get roped into some scheme that will end up seeing either your money or identity stolen. Criminals are wily and they will take any opportunity to fool you out of your money or personal information.

A general rule of thumb is to use a separate email address (and password!) for your side-hustling ventures and to never click on any links sent to you if you can enter the web address yourself.

Also, and this goes almost without saying, you will never be required to pay for the chance to work with a legitimate company.

They should only be paying you.

I’ve outlined a number of red flags to pay attention to in my recent post on how to make money posting ads. All of them apply here as well.

The Bottom Line

By now I’ve researched plenty of ways to earn a living through various side hustles.

Some require a lot of effort and skill, while others have much fewer and simpler requirements, and I still find new ways to make money.

Often, the only real requirement to getting a side-gig is that you have a go-getter attitude.

Getting paid to advertise is pretty flexible and doesn’t fit into any one category, but it is one of the best ways to make a passive income, and you can put in as much or as little effort as you want.

Ready to get paid to advertise? Which one of these methods are you interested in? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!

How To Make Money Doing Everyday Things

How To Make Money Doing Everyday Things In 202

What if I told you that you can make money doing everyday things?

We can always use some extra money, whether it’s to buy the newest gadget, save for a rainy day, or invest in a fund to get even more money.

You might think that to get extra money, you’ll have to do an extra job.

But what if I told you that you can squeeze some dollars from your ordinary, daily tasks?

And you wouldn’t have to make drastic changes in your lifestyle?

Well, it’s true!

In fact, here are 16 ways to make money doing everyday things.

16 Ways To Make Money Doing Everyday Things

Here are some everyday things that you can make money from without exerting much effort or changing up too much of your routine.

1. Listen to music online.

Yup, just plug in your headphones, listen to some music, and get paid!

You can either download an app from a market research company and listen to your usual music. The app will let them know what type of music you normally listen to.

Or you can listen to internet radio with ads and get a portion of the ad revenue.

Here are a few ways you can get paid to listen to music.

2. Do simple online tasks.

Swagbucks is mainly known for its surveys, but it offers points for doing so many other everyday tasks.

The easiest way is to switch your default search engine to Swagbucks instead of Google. This way, you can start racking up points for surfing the web as you would normally do.

It’s simple to start, too: create your free account, claim your signup bonus, choose a task, and start earning points. At a certain point threshold, you can exchange these points for cash or gift cards.

3. Take photos on your phone.

Phone taking pictures of food

If you love taking pictures on your mobile phone and can find ways to make even the most mundane moments look interesting, you might find the Foap app interesting to use.

The Foap app (available in the App Store and in Google Play Store) provides a platform for amateur photographers to upload their photos and videos, where companies, advertisers, and website owners can then buy these photos for royalty-free use.

If you sell a photo on the app, you get 50% of whatever the buyer pays, which can be anywhere from $2 to $60, and even $80 for photos that get transferred to Getty Images.

Read more about how you can get paid to take pictures with your phone using Foap.

4. Go shopping.

Market research companies want to know what people are buying and what people want, and that’s why there are plenty of cashback apps around that you can sign up for.

These companies are willing to pay you in exchange for your shopping information.

An example of an app that gives you cash for your purchases is Ibotta. Not only does it look for coupons and discounts for you but also, it will give you cashback when you take a picture of your receipt.

Remember to only enroll in cashback programs and apps that include stores that you really buy from. It defeats the purpose if you have to go out of your way to shop at stores you don’t normally shop at.

5. Unlock your Android phone.

How many times do you unlock your phone and see if there are any notifications?

Just made you look, didn’t I?

Why not earn some change from unlocking your phone?

Download the S’more app on your phone and earn points from looking at relevant ads and content on your lockscreen. Exchange points for gift cards from major retailers.

6. Drive.

Have to drive to town every day to get to work, or occasionally to run an errand? Are you planning to go on a road trip soon?

Why not drop off a package while you’re at it and earn some cash?

Sign up as a driver with Roadie and get matched with gigs that are going on the same route as you are and earn discounts and cash for your trouble.

Since you’re only driving packages, not people, you don’t need to give up an inch of your personal space and privacy.

Plus, you get to choose which jobs to take; you can make money every day of the week, or choose a few days a week to drive and deliver packages.

If this interests you, check out how you can get paid to deliver cars as well.

7. Watch or stream on your phone or smart TV.

Netflix and chill?

How about Netflix and earn?

Download the TV-TWO app on your phone and smart TV (Samsung or LG), watch your usual videos, shows, and movies, and earn cryptocurrency for every second you watch.

8. Walk your dog.

Get paid to walk dogs

If you have a dog and you’re going on a walk, why not find other dogs in your area that need to be walked?

You can simply promote your service to your neighbors, or sign up on an app like Rover as a dog walker.

9. Exercise.

Everyone wants to be a little bit (or a lot) healthier this coming year.

If you’re trying to build that habit of exercising daily, you might as well get paid to lose weight.

Apps like DietBet and stickK allow you to set goals, bet a certain amount of money that you’ll achieve those goals, and then win money for achieving those goals.

The catch is that if you don’t achieve those goals, you’ll lose the money that you bet. That’s the motivation for you to achieve those goals.

Or, if the thought of possibly losing money doesn’t motivate you, sign up for Achievement instead. You don’t risk any money; this app rewards you with points for doing healthy things for yourself.

The great thing is that exercising is not the only behavior it rewards.

You get points for keeping a food diary, meditating, and answering health-related surveys that give you some insight into your own health.

These points can be exchanged for cash or donated to charity.

10. Play video games.

If you love playing video games and are good at it, why not squeeze a few dollars from it?

Sign up for an account on Twitch and start streaming yourself playing your games.

To earn a few dollars, add a donation button (at least at first), collect subscribers, and earn ad revenue as you continue playing.

11. Hang out in other people’s houses.

Being a house sitter allows you to make money from what you normally do every day, just in another person’s house.

Of course, you’d probably have to do activities out of your normal routine, such as basic housekeeping (i.e., don’t be a pig), pet sitting, watering plants, getting the mail, and other menial tasks.

Applying as a house sitter will take some time and effort, but once you’re hired and staying in the house you’re taking care of, it doesn’t demand much from you.

12. Download an app.

You download apps for many other reasons.

How about downloading an app that pays you $50 just to download their app?

The Nielsen Computer & Mobile Panel only asks that you install their apps so they can collect your (non-personally identifiable) internet usage data.

In return, they’ll give you $50 if you keep the app installed for a year. You’ll also get entered into their sweepstakes, where it’s possible to win $10,000 a month.

Who knew downloading an app and using the internet as you normally do can be possibly this lucrative?

13. Read.

For someone who likes books and loves getting to read books by new authors, getting paid to read books sounds ideal.

Apply to be a reviewer on a per-book basis on sites such as Online Book Club and Writerful Books to not only get free books but also to get paid $5 to $60 per review.

14. Recycle.

Helping save the environment is good.

Getting paid to do it? Even better!

Take a look at what you consume and discard every day: glass bottles, aluminum cans, cardboard boxes from your online purchases (not judging!), egg cartons, toilet paper rolls, and many more.

From now on, think twice before you throw away this stuff. Here are some ways you can get paid to recycle.

15. Be a friend.

People are increasingly becoming isolated, and meeting new people and making friends has been difficult. The recent pandemic certainly didn’t help.

Websites such as RentAFriend make it easier for lonely souls to find people to spend time with or even just to talk to once in a while. Sign up to be a friend and get paid for your time while getting to meet new people and experience new things.

If real-world interactions aren’t your thing, or you’re concerned about your safety, you might feel more comfortable signing up to sites such as RentaCyberFriend where the interactions are all virtual.

Keep in mind that these aren’t escort sites, adult sites, or dating sites. The interactions here are strictly platonic.

16. Sleep.

Of all the everyday activities you can be paid for, this may be the most unexpected.

Paid sleep studies help researchers study sleep-related problems and disorders so that treatments could be developed for them.

Look for ongoing sleep studies in ClinicalTrials.gov, a database of paid clinical studies currently being done.

Most of them require that you’re onsite for the whole duration of the study, but some studies allow you to stay out and then go back to the facility to sleep.

The Bottom Line

Of course, in terms of earning a steady income, nothing will ever beat getting a great online job or starting your own online business.

But it’s nice to know that one can make money from doing everyday things and that you can earn extra cash without stressing out too much.

Have you ever tried to make money from everyday stuff? Which one of these ways I enumerated above sounds most interesting? Sound off in the comments!

Drone Pilot Jobs: How to Make Money Flying Drones

From military to recreational to commercial use, drones have plenty of applications. Thus, drone pilot jobs are increasingly becoming in demand.

Before 2006, the use of drones or UAVs (for unmanned aerial vehicles) was mainly for military applications, such as surveillance, decoy, and weapon.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued its first commercial drone permit, and both the government and private companies used drone technology for various applications.

Later on, personal and recreational drones became big, as cheaper versions of drones without the sophisticated software and sensors required by commercial drones became available for amateurs.

Today, both consumer and commercial drones are increasingly used for several applications in multiple industries.

Along with that increase in demand is a growing need for pilots to operate them. Just because they’re unmanned doesn’t mean they don’t need humans to operate them (unless they’re automated drones, but that’s for another article).

In this article, I’ll discuss how to be a drone pilot and what drone pilot jobs are out there.

How to Become a Professional Drone Pilot

Flying a drone requires very specific skills, training, and certification, which all costs money. If you’re determined to succeed, though, your earnings should exceed your investment.

Education

Even if you know how to fly a drone recreationally, it’s still wise to take drone courses, especially if you find courses that are specific to the industry that you’re interested in working.

Some of the schools or learning institutions can even assist you with getting your FAA certification.

A simple Google search will pull up many results, but here are some of the recommended ones:

Equipment

Freelancers must provide their own drones for their services. This is not a simple purchase; a quality commercial drone can cost at least $2,000. If you’re looking for a trusted brand, there’s nothing better than DJI, hands down.

You’ll also have to download drone apps to your smartphone as well as software on your computer.

Some drone accessories that are useful in commercial applications include an extra controller, shade, extra batteries, GPS tracker, emergency tool kit, extra data storage, and bags or backpacks to house your drone.

Certification and Registration

Around 99% of the time, drone pilot jobs require you to have a commercial drone license; that is, if you stand to profit from flying your drone, the FAA has to sign off on it.

For first-time pilots applying for what’s called a Part 107 License, you would need to be at least 16 years old, able to read, write, speak, and understand English, and physically and mentally fit to safely fly a drone.

Take the aeronautical knowledge test (“Unmanned Aircraft General – Small (UAG)”) in one of the FAA’s approved testing centers. Once you pass that, apply for a remote pilot certificate, which will be sent both digitally and physically to you.

Afterward, if you’re going to fly your own drones, you’ll need to register them with the FAA, and you need to mark the drones with the registration numbers.

For more details, read the complete information on the FAA website.

How much can a Drone Pilot make?

Full-time drone pilots can make anywhere from $58,000 to $96,000 a year.

The money you can make as a drone pilot depends on several things, including what industry you’re in, how much time you spend marketing your services, the quality of your work, your reputation, and many more.

Freelancers have more flexibility when charging clients.

If you were contracted to take drone photos, you can get paid from $70 to $250 per picture. Mapping, inspection, deliveries, or search and rescue fees are usually set on a case-to-case basis.

But this can still depend on your client.

For example, real estate agencies getting a drone shot of a million-dollar property can bank higher than other gigs. In most cases, you’ll be able to charge higher from corporate clients than from the government or from individuals.

Industries That Offer Drone Pilot Jobs

1. Filmmaking

This is probably the most familiar way that drones are used.

If you’ve ever watched a film in the last five years that starts with an aerial view of a town or scenery, that shot was probably made by a drone.

It’s a bit hard to break into the film industry if you’re not connected or if you don’t live in LA or New York, but send in your resume to production companies, both the big ones and the smaller indie ones, include a demo reel of aerial shots you’ve done, and you may just have an in.

Alternatively, you can go into amateur filmmaking, especially for events such as weddings. You’d be surprised at how many couples would like an aerial shot of the wedding venue (the church, garden, or beach) and the reception in their video.

2. Real Estate

UAVs have been providing realtors with a new perspective that hasn’t been possible before. With aerial videos, still photos, and 3D maps created from data captured by drones, potential buyers can now get a comprehensive view of the property they’re considering buying.

3. Journalism

News helicopters used to be the norm when covering news from an aerial perspective, such as traffic situations, disasters, or wide-scale attacks.

Nowadays, news organizations are using drones to lessen the human risk, the cost, and interference to the scene.

Depending on FAA regulations and what your license allows you to do, you may even be able to cover demonstrations, sports events, and events that have crowds

4. Building and Infrastructure Inspection

Drones are also great as tools for inspection of hard-to-reach areas, such as communication towers, bridges, wells, rooftops, and chimneys of everything from houses to skyscrapers, cables, remote stations and so much more.

Safety inspections, ironically, can be dangerous for the people who normally do this job, so having a drone do the inspection of structures that are on precarious heights.

5. Construction and Mining

Surveying potential and ongoing construction sites used to cost a lot, in terms of both money and time.

UAVs are now used to conduct aerial surveys over a large area to collect photographic and GPS data, which are then processed in specialized computer software to create a digital 3D map of the area.

Once this information is available, those in charge can now decide where they can or can’t start construction.

Mines and quarries do the same thing where they survey a digging site and decide where to dig and where to stockpile materials. They can also determine the volume of a stockpile from the information they gathered.

6. Insurance

Insurance companies are using drones more and more to assess insurance claims for property damage, whether it’s because of fire, weather, or water damage.

Not only does it take longer for manual inspections, but the site can also be a dangerous place to be due to structural damage and the aftermath of what caused the damage.

7. Energy

Wind farms, pipelines, and solar panels are massive and can cost a lot to inspect and troubleshoot. The trans-Alaska pipeline, for example, runs 800 miles. A single leak along those 800 miles can result in environmental damage and financial loss.

Drones with thermal cameras can go along the pipeline and detect leaks and weak spots along the pipeline much cheaper than using a helicopter.

Wind farms, on the other hand, have plenty of turbines, which can rise up hundreds of feet off the ground. Inspecting by helicopter can be impractical here, and drones can do a much better job.

8. Agriculture

You can work with farmers to improve their crop yields by flying a UAV to take photos of their crops and identify which areas need attention.

You can also set up pest-control, irrigation, and crop-planting strategies using mapping and imaging technologies in drones.

9. Search and Rescue

As far as drone pilot jobs go, this may be one of the high-stakes ones but also one of the most rewarding.

At the scenes of accidents or natural disasters, some areas may not be easily accessible by humans and makes search and rescue highly difficult.

Police and fire departments can use drones to survey an inaccessible area to locate people in need of help and divert resources much more efficiently.

While often a voluntary position, you can find search and rescue employment with the government, Red Cross, and other organizations.

10. Package Delivery

Drone delivery is being developed as the next big thing in ecommerce, but the sheer volume of orders would likely crowd residential airspaces, which is not an ideal situation.

Amazon first announced Prime Air in 2013 but hasn’t rolled it out completely.

Some of the companies currently doing this in a limited capacity include DHL, Wing, and Zipline.

Non-profit organizations, hospitals, institutions, and other private companies have been incorporating drone deliveries to clients located in areas hard to reach by vehicles.

However, handling delivery drones is a bit different, since the equipment is more heavy-duty than regular photography drones to be able to carry loads seamlessly.

11. Security

Professional security agencies have explored drones as a surveillance tool, especially in wide areas.

While drones cannot shoo trespassers on the spot, video capture can help in monitoring or documenting multiple areas at a time.

Drones are also being used in private investigations, making it safer for people in the security and surveillance industries to do their jobs. And because drones today can have thermal imaging, HD videos, and other advanced features, drones can survey an area even at a distance and still reach the intended target.

12. Law Enforcement

Drones are useful for tactical operations when stealth is needed, such as pursuing an active shooter in a wooded area or in a crowded building.

Border protection agents can also use drones to monitor a wide area of land, sea, and airspace to detect and track unauthorized vehicles, ships, aircraft, and persons.

These are high-risk operations and thus require great skills from the drone pilot.

The mapping capabilities of some drones also help in crime scene mapping, when evidence is spread over a wide area and criminologists want to study how evidence was dispersed.

You can find drone pilot jobs in both local and federal police bureaus, as well as through the US Customs and Border Protection website.

Other Places To Find Drone Pilot Jobs

There are networks and job boards that are specific to drone pilots of varying skills, experience, and expertise. Here are some of the websites you can check out.

  • DroneBase — Sign up as a pilot and get tons of opportunities to fly drone missions for clients near you.
  • Droners.IO — Network of commercial pilots, probably the world’s largest. Allows those who need drone pilots to post jobs on their website where pilots can bid on them.
  • DroneHive — To sign up to be a drone pilot with them, you need to be able to fly a DJI rotocopter with 20mp sensor. Works with many large corporations.
  • Hire UAV Pro — Connects companies to professional pilots worldwide.

Alternatively, you can go into Google or general job boards and search for “drone pilot jobs,” “UAV operator jobs,” or “UAV pilot jobs.”

The Future of Drone Pilot Jobs: Your Own Business

The drone pilot jobs you can get hired for are mostly on a freelance basis.

However, if you branch out on your own and start growing a fleet of drones, you open up more earning possibilities and maybe even hire a team of your own drone pilots to operate your drones.

You can choose from the industries I’ve listed above or you can find your own niche. Either way, the potential business opportunities are extensive. In fact, a recent report by Research Dive found that the global UAV drone market is expected to grow to around $55.65 million by 2027.

The Bottom Line

Drones do work with a sophisticated remote control, but it doesn’t mean everyone who has had video game practice can do this.

Flying drones is still a unique skill and the drones themselves aren’t cheap, so you’d have to be careful with your equipment while mastering how to fly.

Now that you know how to make money with a drone, you’d have to practice religiously and learn everything you can about the local and state laws of flying drones. Generally, the FAA is the authority of all things flying over the skies, but this agency also won’t save you if your drone flying ways break local or state laws.

Whether you’re going to do this as a freelancer or set up a business around drones, make sure you give leeway for maintenance (or replacement). Track the drone’s mileage and prepare money for emergencies (missing/damaged drones).

If you’re really interested in flying drones as a way of income, you have to understand that this isn’t an easy way to make money. You do have control over how far you want to scale this business and since the market isn’t saturated yet, there’s a chance you can break into a niche industry that nobody hasn’t thought of yet.

Do you know how to fly drones? Do any of these drone pilot jobs sound interesting to you? Tell us in the comments!

Outdoor Jobs: 40+ Careers in the Great Outdoors

Not everyone can thrive in a four-walled, fluorescent-lighted environment for 9, 10, 12 hours a day. For those people, outdoor jobs seem like a better fit than traditional office jobs.

Working outdoors gives you literally more space to explore. The sun on your face (outside the danger hours, that is), the fresh air in your lungs, and being able to move around all have positive effects on your health.

Some people have a bias against outdoor jobs; for some reason, they think they’re nothing but menial and low-paying jobs.

Actually, many of these jobs require degrees and specialized skills, and thus pay higher than expected.

If you feel like you’d be happier exploring jungles, guiding tourists on off-the-beaten paths, hiking to the peak of the mountains, taking pictures of Mother Nature, diving deep to rescue sea creatures, skiing to your heart’s content, or making your life into an adventure, all while earning money, then this list can change your life.

Types of Outdoor Jobs

You’d find two types of outdoor jobs – one that requires a degree, and the other that is skills-based.

When I list the jobs below, I’ll note down if they’re available year-round or seasonal, requirements needed for the job, and income potential.

Wilderness Outdoor Jobs

The wilderness is any area uncultivated and uninhabited by human beings.

1. Wildland Firefighters

  • Year-round and seasonal job
  • Income: $52,500/year
  • Requires high school diploma or equivalent; physical training, fire science training, medical training, certification

These brave men and women are front and center when forest and wildland fires occur. It’s a dangerous yet noble job.

They’re also involved in wildlife fire prevention and may be tapped by the US Forest Service or the US Fish & Wildlife Service for projects related to natural resources.

2. Wilderness or Backpacking Guide

  • Year-round and seasonal
  • Income: $30,000/year
  • Experience and skill-based

This job isn’t for the faint of heart.

Adventure seekers want to go to the wilderness for thrills, but not all of them know how to survive in the wild. They hire wilderness guides to help them through their adventure.

Because you’re leading people in uncharted lands, you have to be aware of the terrain, habitat, and everything else about the area you’re backpacking in. Perfect for people with extensive experience in hiking, hunting, fishing, and basically living off the land. They should also master outdoor survival skills.

3. Park Ranger

  • Year-round
  • Income: $40,000/year
  • Requires a bachelor’s degree, forestry, conservation, environmental science preferred; physical training, medical training; communication skills

Park rangers patrol state and national parks to ensure that visitors are following the rules and not disrupting the natural environment for both flora and fauna.

They also conduct tours and educational presentations with a special focus on making visitors understand the importance of conservation. Park rangers are also trained to reporting and caring for wounded and hurt humans and animals.

4. Forester

  • Year-round
  • Income: $70,000/year
  • Requires a bachelor’s degree in forestry

Foresters manage the growth of trees (and the type of tree species to be planted) in relation to the survival of plant and animal species within a particular forest.

Timber foresters look after privately owned farms and forests owned by timber companies to make sure the harvesting of timber does not harm the ecosystem. Conservation foresters assess the impact of human activity on animals and plants and recommend declaring a forest as protected when needed.

5. Conservation Scientist

  • Year-round
  • Income: $64,000/year
  • Requires a bachelor’s degree in forestry, environmental planning, natural resource conservation, or other related fields

A conservation scientist manages the overall land quality of natural resources such as forests and parks.

They work with local, state, and federal governments, as well as private landowners to devise ways to maximize the use of the land while protecting the environment.

Science-Related Outdoor Jobs

Many scientists work in the field since they study and explore water, land, air, and living things around the country and sometimes around the world.

Most of these careers in the science industry are high-paying outdoor jobs, especially those that require doctorate degrees.

6. Archaeologist

  • Year-round
  • Income: $66,000/year
  • Requires a graduate degree in archaeology or anthropology; internship or volunteer fieldwork

Many kids dream of becoming an archaeologist; all that digging around and finding ancient treasures sound pretty cool to a kid.

Archaeologists plan and execute excavations, retrieve and analyze artifacts, and publish and present their results in academic journals and academic conferences.

7. Animal Trainer

  • Year-round and seasonal
  • Income: $30,000 to $75,000/year
  • Requires bachelor’s degree, preferably in an animal-related field such as animal behavior, zoology, veterinary technology, and the like; requires genuine love for animals; medical training

Animal trainers that work with huge animals usually work outdoors and paid more than animal trainers that work with smaller animals.

If you’re wondering about the wide salary range, it’s because your payment depends on the animal you’re hired to train, your experience, and the conditions you’ll be training in.

For instance, training horses in a ranch pays less than training elephants in a zoo or a circus.

8. Botanist

  • Year-round
  • Income: $69,000/year
  • Requires a bachelor’s degree, preferably in botany, but can be in plant science, biology, or another closely related field; requires advanced research skills

Botanists study plant life—processes, reproduction, and evolution—and how it relates to their surroundings and other organisms. The ultimate goal of their research is to help with medicine, environmental policy, conservation, and agriculture.

9. Geoscientist

  • Year-round
  • Income: $93,000/year
  • Requires a bachelor’s degree in geology or other geoscience-related fields; requires a license to be a Professional Geoscientist

Geoscientists study the earth’s composition, structure, and other physical attributes, such as minerals and rocks. They do his mostly by collecting and analyzing samples, preparing scientific reports, and presenting their findings to clients, the academe, and other interested parties.

10. Entomologist

  • Year-round
  • Income: $61,000/year
  • Requires a doctoral degree in entomology

Anyone who ever loved creepy crawlies as a child could grow up to become an entomologist and study insects’ behavior, life cycle, ecology, population, and taxonomy. Industries that hire entomologists include agriculture, veterinary, medicine, law enforcement, and many other industries.

11. Marine Biologist

  • Year-round
  • Income: $62,000/year
  • Requires a bachelor’s degree in marine biology; extensive undersea training and diving experience

Probably every kid who saw Finding Nemo was enthralled by the underwater environment portrayed in the movie.

Marine biologists get up close and personal with marine organisms right in their habitat. Their research work involves species inventories, monitoring their movement, collecting and testing of water samples, and preserving specimens and samples of new species.

12. Environmental Scientist

  • Year-round and seasonal
  • Income: voluntary to $73,000/year
  • Requires a bachelor’s degree in environmental science; requires training for handling hazardous materials in the environment.

Environmental scientists collect and analyze samples of environmental materials and determine contamination due to human activities and industry. The information gathered is then used toward preventing, controlling, and fixing environmental problems so that natural resources and habitats are preserved.

13. Zoologist

  • Year-round and seasonal
  • Income: $66,000/year
  • Requires a bachelor’s degree in zoology or other related fields, such as wildlife biology or ecology

Zoologists observe animals in their natural surroundings, including their characteristics, diseases, reproduction, movement, and interactions with other animals and their environment. The goal is usually to conserve wildlife.

14. Volcanologist

  • Year-round
  • Income: $90,000/year
  • Requires a graduate degree in geology, earth science, geophysics, or other similar fields; specialized training in volcanology

Volcanologists collect samples and data on volcanic activity to learn how they erupt and how to predict future eruptions for the safety of the local populations.

15. Geographer

  • Year-round
  • Income: $85,000/year
  • Requires a bachelor’s degree in geography; certification in Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

As a geographer, you study the earth, land, nature, and its inhabitants by collecting data through maps, photographs, satellite imagery, and interviews with the locals.

16. Seismologist

  • Year-round
  • Income: $90,000/year
  • Requires a graduate degree in geophysics, geochemistry, or other similar fields; specialized training in seismology and instrumentation

Seismology is the study of earthquakes, seismic waves, and other related phenomena, such as volcanic eruptions, and other events that shift the tectonic plates and release energy. The aim is to be able to predict when the next big earthquake happens so that locals can get ready.

17. Ichthyologist

  • Year-round
  • Income: $57,000/year
  • Requires a bachelor’s degree in marine biology, marine ecology, zoology; extensive experience and training in diving

Ichthyology is all about the study of fish and involves studying fish found in various bodies of water, such as the sea, lakes, rivers, ponds, and others. The goal is to analyze human impact on fish populations and highlight the importance of fish in various ecosystems.

18. Hydrologist

  • Year-round
  • Income: $84,000/year
  • Requires a bachelor’s degree in hydrology or other related fields such as geoscience or earth science

Hydrologists study water in the Earth’s crust; how it moves, how precipitation affects groundwater, and how changes in the environment and human activities impact water quality and quantity. Their research is used in studying floods, droughts, water pollution, and other water-related problems.

Engineering-Related Outdoor Jobs

Not all engineering jobs are office jobs; some of them can be done outdoors. These jobs often require bachelor’s degrees and engineering licenses or certificates.

19. Land Surveyor

  • Year-round
  • Income: $66,000/year
  • Requires a bachelor’s degree in surveying and mapping, surveying and geomatics, or surveying engineering technology

Land surveyors make precise measurements and gather data about the shape and contour of the land to determine property boundaries. This information is useful in construction, mapmaking, and urban planning projects.

20. Cartographer

  • Seasonal and year-round
  • Income: $68,000/year
  • Requires a bachelor’s degree in geography or cartography

Maps remain an integral part of everyday life. As a cartographer, you compile geographic data from ground surveys, aerial photographs, and satellite images, and use this information to create drawings of maps in graphic or digital form.

21. Urban Planner

  • Year-round
  • Income: $76,000/year
  • Requires a graduate degree in urban and regional planning

Urban planners identify community needs, study economic and environmental studies, and develop land use plans to build streets, buildings, public parks, transportations systems, and everything else a city needs to thrive.

22. Landscape Architect

  • Year-round
  • Income: $70,000/year
  • Requires a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture; requires a state license to be a Landscape Architect

Landscape architects design, plan, and supervise construction on projects that develop or restore open spaces for private houses, commercial buildings, campuses, and other structures.

Agriculture Outdoor Jobs

You’d be surprised that these careers are some of the best outdoor jobs that pay well.

23. Vineyard Manager

  • Seasonal
  • Income: $90,000/year
  • Requires a high school diploma or equivalent; requires experience in working the vineyards

Vineyard managers oversee grape farming, managing staff, and quality assurance. They also ensure that the agricultural procedures followed are sustainable and don’t harm the environment.

24. Arborist

  • Year-round and seasonal
  • Income: $48,000/year
  • Requires a high school degree or equivalent; requires experience in arboriculture; requires certification to be an Arborist or Climbing Arborist; requires certification to handle heavy equipment

As an arborist, you are tasked to cut trees and trim plants, shrubs, and bushes to protect power lines, sidewalks, and roads.

25. Agronomist

  • Year-round and seasonal
  • Income: $52,000/year
  • Requires a bachelor’s degree in agronomy or other related fields, such as agriculture or food science

Agronomists, also known as crop scientists, study different methods plants can be used for food, medicine, and other ways for the good of society. They help in improving crop yield and plant longevity.

26. Commercial Fisherman

  • Seasonal
  • Income: $30,000 to $80,000/year
  • Requires a high school diploma or equivalent; requires certification in commercial fishing and fishing technology

As a commercial fisherman, you’ll be gathering fish or other aquatic animals mostly for human consumption. Some fishermen spend months at a time at sea.

27. Farmer

  • Seasonal and year-round
  • Income: $20,000 to $110,000/year
  • Requires a high school diploma or equivalent; requires experience in working in a farm or a field

Farmers grow crops and take care of animals on farms. You can be employed on a farm all year-round or seasonally. You can also be the owner of the farm and be hands-on or manage farmhands to do the actual labor.

These factors, as well as the type of farm you own or manage, will dictate how much you earn.

28. Hunter/Hunting Guide

  • Seasonal and year-round
  • Income: $17,000 to $50,000/year
  • Requires a high school diploma or equivalent; requires a license to operate hunting trips; have leadership skills

Professional hunters and trappers are trained to hunt animals, but they earn money mostly by guiding clients on organized hunting expeditions.

29. Livestock Rancher

  • Year-round
  • Income: $30,000 to $100,000/year
  • Requires no formal education; requires licenses and permits to manage your own ranch

As livestock ranchers, you’d raise large animals, such as horses, sheep, pigs, and cows, for profit.

30. Beekeeper

  • Seasonal and year-round
  • Income: $20,000 to $80,000/year
  • Requires training and hands-on experience in beekeeping

Beekeepers take care of beehives to yield honey and sell other bee byproducts like beeswax, propolis, or bee venom

Art-Related Outdoor Jobs

This industry embraces freedom like no other, so the list below is surely just the tip of the iceberg. I guarantee you if you look a lot closer, you’d find outdoor jobs hiding in plain sight in the art world.

31. Outdoor Photographer

  • Seasonal and year-round
  • Income: $25,000 to $110,000/year
  • Requires considerable photography skills and experience shooting outdoors

Outdoor photographers may specialize in anything from landscapes, travel, animals and wildlife, news beats, and so on. Most are freelancers, but outdoor photographers can also seek traditional employment with companies like National Geographic and other similar magazines worldwide.

32. Travel Writer/Blogger

  • Seasonal and year-round
  • Income: from $60,000/year and up
  • Requires excellent writing skills; a bachelor’s degree in journalism, English, creative writing, and other writing-related fields will help with your salary but are not really required

As a travel writer, you get to travel to other cities within and outside your home country and write about places of interest, restaurants, attractions, and other spots worth visiting. Travel writers are usually hired by magazines, travel agencies, and other media companies.

Travel bloggers are freelancers that do exactly the same thing as travel writers but are their own bosses.

33. Camp Counselor

  • Seasonal
  • Income: $23,000/year
  • Requires a high school diploma or equivalents; CPR, AED, and first aid training; must love working with children; communication skills; some camps train camp counselors to make sure they’re up for the job

Camp counselors typically guide children through camp activities, such as hiking, swimming, and nature surveys. Counselors get paid more if they can teach special skills to the children, such as art, archery, kayaking, music, drama, or gymnastics.

Sports and Recreation Jobs

Many professions in the adventure and sports industry are on the field. You’ll never ever have to work in a cubicle or be drowned in paperwork.

34. Hiking Guide

  • Seasonal and year-round
  • Income: $30,000/year
  • Requires no formal education; experience with the terrain, map-reading skills, and physical skills required; CPR and First Aid training will likely raise your salary; local permits needed especially when hiking through state or national parks

This is a dream job for those who love to hike. Hiking guides lead people through gorgeous trails and mountains.

35. Sports Coach

  • Year-round
  • Income: $45,000 to $60,000/year
  • Requires no formal education or qualifications; those with a bachelor’s degree in sports science or personal training are preferred by clients; requires extensive knowledge of the rules, strategy, and techniques of a particular sport; coaching for a school might require you to have a teaching license

A sports coach guides athletes to reach their full potential in their chosen sport. Obviously, this only becomes an outdoor job if you choose to coach outdoor sports, such as baseball, football, soccer, or other sports.

36. Local Tour Guide

  • Year-round
  • Income: $23,000 to $38,000/year
  • Requires no formal education or training; requires extensive knowledge of the local area and the places of interest; requires exceptional communication and people skills

You can go freelance, find employment with a travel agency, or start your own tours and travel agency. Whichever route you take, you’ll be taking groups of people on local adventures, from visiting popular landmarks, going brewery hopping, leading off-the-beaten-path trails, going on haunted house tours, and many more.

37. Skiing or Snowboarding Instructor

  • Seasonal
  • Income: $30,000 to $40,000/year
  • Requires a high school diploma or equivalent; requires certifications; excellent communication and people skills

If you ever dreamt of moving up north to the mountains and ski or snowboard as much as you can, you can be an instructor at a ski or snowboarding resort and make a living while living your best life.

Higher-level certifications earn you higher salaries.

38. Swimming, Diving, or Surfing Instructor

  • Year-round and seasonal
  • Income: $15,000 to $50,000/year
  • Requires a high school diploma or equivalent; requires various permits and certifications; excellent communication and people skills

The best outdoor jobs are the ones where you’re having the most fun. If you can’t get enough of the sea, being a diving, swimming, or surfing instructor may be a great fit for you.

39. Lifeguard

  • Year-round
  • Income: $19,000 to $30,000/year
  • Requires no formal education; exceptional swimming skills; First Aid, CPR, and other life-saving certifications

If you like hanging out at the beach while being able to save lives, being a lifeguard will suit you nicely.

40. Sports Attendant Jobs

These may not be high-paying jobs, but if you’re into a certain sport and you want to be near it often, working as a sports attendant isn’t too bad. Examples of these jobs include golf caddies, tennis ball boys/girls, towel givers, water boys/girls, and other similar jobs.

41. Cruise Ship and Yacht Jobs

Jobs on deck are the same on the yacht and cruise ship. They all work to make sure the trip is “smooth sailing,” whether you’re working in food and hospitality, entertainment,  maintenance, and all other necessary jobs.

The main difference is the number of people served during a trip.

Start Applying to Outdoor Jobs Today!

No one should be stuck in a cubicle doing a job they don’t like.

And as you’ve probably learned by now, there’s no shortage of outdoor careers for you to explore!

Go through this list and find that job that best fits your interests, skills, educational background, and training.

Which outdoor job are you interested in applying to? Share it with us in the comments!

How to Get Paid to Be an Online Mock Juror

Jury duty is one of those onerous responsibilities a US citizen has to do at some point in their lives. However, if you’re one of those who actually like being part of the US legal system, being an online mock juror might interest you.

Instead of watching legal shows and spouting your theories and thoughts to the television, you can participate in mock trials with real lawyers and get paid for your thoughts and your time.

In this article, you’ll learn what mock trials are, what an online mock juror does, and where to sign up.

What Are Mock Trials?

Mock trials present made-up cases to mock juries.

These are either done by lawyers preparing for an actual case or by would-be lawyers preparing for court experience.

Mock trials are hosted by companies resembling survey panels that hire mock jurors. The jurors provide feedback to the company and the companies give feedback to the lawyers for them to know how a real jury would react to their case strategy.

This allows both practicing lawyers and would-be lawyers to make better decisions about trying cases and settling legal disputes.

What Does an Online Mock Juror Do?

Mock jurors are hired by companies or lawyers to go through all the court processes, from selection to swearing-in, listening to arguments, looking at the evidence, discussing, and coming up with a verdict.

As I’ve mentioned, mock trials were done in actual physical venues, such as law schools or law firms, and sometimes even in a real courtroom.

Nowadays, there are paid online juror jobs you can apply for so you can be a mock juror from home.

Once you’ve been picked as an online juror, case documents of the mock trial would be sent to you. You’ll then be able to listen or read arguments from both sides, watch, listen, and read exhibits, decide on the case, answer a questionnaire, and get paid.

Requirements may vary per site, but here are some of the general requirements that potential online jurors must meet so your application can be considered.

  • Must 18 years of age or older
  • Must be a US citizen
  • Must be a registered voter
  • Must be literate (i.e., able to read and write)
  • Must not be a lawyer, legal assistant, paralegal, or otherwise employed in a law firm
  • Must have no indictment, felony, or misdemeanor charge
  • Must be of good moral character and sound mind

Aside from the must-haves to be a mock juror, there are also must-not-haves that companies and attorneys who use these services prefer.

  • Must not be an actively practicing attorney, paralegal, or legal assistant
  • Must not be currently employed by or associated with a law firm or an attorney
  • Must not be related to a practicing attorney by marriage or by blood

Where to Find Paid Online Mock Juror Jobs

1. eJury

You can see from its website that eJury is one of the oldest of its kind. It pays jurors $5 to $10 per case, depending on the length of each case. The average length is around 6 pages, which can be finished in as little as 30 minutes. Payment is made via PayPal.

2. Online Verdict

The process of jury selection is a little different with Online Verdict. Here, jurors are selected depending on the county or federal district they are in. So if the attorneys in your area don’t upload cases on the database, you won’t have a chance to sit on the virtual jury.

Sometimes, Online Verdict hosts national surveys for everyone registered. Anyone qualified for a particular case will be notified via e-mail.

You can earn anywhere from $20 to $60 per case, depending on the length and difficulty level. Payment is sent once a month via check mailed to your address.

3. JuryTest.net

Jury Test caters to lawyer clients, who use the reviews and insight of online jurors to develop their cases. It was developed by an attorney who teaches at Harvard Medical School.

The premise of JuryTest is similar to other sites on this list. You’ll be e-mailed with all details (including payment info), and you have the option to accept or decline the case. Payments range from $5 to $50 per case, depending on the complexity of the cases. They are released via check or PayPal.

4. Virtual Jury

Dubbed as a legal focus group, virtual jurors are notified via email if a case is available in their respective areas. The registration form on Virtual Jury is in-depth, requiring would-be jurors to indicate job status, political affiliation, and age, among others. Pay varies from case to case. You’ll receive a check within two weeks, after the end of the focus group.

5. Mock Jury Trials Online

This site works similar to the other sites on this list, facilitating online mock trials, curating content, and recruiting mock jurors.

To apply as a mock juror, contact them via their Contact Us page and specify that you’re a mock juror.

6. Sign Up Direct

This company prides itself on helping resolve legal cases and alleviate social problems. You can earn up to $100 for a day’s work.

7. Verdict Services

Verdict Services offer authentic mock trials and focus groups to help attorneys improve their case presentation skills. They pay their participants anywhere between $100 to $150, depending on the time spent on the trial session.

To apply as an online mock juror, sign up on their Contact page.

8. Jury Solutions

Jury Solutions offer a full suite of services related to jury selection and jury assessment, including online mock trials as well as in-person focus groups.

Register here and you’ll be contacted if qualified.

They typically require 8 hours of work from mock jurors, and the pay is usually approximately $20 per hour.

9. Jury Sign Up

You can sign up as a juror for legal focus groups, mock trials, and sometimes even for listening and sharing your thoughts and opinions on real legal cases.

The duration of the sessions and payment varies by project, but sessions last around 6 to 8 hours and you will typically be paid at least $100 for your time.

10. First Court

First Court conducts full trials all over the country, hiring locals of the county they’re working in to become mock jurors.

They also host self-paced online trials lasting around 1 to 3 hours where online mock jurors evaluate the facts of a lawsuit from home and give feedback on video. They get paid around $50 to $125.

Click Sign Up on the link to apply to participate in their trials as a juror.

Apply to Be an Online Mock Juror Today!

Being a mock juror can be fulfilling work, plus it pays you for analyzing exhibits and evidence. If you’re fascinated with the legal system, this is one way of earning cash doing what you like.

Working as an online mock juror is a side hustle at best because signing up doesn’t guarantee that you’ll be picked. Check out our list of side hustles if you’re looking to add a few more to earn more cash.

Or, if you’re interested in more steady online work, we also have a long list of work from home jobs.

Have you participated as an online mock juror before? Or a juror for an actual case on trial? Share your experiences with us in the comments below!

How to Make More Money with Uber: 12 Brilliant Hacks

Uber pros

If you’re here, you’re probably already an Uber driver and you want to learn how to make money with Uber.

Driving for Uber is one of the best side gigs or even full-time hustle available when you have a car and a pristine driving record.

The way you’re paid by Uber is flexible in that you aren’t paid an hourly wage. There are ways to increase your Uber revenue so that you’re earning four or even five figures a month.

Today, we look at how to make more money with Uber, as well as the pros and cons to being an Uber driver so you can judge for yourself if this is hustle is for you.

12 Tricks for Uber Drivers to Make More Money

Here are a few tricks for Uber drivers that you can utilize to maximize the amount of money you can make in the shortest time possible.

Uber Driver

1. Drive the right car.

What makes a car the right car to drive with Uber is one that balances your driving skills, fuel efficiency, maintenance needs, and your income goals.

For instance, you can make more money driving a larger car because you’ll be eligible for both UberX and UberXL, but if you can’t drive a larger car comfortably, it may not be worth it.

2. Always keep water and snacks in the backseat.

Nothing feels better than getting inside of an Uber car and finding a few snacks and water.

It shows the passengers that you care about their comfort and increases your chance of getting a larger tip and a good review.

Don’t just place it in the backseat haphazardly, though; invest in a car seat organizer so everything is neatly arranged on the back of your seat.

3. Don’t follow the herd.

A few weeks in and you’ll already know about the “recommended times” and the “recommended locations” where the demand is high.

Whether that’s a busy Saturday night or a certain morning route, it’s always better to completely ignore those.

You’ll be dealing with high competition since all Uber drivers in the area will tend to flock to those recommended locations at those recommended times.

You’re more likely to actually get a request where there is a lack of drivers.

4. Log out of the Uber Driver App before a surge.

Learn about the general surge times and log out of the app 15 minutes before.

Let’s say you know that 5 p.m is a huge time for surge pricing as everyone is leaving work.

Log out of the app 15 minutes before since that reduces the number of drivers, hence increasing the surge fare. Plus, you won’t get a request right before the surge pricing kicks in, so you won’t be missing out on the higher fares.

5. Stay in one place when you’re waiting for a request.

It’s tempting to drive around the city when you’re in between rides, hoping to increase the chances that you’re pinged for a ride.

Unless you’re doing it to familiarize yourself with an unknown area, it’s a bad idea.

You waste gas, you wear out your car, and it’s unlikely that the one or two pickups you get to make will be worth it.

A better strategy is to find a safe place to park (not idle) and wait for a while. Ideally, it’s near a high-traffic area where there are riders.

6. Watch the Uber Passenger App as well.

This is one of the most important Uber tricks for drivers.

You need to understand your local market, and to do that, I recommend downloading the Passenger App.

You’ll be able to know how many Uber drivers are near you and make a strategy around it.

For example: if people are leaving a concert, all drivers may be in the same place by the main entrance.

Instead, go to the other entrance where you’re more likely to get a request instantly.

Herd of Taxis

7. Follow the alcohol.

Friday and Saturday nights, along with major holidays, are definitely the best days to make the most money with Uber.

Surge pricing usually lines up with bar closing times.

However, remember that you do have to deal with inebriated passengers, and there is always the risk of someone getting sick in your car.

8. Be ready for the mess that comes from following the alcohol.

If you’re going to deal with drunk passengers, you need to be ready.

Puke-proof your interiors (Scotchgard your cloth covers or just change to vinyl covers), have proper barf bags (the ones with a plastic ring to hold on to) within easy reach, and keep an emergency cleaning kit complete with rubber gloves, soapy water, and a portable vacuum for “accidents.”

Uber does charge a cleaning fee to passengers who make messes, so you get back at least some of the cost of your emergency puke kit and to actually deep clean the mess.

Remember to document and take pictures of all messes first before you clean them up, though.

Lastly, air fresheners are your best friend; have a few of them handy.

9. Dress and act professionally.

Always dress in clean and nice clothes, and put a lot of effort into being polite and respectful to the passengers.

Making a good impression goes a long way toward high ratings and even possibly a tip.

10. Stay updated on weekly incentives.

Gamifying ridesharing can be a good or bad thing, depending on who you ask. But we’re not going to pooh-pooh a chance to get extra money from Uber.

Not every city offers these incentives, but when you see chances to boost your earnings (for example, “Do X trips and get an extra $Y”), do your best to take advantage of them.

11. Sell useful stuff to your passengers.

You might have heard about the “Uberpreneur” a few years back who made more than $250k a year selling jewelry as he was driving his Uber.

It’s not for everyone, though.

Riders book Uber to go someplace, not to go through a sales pitch.

However, if you’re careful to sell goods that your passengers might need, you just might be able to earn a few extra dollars a day.

For instance, display folding umbrellas or rain ponchos for those days when there’s unexpected rain. Or offer portable power banks for those who forgot to charge their phones.

12. Make even more money by incorporating other apps with Uber.

Instead of just making money with Uber as a driver, you can capitalize on being an Uber driver by downloading these apps.

  • Vugo. This is a company that will pay you to set up a tablet in your car and display ads in the backseat.
  • Wrapify. They are a company that will pay you to wrap your car in a commercial ad. Just be wary as there are a lot of car wrap scams that exist out there. Stick with legit, proven companies like Wrapify.
  • GetUpside. Save up to 25¢ per gallon of gas with this cash back app
  • Stride. Track your mileage and expenses with this app so you can maximize your tax deductions come tax season.
  • Waze. Uber’s in-app navigation can fail you. Waze is much more accurate and can get you to your destination quicker and safer, which are all good things if you’re looking for good ratings, good tips, and to squeeze in as many rides as you can in a day.

Pros of Making Money with Uber

Uber pros

If you’re new to driving for Uber or trying to decide if it’s worth it, it’s always important to weigh the pros and cons so you can end up making an informed decision.

I’ll lay everything out and help you decide if it’s worth it.

1. You have a flexible schedule.

Possibly the biggest advantage of making money with Uber is that you can work as much or as little as you want.

You can dictate your schedule around important occasions and holidays.

Need to work late at night? Do it.

Take a whole month off because you just need some “me time”?

Yup, go for it.

Have a friend’s baby shower all the way across the state? You guessed it…Do it!

2. It’s perfect for entrepreneurs.

If you’re an entrepreneur who’s in the process of starting or funding their own business, then Uber is a great way to make that extra money you need to fund your business.

Usually, entrepreneurs go for part-time jobs but those often come with strict schedules, and, well, a boss.

Which brings me to the next point…

3. You are your own boss.

Driving with Uber, there’s no one telling you what to do, how to do it, or when to do it.

If you thrive in an independent work environment and don’t like being constantly supervised or micromanaged, then you’d like driving with Uber!

4. Only skill required: driving well.

You don’t need to be a great writer, a crafty person, some Bitcoin guru, or even have special skills at all to be able to make money with Uber.

Driving well (read: driving safely, not driving fast) is enough.

You don’t even need any equipment but your phone and your car.

There’s a very low barrier of entry to the job in general (all you need is a car, a license, and no criminal background).

5. You get to meet new people.

This one can be a pro or a con, depending on whether you like people.

If you’re an extrovert, then you will love the fact that you get to meet all types of people.

Maybe you’ll get to learn a thing or two from them.

Most side hustles don’t give you the opportunity to interact socially.

6. You get to explore your city and beyond.

A lot of freelancers who work from home or remotely complain about the sudden monotonous routine that they find themselves in after a while.

They are sick of working from the same place every day.

When you make money with Uber, you’ll actually get to see new places and neighborhoods you’ve never even heard about.

7. Learn while working.

Yes, you can listen to music or news while driving, but why not use this time to listen to podcasts?

You can use the time you work and make money to master another subject.

8. Take advantage of the surge.

Let’s be honest: this definitely sucks for the rider.

For you, though, it’s definitely quite freaking cool.

If you are in an area or a time that often has surge pricing, you can make up to double the money (or even more) for the same amount of work.

Although it’s not smart to always be chasing the surge pricing (you’ll get to know why in a minute), it’s still a major advantage.

Cons of Making Money with Uber

Uber cons

The benefits are enticing, but there are some drawbacks to being an Uber driver, too.

1. You have to do your taxes.

Having to do your own taxes is dreadful.

But since you’re considered an independent contractor, you’ll have to calculate your own taxes and pay your own expenses.

2. You subject your car to hard use.

The biggest enemy of your car is wear and tear.

The number of miles will increase, you’ll need to maintain your car religiously, and repairs will be more frequent.

The expenses add up and will take a considerable chunk off your earnings.

3. You subject yourself to some risk.

You’d probably think twice before picking up a hitchhiker, right?

Well, picking up an Uber passenger is a slightly more sophisticated (and paid) version.

It’s not to say that driving with Uber is dangerous, but driving strangers around to places that you may be unfamiliar with does sound a little risky.

4. Customers may leave unfair ratings.

You can do everything to improve customer experience, but in the end, you can’t control how you’re rated by your passengers.

But if you have a low rating, you’re less likely to be pinged when someone needs a ride.

Moreover, if your average rating falls below a 4.6-star rating average, your account is flagged and Uber will consider whether or not to kick you out of the platform.

5. It’s a sedentary lifestyle.

If you’re making money with Uber as a side hustle, then you won’t have to really worry about this, since you have plenty of hours left in a day to make up for the lack of activity when you’re driving.

But if you’re taking up Uber as more of a long-term, full-time business, this can affect your health.

6. There’s little to no growth potential.

As I’ve mentioned, you do get to explore your city and learn new things from interacting with all sorts of people.

But in terms of a career ladder, it’s a dead-end, quite frankly.

Your income can increase from year to year, but there are no promotions or any higher level you can get up to.

Start Making More Money With Uber!

Hopefully, you’ve weighed the pros and cons of becoming an Uber driver and decided to go for it.

Whether you’re trying to earn more money to pay off debt, fund a business, save for a holiday, or build a nest egg, every cent of extra income matters.

If you think you can’t handle being an Uber driver, considering renting out your car or other ways of getting paid to drive.

Are you currently driving for Uber? Did I miss any hacks to increase your Uber income? Tell me in the comments so I can add those to the list!