Kelly Whiteside
The Navigator
Students are always looking for ways to make money without getting an actual job, and, preferably, without leaving their house. Here’s a list of some easy ways to make money:
Microjobs
“Microjobs” are short-term or one-time only jobs. They can either be silly or professional. Examples include sending someone biscuits and tea, or editing someone’s essay. There are tons of sites you can offer such services on.
The first, most popular, option is fiverr.com. Paying rates for services start at $5. You make a profile stating your qualifications, and your profile also shows your rating, how long you’ve been there, your responsiveness, and your recent deliveries.
Fourerr.com is similar, except services are $4 instead. Other sites, many with the option of choosing your price, include errund.com, mturk.com, freelancer.com, odesk.com, elance.com, and gigbucks.com.
Tutoring
Tutoring has always been a popular way of making money, but living in a smaller town or city limits you. However, sites like tutordoctor.com help match you with people in your area that you may not have found otherwise, and sites like instaedu.com allow you to tutor people worldwide through Skype or Facebook.
Surveys
Companies, sites, etc. are always looking for people to do surveys for free, but some will pay for your thoughts. It only takes a few minutes to complete most surveys. Paidviewpoint.com, cashcrate.com, and palmresearch.com all pay you with cash. iPoll.com gives you options; you may ask to be paid in gift cards, airline miles, magazine subscriptions, through Paypal, etc. Toluna.com gives you points, which you can then redeem for cash, prizes, or gifts.
Selling
If you’ve received unwanted gift cards for your birthday or Christmas, cardpool.com will buy them from you. You can exchange them for other gift cards or be given up to 92% back in cash. Although many gift cards on there are American, the website offers Canadian ones as well.
There are plenty of sites for artsy people. If you’re a photographer, try selling your photos on society6.com. You can make t-shirt designs on spreadshirt.com. Deviantart.com can be used to sell photography, paintings, drawings, and crafts. Etsy.com gives you many artsy options—basically, if you made it, you can sell it there.
If you’ve turned your house upside down looking for items you no longer want, you can sell them on Craigslist, Kijiji, or eBay, but there are other options. You could create your own store on ecrater.com. If you have some more unique items, you can try bonanza.com.
Almost anything you have can be sold on Facebook. There are Facebook groups made for selling, and they’re incredibly popular. There are general ones, like Nanaimo Super Swap & Shop and Nanaimo New and Used Items Swap and Shop, but there are also more specific ones, like Nanaimo Women’s Clothing Swap and Shop and Nanaimo House & Home.
If you have the right selling skills, you can make tons of money. DHgate.com is a business-to-business online trading marketplace for China wholesale products. You can find practically everything on there and buy it in bulk. Then, you’re free to sell it yourself. Depending on what you’re selling, though, you may need to consider a permit or license.
Advertising
You may already be aware of making money from ads on your YouTube videos and your blog, but you can also be paid to place ads on yourself and your car.
Most people wear clothes every day, and some people don’t care much about what they wear, and if you’re one of those people, then check out iwearyourshirt.com. You could be paid to wear t-shirts!
If you have a car, then you can get advertisements placed on it from myfreecar.com. Depending on the size of the ad, you can make up to $400 a month. Advertisers choose you based on your car and driving habits. As a student, you’re an ideal candidate for many advertisers, because thousands of people see your car in the parking lot. There are terms and conditions.
The Navigator
The Navigator is what you’re reading right now. It’s VIU’s student-run newspaper. If you submit an article to us, we’ll pay you! Don’t be intimidated if you don’t know how to write an article or don’t think you’re a good writer. It’s our job to make your article look good. So just write what you want to see in your newspaper and submit it. Comics are also welcome. And if you know how to write horoscopes, then go for it!