How to Safely Make Extra Money

If you need to raise some extra cash, you can find that extra income online. There are a number of legitimate ways to make money on the web, but it is important to steer clear of scams along the way. Avoid any work at home offers that promise untold riches with little work -- if it sounds too good to be true it no doubt is. Also watch out for schemes that require a large outlay of cash to buy into a money making business. Those expenses could leave you with less money than before.

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  Go through your closet, storage sheds and garage and find items you can post and sell on eBay and other online auction sites. Depending on how many items you have, you can make anywhere from a few dollars to many thousands of dollars. Once you know which items sell best, you might even want to purchase additional items to resell.

• 2

  Write articles and submit them to article marketplaces and revenue sharing sites. There are a number of these sites online, so it is best to try out several different sites at once. Write a few articles and gauge how they do in terms of both upfront payments and revenue sharing income.

• 3

  Sign up for several freelancing sites and review the projects available at each site. Look for freelance sites that work on a commission basis, taking a small percentage of the value of each project. Avoid sites that charge a membership fee, since you will be out that money if you fail to find any suitable assignments. Freelance projects run the gamut, from copywriting and proofreading to secretarial work and programming.

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  Explore sites run by market research firms. Market research companies often recruit ordinary consumers to evaluate product concepts and give their feedback. In addition to cash payments, you might also get the opportunity to try, and keep, new products.

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  Test with companies that provide online customer service. LiveOps and VIPDesk are two such companies, but there are many others as well. You will have to pass a test and provide your qualifications, so expect to spend some time working on the sites. You might also be required to have a second phone line and high speed Internet connectivity, so make sure you meet the requirements before you begin.