Look, you’re probably reading this post because things are a little tight and you really don’t need a preamble about the weather or paragraphs about when I too have been hard up for cash. I totally get it. You’re here because you’re looking for ways to generate some money in the quickest way possible, so I’ll get out of your way. Let’s get down to figuring out the quickest way of making money for your situation, whether it’s for your business or if you need quick cash in your personal life:
How to Make Money Quickly
1. Sell something on eBay
Chances are you’ve got something lying around that you can get rid of quickly via eBay. This is usually my preference over selling locally because your pool of potential leads is just so much higher. Look around your home for things collecting dust, then head to the Sold section of eBay to find the current rate your clutter is selling for (also the Sold section can help curb your emotions when it comes to selling something you once loved). TIP: If you aren’t sure where to look, check the bottom of this post to show you where the Sold listings live on eBay.
2. Sell something locally
If you need an even quicker sale, head over to your local Facebook marketplace or Craigslist and list your items. Your stuff will usually sell faster if you make it easy for your buyer so try to show dimensions and/or scale, condition, and any pertinent information. Use as many pictures as you can! Remember you’re trying to grab some quick cash, so the more work you can put into your listing, the better of a chance you have to make a sale.
3. Offer a service
If you’re on Facebook, check your local groups for folks who need help. From mowing lawns to cutting hair, most likely there’s a service you can offer to someone quickly (I even saw someone looking for someone to come to their home to clip their dog’s nails because they hated doing it so much!)
4. Utilize your platform if you have one
If you have a business that has social media accounts, now is the time to flex those muscles and utilize the power behind your social media account. Push posts about your products to current customers BUT don’t forget the social aspect of social media. There’s money to be made reaching out and helping others, so scroll through your feed or hashtags and look for opportunities.
5. Run a sale
You guys know I usually advocate against doing this, but you gotta do what you gotta do and far be it from me to get judgy when the bills are due. Bundle together a limited time deal and push it hard to your followers. Now is not the time to be meek so don’t feel bad utilizing a customer base of yours.
6. Surveys
Places like Amazon Mechanical Turk are great for low effort, quick cash surveys but check out places like the Mturk subreddit to help week through the bad ones to find the hidden gems. There are also places like Swagbucks but I find them to be too scummy. The Beer Money subreddit is also a good place to find out what’s currently working when it comes to maximizing cash from surveys, and which ones to avoid.
7. Follow up sales leads
If you’re really looking for the quickest way to make money and you’ve got a business, then it’s time to start digging into your contacts and customers and reaching out personally. Remember that it’s way more difficult to win a sale from a stranger than someone who already made a purchase, so reach out to your customer list and see if there’s a way you can offer them new services or a custom-tailored product or product bundle.
8. Pick up freelance work
Upwork and Fiverr are great for this, though I can say it might not be as lucrative as you hope, especially if you don’t yet have a track record with clients there, but check out the current list of available jobs and see if there’s something you can churn out quickly before your bills are due.
9. Utilize gig apps
Uber/Lyft, Instacart, Doordash, there are tons of possibilities for short gigs that can get some quick cash.
Did I miss any? How do you usually generate money when times are tough?
