Easy Ways to Make Money for the Holidays
Earn Additional Income by Buying and Selling or Surfing on the Web
Nov 6, 2009
For most families, 2009 has been a tough financial year. Many have worked hard to stay on budget. Don't let the upcoming Christmas shopping season cause undue stress. Consider a few creative ways to make money for the holidays.
Selling On eBay
Almost everyone has heard the saying "out with the old and in with the new". In preparation for the upcoming holidays, earn money by selling gently used goods the family no longer needs or uses.
Just about anything and everything can and probably has been sold to make money on eBay. Before heading out the door to buy new toys books and clothes, sell the old ones on eBay. Use the money earned from selling the old to help buy the new.
Selling on eBay is safe and simple. Set up an account. Take a picture of the item being offered. Write a good description about the product and set the bidding price. Typically, books and toys are sold on eBay for half of retail value. If the item is a clothing item, expect to receive only about a third of its retail value.
Selling Books and Media on Amazon and Half.com
There are numerous sites on the web created for the sole purpose of buying and selling goods online. While many of those accomplish that goal, only a few stand above the rest. Learn which websites are the best for buying and selling the items being offered. If the items being offered are books, CDs or DVDs, eBay is always an option. However, websites devoted primarily to the buying and selling of books and media may be a wiser choice.
Amazon.com is the king of book sellers on the web. If looking for a specific book, always go to Amazon first. For this reason, book sellers should consider listing all their books and media with Amazon. It's the place most people look at first. Also, Amazon charges no fees for listing books to sell and includes and applies a standard shipping fee to all items sold. Amazon has a huge commission based business. This company works hard to make it easy to both buy and sell media from its website.
Amazon gives eBay a run for its money. To increase its odds, eBay created a sister company called Half.com. This is the eBay version of Amazon, created for the sole purpose of buying and selling books and media. Half.com is set up just like Amazon with one key advantage. If a customer buys two books from a seller on Amazon, the customer is charged a standard shipping fee per book even if both books are coming from the same buyer. Half.com gives customers a shipping discount if they buy two or more books from the same seller. This is a big incentive for customers looking to buy multiple items.
Earn Free Gift Cards by Surfing the Web
Having a garage sale or selling gently used goods, toys, and books online can bring in extra income. In addition to selling those items, consider surfing the internet or completing surveys to earn free gift cards. These gift cards can be used to buy presents or can be the present.
This year, a new company is gaining popularity in the incentive department. Visit Swag Bucks. This is a search engine that pays people to search through them instead of others. It's easy. Simply go to the Swag Bucks website and search for things needed there. Every now and then, Swag Bucks will award 1 to 5 Swag Bucks to an individual's account. These can then be exchanged for gift cards or Paypal payments. For example, 45 Swags Bucks can be exchanged for $5 cash from Paypal.
My Points is another incentive website that's been around awhile. Similar to Swag Bucks, this site rewards customers for shopping using their website. Customers accumulate points that can be exchanged for gift cards. Some of the offers are not free and require signing up for clubs and memberships to receive points. However, with patience and diligence, points can be earned by reading emails, completing free online surveys. Easy points are earned by printing out and using grocery coupons from My Points. There are several big name gift cards available. Some customers choose Target or CVS gift cards because those stores offer great coupon deals.
Christmas for Free
Christmas shopping does not have to be expensive. It can actually be fun. With a little creativity, famillies can sell all the things they don't need anymore to help buy the things they do need. Imagine how much fun it would be to go buy Christmas presents this year and not take a dime out of the family budget. Throw a big online garage sale. Surf the web and earn a few free gift cards. Enjoy the rewards with a free shopping spree.
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