Eight ways to make money from the internet

by John Fitzsimons on 06 April 2010  |  21 comments
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There’s more to the worldwide web than social networking and wacky YouTube videos – you can make some cash from it too!

If you're anything like me, you could happily while away hours and hours on the internet.

Whether I'm checking on Facebook just how incriminating those photos of me are from that stag night, Tweeting some profundity in 140 characters on Twitter, or checking out the latest news from various outlets, time quickly flies by.

But the internet isn't just a vast black hole into which your free time disappears - it's also a tool that you can use to make a few quid, and for minimal effort!

#1 - Cashback websites

Let's start with a classic - the cashback website. It's so simple, and it works like a dream!

All you do is sign up to one of many cashback websites out there - personally I have an account with Greasypalm, but there's loads of others to choose from.

Then, whenever you buy anything online, from travel insurance to your weekly grocery shop, make sure you go to the retailer's site via your cashback website, and you'll either get a fixed amount or a percentage of your spend back.

Free money!

• Watch this video: The best ways to shop online

#2 - Surveys

This is a dead easy way to make money, with very little effort involved.

Just sign up to a research company, like YouGov, for example, and you can soon run up a healthy amount. YouGov polls tend to pay between 50p and £1 for each completed survey and once £50 is built up, they send you a cheque. Ok, so it might take a while to build up £50, but it's easy money!

Other sites to have a look at include Panelbase and Toluna.

#3 - Flog your old stuff!

When I got back from University, I had an awful lot of books I had no intention of ever reading again (A Critique of Practical Reason by the German philosopher Immanuel Kant was firmly at the top of the pile). So I created an account on Amazon, and started selling them.

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In no time at all I had pretty much made back the money I had spent on the books in the first place!

Of course, if you have other items you want to get rid of besides books, then the obvious place to start is eBay, but I'd also recommend having a look on Gumtree, as you can list your items for free.

There are a load of other auction sites you can take advantage of, including eBid, OnlineAuction and OZtion. I'd suggest having a look at OnlineAuctionSites, a site which reviews all auction websites and provides a host of useful information on how much it will cost you to sell your stuff on them.

• Adopt this goal: Make some extra money 

#4 - Join the blogosphere

If you fancy sharing your thoughts and views on anything and everything, why not start up a blog?

You can do this absolutely free on WordPress. Other sites also allow you to make a few quid from placing adverts on the site (I'd recommend using Google AdSense to keep these as relevant as possible).

You can also sign up to affiliate marketing schemes, which will match your website with suitable advertisers, absolutely free!

#5 - Flog your photos

Now, this one isn't much use for me - David Bailey I ain't. In fact, I'm banned from using cameras in our family as they are guaranteed to be out of focus, or feature a cheeky little cameo from my thumb.

However, if you are capable of taking photos without making a right balls up of it, why not look at selling those photos online? Sign up to sites like Fotolia, iStockPhoto and PictureNation, and you could get paid each time your photo is downloaded.

#6 - Cash in your old mobile

This is one I'm in the process of myself, having recently upgraded my phone. Have a look at sites like Envirofone, Mazuma, Mopay and Mobile2Cash, enter the details of your phone, and they'll tell you how much you can expect to make from it!

It only takes a few minutes, and you'll soon have your hands on your cash!

Alternatively, have a look at Airmiles - you can now trade in an old phone for miles! Mine is worth about 300 Airmiles, which is halfway to a flight to Dublin!

#7 - Reclaim your cash

There are a host of ways you can use the net to reunite you with your own money!

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• Rachel Robson writes:

  Get your hands on a free fiver!

  If you fancy getting your hands on a fiver, simply sign up to Groupola.com....

  Read this post

Did you open a bank account years ago, and now can't remember for the life of you where? Hundreds of millions of pounds are sitting in dominant accounts that people have forgotten all about - sign up to MyLostAccount and you and your long lost cash will soon be back together again!

If you are regularly stuck on the platform waiting for yet another delayed train, then why not sign up to TrainDelays? All you have to do is register with them, and they will take care of the claims forms you'd need to fill out to get compensation! And it doesn't cost you a dime.

• Read this blog: Get your hands on a free fiver!

#8 - Review stuff

If blogging isn't your cup of tea, but you still want to share your opinions, then not head over to Ciao, a site which pays you to rate products and services, from makes of camera and mobile phone to restaurants and hotels.

They are running a promotion at the moment paying you £1 for your first review, so what are you waiting for?

Got any more tips?

Those are my top eight ways to make money from the internet, but if you have any tips of your own, please do share them with your fellow readers via the comment box below!

This is a lovemoney.com classic article, originally published in September 2009 and updated

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