Easy Ways to Make Extra Cash

It's amazing how much cash is sitting around us. Almost everything has some value. It's just a matter of knowing where and how to sell it. Books, Clothes, Furniture, Technology are just a couple easy things to sell. Plus, you may have some hobby or skill that may be valuable. Here's a quick list of what to sell and concrete explanations of how to sell it:

1. Selling Used Books:

I made over $300 dollars selling my college textbooks last year and I'm not even a science major. In fact, some of the books I bought used sold for more than what I paid for.  This option is the fastest and easiest way to make money. Period.

Use Bookscouter.com:

Bookscouter.com allows you to compare book sell back offers from dozens of buyers in the marketplace. In other words, you will get the most cash for your book. Remember when selling the books it's better to bundle them because most buyers will require $10 minimum or more. For instance,

How to Sell Back Your Used Books: 

• Collect anything with an ISBN: all your college textbooks, free reading books, and even workbooks.
• Go to Bookscouter.com
• Type in the ISBN into the field. You can find this on the back or first page of the book.
• Copy that link and paste it into a new tab.
• Type in your second book's ISBN. Compare buyers and try to use the same buyer for the two books.  If you don't meet the minimum buying amount for the individual book, combine them together. Once you checkout you can sell multiple books to one buyer and make the minimum buying amount Hint: Any books worth less than the buying amount (usually $10) should be added to the shopping cart where you already have surpassed the minimum selling amount.
• Repeat the last 3 steps for all your books. Remember to continue to group your books together into shopping carts.
• Once you check out, you generally have the option to receive a check or paypal. I recommend a check because that's the most liquid, even though it arrives later. For shipping, I recommend Fedex because it's faster than USPS. Remember, you are guaranteed this quote if your books are in good shape. A few pen marks are fine!
• Print your shipping labels and ship your books for FREE!
• If some books were only worth $1 or so, I would try searching a few months later. Book prices fluctuate constantly. One of my expensive economics books was worth $5 on one day. A couple months later, I sold it for $20.  So keep checking back.

I've never had a problem with selling back my books. Moreover, I've always got the quoted value. So, don't worry if one page is bent, just make sure to follow the rules provided by the buyer. I've used the following buyers: valorebooks.com, textbooks.com, and bookbyte.com

2. Sell back Used clothes

Go to your local clothing exchange stores, such as Freestyle Clothing exchange or Crossroad and sell back your clothes. You can also sell them online, but this takes time and isn't always a guarantee. See these websites for more.

3. Sell Your Handheld Electronics to Online Buyers

I've sold a couple of iphones and ipods using online buyers. It's a lot easier and faster to sell your phones, computers, and mp3 players to online buyers such as gazelle.com, valorebooks.com, usell.com. Make sure to compare the prices, it could save you $50 bucks or more.  Like book selling, you get a quote, shipping is free, and it's quick and easy. If you are patient, make sure to compare Craigslist prices.

4. Sell Furniture and Technology on Craigslist

Sell your furniture and technology below market price and you could sell your item that day. One day I sold two items in less than an hour and made 200 dollars.  If you live in college community , this is especially true. Here's how:

• Check current prices on Craigslist
• Take flattering pictures of your item as is
• Include a description on the Craigslist advertisement with your phone number
• Answer texts and calls, meet in person, and sell the product on the spot.

Speakers, beds, tables, and televisions are the easiest to sell. So if your products are not worth much online, give Craigslist a try. If your products are too niche or don't sell well on Craigslist, try Etsy.com or eBay.com

5. Housesit for Your Friends

Housesitting is obviously an easy way to make some extra cash, but it's not common to housesit every week or month. Get involved in your community through joining running groups and clubs. Make new friends and you are more likely to help these new friends with their pets while they are away.

6. Blogging, Websites, and Advertising

If successful, this can be huge moneymaker. For those who love to write, start a personal blog and write about what you know. You can generate revenue through Google Adsense advertising. Some advertisements on your site may generate $1 per click. Simply, buy a  cheap domain and server online here, install wordpress on the server, and create a adsense account and paste the ads to the blog pages. This can be done in less than an hour. Once you got your blog running, write and share your articles on social media. I'll be writing more about this in the future, so be sure to check back every now and then.

7. Turn your hobby into a business:

I love building websites and making videos. So, I'm building a website to sell my services and do what I love. Making a site is easy. Just follow the steps in number 6 and look for a Wordpress e-commerce theme. You can sell your products & services and install paypal directly into the site. By having your hobby or business online, you can reach out to all your friends and family more easily and offer services and products to them. I'd create groups around your hobby and have a business page for the relevant social media network.

8. Quick Finance Tips to Get Cash  

• Always use your credit card when you can. It's safer and you get loads of rewards.
• For International Travel, use a travel rewards credit card or  Charles Schwab Debit Card - all ATM fees are covered worldwide.
• Don't change credit cards if you have a lot of rewards; they will not transfer.

Image Credit: scross2601