6 Ways To Make Easy Money (2024)

Clean Out Your Closets

Weed out all the stuff you never wear, then take photos of everything and upload them to eBay's new fashion site, fashion.ebay.com—it's devoted exclusively to clothes, shoes, and handbags, which means your stylish stuff will sell faster because it won't be lost in the bigger sea of toys, gadgets, and furniture. Plus, eBay has waived its listing fee for auction sales (although you'll still pay a small fee if your item sells).

The secret to getting the most money for your loot—as quickly as possible—is to take multiple shots of each item in a well-lit area, select the most specific category for it, and then set a realistic price by looking at what similar pieces have sold for, says Karen Bard, eBay's trend expert. Got an iPhone? Try the new (free!) eBay Selling iPhone app, which lets you list items for sale in less than 60 seconds.

Join a Focus Group

Did you know that companies are willing to shell out big bucks to get your opinions on products and services? Head over to findfocusgroups.com for hundreds of legit listings of paid focus groups. Search by city or state, or choose from nationwide focus groups that take place online or over the phone. Between 25 and 45 new listings go up every weekday, with most added on Monday, so check back regularly. Company president Danny DiGiovanni guarantees that every listing is handpicked and vetted for legitimacy, but he still warns that you should never give your Social Security number or bank account number to anyone claiming to be doing market research. For up-to-the-minute listings, follow twitter.com/focusgroups or friend Find Focus Groups on Facebook.

Take a Survey

Another great way to make cash just for sharing your thoughts is by taking paid online surveys through Opinion Outpost. Register for free, then start completing surveys to accrue "opinion points" that translate into dollars. The average survey will earn you about 20 points, or $2, but you can also earn $2 for every friend you refer to the site. So while you may not be able to crank out 50 surveys in one weekend, doing a mix of surveys and friend referring can still add up to a cool hundy.

Bank On It

Smart banking isn't just a good way to save money—it's often a quick way to earn it too. Lots of banks offer no-strings-attached cash incentives just for opening a new account. Call the banks in your area to see what incentives they're offering, or try ING Direct USA, one of the best national options. It offers customers a $25 bonus for opening an Orange Savings Account, or $50 for opening an Electric Orange Checking Account--an interest-bearing online account with no minimums, no fees, and a no-fee overdraft policy. ING Direct also offers a $100 bonus if you transfer your brokerage account to ShareBuilder, its online brokerage site. And as if that weren't enough, ING Direct also has a refer-a-friend program that earns you $10 for each friend you get to open an account—with a max of $500! Score!

Have a Virtual Garage Sale

Craigslist will seem so, well, quaint, once you check out Geoli.st, a new smartphone app that's like classified ads on steroids. It helps you quickly sell pretty much anything to buyers in your area (which means you can avoid shipping to far-flung buyers and get paid in person). So take a photo of, say, that old bike you never ride or the concert tickets you can't use, upload it to Geoli.st, and buyers in your area will automatically see it pop up on their local sales map. Plus, Geoli.st lets you instantly upload your for-sale stuff to Twitter and Facebook too, so you can double your seller's luck.

"Sell" Your Status

Looking for something new to tweet about? Well, look no further than Ad.ly, where advertisers are willing to pay you to use your Twitter and MySpace status to spread their messages. Register at www.ad.ly and you'll be sent advertiser messages to approve (or deny). The ones you approve will automatically show up in your friends' news feeds (with a notation that lets them know it's an ad). Ad.ly's vice president of marketing, Krista Thomas, says you'll be paid (via PayPal or check) anywhere from one to five figures per message. The more active (and followed) you are, the more money you stand to make. Talk about a sweet tweet!