As you’ve probably guessed, I love making money from home. As a busy mum to two young children, working from home for myself provides me with the flexibility I need to care for my children and avoid high full time childcare costs. It also means I get to do what I love. I’m an advocate of earning money online and from apps, and I’m always looking for new ways to make more income from home. I’ve decided to invite other bloggers and money making mums to share even more ways us busy mums can make money from home. If you’d like to feature in this guest series please do get in touch.
Introducing Katy from Katykicker
Today’s guest post from Katy is all about selling on eBay. Katy runs the blog Katykicker all about making money online, saving money, cooking and family life.
11 tips for eBay selling
Be aware of fees
There are a number of fees to pay when you are making sales on eBay. You may have to pay a listing fee and then there will be eBay final value fees, PayPal fees and the cost to post your item. Ensure that you take these in to consideration when deciding if it is worth listing an item.
Check what similar items sold for
Use the advanced search tool on eBay to search for sold items. Do not be tempted to price your item based on the buy it now price of other listings. People often use scripts or robots to price their items and this can mean that other items are seriously inflated in price and have no chance of selling.
Take high quality photographs
If you are going to be selling regularly then consider investing in a decent camera. I use the Canon Powershot G7X Mark ii which is a camera a lot of other bloggers use. Use good lighting, show off any flaws or damage and use more than one picture.
Be thorough in your item description
It is better to over explain damage or problems with your item. Make sure that you use the condition box to accurately describe the condition of the item, to reduce the chance of a claim being made against you by your buyer. Also, use the item description box to give lots of details about the item. You can look on Amazon and other websites to help you, if you are selling an item that you know has a lot of detail to it.
Reduce the price of items with lots of watchers
If you have an item that has a lot of watchers, but no real interest, and you have listed it on buy it now consider dropping your price slightly. Often 50p - £1 is enough to make a sale. I recently had an item for sale for £40, with watchers, for a month. I dropped the price to £39 and within 1 day I had completed the sale for the full £39 - despite the item being on buy it now or best offer.
Use buy it now or best offer
People love to feel that they are getting a deal. If there is enough room between your price, and the next cheapest, consider allowing buyers to make you an offer. You can even set your minimum amount for an auto-accept in the listing of the item. This will save you time and ensure you don’t see offers below your minimum at all - cutting down on time wasters who want to offer £1 for items!
Switch items from buy it now to auction
If you have a lot of items, and you are trying to de-clutter, consider listing your items for 30 - 60 days on buy it now and then switching them to auction. It is really easy to change the listing and you can even use the bulk tool to do a load at one time.
Be prepared to wait to make a sale
If you aren’t in a hurry to clear out items, or don’t need the money fast, then be prepared to wait to make a sale. This is particularly smart if you have a rare item or an item that doesn’t sell often. Set your price and then be prepared to wait.
Don’t put all similar items as a job lot
It can be tempting to list items as job lots, however, this isn’t always the best way to maximise profit. I split up a load of dresses and baby outfits recently, instead of selling as a job lot, and I put all of the items on buy it now. I was able to make the sales, slowly but surely, and made almost £60 profit, whereas my last job lot sold for just £5 + postage.
Always get proof of postage
Sometimes items get lost. Other times buyers lie that they never received the item. By receiving proof of postage, and ensuring adequate insurance coverage, you can refund your buyer via eBay and claim back for your losses.
Write a return address on parcels
I have had items that have gone missing in the past, refunded and claimed from the Post Office and then a few weeks later the item turns back up at my home. Often this is because people did not receive the red card, misplaced it or did not collect their item in time.
I hope that you’ve enjoyed these 11 tips for eBay selling. Selling on eBay can feel time consuming, and not worthwhile, but often it is. Even if you sell items for just a few pounds, by calculating the postage correctly you’ll soon have a nice little sum in the bank.
eBay selling is something that I love to do to de-clutter, make money and to build up a nice fund for our family holidays. It is great to get some money back on baby clothes, books, shoes and more. It can take some time to make a sale but I’m happy to bag the items up once listed, put them in my hall cupboard and wait for the sales to trickle in!
Do you have any tips for selling on eBay? Let me know in the comments!
As you’ve probably guessed, I love making money from home. As a busy mum to two young children, working from home for myself provides me with the flexibility I need to care for my children and avoid high full time childcare costs. It also means I get to do what I love. I’m an advocate of earning money online and from apps, and I’m always looking for new ways to make more income from home. I’ve decided to invite other bloggers and money making mums to share even more ways us busy mums can make money from home. If you’d like to feature in this guest series please do get in touch.
Introducing Boost My Budget
Today's guest post is from Boost My Budget - a blog all about different ways of making extra money online.
How to Make Money on Pinterest
I love Pinterest! Like most people, it's my go-to website for recipe ideas, outfit inspiration and dreamy DIY projects.
So as you can imagine, I was pretty excited to find out I could get paid to pin!
Yes, over the past few weeks I've been turning my Pinterest habit into a money-maker. I've been doing this by sharing things I love on Pinterest using affiliate links. Every time somebody clicks on an image I've shared, I make money.
Here's how you can do it too:
Understanding affiliate marketing
The way I make money on Pinterest is called 'affiliate marketing'. This is when you promote products and get a cut of any sales.
On Pinterest, this simply means pinning a picture of an item you love, and using your own special tracking link back to the website where people can buy it. This special link is called an affiliate link.
When somebody clicks on your link and buys a product, the seller can see that you sent them. And you get a small commission!
You get these affiliate links by signing up to an affiliate program with your preferred retailer. More on this later.
You can share affiliate links anywhere you want: on a blog, on social media, or directly with your friends. But Pinterest is perfect for affiliate marketing because it’s all about shopping!
93% of Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan their purchases, and 87% of users have actually bought something they found on Pinterest. This means it’s easy to promote products without being spammy – people are actually looking for things to buy! Unlike multi-level marketing and other forms of sales, you don’t have to push products on reluctant customers. Just make sure you pin gorgeous images, write great descriptions, and people will click on your pins.
The perfect side hustle for mums
Sharing affiliate links on Pinterest is a great way for busy mums to make extra money. It’s the ultimate flexible side hustle. You can do as much or as little as you like. It really doesn’t matter what time of day or night you can work on it. You can even do it on your phone!
Also, if you’re a mum, you’re probably already in Pinterest’s key audience:
Pinterest users are 81% female. Users come from all age groups, although the majority of active pinners are in their 20s and 30s. The most popular categories on Pinterest include food & drink, home & garden, clothing, hobbies and gifts.
If this sounds like you, you’re probably a Pinterest natural!
You don’t need to be a blogger or have your own website to start affiliate marketing on Pinterest. You don’t even need a lot of followers! Pinterest works like a search engine, so if you pin great images with good descriptions, people will find you.
How much can you make?
Pinterest marketing is a great way to make a little extra money, but it’s unlikely to replace a full time income.
Note that it may take a while to see results – especially if you start without many followers. You should look at this as a long term game. Remember that once you pin something, it’s floating around Pinterest forever. The more affiliate pins you have, the more you will make in the long run.
The best thing is that this is almost passive income. It only takes a few minutes each day to pin a few affiliate links, and people can still discover your pins weeks or months later.
How to get started
Here are the basic steps to get started with affiliate marketing on Pinterest:
1. Make a Pinterest account. If you already have a personal account, just use that! You don’t need to make a new one.
2. Sign up with an affiliate program. Almost all major retailers have an affiliate program, but for beginners, I recommend Shopstyle Collective. This program lets you promote clothing and home products from dozens of different shops, including Pinterest favourites like Anthropologie and Forever 21.
Also, unlike most affiliate programs that only pay out when you make a sale, Shopstyle Collective pays per click! You earn 4 cents each time someone clicks on an image you pinned. While that might not sound like a lot, imagine over time you have hundreds of these images floating around Pinterest, getting pinned over and over. You can see how it all adds up!
When you sign up for an affiliate program it will probably ask for your website. Just enter your Pinterest profile here.
3. Start pinning images with your affiliate link. If you use Shopstyle Collective, simply click on the Pinterest icon on each product page. This lets you pin the product image with your affiliate link automatically embedded. When you pin from other sites, you may have to edit the pin to make sure your affiliate link is there.
4. Write a good description for each pin. Remember, Pinterest is a search engine. Use the kinds of words that people would search for. This will help people find your pin, even if they don’t follow you.
5. Don’t forget to re-pin other people’s images, too! Pinterest likes people who pin popular content. Repinning lots of popular pins stops your profile looking spammy, and it also means that Pinterest will show your pins more often in other people’s feeds.
6. Be consistent! This is probably the most important point. The more you pin, the more other people will see your pins, and the more clicks you’ll get! And don’t expect to make money with every single affiliate link you pin. Many pins sink without trace, while others unexpectedly go viral. You can’t always predict which pins will do well, so keeping pinning consistently – at least 3 to 5 affiliate pins every day, plus re-pinning other popular content.
Taking it further
As you get more comfortable with affiliate marketing on Pinterest, there are lots of ways you can develop it. You can use a free image editor like Canva to add text or backgrounds to your images. You could also try a pin scheduler like Tailwind or BoardBooster to automate your pinning.
I’ve only just scraped the surface of Pinterest marketing here, but I hope it got your interest up! If you want to learn more, I recommend reading through the articles on this site. It’s where I got started.
Affiliate marketing is so easy to do, takes very little time and there are no upfront costs! Why not give it a go? I’d love to hear how you get on!
Money Making Mums: 7 Easy Ways to Make Money from Home as a Mum
As you’ve probably guessed, I love making money from home. As a busy mum to two young children, working from home for myself provides me with the flexibility I need to care for my children and avoid high full time childcare costs. It also means I get to do what I love. I’m an advocate of earning money online and from apps, and I’m always looking for new ways to make more income from home. I’ve decided to invite other bloggers and money making mums to share even more ways us busy mums can make money from home. If you’d like to feature in this guest series please do get in touch.
Introducing Sarah from Frugal Happy Homemaker
Sarah blogs at www.frugalhappyhomemaker.com which is all about helping busy mums live a happy life on a budget. She writes about all aspects of parenting and home life in relation to budgeting and saving money, sharing some great tips that she’s learned going from a double income family to a single income one when kids arrived, allowing her to be a stay-at-home-mum.
7 Easy Ways to Make Money from Home as a Mum
When I became a stay-at-home-mum, our financial situation changed dramatically. Our income halved overnight, which meant there were a lot of adjustments needed. Since making this transition, I am always looking out for ways I can earn money from home. I’ve discovered that there are lots of ways to make money quickly, with minimal effort. I’m not talking about big ‘get rich quick’ schemes (we all know those don’t work!) but there are lots of little ways to make money easily in your everyday routine. And these little ways all add up.
I’ve listed my top 7 here. I’m sure there are many more, which I am yet to discover, that could be added to this list. But these 7 are bringing regular additions to the savings in our house. And every little bit helps when you’re on a budget, so I’m sharing them with you so that you can start boosting your savings too, starting today.
1. eBay
What is it?
If you haven’t used eBay before, I’m sure you’ll have heard of it by now. It’s been on the scene for a long time and is the top online auction site available.
How do I make money with it?
It’s so easy to make money using eBay, it’s not just about shopping for a bargain. But you do have to know how to ‘play the game’ a bit to make sure you get the best deal when selling on eBay.
My first piece of advice is to only sell items of a mid-price range. If the items you sell are too low value, then your profit will be eaten up with fees and postage costs. And if they’re too high then you’ll have huge commission fees to pay which will eat into your profits.
You also need to think about when to list your items, which time of day and which day of the week. The majority of bids will come in right at the end of the auction, so you need to make sure that’s at a time when your target audience will be able to have uninterrupted access to their computer/phone to place their bids. I’ve found that weekend evenings are optimal as that’s when people are generally most free.
Examples
The kind of mid-range priced items that have done well for me are clothes and shoes. These must be in good condition and you’ll get an even better price for them if they’re branded.
Another odd category that appears to be popular is broken electrical items! I think folk must like the challenge. Either that, or they’re genuinely very technical themselves and know they’ll be able to fix the item and resell it (or use it themselves). This is a great way to get rid of broken items that are lying around the house, while also earning a bit of money. You won’t get much for them, obviously, but it all adds up. eBay actually has a ‘not working, for parts’ description ready to be chosen, so this is definitely a known category that folk will be searching for.
Pros
Large audience so very likely to sell.
PayPal payment, safe and secure.
You control the exact length and end time of the auction, you can also schedule auctions for a future date.
Unsold items will automatically relist so you get a second chance to sell them.
Cons
Seller fees to eBay (currently 10% including postage costs).
PayPal fees.
You have to keep the items cluttering up your house during the length of the auction which can be a hassle.
2. Gumtree
What is it?
Gumtree is another way to sell your items online. It’s a local selling site, so you advertise your items in your geographical location and meet the buyers face to face. It’s not an auction, so you simply list your item for sale and buyers contact you if they’re interested.
How do I make money with it?
Like eBay, this is another great way to get rid of unwanted items lying around the house while making money at the same time.
While eBay is best for mid-range priced items, Gumtree is great for low and high priced items. Because it’s local and you pay cash, there are no fees or postage costs to eat into your profits.
Examples
Low-priced items I’ve sold on Gumtree include kids toys and books. Price them low for a quick sale or bundle them together, bundles are always popular!
High-priced items that I’ve found popular on Gumtree (both as a seller and as a buyer) are furniture such as beds and table/chair sets. I listed a bed and within an hour had 4 people contact me interested in it! This makes you a quick sale and takes the hassle out of removing it from your house yourself, or arranging for a company to come and remove it for you. The buyer sorts all this!
Pros
Local, so no trips to the post office.
Cash payment so no fees to pay.
Cons
Smaller audience than eBay, especially if you live in a rural location.
Scammers. You need to be aware of scammers posing as potential buyers. They will usually have some lengthy story and have some reason why they can’t meet in person or can’t pay cash etc etc. I’ve found these messages usually appear when I’ve provided a mobile number, so to try and avoid these scammers, opt for email only as a form of contact.
3. Facebook Groups
What is it?
Most of you will have Facebook and be in at least one group. But did you know there are groups dedicated to buying and selling? These groups are usually for a specific category and targeted at a specific niche.
How do I make money with it?
If you’ve got something to sell that needs a specific targeted audience, then Facebook selling groups could be exactly what you need. I’ve made more money selling in Facebook groups this year, than on eBay and Gumtree combined!
Examples
These are some categories that I’ve bought and sold items in;
Baby & Toddler related paraphernalia.
Buggies.
Slings/baby carriers.
Cloth nappies.
There are many, many other groups though, pretty much any category you can think of there’s a Facebook group to sell in, including;
Camping equipment.
Gardening.
Musical instruments.
Pros
Targeted niche, so very high chance of sale.
Cons
There’s often haggling (much more so than on Gumtree) so make sure to list your item for a higher price than you’re expecting to get.
Most groups require you to pay via PayPal (which I recommend doing, even if it’s not in the group rules) so there are fees to pay.
4. Renewal Deals
What is it?
Every year you’ll have multiple renewals to sort out. Do you let your car insurance/house insurance/energy contract etc renew automatically? Or do you take some time to shop around and make sure you’re getting the best deal?
How do I make money with it?
No, I’m not just talking about saving money on your annual renewals. I’m telling you that you can actually make money when it comes to renewal time! And there’s some serious money on offer too!
Did you know that lots of companies put effort into finding new customers? And a lot of them are actually willing to pay to get them. If you put in the effort to shop around then you can not only save money on your renewal, but also get paid to switch.
Examples
The best companies for these payouts are energy and internet providers. Since that’s where there’s some big competition, they need to give you a reason to choose them. If you use comparison websites then it makes it much easier for you to see the deals all in one place, but often it’s not until you click through to the individual provider that you see the extra incentives.
Pros
Big payouts so worth the effort of shopping around. (I got paid £170 to switch internet provider this year!)
Cons
Only available once a year when your renewal is due.
Need to take the time to shop around and see what offers are available.
5. Top Cash Back
What is it?
I’ve written a whole post about how much I love this already. If you haven’t heard of cash back sites before, they essentially get paid commission from a company for directing you to that company’s website, then they pass this commission onto you.
How do I make money with it?
This is the best bit…all you have to do is shop online! The one extra step you have to take is to visit the Top Cash Back website first, find the retailer you wish to purchase from, click through to that retailer then shop as normal. The cash back will then appear in your account and you can withdraw it any time you like. You can choose to withdraw it straight into your bank account, or from a whole host of gift card options (including Amazon).
Examples
There are hundreds of retailers to choose from. Not every online place you shop will be listed, but here are a few regulars I use;
Boots (cosmetics, baby items etc).
Debenhams (bedding, clothing etc).
ASOS
Internet providers (combine with renewal deals above to boost your earnings even more).
Insurance providers.
Pros
Get paid for purchases you would be making anyway.
Widely available on everyday purchases.
Cons
Often small amounts, but it all adds up.
6. Money Making Apps
What is it?
There really is an app for everything these days. Believe it or not, there are several apps dedicated to earning you money for buying your groceries! These are a recent find for me so I haven’t fully explored all the options yet, but first impressions are good.
How do I make money with it?
Simple. You download the app, shop as normal, upload your receipt and get paid. There are several different apps available and all work slightly differently, but the general concept is that you upload your receipt for a specific offer, then you’ll get cashback into your account for the offers that you qualify for.
There are also apps that pay you just for uploading your receipts. These are then used for market research, so you have to be ok with the information you provide being shared in this way.
Examples
The apps I have tried for getting cash back for offers are Checkout Smart and Shopitize. Checkout Smart has more offers that are relevant to me so it’s the one I use most. Be careful you don’t get sucked into buying items purely for the cashback as it’s not guaranteed. Like any offer, make sure it’s something you will actually use. Offers vary week to week, but I’ve been paid for items such as toothpaste, orange juice, crisps and bread. There are usually some good offers on various alcoholic drinks too.
One that I haven’t tried out yet but that I hear a lot about is Receipt Hog. It’s one that uses your receipts for market research, so all you have to do is upload your receipts and the more you upload, the more you get paid.
Pros
Get paid for buying your groceries.
Easy way to earn a few extra pennies.
Cons
Payout not guaranteed, although I’ve never had my receipt declined they do warn that this may happen occasionally.
Small amounts, but it all adds up.
Offers constantly change, may be some weeks with no offers relevant to you.
7. Direct Sales
What is it?
Direct sales companies are very popular with stay-at-home-mums. They are completely flexible and allow you to work when you want, which is perfect for mums who want to be at home with their kids during the day and work in the evening. The idea is that instead of shopping in a store, you buy your items directly from the trader. This gives it a more personal touch and allows you to try before you buy.
There are a whole host of direct sales companies. Cards & stationery, cosmetics, kitchen & home goods, skin care, candles & other ‘smelly stuff’, cleaning supplies…So there really is something to suit everyone. Just make sure that whichever company you choose, you really love the products so that your sales are genuine and you’re not just in it for the money. People notice genuine enthusiasm and you’ll make way more sales if your excitement about the products you’re selling comes across.
How do I make money with it?
Choose the company you want to work for, get your starter pack and go sell! Every company will supply you with various options of how you can generate sales. I chose a card & stationery company (which has sadly now gone into administration L ) which suggested selling from your own home, hosting ‘parties’ in customers’ homes, utilising social media etc, but it’s entirely up to you how you go about it. Some take the ‘softly softly’ selling approach, while others go for the ‘hard sell’.
You choose the hours you work, the more you put in the more you’ll get out of it. So it really is completely flexible.
Examples
I mentioned a few above, I won’t list specific companies because there are literally endless options and I don’t want to overwhelm you. Choose a category you’re particularly interested in then do a bit of research into the direct sales companies that offer those products.
Make sure you check out the company properly and don’t get drawn into any scams. Most direct sales work on the personal approach, so there should be a way for you to get in contact with someone in your local area who can chat through things more with you.
Pros
Flexibility to work when it suits you.
Work as much or as little as you like.
Get paid for selling a product you love.
Cons
Can come across as ‘salesy’ if you’re not careful.
Difficult to branch out from selling only to family and friends.
Not completely from home as you’ll often need to host ‘parties’ in customers’ homes.
Summary
Even if you’re at home with the kids, there are ways you can bring some extra income in for your family.
Sell on eBay.
Sell on Gumtree.
Sell on Facebook Groups.
Make the most of renewal deals.
Use cash back sites to earn money when shopping online.
Use cash back apps to earn money on your groceries.
Join a direct sales company.
These 7 examples bring a steady flow of cash in for us. It’s not huge, but every little bit helps when you’re on a budget.
I’d love to hear how you get on with my suggestions, or if there are any other ways you bring money in from home that I haven’t listed here. Please do leave a comment below.
