Five proven ways to make real money on the Internet

by Christina VanGinkel

With the lure of working from home via the Internet to make extra money, knowing where to begin is often the biggest hurdle. There are proven ways to do it, as long as one is willing to search them out and provide the required commitment to each. While rarely will any of these jobs provide someone with a get rich quick card, they can all offer an excellent way to earn much needed extra money to the average home Internet user

Product Evaluations
Many companies have taken advantage of the Worldwide Web to reach out to the public for reviews and evaluations of their products. You register with a site, which in turn has contracted with numerous companies to secure reviews and evaluations of their products. Once you have registered and filled out an application that is in effect a study of your household and habits, you may be chosen to participate in a current evaluation. Sometimes this involves filling out a review sheet that is both multiple choice and essay style questions. From the initial group, some participants are then chosen to do a more detailed review of a product and are sent the actual product. After using the product in question, you are again asked to do a comprehensive written review.
Payment varies from company to company. Some offer a set fee for each study, while others offer only the chance for your name to be put into a drawing for a larger prize. In addition, if you are chosen to receive products for evaluation, they are then free to keep after the review. While none of these qualifies as get rich quick venues, if you enjoy trying new products, this is a good way to earn a few spare dollars while enjoying the chance to try new products.
To find companies that hire, search for companies online that offer product surveys to retail outlets. Peruse their websites for links that provide detailed information on how to become a product tester and reviewer. Also, search for applications to join research panels, and to do surveys for money. Avoid the bulk of email spam that purports to be companies hiring product testers. The majority of these sites are only looking to waste your valuable time and get you to clink on a link. Also, avoid web links that ask for your name and address to see if you will qualify as a product tester or as a focus group member. Again, these are mostly frauds looking to have you send them money. Apply directly with companies and avoid anyone, or any company purporting itself to be an intermediary for larger companies looking to hire

Web Content Writer
Every website requires someone to provide content. Much of the time, that is staff or a defined group of people. However, oftentimes, even companies whose content is produced mostly in-house will hire freelance writers to fill everything from gaps to complete columns. The quickest way to find out if a site is hiring is to check out their sites info button or FAQ page. Some sites will even post that they are currently looking for freelance writers. Be professional when approaching such sites, and follow guidelines as put forth. With many people looking for this type of work, companies can be choosy when hiring. For this reason, make sure to apply only if you are willing to submit your best work you can provide

Mystery Shopping
Not entirely an online activity, the Internet has opened the doors to participate in this form of work by keeping those interested up to date on job openings and making it relatively easy to submit work and receive payment. How does it work? Stores hire outside companies to come in and evaluate their workforce. Those companies in turn hire you to shop the stores as a regular customer. While shopping, you are also evaluating the staff, the stores cleanliness, speed of service, and several other detailed factors.
Once you accept a job, you are given a budget to spend, along with a set fee to complete the job. Most companies offer anywhere from five to fifty dollars to complete the review along with the stipend to spend. The downfall is that most companies require you to spend your own money upfront, and then reimburse you when you submit your receipts and completed evaluation. The upside is you are also able to keep the merchandise except in rare cases where part of the evaluation incorporates a return into their review

Manage a Micro Site
Some companies are turning their Websites in a different direction by splitting them up into micro sites. They offer to handle all the design and layout, along with the HTML coding, and provide the actual space, while you provide the content. Money is earned through ads placed on the site. Revenues are based on a click through ratio and are wholly dependant on the amount of visitors. The plus side to joining a site such as this is that even though your individual site is small, the overall site is large and has a better chance to attract visitors than if you were to build a similar site on your own. Some companies even offer a base pay for the first few months until you can build up your site, but those companies are rare.
Be sure to read the fine print, and if you are doing a large proportion of article writing with no upfront payment, be sure to retain your copyrights so that you can reuse the articles if the site does fold.
Making money on the Internet is possible, if you are willing to work. Get rich quick schemes may exist, but mostly in the minds of those looking to earn money off the average person, and not from any work, they themselves will perform. If you are serious about earning extra cash, be prepared to work for it and you may be surprised by how many opportunities truly exist

Selling on Ebay
Sometimes it seems like everybody including your daytime boss is hawking his or her wares on Ebay. Some make money; others spend more in listing fees than any amount they will ever recoup through sales. It is possible to build a business that will earn you a sizable second income through this Internet auction site.
Research what you are intending to sell to see if there is a market for it at Ebay. Check not only the current listings, but also the completed listings. This will give you a much clearer view of a product's sales potential.
Be professional in shipping your merchandise and in the pricing of shipping. Offer various payment services such as Pay Pal to make it easier for customers to pay for purchases. Take the time to leave feedback for buyers, so you in turn will receive feedback. Buyers do read feedback profiles, especially when considering a first time purchase from someone.
Networking and building a name for you is important to bring back repeat customers. For example, two sellers selling very similar jewelry have quite a degree of separation in their sales figures. One is a frequent visitor to online chat rooms devoted to jewelry, and is quick to answer emails and provide additional photos of any items in question. The other is new, and figures that by undercutting the other's prices, they will be able to garner some of the previous seller's sales. Not so surprisingly, shoppers stick with the first seller, even though the product costs a few dollars more. They know they can trust the first seller to provide merchandise as promised.
This is a lesson in building your own sales through quality and attitude and not just through lower pricing. Be prepared to put time and energy into the endeavor if you truly expect to make money