27 Things You Can Sell From Home to Make Money

June 11, 2014 57 Comments This post may contain paid and/or affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy for further information.

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By Holly Reisem Hanna

From a very early age, I was taught the value of money. Not only did I do chores to earn a weekly allowance, but I was expected to save my money for things that I wanted to purchase. And like most kids — I wanted more than I really needed, which motivated me to come up with creative ways to make money.

Yes, I sold lemonade from a TV tray in our neighborhood, but I also sold arts and crafts door-to-door. I collected salamanders from our backyard and sold them to the local pet store. I collected aluminum cans from the nearby business park’s dumpsters and sold them to the recycling center, and I sold my old toys in rummage sales.

Fast forward, and not much has changed.

In college, I sold my old textbooks and CDs for cash. I sold old clothes to consignment shops. I even sold my body to science, by participating in numerous pharmaceutical research studies. The point being, when you’re short on cash, there are TONS of ways to make extra money by selling things.

If you need some extra pocket cash, here are 27 weird things to sell for money.

1. Sell Your Advice

Are you a math whiz or a tech guru? Do you know a foreign language? Then cash in on your knowledge on sites like Brain Mass or Skillshare. Simply browse the questions, give an answer, and get paid. Each site works differently, so visit each for specific details.

Be sure you check out this post — it has a bunch different sites where you can sell your expertise!

2. Sell Your Art

Do you love to paint or draw? Then sell your art online at ArtPal, they accept paintings, prints, photography, sculptures, handmade jewelry, and crafts. Best of all, there's no fee to join.

3. Sell Used Baby Gear

Is your baby all grown up? Then sell your used baby furniture, gear, toys, and clothes at a Just Between Friends sale. At JBF you simply bring in your items to a local sale, price them, and then two weeks later you receive your consignor check in the mail. You can also try selling your gently used baby stuff on Craigslist or eBay.

4. Sell Your Belly? Yes, You Can!

While this is a HUGE commitment and undertaking, it can be very lucrative if you’re healthy, the right age, and you have the right mindset. Being a surrogate (carrying someone else’s baby for nine months) pays anywhere from $25,000 – $40,000, plus the cost of medical bills and treatments.

5. Sell Big Ticket Items

Do you have furniture, designer clothing, major electronics, or appliances that you no longer need or want? Then sell them on Amazon, eBay, or Craigslist. Like a newspaper ad, but free, you’ll list your item, and it will be up to you to follow through with customers. With Craigslist just remember to use common sense and general safety precautions when meeting people and accepting payments (cash only). With eBay you’ll list your items online, once they sell, you’ll ship them to the customer, and you’ll get paid via PayPal. eBay takes a 10 percent fee from each item sold; otherwise, it is free to list your items.

6. Sell Your Breast Milk

Yes, you heard me correctly, breast milk! In fact, there is a whole website called, Only The Breast that is dedicated to moms selling and those looking to buy breast milk. $2.00 is the average selling price per ounce.

7. Sell Used Books

Do you have old books laying around? Sell them online at Cash 4 Books. Enter the book’s ISBN and get a quote. If it’s acceptable, send your books with their pre-paid shipping label. Once they are received, you’ll be paid either via check or PayPal.

8. Participate in Clinical Trials

Donate your body to science by partaking in a clinical research study. Use Clinical Trials.gov to locate trials around the globe. Compensation will vary depending on the type of medication, the length of the study, and the number of visits. Payments are usually made by check from the clinical research organization.

9. Sell Used Clothing

Do you have outgrown children’s clothing or styles that you no longer wear? Then sell your clothes on ThredUp. To get started, go to the SELL TAB and order a free Clean Out Kit. Once you receive the prepaid bag with shipping label, fill it up with clothes, shoes, jackets, handbags, and accessories and send it off in the mail. You'll receive a notification once ThredUp receives your bag and once they evaluate your items. ThredUp accepts around 60 percent of items sent in, and you can transfer your earnings via PayPal or ThredUp credit. And if you sign up now, you can earn a $10 ThredUp credit just by using this referral link. ThredUp has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.

Prefer to sell new clothing? Here are five online boutiques that will let you set up shop for FREE!

10. Sell Your Handmade Crafts Online

Do you make gorgeous jewelry or cozy knit scarves? Then sell your handmade goods, vintage items, or craft supplies on the CraftStar or Etsy. It costs .20 cents to list a product for four months, or until it sells. Once you sell your item, Etsy collects a 3.5 percent fee on the sale price.

If you have a creative personality — here are some ways you can use your creative side to make money.

11. Become an Egg Donor

Are you young and in good health? Then donating your eggs may be a viable option for you. You must be between the ages of 21 – 32, a non-smoker, and in overall good health. Donors can make anywhere from $5,000 – $8,000 per retrieval. Want more information on being an egg donor? Check out this post from The Penny Hoarder.

12. Sell Your Old Electronics

Have old electronics lying around? Then sell your old smartphones, tablets, laptops, and computers on Gazelle. Just find your gadget on their website, answer some questions, ship it off for free, and get paid via check, Amazon gift card, or PayPal. Gazelle has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.

13. Sell Your Jewelry

Do you have jewelry from an old flame? Then sell it at a pawn shop, local jewelry store, or on a platform like, Out of Your Life. While Out of Your Life has an A rating with Better Business Bureau, I have not used them personally. Be sure to do your research before sending off your precious gems.

If you'd like to sell new jewels and gems — here's a HUGE list of companies to check out!

14. Join a Direct Sales Company

You've probably heard of heard of Avon — but did you know there are thousands of direct selling companies that sell fun stuff like on-trend jewelry (stella & dot), wine (Traveling Vineyard), and stylish clothing (cabi)? While you usually have to pay a small startup fee — the direct sales industry is a great way to sell new products from home. From makeup and jewelry to gourmet food and clothing, whatever your passion there’s a direct sales company that caters to it.

For more information, check out some of the best products to sell from home.

15. Sell Unwanted Gift Cards

Have you gotten a gift card for a store that you don’t shop at or that’s not close to your home? If you’re not using it, sell it on the platform, Card Cash. Just enter your gift card info online and get a free quote. Card Cash pays up to 92 percent in cash for your old gift cards. Payments are made via check, PayPal, or direct deposit. Card Cash is a member of the Better Business Bureau.

Don't have any unwanted gift cards?

How about earning some using platforms like Swagbucks or InboxDollars? Both of these platforms are free to join, and you earn points by taking surveys, watching videos, printing out coupons, searching the web and other random short tasks. Both platforms give you a $5 bonus for signing up, and they both have A+ ratings with the Better Business Bureau.

16. Sell Your Hair

Do you have long hair? Then sell your hair using HairWork.com or HairSellon.com. You’ll need at least 10 inches of healthy hair — but you can make anywhere from $100 to $4,000 just by selling your locks.

17. Sell Your Design Skills

Do you have graphic design skills? Then use your talents and sell logos on 99 designs. Simply find a contest, submit a design, and if yours is chosen as the winner, you make money.

Or try using your design skills to create and sell t-shirts — there are a bunch of platforms that allow you to design, setup up shop, and sell for FREE.

18. Sell Mini Services Online

Fiverr is a website where you post services that you’re willing to do for $5.00. People sell everything from writing services, design services, voice over services, to making phone calls, posting social media updates, and videos. Once you make a sale, Fiverr will keep a $1 fee and payments will be made via PayPal. Doesn’t sound like much money? Connie Brentford is making good money on Fiverr – she even wrote an e-book about it, How I Made An Extra $1,200 Per Month At Home Using One Free Website.

19. Sell Your Old Music

Sell your used CDs, DVDs, and video games at Decluttr. Just enter the item's barcode on the site to get a quote. Decide which items you’d like to sell (minimum of 10 items per transaction) and send them in using a pre-paid shipping label. Once items are received, Decluttr will send you a check.

20. Sell New Stuff

With Shop Your Way (Sponsored by Lands End, Sears, and Kmart) you can sell clothes, shoes, accessories, appliances, toys, home decor, and much more. Sign up for a free account and then view the startup videos to get started. Simply share items via social media and earn a 5 percent commission on items you sell through your personal shopper link.

21. Donate Your Plasma for Money

Are you a healthy individual? Then donate plasma at BioLife Plasma Services. Your first visit will take approximately two hours for donation screening, medical check, and retrieval time. Upon successful completion, you’ll be paid via a Visa Debit Card. Donors are allowed to donate two times in a seven day period and subsequent visits only take one hour. Call your local chapter for compensation rates.

22. Sell Your Photos Online

Sell your photos to stock sites like Dreamstime.com. Simply upload your photos and sell your images. You’ll receive 25 – 60 percent from each sale you make. For more places to sell your photos, check out this MASSIVE list of sites you can sell on. Or use an iPhone app like Foap. Download the application to your smartphone and upload your photos. Once your image receives five positive ratings from other Foap users – your photo will be published for sale. You will earn $5 each time someone purchases your photo. Payments are made via PayPal when the user requests a cashout.

23. Sell Practical Tips to Magazines

Do you love to DIY? Are you in the know? Then share your tips, strategies, and hacks with magazines for money. Cuisine.com pays $100 for solving common cooking problems. Check out this article on ways to make money from home for more magazine submission sites. You can also search online for “submit a tip” or in the back of physical magazines.

Prefer to write articles for magazines? This article has step-by-step instructions on how to get started.

24. Sell or Trade Random Junk

At Listia, you can trade in your old unwanted stuff for credits and buy new things for free. Earn 1,000 free credits for signing up. Listia has been featured on Mashable, ABC, and the Washington Post.

25. Sell Your Recipes

Are you an exceptional cook? Then sell your recipes to magazines, cooking contest websites, or article databases like Helium.com and About.com. Magazines will usually pay $25 – $500+ if they publish your recipe. Some sites to check out are Cooking Light ($50 and a free t-shirt) and Sunset.com ($250). With article databases, they publish your recipe online and then place ads alongside your recipe. The more page views to your recipe, the higher revenue share you earn, and the more recipes you share, the more earnings you’ll make.

26. Sell Tickets

Do you have concert or sports tickets that you’ve won or are not able to use? Then sell them on StubHub. List your tickets for free, once they sell, StubHub collects a 15% fee from the total sale. Payments are made via PayPal or check.

27. Sell Your Wedding Dress

Is your wedding dress collecting dust in the closet? Then sell it on SellMyWeddingDress.org or StillWhite.com. Listings range from $19.95 to $29.95. Neither sites charge commission fees. List your wedding items, prom dress, wedding dress, or wedding gown to tons of potential buyers.

Looking for more things to sell from home? This post tells you how you can make money from your trash!

What things are you selling from home?

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When you’re short on cash, there are TONS of ways to make extra money. One way is to sell stuff around your house. Here are 27 weird things to sell when you need to earn some cash fast. #sell #money #stuff #things