Drop Shipping - Things You Should Know

    Drop shipping is a great way to make money from home using the internet. Drop shipping, in a nut shell, is selling products to consumers online without the risk of spending your own money upfront. When you drop ship, you list products of your choice on your website/ebay/amazon and do not purchase those products until you are paid beforehand by a customer. This eliminates you fronting your money and taking up all of your space in your garage to store your inventory. However, in order to drop ship, you must first create drop shipping accounts with suppliers.  You can do this by directly applying to companies (which requires you to apply for and have an EIN number) or you can use a third party company.

   The site I personally used was Doba. They charged me around $200.00 for a little over a year of service from their company. I am sure you are thinking about how I just said you don't have to spend money up front, but it was well worth it. Doba has thousands of suppliers with millions of products to list on my website and ebay. Instead of working directly with thousands of suppliers, Doba did it for me. For a fee of $200.00.

   The next step is to sell the products online.  You can use eBay or create your own site.  I have done both, and eBay isn't recommended.  There is so much competition it's unreal.  In order to even sell anything on eBay you have to mark the price so low, you make a dollar or two off of each item you sell (of course it also depends on what you're trying to sell).  Then there is also the slight setback of your rankings.  When you're new on eBay, people will tend to buy from someone who has already been on the site for a long period of time and who also has very good ratings.  I have had much better success using a website storefront.  There are numerous web hosting companies that offer eCommerce websites, however, I recommend GoDaddy.com.  Get your own online store -- in minutes! GoDaddy.com Quick Shopping Cart®

   Now before you get too exited and think you're going to make over $1,000 the first month you sign up, calm down. Although it sounds easy enough, there are numerous things which determine how profitable, if profitable at all, this can be. You must first create a site (or you can use eBay mentioned beforehand). Then, you must generate traffic to your site by creating a whole lot of back links, as well as other means of SEO (search engine optimization). Then you have to get your site indexed and crawled by search engines, which isn't as hard as it sounds. Then you must get your ranking up on those search engines, which includes the back linking and a long list of other things mentioned beforehand, in order to even begin to see a little sliver of profit. So, don't expect to make any money for the first few months, unless you already have an established site with a lot of traffic and incorporate drop shipping on it.  I'm not trying to discourage you, but I've been there and done that.  It's always better to expect less and get more, then to expect more and get less.

   So in closing, drop shipping can be very profitable if you know what you're doing and you are determine to do so.  You must have time and money to invest.  It is a great legitimate work from home opportunity however, it may take some time to actually see some profit.  You must also keep your expectations reasonable.  Once up and running though, it can be a very lucrative business.


   

Blogging - For The Bucks

   Another great way to earn money from home is blogging.  Yes, another great work from home opportunity is simply writing one or two short posts a week.  But before you start to thing that you can just throw some random words up and expect to make some cash, you're wrong.

   Step one, write about something people care about or would be interested in.  Such as working from home.  Or if you have a funny family, a funny life, great recipes, ect.  The key is to connect with your readers.  You want to keep them coming back each week to your blog.  It's not an easy task, but if you are a decent writer and have something somewhat interesting, you should do okay.  Do count on quitting your day job in the first month or two, but if you stick with it, you may be able to in a couple of years.

   Step two is SEO (search engine optimization).  I could write a 2,000 word post on just how to get your site on Google, so it's not easy.  I have been researching website SEO for the past year or so, and have just touched the tip of the iceburge.  To understand SEO, it takes years of experience and knowledge, however, by doing a little online research, you can learn the basics in a couple weeks.

   Step three, Google Adsense.  Wrtitting a blog and SEO along will not make you much money.  In fact, it won't make you any money at all.  That's where Google Adsense comes in.  Google Adsense is very simple for those who are somewhat familiar with a computer and the internet.  Essentially, all Adsense boils down to is advertising.  Your blog becomes the billboard.  When visitors to your blog click on the links posted on your blog, you earn money.  Depending on the ads, you may only make five or ten cents per click, but if you get 1,000 clicks per day, you can go on vacation once a month.

   So, in conclusion, another great opportunity to work from home is create and run a blog.  By incorporating SEO (search engine optimization) and Google Adsense, you can begin to earn in a few months.  The only downside to blogging is one, you have to be a somewhat decent writer, have an interesting topic, and get traffic.  However, if successful, blogging is one of the easiest ways to earn cash from home by use of the internet.

Vindale Research - It Pays To Care

   Another survey website to try is Vindale Research.  Similar to Inbox Dollars and Send Earnings, it also pays you to complete surveys, participate in product evaluation, and receive cash back by shopping online.  One of the biggest differences I have found in comparison to other survey sites is the amount received per survey at Vindale Research.  On average, you receive anywhere from $1.00 up to $10.00 and perhaps more per survey on Vindale Research.

   On the other hand, with more pay comes more work.  A lot of the surveys at Vindale Research require more time and more information than those of it's cousin sites.  The information also has to be verifiable, which means you have to use your REAL telephone number.

   The last quirk about Vindale Research is the cash out ammount.  On Inbox Dollars and Send Earnings you can request a check once you have $30 or more in your account.  On Vindale Research, you can not request a check until your total funds reach $50.

   All in all, Vindale Research is another great survey site if you have the time and energy.  The amount per survey is significantly greater than those of other sites, however the surveys themselves require more work and more information.  Also, don't expect a check until you have reached the minimum $50 account balance.  With those few things in mind, you could be on your way to making money from your living room!

 

Send Earnings - Inbox Dollars Cousin

   Another great site for making money online from the comfort of you home is Send Earnings. It is the same concept, pay structure, etc as Inbox Dollars. The main difference is Send Earnings does NOT offer pay for viewing videos, which is a bit of a downer, since that would be an extra .10 a day to watch five 30 second videos.

   Although both Inbox Dollars and Send Earnings appear to be the same site, you CAN sign up for both. So, you can make double the money for completing the same tasks (although you have to do each task separately for each individual site).

   Once again, Send Earnings allow you to earn money by taking surveys, reading emails, playing games, complete sponsor ads, shopping, along with a few other things. Both sites, Inbox Dollars and Send Earnings, also offer a $5.00 sign-up bonus. Once you register and activate your account (which consists of clicking a confirmation email)you are instantly credited $5.00.

   Also just like Inbox Dollars, once you reach $30.00 you can request your check. After the initial $30.00 payment, you then become a "Gold Member" just like you would on Inbox Dollars and you begin to receive more emails, surveys, and other offers that allow you to make more money faster. You also can request payment EACH WEEK once you become a "Gold Member".

   Essentially, Send Earnings is exactly the same as Inbox Dollars. It offers the same sponsor ads, surveys, and emails. So, basically you can "double dip" if you register for both sites. Both sites are FREE to join and both offer great ways to begin making money from home using the internet.

Inbox Dollars - Money Making Emails

   One very popular way to make money from home is taking surveys and completing tasks. One of the leading websites in this avenue is Inbox Dollars. It is very easy to join, and offers money for taking surveys, reading emails, completing sponsor ads, and other things such as watching videos and more.

   The amount of money you can make is completely up to you. Depending on the number of surveys, emails read, and so on, the payout can be very attractive. Below is the list of typical payouts:

.02 cents per email read
.50 per survey
.02 per video you watch

   There is also a long list of offers, which are sponsored by various companies. If you complete these offers, you get compensated a certain amount of money which is told to you before signing up for the offer. The amount usually depends on how long the offer takes to complete, as well as the type of offer (whether it be a 100% free offer or a trial).

   After you reach $30.00, you can request a check. The first time you cash out, it takes up to 30 days to receive payment. After you have received your first $30.00 from Inbox Dollars, you become a "Gold Member". Once you've achieved this status, you begin to receive more offers and emails, as well as the added bonus of getting paid weekly.

   All in all, Inbox Dollars is a great way to start making money from home by simply reading emails, taking surveys, playing games, and doing other things that you already do online. After you reach $30.00 and receive your payment, they you can really start to earn a substantial amount of money on Inbox Dollars.