Alternatives to stock photo agencies

Most of the suggestions thus far focus on stock photo agencies, which are fine if you have a wide range of professional-grade material. Stock photo agencies have staff buyers who sift through large quantities of images and unless you have a body of work that stands out (i.e., 1 or 2 nice pictures won't do), you will likely be bypassed.

An alternative is Artist Rising (part of art.com), where you can upload photos and tag them. Since the site attracts consumers looking to buy prints & posters, if your image is of a high enough quality and matches a buyer's needs, you might score a sale and earn a commission. Other similar sites include cafepress (where your images can be put on mugs, t-shirts, mouse pads etc.) & zazzle. Flickr & Shutterfly also have a sales component associated with vendors like Qoop etc.