Making Money Online - What Worked for Me

Don't you ever wish they'd make a reality series on something really interesting like having a bunch of people try to make money online. The one that makes the most mulah wins? Now there's something that everyone would watch and actually learn from!

Well until then, here's my story. In no particular order.

1. Graphic Design - I put an ad on eBay and advertised my services. I created one page with a bunch of logos that I had done and used that as my portfolio. I was surprised when someone actually bid. My first logo was for $9.99. I cringe when I think that I actually did this but I was in school then and this was about what I could make per hour. I was able to slowly raise rates to $100. My final logo went for $300. This was back in 2001. I'm not sure you'd be able to still fetch the same price. On a more positive note, I used eBay to win clients and build up my portfolio which eventually allowed me to start a side graphic design and website business. I did not know how to do graphic design when I started. I did not have the money to buy books to teach me graphic design either nor could I afford the classes. Thank goodness for public libraries and inter-library loans!
2. Lingerie sales on eBay - I used a site called lingeriemart.com (which I found out about through the eBay boards - I couldn't believe that people were willing to share this kind of information). At that time they were selling brand name lingerie. You had to buy them whole sale and could not choose the size or color. I put $200 on my credit card and bought a stock of VS (pink tags cut off) bras. If I remember correctly the bras cost me under $10 and I ended up selling them for around $25. The unusual sizes sold better (of course what is 'usual' is open to intepretation). I had some clients from Canada and some gentlemen among my customers. I always made sure I included a personal note and asked them for feedback.
3. Books - I sold books on eBay and Amazon. I prefered Amazon for its ease of uploading and because I didn't need to upload photos. I would go to second hand book stores and public libraries. I would look for books that cost under $1 and then call a friend with an internet connection and read out the ISBN numbers to check how much it was going for on Amazon. Unusual, specialized books did well. Computer books, pulp ficiton, Daniel Steell's and magazines were a total waste of space! In one month when I was particularly active I earned about $1000 net. Again this was back in 2002 when the internet was young.
4. AdSense - this is my latest venture and I'm still learning. Will keep you posted on how this goes.

In case you're wondering what happened in between 2002 and now - I graduated school, entered the real world of 9-5 and tried to continue to research ways to make money online. My husband and I launched a web design company that helps pay part of the bills but I still need to work full time. It is NOT easy to make money online (at least I haven't figured out a way that doesn't involve some type of activity that would get you beheaded in certain parts of the world!)

In my next hub I'll tell you the things I tried online that did NOT work - I think this is just as important and can serve as a warning to others. I'd love to hear if anyone else has comments to share.