The Best Ways To Make Money Online In Australia
However, earning extra money doesn’t necessarily mean getting a second job. In fact—so long as you have an internet connection—there are numerous ways to make extra money online. We’ve rounded up some top examples to get you started.
While these tips exclusively cover your online options, there are many more side hustle options beyond your laptop. You can read our complete guide to the top side hustles for Australians in 2024.
1. Have Your Say
There are websites that will pay you for your opinion on anything from the latest hit TV show to shampoo or dog food. To get started, sign up to survey sites such as Opinion World, Swagbucks, or Toluna. Once you’re a member, they’ll send you details of surveys you’re eligible for and how much they pay.
Focus groups are more in-depth and usually mean attending a session in person or online. They can pay well though—up to $200 for few hours. Real Time Research or Paidfocusgroups.com.au are good places to start. Be aware, however, that many of these companies pay in vouchers, which may or may not suit you.
2. Pocket some ‘Passive’ Income
Passive income refers to income that doesn’t need a significant commitment of time or money on an ongoing basis.
Investing in the stock market, for example, can generate passive income— but you’ll need a long-term investment strategy to see gains. And, of course, you may get out less than you put in.
There’s a lot of hype around cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin and Ethereum but you should think twice before jumping onto the crypto bandwagon.
These virtual currencies are notoriously volatile as well as being the subject of various scams: check out Trust No one: The Hunt For The Crypto King on Netflix for a story about how it can all go horribly wrong.
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3. Become a Virtual Tutor
This side hustle is best suited to brainy university students happy to tutor schoolchildren approaching school entrance exams, senior studies or are struggling in a particular areas,
The pandemic meant that pupils became accustomed to remote learning so there’s no longer an expectation that you will travel to tutor your pupils in person.
The better your high school and university grades in maths, English and science subjects the better—you can earn up to $50 to $70 an hour helping kids to improve their grades.
You can find clients using sites such as Superprof or The Tutoring Company or by word-of-mouth recommendation.
4. Rent Out Your Parking Space
If you live near a train station, football stadium or city centre, it’s possible to generate a regular income stream from renting out your off-street parking space. You can rent out your space on an hourly, daily, weekly or even monthly basis.
You can list your parking space on sites such as ParkHound, Spacer, and Oscar. Fee structures vary but usually include commission on the booking, plus some sites may also charge a listing fee.
You have to liaise with the driver making the booking, including providing directions where necessary and ensuring that access is kept clear. You may also need to check whether suitable liability cover is included in your home insurance.
5. Using Cash-Back Websites
Making purchases via cash-back websites can add up to several hundred dollars a year. You sign up to a cash-back site such as Cash Rewards or TopCashback and search for the online retailer or company you’re looking to buy from. If the company is listed, you click on the link to take you to their website which tracks your visit. You then complete the purchase as normal.
Many of the cash-back sites charge no sign-up fee, although some may allow you to benefit from a higher level of cash-back in return for a small annual membership fee.
Customers can earn up to 10% back on their purchases, which covers fashions, technology, homewares, flights and hotels.
However, cash back is not guaranteed and, even if you have followed the correct process, cash-back can be declined or be paid at a lower amount.
6. Sign Up for Freelance Work Online
With the rise of remote working, there’s a wide range of freelance jobs available online. A good place to start is freelancing websites such as Upwork, Freelancer and Peopleperhour. If you’re a highly skilled worker, you could sign up to Expert360, which connect consultants with business owners for dedicated projects.
Some of the freelancing job opportunities include writing, book-keeping, preparing business plans, sales and marketing and administrative services.
The first step is to sign up and enter details of your skills and experience, after which you’re able to ‘bid’ for freelance work posted by clients. It’s a good idea to look at the rates offered for projects to get a feel for the appropriate price level to bid at (if it’s not a fixed price).
You may be required to submit evidence of your work—or undergo an interview—at which point you’re told whether or not you are successful. In some cases, clients may contact you directly to invite you to bid for their work.
The freelance website is responsible for making the payment, although they may take a commission or charge a fee for their services. You can also build up your profile by asking clients to submit feedback on completed jobs.
7. Selling Limited Edition Trainers
Trainers have moved from functional footwear to coveted fashion accessories, fuelled by companies such as Nike and Adidas releasing limited edition styles. These have a high resale value, however, the challenge is getting your hands on them in the first place.
Those willing to commit the time and resources follow the big retailers, such as Nike and Footlocker, to find out the time and date of release of the most sought-after styles. The process varies from entering into a raffle for the opportunity to buy a pair (in a certain size) to calling up at the right time to reserve a pair for collection.
By way of example, the Nike Air Jordan 4 White and Black trainers sold for $US110 when released, and were being resold at double that price on eBay. Some sizes (typically men’s 8-11) are more popular than others.
However, you have to factor in the cost of selling fees, delivery and the need for the trainers to be inspected by eBay’s authenticators before despatch. You should also establish the likely demand for the trainers, before purchase, to avoid being stuck with expensive stock.
8. Sell Stock Photos
If you’ve got a good eye for photos, you could try your hand at stock photography. Image library websites like iStock and Getty Images allow users to upload photos and earn a small royalty when they’re used.
You could start by taking pictures of your local neighbourhood, food you cook, and interesting buildings you run into, or set up some scenes at home.
Remember, if your photos include other people or their property, you’ll need to get the person or owner to sign a model release form. This form, which you can find easily online, is written permission for the photographer to use the images they take of a person or property for commercial purposes. Certain websites will not accept uploads unless you have a model release.
Stock photos are put to a huge variety of uses, so the possibilities are endless. It will take some initial time and effort to build a profitable library of images, but once you do you’ll have a stream of passive income.
9. Get Paid for Dog-Walking
Do you enjoy walking? If so, it might be worth considering offering dog-walking services. You can sign up via online sites such as Mad Paws or PawShake
Typical services offered include 30 to 60 minute walks, drop-in visits and house sittings or ‘doggie day care’ and ‘dog boarding’ in your home. While there may be a guide rate, sitters and owners are free to negotiate their own prices. Some charge as much as $100 per night for a dog to stay at their home.
You should speak to your local council to check any licensing requirements or regulations for offering dog-related services.
10. Rent Out a Room, or Even Your Home
Online property rental marketplaces such as Airbnb and Stayz have become increasingly popular in recent years. They allow property owners to rent out spaces for people looking for a place to stay, from single rooms to whole properties.
According to The Conversation, there are currently more than 340,000 active Airbnb listings in Australia, and around 4% of Australia’s housing stock is, or has been, used as an Airbnb. Note: these most recent figures are still a few years old and the actual numbers as of 2024 are likely to be much higher.
Fees vary by site but Airbnb charges hosts 3% to 4% of the value of the booking and guests around 14% (which includes a cleaning fee). It’s worth noting that Airbnb listings have become controversial in recent years owing to concerns that they cause displacement in regional areas, as locals are ‘locked out’ of long-term rentals because landlords favour the more lucrative holiday listings.
Of course, if you’re renting out a room in your home, or your granny flat at the rear of your property, then you are part of the solution and could be providing much needed shelter for someone in need. There are a number of other issues to consider when renting property or a room in your home, including the terms of your home insurance policy, so do your homework first.
11. Sell Your Crafts on Etsy
Etsy provides a marketplace for people to sell their hand-made and other items, so may appeal to people looking to combine their hobby with making money. However, it takes a little longer to set up than selling on eBay as you have to create a shop and ensure that each product has a comprehensive description and good quality photos.
It’s estimated that Etsy has around 90 million active buyers, with the top categories during the pandemic being clothes, jewellery, homeware and handbags.
According to Etsy’s Australian site: “It costs $0.30 to publish a listing to the marketplace. A listing lasts for four months or until the item is sold. Once an item sells, there is a 6.5% transaction fee on the sale price (including the delivery price you set).”
If you accept payments through Etsy Payments, the site also collects a 3-4% plus a $0.25 payment processing fee. You can also pay Etsy an additional fee to advertise your products to reach a wider audience. You can read more about their fees here.
12. Share Your Way With Words
With a little effort, you can turn a love of writing into extra monthly income. Many bloggers need some extra help producing content for their site, and pay freelancers to cover a particular topic. You could try pitching ideas to your favourite bloggers, or use a freelancing website such as Upwork to pitch for listed jobs and advertise your services.
Plenty of website owners also come to these sites in search of proofreading, so if you have an eye for detail you can offer these services too.
Although writing and proofreading are popular choices, you can advertise almost any service you like through these sites, from graphic design to transcribing interviews.
13. Buying Goods From Police Auctions
Yes, it is possible and legal to buy stolen goods. Police forces auction off stolen items (that they can’t reunite with their rightful owners).
One such site is Breen Auctions, which is used by the Victoria Police to auction off seized items. Auctions are usually held twice a month in the company’s auction rooms in West Footscray on a selected Tuesday. The auction items can be viewed the morning of the sale from 8am to 9:50am.
According to Breen Auctions, they routinely sell Apple iPods, iPhones & iPads , Apple Macbooks Air & Pro, alcohol, televisions, laptops, Samsung mobiles and tablets, hand and power tools, bicycles, perfume, domestic furniture, clothing, shoes, Australian and foreign currency and collectables. Check your with state or territory’s police force as to when and where they hold their auctions.
You can keep these items for personal use, or re-sell them on sites such as eBay and Facebook Marketplace provided they are in working condition.
14. Rent Your Property as a Film Location
You can list your flat or house as a potential location for filming photo shoots. You don’t have to live in a mansion, in fact, there’s good demand for more ‘gritty’ properties. However, your odds are improved if you have an attractive property in Sydney or Melbourne and you have good parking available.
Shoots can take anything from a few hours to several months. Your property should be returned to its original condition, including any temporary redecoration, although damage can occur.
There are various agencies you can list your property on, including Sach Australia or Pure Locations.
These companies take a commission on bookings but manage the payment process on your behalf.
15. Use Supermarket Loyalty Schemes
You may have watched one of the extreme couponing US shows where shoppers reduce the price of their shop from $300 to $10 by cashing in a fistful of coupons. However, there is a more moderate approach to ‘couponing’ if you don’t want a queue full of people breathing down your neck at the check-out.
Australia’s large supermarkets have loyalty schemes which are often app-based. Woolworths, for example, offers an ‘Everyday Rewards’ program that allows you to accrue points when you shop in store on on-line. Once you have amassed 2000 points you can receive $10 off your next spend or convert the tally to 1000 Qantas points.
Similarly, Coles’ FlyBuys program also offers $10 off your shop once you reach 2000 points.
16. ‘Flip’ Domain Names
Most domain names sell for a few bucks—but there are some which change hands for millions of dollars. Domain flipping is when you buy a domain name as cheaply as possible then sell it for more than you originally paid for it.
If you could go back in time, you should have bought the domain name Cars.com—according to GoDaddy, it’s now valued at $US872 million. Sex.com is worth about $US13m and shoes.com $US9m.
The key to making cash this way is to identify a domain name that might become mega-desirable in the future and buy it while it’s still cheap.
17. Sell Your Old Tech
Most of us like to upgrade our smartphones and other devices whenever a shiny new one comes out. This means that, across Australia, there are countless drawers and cupboards containing old smartphones, cameras, and games consoles.
Stores such as Cash Converters will buy your tech off you for instant cash, while Officeworks allows you to trade in your old tech for gift cards.
If you’re upgrading your Apple product, you might be able to sell it back to Apple Australia and receive a discount on your new device or a credit at the store. If your device isn’t eligible for a trade-in, the good news is that Apple will recycle it for you for free.
18. Create Content and Influence People
It’s not just celebs making money from Instagram—‘micro influencers’ are normal folk who make cash creating and sharing content. The key to success is building a large, engaged and enthusiastic following who will react to your social media posts with likes, shares and comments.
Most social media influencers start off by collaborating with brands by plugging and picturing their products (which they usually receive for free) before graduating to getting paid cold hard cash for product posts on Instagram and Facebook.
There are rules about this type of advertising though—you’ll need to use hashtags such as #ad to make it clear you’re being paid to post.
19. Become a ‘Comper’
Compers make money by entering and winning online, TV or radio competitions.
Radio stations, in particular, regularly give away five-figures sums of money in competitions you can enter with just a quick text. Other typical prizes include cars, holidays, tech products, kitchen appliances, gig tickets and… just about anything.
Professional compers enter hundreds of competitions each week which they find by subscribing to Competitions Guide or Competitions.com.au. Before you get started, set up a separate email address just for competitions—otherwise your email will get swamped with spam and newsletters.
In general, you have the best chance of winning competitions where you have to make some kind of effort to enter—thinking up a slogan, for example.
20. Get into Dropshipping
Selling items on eBay and Facebook is so last year—now it’s all about dropshipping, which is a ‘fulfilment method’ used by retail businesses. Dropshippers buy goods from a third party and then have these goods shipped directly to customers. Crucially, you don’t need to buy, or physically hold, any stock.
To make money you need to identify a product you think will sell in Australia. Chinese mega-website AliExpress is a good place to look for something suitable.
Next, you need to set up a shop on Shopify or account on eBay and find buyers—perhaps using ads on Facebook or Instagram. You advertise the product at a higher price than you’re buying it for as this mark-up will be your profit.
When someone buys the product, you buy it from your supplier (i.e. AliExpress) and have it shipped directly to the buyer.
