Make money online without spending a dime
8. Poker
Likely the most controversial inclusion in this list, the online poker world is awash with sob stories of empty wallets and broken dreams from people of all walks of life who just didn’t know when to quit. If you feel like having a go at making some big bucks through gambling, extreme caution is urged. Quite apart from the fact that players need a fair degree of skill in the game to get anywhere, starting small is crucial – only bet what you can afford to lose with a smile. If you are skilled – and lucky – the potential rewards are vast, with some players regularly earning in excess of £1,000 per day. But, remember, the pitfalls are even greater. Texas Hold ‘Em is by far the most popular variant of the game – get some free practice via MSN Games.
9. Selling
A method as old as the internet itself, hawking wares through virtual auctions and shops provides a quick income boost for many students, enabling unwanted Christmas to be disposed of with ease. The obvious starting points are eBay and Amazon Marketplace , though classifieds websites such as Ad Trader are proving increasingly popular. Those of you looking to secure revenue on a more long-term basis will need to source in-demand products and be able to sell them at a mark-up on the price that you yourself paid. One example is “vintage” clothing – cheap clothes with retro appeal are available in abundance at charity shops and can easily be sold to other fashionable students online at a higher price.
10. Doing something crazy
Most truly spectacular success stories of making money online don’t involve any of the aforementioned routes at all. Instead, they showcase brazen opportunism that flies in the face of all logic and reason. Take Alex Tew’s MillionDollarHomepage from 2005 for instance – a website set up with the sole intention of selling pixels at one US dollar apiece to advertisers in order to fund its proprietor’s university degree. On paper it was a ludicrous concept – of course it was – but a 21 year-old Tew soon found himself a certified millionaire. So too did the founders of Doggles, an internet business devoted to selling goggles… for dogs. The point is that, just as in the “real” world, originality paired with good business acumen may potentially reap far greater rewards than any supposedly tried-and-true method of generating cash that you might care to mention. So be creative.