The coronavirus has applied a new thought process to everyone in the world in the past few weeks. The lives of almost every individual in the world have been flipped upside-down and enveloped with panic as new changes occur every day. And unfortunately, these changes often include unemployment and wage cuts.
On the surface, making money during quarantine seems borderline impossible. Germs are easily spread in almost any common workplace, making it a high-risk area for those who are worried about catching the coronavirus. Selling lemonade is probably pretty controversial, too.
And with people working from home or out-of-work, many innovative and unique forms of money-making have hit the internet with fire. Selfmade brands, selling clothes and creations, making Youtube channels, and more have all been common themes in a broke, bored teenager's room.
Money is a tough thing to come by during times like these, unless you choose one of the following options.
1. Depop
Similar to the idea of eBay, Depop is a platform for those who want to sell their clothing, jewelry, artwork, and everything else under-the-sun. The app is well known for being populated by vintage lovers and those who want to reduce their carbon footprint by practicing sustainability. The app also includes item recommendations based on your taste, top sellers based on style, and world favorites, all on the search screen. Users can decide to follow shops and sellers in order to keep track of the items they are selling as well as meet mutuals on the app.
Starting up on this app is very elementary. The user only needs to connect their Paypal account for transactions and other payments. In addition to payments, many sellers and users on the app also participate in trades where they trade items from either store of similar value.
After this step, the only thing left is setting up an account with a profile photo, a biography, and social media links, if that’s what your heart desires. From here, you can post photos of whatever you want to sell and choose the price.
Tips for selling on Depop:
- Always take as many photos of your product as possible. This usually increases the likelihood that someone will buy it because you show all the angles of the product as well as the flaws it may have.
- If your item is a clothing item, a jewelry piece, or an accessory of any sort, wearing it in a photo for reference is normally preferred by buyers so they can see how it may fit another individual.
- Always style your items! By wearing a cool outfit, it increases the appeal of an item you may think is an abomination. Everybody has a different taste.
- Always include the measurements in the description (this does not include the size(s) you list it as).
- Include a bunch of tags related to your item under the post. These tags are used for when other users search an item through keywords.
- Put your Depop link in your Instagram bio, your Twitter bio, or post stories on Snapchat about new posts! Some of your friends or followers may want to indulge in your pieces.
- Be open to bundles, this will dually satisfy your customer with a price deal as well as make you money.
2. Sell your paintings
This option is much more universal than you think. Whether you are a skilled artist or not, selling paintings or art on eBay is much more simple than one would expect. Start with making a small abstract piece.
Get creative, super glue something on there. The world’s population is roughly 7 ½ billion. The probability of someone who likes your art is less than zero.
A recent trend on Tiktok has gained massive traction for something similar to this. One creator, @gianniverduchi, made an amateur abstract painting and listed it for $250 to see if someone were to buy it. Within a matter of hours, a buyer requested to purchase it for $500 dollars with overnight shipping.
Though he does not provide an update video on Tiktok, in an interview over Instagram messages, Verduchi said, “I did end up selling the painting, but not on eBay. [I] sold it to somebody in my area who came across the Tiktok video.”
Additionally, Verduchi advised those who want to try selling paintings "to make it your own painting and make it your own artistic value."
With this idea in mind, a couple hundred dollars may be much easier than one may think.
3. Consulting or giving Advice
Whether you’re an astrophysicist, a tarot card reader, or a basketball coach, this option can serve myriad people. Start with brainstorming some subjects you have expertise on. Maybe you’re really good at writing, so you go on Tiktok and make a post about writing advice or editing people’s essays.
This money-making technique can be done on a bunch of different platforms: Instagram, Craigslist, Snapchat, Facebook, etc. You can even contact friends or family to see if they need help with areas in your field of knowledge.
This idea can be used in so many different ways that the money does not necessarily have a secure range. If you are giving advice about history on a high school or collegiate level, you may be getting paid $8-10 an hour, whereas if you are giving professional advice to a company you may be getting paid a legitimate salary. Regardless, this option is open to so many different people, anyone is bound to find something.
4. Youtube
For creators from all walks of life, Youtube is one of Gen Z’s golden media platforms. Created in 2005, the video streaming platform has millions of videos covering everything you can imagine. From compilations to tutorials to vlogs to movie scenes, the platform is extremely versatile.
And this is where you come in. Like the previous idea, take something you like and start a channel on it. If you’re really religious, start a channel on things you have learned or practice.
If you love makeup, become a practicing beauty guru. Or maybe even just do daily vlogs and stream your trip to the grocery store.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1YgAM--LNI&t=5s
The possibilities of Youtube are endless, but that doesn’t always promise you money. Many Youtubers correlate their large incomes from Youtube to brand deals, views, hard work, etc. But the message on success in the Youtube space is clear: you need to be patient.
Though there are some phenomenons like Emma Chamberlain and how she gained a million in less than a year, or how Jake Paul gained 5 million subscribers in six months. Success on Youtube doesn’t just come with the click of the upload button, you need to work for it or do something that is worth remembering. This doesn’t mean that your daily vlogs are not worth of value, but it means you need to work hard to start making money on the website.
5. Working with or representing brands
And now here we are, on our last option: brand deals. Brands, normally smaller brands, are always looking for a good, fun representation that fits their brand's image. More often than less brands will reach out to you if they are interested in your accounts or online presence, but this does not limit you to waiting for them to reach out.
If you like a brand, look on their website to see if they are looking for brand ambassadors. There you can sign up (if you meet qualifications like age and such) and start representing them.
Start by upping your Instagram feed, whether it’s talking more professional photos or posting on a regular basis. This will increase your follower count and your likes. And with this, you can often add a theme to your account like pastel filters or posting three photos from the same shoot in order to create a pattern on your feed.
The deals that intertwine with representing a brand vary. They may offer to give you money, offer you discounts on their items, or send you items for free. Regardless, these deals will save you money even if you don’t leave your house.
