WFH Top Ten Side Hustles (Canadian Friendly!)

In today's uncertain economy, everyone is looking for "side hustles" - ways to bring in a bit of extra cash on the side to help pay a bill or two.  Here are some additional income streams that I've been making use of over the past 3 months!  This is a bit of a long post, as I've tried to add as much information as possible to help you make an informed decision.  These sites are Canadian-Friendly to help out my fellow Canucks make an extra buck.  Click the heading of each section to be taken directly to the website.

Cashback Services

Cashback services are ways that I make additional money off of my regular daily activities.  By taking an extra step or two, I can bring in a little extra income with very minimal effort.

Rakuten (formerly known as Ebates) - 
Use my referral link to get an additional $5.00 cashback with your first purchase (I'll also get $10.00 cashback!): https://www.rakuten.ca/r/jenaus?src=Link

Rakuten is a cashback services that gives you upwards of 1% cashback for purchases made online.  In order to earn your cashback, download the Rakuten app on your phone (Apple or Android), or install the browser extension for Google Chrome.  When shopping online, make sure you shop through the app when on your phone, or ensure the browser extension is activated on a computer or tablet.  Cashback is added to your account once your purchase is confirmed, and your money is sent to you via cheque or PayPal.

Receipt Hog
Receipt Hog is an app that awards you points based on purchases that you make.  To receive points, submit pictures of receipts from your regular purchases - groceries, gas, restaurants, clothing, etc.  Additional points can be gained by allowing the app to have access to your browser or email to scan for receipts.  Each receipt you submit gains you an entry into the monthly sweepstakes, for a chance to win additional points.  Points can be redeemed for Amazon gift cards, VISA gift cards, or transferred to PayPal.  It does take a while to gain enough points for redemption with this app, but constant scanning throughout the year can easily earn you some extra cash for your holiday shopping!
Download the app on the Google Play Store: shorturl.at/kBFRZ
Download the app from the Apple Store: shorturl.at/izCJU

Online 'Freelance' Jobs

The following are online jobs that I've tried, or been interested in trying!  Remember when working online that you will have to claim this income on your taxes, so keep track of all payments and documents relating to y

Amazon Mechanical Turk

Amazon Mechanical Turk is a "crowd sourcing marketplace" that allows businesses to outsource simple tasks (also knows as HITs) to the general public.  The most common tasks seem to be double checking information, completing online surveys, and researching answers to simple questions (such as finding a phone number).  Each task has a cash reward, which can be as low as $0.01, and as high as $1.00 or even more.  Tasks can take as little as 5 minutes, and as much as 1 hour.  Once you complete a task, it is submitted to the business (known as the 'requester') for approval.  Once the task is approved, the reward is added to your earnings.  If the task is rejected, you don't earn any reward for the task completed.

The key to success with Amazon MTurk is to start off with the $0.01 tasks, and build up your approval rating.  Once you have a high approval rating, you can qualify for some of the more lucrative tasks, giving you a chance to earn a bit more.

Amazon MTurk is not for everyone, so please do your own research before getting into it!

fiverr

Fiverr is a service that sources freelance services online.  I haven't tried it yet, but have heard that it's a great way to share your talents and get paid at the same time.  It is a good way to earn some extra cash if you have skills in editing, translation or transcribing, writing, drawing, website customization, voice overs, songwriting ... the list is long (check it out here: https://www.fiverr.com/categories).  If you are a freelancer, Fiverr seems to be a great way to market your craft, and get paid for it.  Don't expect to get to paid the big bucks - it's called Fiverr for a reason ($5.00 a task).  However it is possible to use Fiverr as a way to give your regular income a bit of a boost.  And if you're trying to start a business, Fiverr is an affordable way to outsource tasks like website or logo creation!  Earnings are available in a bank transfer or PayPal.

Download the app on the Google Play Store: shorturl.at/uCJ08

Freelancer

Freelancer is a freelance service (obviously) similar to Fiverr.  I have seen it advertised as being a bit more "high quality" that Fiverr - tasks cost a bit more, but they are done by freelancers with a bit more experience.  While I haven't tried Freelancer out, it seems like a good 'next step' after you feel as though you've graduated from Fiverr.

Upwork

Upwork is another freelancer service that connects businesses with individuals looking for freelance work.  Tasks again range, and include work such as customer service, engineering and architecture, and analytics.  

Reselling

One of my favourite ways to make additional cash is by reselling my used or unwanted items.  Keep in mind that due to the current pandemic, many of these revenue streams are not available or advisable at this time.

Carousell

Carousell is an app similar to Kijiji or Facebook Marketplace, that allows you to sell anything online.  Before using any kind of consignment store, I used Carousell as a great opportunity to make good money for brand new, unused items.  I remember selling a Kate Spade purse for $90.00 CAD, when I had purchased it on sale from the outlet for $75.00.  I also found this to be a convenient way to sell textbooks once I finished using them. The benefit to Carousell is that you have the option of meeting up to sell the item in person, and prices can be negotiated.  Here are my top tips for selling on Carousell, Kijiji, Facebook Marketplace, or any other related site:

1. Take good pictures.  This is so basic, but can really help you to get top dollar for the item that you're selling.
2. Raise the price.  When selling on Carousell, I usually raise the price about $10.00 higher than I would expect for the item.  This gives some room for negotiation, as most people will send you an offer that is lower than the requested price.
3. Lay out ground rules for pickup/delivery.  Set your pickup or delivery meetup spots to public locations.  In my posts and profile I always specified 2-3 public locations where we could meet up for items to be exchanged.  These were highly populated areas such as malls to ensure my safety.  Items were never handed over until cash was counted to avoid getting scammed.
4. Offer delivery for an extra fee.  If the areas that I specified were not ideal for the buyer, I offered delivery at a more convenient location to them, for an extra cost.  I usually charged an extra $5.00 to cover the cost of transportation to and from the location.
5. Be honest.  There's nothing worse than being lied to.  Be honest about the items that you're selling, and your ratings on the app will speak for themselves.

Plato's Closet

Plato's Closet is a chain of consignment stores that resells new or gently used clothing.  They pay you 30% of the selling price for most items, and up to 50% off for higher end brand names.  Here are some general tips for selling to consignment stores:

1. Be familiar with the target market of the store.  Plato's is focused on trendy items within the past two years, and items that will be popular amongst teens and young adults.  To save you time, sort through the items you plan to sell, and only take in items that fit their criteria.
2. Know what pieces the store is looking for.  Before even going in, consider calling the store or sending them a quick message on social media.  Ask what kinds of items they are looking for right now, so you can avoid wasting your tie if they have an overstock of items you are trying to sell.
3. Get to know the staff.  At a store like Plato's, it can be a bit of a hit or miss.  Some staff know their stuff, and will give you a fair price for the items you bring in.  Other staff are not as knowledgeable (or are trying to save money), and will under-price items.  It's a good idea to go in when the staff you know and trust are working.
4. Don't be afraid to present a counteroffer.  If the price you're quoted isn't what you had in mind, don't be afraid to suggest another price.  Be reasonable, understanding that the store does want to make a profit off of the item they're buying from you.  Ultimately if you aren't happy with what they're able to offer, you can always decide not to sell them your item.

Poshmark

Poshmark is a popular online marketplace where you can resell your new or gently used clothing and accessories.  Poshmark is beneficial because you control the prices of each item, and get to keep 100% of the profits.  When selling items on Poshmark consider that there will be shipping costs - include the cost of shipping in the price of the item to make it more enticing to buyers!

ThredUP

ThredUP is an online consignment store that is essentially the same thing as Plato's Closet.  ThredUP will resell your gently used (or brand new) clothing items online, which increases the potential market for those items.  To start, request a FREE shipping label or mailing bag from ThredUP.  Mail your gently used items to their processing centre, where they sort and photograph the items, and then sell them as part of their online inventory.  ThredUP pays you a percentage of the profit when an items sells.  This percentage depends on how much they make off the item - items under $20.00 will earn you up to 15% of the profit, while items selling for $200 or more can earn up to 80% of the profit.  

Unsold items will be donated, or can be returned to you for $10.99.  ThredUP accepts and average of 40% of items in each kit, so keep this in mind.  You can also expedite processing for an extra $16.00, or wait the standard 6 weeks if you aren't in a rush.

There are so many other forms of revenue out there, but these are my top ten streams as of right now.  Which revenue stream are you most interested in trying out?

Xx, Jayy.