Passive income is an awesome thing because it allows you to make money even when you sleep!
Now, passive income streams don’t require any effort at all.
They require you to invest time and/or money upfront, but after that, you can just sit back and let the money roll in. It’s like earning money without a job!
Table of Contents
Legit Mailbox Money Ideas
There are many ways to earn Mailbox money working from home and online, as well as offline. Here are some mailbox money ideas.
1. Try Peer-to-Peer Lending
Consider peer-to-peer lending. It’s a type of lending where you loan money to a person who couldn’t qualify for traditional financing. You’ll earn interest on the money you loan out. This is a good option, but only if you can afford to loan out the money in your current financial situation.
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One way to get started with peer-to-peer lending is with Prosper.
Lending money to people always comes with risks, so it can be a good idea to spread the money you lend out across multiple loans, rather than lending it out in one large loan.
2. Self-publish books with Kindle Direct Publishing
Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing allows anyone to publish a fiction or non-fiction book. Put the book up for sale and wait for the cash to come in.
Amazon pays you 35% to 70% commission on your book sales.
After your book is published, you’ll continue to make money from it passively as long as it’s on sale.
3. Sell courses
If you are knowledgeable about a particular subject, then you could create a course about it and sell it.
You can create a course on anything from writing to painting to coding.
Here are a few places to sell your courses:
According to Skillshare, its top teachers make $3,000 plus.
4. Invest in stocks
Investing in stocks is a good way to make mailbox money. If you have the money to invest upfront, you should give it a try. Just remember that the stocks you invest in aren’t guaranteed to make you money back.
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That being said, you can make a lot of money investing in stocks.
There are brokerage platforms that offer low-cost investment options, like:
It’s a good idea to research online about investing in the stock market. Dividend.com is a good resource.
5. Get paid for driving your car with Wrapify
With Wrapify, you have ads put on your car and get paid for driving your vehicle. Earn anywhere from $174 to $452 a month just for having ads on your car.
6. Sell t-shirts and other merch
You might want to consider selling t-shirts and other merchandise. Create some designs on your computer, upload them to a print-on-demand site, and then wait for the sales to come in.
Online you can sell a variety of items that include your designs, such as:
- T-shirts
- Phone cases
- Mugs
- Scarves
- Masks
- Jigsaws
- Throws
- Shower curtains
- Throw pillow covers
- Hoodies
- Dresses
- And much, much more!
Here are some great print on demand websites where you can sell t-shirts and other merch:
The best part is that with the print-on-demand websites above, you don’t have to print any of these products yourself. Instead, you just upload the designs and when they sell, the company prints and ships the products for you.
These sites do charge a commission rate for their services, but all you need to do is upload your designs and wait for them to sell!
7. Rent out your car with Turo
Make money renting out your car with Turo. The average annual income of one car is $10,516. It’s a good way to earn a passive income, because other than listing your car, you don’t have to do anything else to make money.
8. Sell stock music
Another option is to sell stock music. Lots of people purchase music to add to things like YouTube videos, apps, and ads.
You could create this music and sell it through stock music websites, such as:
Some sites charge commission. Once, your music is up for sale, you can just sit back and wait for the money to come in.
9. Try affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing is a great way to earn mailbox money. With affiliate marketing, you join an affiliate program and get affiliate links for products. You can find affiliate products in pretty much every category you could think of from cosmetics to tech.
Then, you post your affiliate links online in places like:
- Videos
- Landing pages
- Blog posts
- Newsletters
- A product resources page
- A comparison review site
- Social media posts
When a customer clicks on one of your affiliate links, they’re taken to the product page, like they normally would be, and if they make a purchase, you get a commission on the sale.
Here are some affiliate marketing programs to consider:
In order to make money, you will need to drive traffic to your links, but once the links are out there, you can keep making money passively, even in your sleep!
10. Sell your stuff
If affiliate marketing or investing sounds like too much of a commitment for you, then you might want to try an easier option – selling stuff you already have.
There are plenty of things you can sell, either online or in person.
Here’s what you can sell for cash…
Sell gold
Selling gold jewelry, like a necklace or bracelet is a good way to make money, and you can often get paid fast since many places will pay you on the spot for your gold.
Sell unused gift cards
Gift cards are one of those things we get from well-meaning friends and relatives that we often just don’t end up using.
Sell your unwanted gift cards for cash on these sites:
Sell your DVDs
If you have some DVDs you no longer watch, because you mostly stream stuff on Netflix, Hulu, and other streaming platforms, then sell them on these sites:
For many places, you just get a quote online, ship your DVDs to the company, and get paid. Shipping is often free too.
Sell your clothes
Clear out your closet and sell your unwanted clothes on these sites:
Sell your used books
Clear off your bookshelf and sell your used books online on these sites:
Sell your used electronics
Make money selling used electronics on these sites:
Sell baby stuff
Kids grow out of stuff so fast. Sell kid’s stuff and baby stuff, like baby clothes, toys, and highchairs, online on these sites:
Sell scrap metal
Sell scrap metal, like copper, aluminum, iron, steel, and other scrap metals to get free cash.
Sell games consoles
You can sell used games consoles, like the Xbox or PS4, online on these sites:
Sell used sports equipment
Sell used sports equipment, like helmets, soccer cleats, and baseball bats on the following sites:
Sell sports cards
Another thing you can sell are used sports cards, like baseball cards and basketball cards.
You can sell sports cards on the following sites:
Sell furniture
Earn mailbox money by selling used furniture on these sites:
11. Get a cashback credit card
Cashback credits cards give you rewards each time that you spend money. You will get free cash back as a statement credit, gift cards, airline points, and more depending on the credit card you have.
It’s free cash for spending money, which you already do anyway, making this an easy way to earn mailbox money.
12. Get cashback when you shop online with cashback websites
Perhaps a credit card isn’t for you? Another option to make your money work for you is to use cashback websites.
Whether it’s for groceries, clothes, or books, we all buy stuff online or in-store. With cashback sites, you can make money on these purchases. It’s so easy!
Here are some great cashback sites:
- Mr.Rebates: Get cashback at more than 3,000 stores.
- Extrabux: Get up to 30% cashback at more than 10,000 stores.
- Rakuten (formerly Ebates): Get 40% cashback at more than $2,500 stores. Just for signing up, you could get a $10 Rakuten Cash Bonus or a $10 Walmart gift card, so that’s more free cash for you!
13. Put money into a savings account
Opening a savings account is one of the easiest ways to earn mailbox money.
Unlike stocks, savings accounts don’t come with risks, and you’ll earn free mailbox money in the form of interest. You can use that interest to buy things you need or just let the savings build over the years.
Sure, not many banks are offering particularly high interest rates, but some are better than others. It’s worth doing because it’s a simple, low-risk way to grow your money. Check with your bank to see what savings account it offers.
You could consider a certificate of deposit (CD).
This is a product that many banks and credit unions offer, and it gives you better interest rates if you agree to leave a lump-sum deposit alone for a specified timeframe. This could be 6 months, 12 months, or longer.
If you don’t need access to the money right away, then you may want to consider a CD because it can get better interest.
14. Start a YouTube channel
Start your own YouTube channel, and once your channel gets enough views, you’ll be eligible to join the YouTube Partner Program.
As a YouTube Partner, you earn money from the ads on your videos.
Although YouTube doesn’t say how much it pays its content creators, figures online suggest that for every 1,000 views, YouTubers earn from $0.25 to $7.
You’ll get paid through your AdSense account.
There are plenty of other ways to monetize a YouTube channel as well, like, for example, by creating sponsored videos.
You could create a channel for anything you want, like Minecraft, cooking, or even just your daily life!
15. Sell photos
You could also sell photos on stock websites. When someone buys one of your photos, you’ll earn a commission on the sale.
Here are some places where you can sell stock photos:
Most stock photo websites charge a commission fee. Once you’ve uploaded your photos for sale, you can just sit back and wait for the money to come in.
Closing Thoughts
There are lots of ways to make mailbox money, so give them a try. And, feel free to share your tips on how to make a passive income in the comments section below.
Thanks
You are welcome Paul! Thanks for being a loyal reader of MoneyPantry.