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Want to learn how to make $500 dollars fast?
In this post we’ve put together a list of 10 different ways to help you increase your wealth by an extra $500 dollars (and sometimes more).
While not all of these methods will work for everyone, hopefully you’ll be able to take a few off of this list.
Table of Contents
How To Earn $500 In Extra Cash
With that said, let’s get started.
Here’s our list of 15 realistic ways on how to make $500 dollars fast.
1. Survey Sites
There are tons of ways to make money fast from your phone, and online survey sites are one of them!
You’ll be surprised to learn how easy it can be.
Although you won’t make $500 in one day, you definitely could make $500 dollars in a short period of time.
Paid survey sites earn cash by collecting your data in the form of market research and selling it to companies. They take a portion of this cash and pay it back to you.
How Do Paid Online Survey Sites Work?
Survey sites help you earn extra cash by taking surveys, playing games, watching videos, and more!
It’s simple to make money fast taking the surveys because they have multiple offers available every day.
Watching the videos or signing up for causes that you believe in can help you earn points too.
Some of Our Favorite Paid Survey Sites
One of my favorite sites is Swagbucks.
The points that you earn are called “Swagbucks” and once you accumulate enough points to redeem, you can exchange them.
The best part?
You even get a $10 bonus sign up bonus.
There are different reward options available like gift cards and earn cash via PayPal.
If you’re looking for other survey sites to earn some fast money, we recommend the following:
- Survey Junkie
- Swagbucks
- LifePoints (10 point signup bonus)
- Vindale Research ($1 welcome bonus upon registration)
- MobileXpression
- Pinecone Research
Be sure to check out our list of the best online survey sites for a full list on how to get paid sharing your opinion.
Taking paid surveys one of the easiest ways to earn money fast and it’s super easy as well.
2. Amazon Trade-In
Everyone knows that Amazon is a powerhouse company that seems to never stop growing.
This high-profile company has been selling items to households across the world for so long that their name is synonymous with online shopping.
The incredible thing you might not know is that Amazon has a trade-in program.
Their trade-in program allows you to return your Amazon goods (and eligible products) in exchange for Amazon gift cards in return.
If you’re in need for some extra money and need to make money fast, this is the perfect solution.
You can use the Amazon gift card towards your purchase!
How the Amazon Trade-In Program Works
You can trade-in all sorts of electronics, games, and devices to make more money quickly.
Small items like Kindles, tablets, and other e-readers are taken by Amazon.
Streaming media players such as Amazon Fire TV, Google ChromeCast, Roku and Apple TV are all salable items through this trade-in program.
Gaming consoles, games, and items such as controllers are available for trade-in with this Amazon program, too.
If you trade in major consoles like XBOX or PS4 you can make your money back instantly.
They also take trade-ins for cell phones, books, and more.
If you accept their offer after they review your items and approve them for their program, they’ll send you your Amazon gift card within two days.
How to Ship Products to Amazon with their Trade-In Program
Amazon sends you a free shipping label with their trade-in program.
You need to remember to accurately describe the condition of your item and whether or not it’s usable.
If you send your device to Amazon and it is defective or not as described, you will not get paid for what you sent in.
Make sure to be as accurate as possible, and you should see the Amazon credits come back quite fast.
If you’d rather make straight-up cash over Amazon credits, there are other options for you too!
This is quickly becoming a popular way to earn extra money online.
3. Sell Unwanted Items on eBay
eBay has been an online marketplace for a few decades now.
Established in 1995, this website has been a sell-it-all platform that anyone can list an item on for sale.
This platform has had millions of transactions by people from all walks of life.
eBay is the perfect place to sell unwanted or unneeded items quickly and earn cash fast.
There are some fees involved but they are usually minimal compared to your return.
What Products Do The Best on Ebay?
- Electronics
- Game consoles
- Antiques
- Vintage items
- Collectibles and memorabilia
- Among, other products
This is a great way to get rid of everything you don’t need in your home.
It’s also a good way to sell something of significant value that you’re no longer interested in keeping.
Depending on what you sell, you can meet your goal in just a few days.
4. Use Craigslist for Selling Items, Quick Gigs & More
Selling stuff online via Craigslist has always been an interesting online marketplace since it began in 1995.
This platform is great for all sorts of things including job hunting, gig finding, and item selling.
You can easily visit the website and peruse job listings in various fields.
For the sake of making a fast buck, the gigs section of Craigslist is particularly useful.
You can pick up side gigs that will help you accrue the income you need in no time.
How to Make Money on Craigslist
You’ll need to sort through the site to find something good.
The best part about these gigs is that almost all of them pay cash!
So, for fast cash in your pocket, Craigslist is a good solution.
Examples of Craigslist Gigs
Lend a hand on a film shoot or try doing some contracting work for a day.
You may find a new hobby or passion and make money at the same time.
Here are some other examples of other gigs you can find:
- Moving
- Assistant
- Receptionist
- Repair work
How to Use Craigslist to Sell Stuff
Another great way to use Craigslist is to sell items that you don’t want.
You can select a category from the main page for your city and list the items based on what they are.
You’ll name your price and you can choose to negotiate or not with potential buyers.
This is a great way to get rid of electronics, devices, clothes, books, craft supplies, collectibles, and more.
Craigslist is an excellent resource if you want to make extra money by doing some quick work from a gig or selling items.
5. Join the TaskRabbit Force
TaskRabbit is a great way to make extra money fast.
The entire platform is built specifically for small tasks in your area that you can complete quickly.
All of the tasks are from real individuals who need just a little bit of help.
Examples of Jobs You Can Do:
You can lend a helping set of hands for various jobs including:
- Being a handyman
- Helping someone build furniture
- Cleaning apartments or offices
- Do regular yard work like mowing lawns or gardening
- Grocery shopping
- Errand running
How to Get Started with TaskRabbit
All you need to do is sign up for an account, verify your identity and respond to ads.
You’ll be able to name your price for what you’re willing to do and if the client accepts you, start work right away.
All the details will be agreed upon with your new client.
If you’re lucky, you might get tipped by your client if you do a great job!
This is a great way to earn extra cash fast while building a reputation as a tasker.
As you start to build your profile, over time you’ll be able to get better tasks and earn more cash.
It’s a handy tool to have in your back pocket for the moments in life where you need a little extra push to make the ends meet.
TaskRabbit is very popular in urban and suburban areas, and you can find all sorts of tasks that you can do.
If you’re trying to make a fast $500, you’ll have to hustle, but if you find tasks that you’re willing to do at decent rates, you’ll be able to meet your goal fast.
6. Walk Dogs or Pet Sit with Rover
If you’re an animal lover and like the idea of working with animals to earn extra cash, you’re in luck.
Rover is the perfect place to get started with dog walking or pet sitting.
How Does Rover Work?
This platform connects potential dog walkers and pet sitters with clients that are in need of those services.
If you live in an urban or suburban area that is densely populated, you can pick up a few clients and have daily walking routes.
This means that you can make extra money fast doing something you like, with animals that you’ll love.
How Much Can You Make with Rover?
You won’t get paid an hourly rate with Rover.
Instead, you’ll get paid a flat fee for every service you provide.
People working for Rover have been rumored to make $200 to $1,000 per month.
What makes this company stand out from others in this industry is that you actually get to set your own rate!
There’s the opportunity to build a reputation for yourself and make more money per gig by doing this.
If you have pet sitting or dog walking experience then this job will be perfect for you!
If this sounds interesting to you, check it out. It’s definitely a more active way to earn $500 dollars fast.
7. Sell Clothes on Poshmark
Everyone has their personal fashion style that suits their tastes, but sometimes this taste changes over time.
And, when that happens it’s time to swap out those old clothes for a new wardrobe.
Poshmark is the perfect place to sell the clothes you’ve outgrown, whether it be physically or simply in the sense of your personal style.
If you’ve collected a lot of vintage or designer clothing and accessories over the years and want to get rid of them, this platform is for you!
This site operates differently than a site like Craigslist.
Poshmark actually guarantees that you’ll ship everything out and won’t have to deal with face-to-face transactions.
If you’ve got the time to list valuable clothing items for cash, Poshmark is the place to do that.
Depending on what you have to sell, you could make an extra $500 within a short period of time.
The process is as streamlined as you could wish for, and it’s simpler to put an ad up compared to other sites like eBay.
How to Get Started with Poshmark?
All you have to do is sign up for an account and download the mobile app!
To list an item, you’ll capture a photo of the jewelry, shoes, clothes, or accessory, and write a quick description to match it.
After that’s done, you’ll name your price and then list the item.
It’s super fast and simple!
If you’ve got an excellent clothing/accessories collection and are willing to part ways with some of it to make your financial goal a reality, check out Poshmark.
8. Join Gigwalk
Gigwalk is another valuable task platform that pays for your participation.
It’s similar to how TaskRabbit works, but for businesses instead of individuals.
You can pick up a Gigwalk and get paid!
Businesses use Gigwalk to get people to complete simple tasks like taking short surveys or taking product photos in a store, amongst other tasks.
You can be selective and do gigs that work for you on your time.
This is perfect for anyone who lives in densely populated areas with tons of businesses.
A lot of these tasks will require you to travel, so if you like to explore and do new things, then this can be an exciting hustle.
How Long Does it Take to Complete Gigs?
Every task has different requirements and you’ll have to keep an eye on how long it’ll take you to complete the entire gig.
Some gigs take anywhere from five minutes to a few hours.
This means you’ll have to stay committed for longer tasks.
If you can handle the potentially long hours, you’ll make money faster.
Get paid anywhere from $3 to $100 per task
With the right tasks distributed over a few days, you can easily meet your financial goal with a little bit of extra effort – all online from your phone.
9. Freelance on Fiverr, Upwork or Freelancer
If you’ve never considered freelancing before, maybe it’s time to start.
There are plenty of freelancing platforms that will pay you to do jobs that you’d like to do.
There are platforms like Fiverr, which is a marketplace for freelance gigs available on your phone.
This is perfect for a person who is traveling and needs to make quick cash, and all you need is an internet connection.
What Kind of Freelance Jobs Are Available?
There are some gigs on Fiverr that require special skills like graphic design or digital marketing.
You can also find simpler jobs that require common skills like becoming a freelance writer or a proofreader, so there’s something for everyone.
There is a high demand for video services and brand development work also.
How to Get Started with Fiverr
First, you’ll create a profile that’ll showcase your skills, experience and background.
Next, you will create gigs that you’re willing to do, like:
- Proofreading
- Writing
- Data entry
- And other online jobs
Then, you’ll wait for clients to reach out to you and buy your gigs.
Once you secure a gig, you can communicate with the client and get started on the work.
Fiverr is available on mobile and can be accessed anywhere, anytime.
The great thing about Fiverr as a platform is that it can be lucrative if used properly.
You can read this story of this Fiverr seller quit his finance job and is making six figures.
How Do Freelancer Marketplaces Work?
Other platforms like Upwork or Freelancer provide a marketplace for freelancers looking to find ongoing freelance gigs.
These marketplaces feature tens of thousands of freelance jobs.
That means that you’ll be able to find work quickly (hopefully) if you market yourself properly.
Your profile is essentially your brand page.
If you can show examples of any previous work you’ve done and focus on your best skills, you’ll find plenty of work available to you.
Freelancing platforms are incredibly important options for people looking to make an extra $500.
The best part about these platforms is that once you have a good reputation.
You can easily come back to freelancing whenever you need to make a little extra cash fast.
Take a look into freelancing as a means to meet your goals and you’re bound to meet your goal of an extra $500 in no time.
The great thing about this gig is that there are now plenty of ways to earn extra cash online with the rise in freelance websites.
10. A Good, Old Fashioned Garage Sale
You might think garage sales are dated and ineffective, but a classic garage sale may actually do the trick for you.
If you think about it, using websites like eBay, Poshmark, or Amazon to resell your items is simple and effective.
But, the truth is, you could end up doing the same (or more) in terms of revenue without the additional fees and shipping costs with a garage sale.
If you have a garage sale, you’ll be able to sell your items at the prices you want to people in your own community.
If you choose to sell your stuff, it can be a great method for making money and sizing down at the same time.
How to Do a Garage Sale Without a Garage?
You might be wondering how you could possibly do this if you don’t have an actual garage or live in an urban area.
The solution is simple.
You’ll need to get a little creative and start advertising in your neighborhood and online.
How to Advertise Your Garage Sale
Use community boards at places like your local YMCA, post ads on local online community forums, and advertise around your neighborhood.
Make flyers and hand them out to local businesses like coffee shops, restaurants, bars, etc.
Any place that will let you leave advertising behind, take advantage!
Post on social media, sharing your garage sale and let the word spread.
If you want to make it extra entertaining, go the extra mile.
Consider selling fresh lemonade or have snacks out for potential shoppers to keep them looking around for any good finds.
Make sure to reasonably price your items so they sell and be open to negotiation.
You may not be able to get a lot of money for your old GameBoy or 90’s comic books online, but your chances may fare better at a garage sale.
If you have a lot of items to get rid of, expect to make your $500 dollars in extra money within just a few hours – now that’s fast.
11. Money Making Apps
A little known secret that so many people don’t know about: money making apps!
These are free money apps you can install on your phone or tablet and use to make money!
There are apps to make money actively, by doing tasks, taking surveys, watching videos, and more.
To learn more about these, you can review these 101 money making apps to make extra money.
Some of these rewards apps even help you earn passive income. These are really cool because all you have to do is install the app and make money monthly! No catch involved.
Here’s a list of these money making apps you can install right now:
- SavvyConnect-Read Survey Savvy (SavvyConnect) review
- HoneyGain– Read HoneyGain
- Nielsen Computer & Mobile Panel– Read our review
- Digital Reflection Panel– Read our review
- Mobile Xpression– Read our review
- Mobile Performance Meter– Read our review
- TopCashback – One of my favorite cash back apps
And, more on passive money apps in #15 below to help you earn cash online for essentially nothing!
12. Ebay Arbitrage
Arbitrage is the process of buying and selling assets over a short period of time for the purpose of making a profit.
In a nutshell that means, finding the same product in two different places at different price points.
Then, selling one item at the lower price in the market of the higher price, keeping the difference as your profit.
For example, if you saw a name brand office chair being sold at Staples for $40 and also sold on Ebay for $80, you could use arbitrage to make money!
First, buy it from Staples.
Then, sell on Ebay, keeping the difference ($40) as your profit.
This is exactly how arbitrage works.
It’s an easy business to break into and you can do it in so many markets, including:
- Amazon
- Poshmark
- Mercari
- Facebook Marketplace
- AirBNB
- And, other places!
How to Get Started with Ebay Arbitrage
This is how it works with Ebay.
Your goal will be to source products at a low price elsewhere then resell on Ebay for a profit.
You can find products on retail websites like Walmart, Home Depot, and others.
There’s also potential in marketplaces like Amazon, Poshmark, etc.
There are products available at clearance and discount stores like Dollar Tree, Dollar General, etc.
And other kinds of stores too, like warehouse stores (Costco), B2B stores (like Webstaurant), and others.
A few years ago I did this and made hundreds of dollars fast – in about 2 weeks to be more exact.
You can definitely could make up to $500 or more fast doing Ebay arbitrage.
13. Virtual Assistant
A virtual assistant is a personal assistant that helps out virtually.
You get to work from the comfort of home in an office setting usually to help your client with their tasks, which can include:
- Appointment setting
- Event management
- Email and calendar management
- Social media posting
- And, other activities
Virtual assistants can make $10/hour or more and this is an industry in high demand.
You have the power to pick what clients you want to work with and take your income to full-time quickly.
For jobs available fast, check out places like Fancy Hands or Upwork where you can find a job fast and start making money fast.
This might be one of the more tedious ways to make money fast, but it’s great if you have little experience. Build up your resume and earn $10+/hour.
14. Social Media Management
A social media manager helps companies manage their social media.
This can include doing work like:
- Creating a social media calendar
- Posting and engaging with fans
- Hosting contests, giveaways and other events
- Curating content
- And, more!
Social media managers can make $15/hour or more, working with clients on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and other social networks.
It’s also one of the fastest growing digital marketing jobs today.
If you’re really interested in this method and want to make $500 dollars fast from social media management, we recommend checking out Udemy for both free and paid online courses to help you get started.
15. Passive Income Apps
Passive income apps are a good way to bring in some quick cash for yourself with little to no effort for maintenance.
Diversified income streams are great because if one of your income sources fails, you have the remaining income streams to keep you afloat.
For example, consider you have 4 income streams:
- Primary job
- Consulting
- Investments
If you happen to lose your job or one of the other income streams is eliminated then, the other 3 income streams are still available.
It’s something that many people strive for and it’s absolutely within reach.
Here are some passive income ideas you can pursue:
- Investments
- Digital products
- Real estate
- Royalty income
- And, more!
This is definitely one of my favorite ways to make money fast in my spare time.
16. Investments
You pick an investment vehicle and earn a return in the future.
That’s all there is to it, basically.
It can get pretty complex depending on which type of investment you select.
There are:
- REITs
- Dividend Investments
- Bonds
- Stocks
- Forex
- And, more!
Make sure you are smart with your investments and if you’re not sure if you’ll need to liquidate in the near future, these 10 highly liquid investments for quick cash are what you’re looking for.
17. Digital Products
Digital products are e-products that you create and can sell online forever.
You spend some time up front building the product and laying the foundation for sales.
Then, turn on your sales funnel and earn passively!
This can be done with all kinds of digital products, like:
- Digital online courses
- Ebooks
- Printables
- Digital planners
- E-cookbooks
- Templates
- Customizable reports
- And, other kinds of digital products
How to Create Digital Products
You can create digital products pretty easily with programs like MS Word, Canva, PicMonkey, Teachable, Kajabi and other programs.
Some are free and some are paid, so consider this when making your decision.
Once your product is created, next, it’s time to sell!
How to Sell Digital Products
You will build a sales funnel and keep it running in a loop indefinitely.
Here’s an example of what it might look like:
First, run Facebook ads for free related products to your paid digital product.
Give it away in exchange for the person’s email address.
Then, put that email address into an email sequence where they receive a series of emails on autopilot, warming them up to the idea of buying a paid product in that niche.
Soft sell and then hard sell (in the email series) and have your payment provider set up to help you earn sales in the future, indefinitely!
That’s how you do it!
17. Real Estate
Next is investing in real estate.
Buy (or rent) property and then make money on it in the future with little to no work for maintenance.
Here’s how you do it:
- Long-term rentals
- Short-term rentals
Making extra money with long-term rentals means you’ll be renting out your house to a family who signs a two-year lease for rent, for example.
Short-term rental income comes from listing your home on short-term rental sites like AirBNB.
You lease your home for the short term, like a few days at a time or a week-long rental, etc.
Then, there’s flipping where you buy and renovate a property for the purpose of making back your investment plus profit in a very short time.
Of course you can also hold onto your home for the long-term and sell it after it appreciates in value.
Which option is for you?
The sky’s the limit.
The rental industry is very lucrative and one of the least hands-on options on this list.
It make not be the quickest way to make money fast, but it can be lucrative.
How to Get Started with Long-Term Rentals
There’s really nothing to long-term rentals.
You find a real estate agent who will help you find tenants, then you lease your space.
Done.
How to Get Started with Short-Term Rentals
For short-term rentals, there’s a little more that can go into it in the beginning:
- Fixing up the space (repairs, maintenance, etc.)
- Furnishing the space
- Getting a cleaning crew
- And, more
18. Royalties
Royalties come from an investment you make now.
It’s like investing in a resource and then getting dividends back in the future, on a monthly basis, annual basis, etc.
Royalties can come from many different sources.
There are song royalties, book royalties, etc.
To get you started, you can check out these places for getting royalties:
For more on passive income, here are 53 ideas to inspire you!
Choosing The Best Way An Extra $500 Dollars Fast
There are tons of ways to make money fast, even if it’s in the hundreds of dollars (and sometimes even thousands of dollars).
The best part is that most of these can be done online.
Making extra money doesn’t need to be extremely difficult either. Sometimes all it takes is trying a few things to figure out what works best.
Trying out different options at the same time can multiply your efforts and help you make some extra money fast.
Take the time to develop a foundation with some of these platforms and get one step closer reaching your personal finance goals.
They are great to have in the back of your mind if you come across a time when you’ve got to make some extra cash.
We hope you’ve enjoyed these 15 realistic ways on how to make $500 dollars fast.
Know of another way to earn hundreds of dollars fast that’s not on this list?
Let us know in the comments below.
