I initially began my first side hustle on Amazon back in 2017 without any investment. At the time, I was juggling two jobs as well as freelancing opportunities, but I was excited about potentially earning some passive income by selling print-on-demand t-shirts through Amazon Merch on Demand. Eventually, my product line expanded to include tank tops, long sleeve shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, phone cases, pillows and tote bags that are now sold in international markets such as the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Japan. This side hustle eventually allowed me to quit my day job in 2020 due to its immense success.
My responsibilities for this passive income stream primarily involve creating graphic designs which I then list on various products available through Amazon Merch’s catalog. The platform uses a print-on-demand business model, meaning that items are only printed and shipped after an order has been placed by the customer. This process is highly automated as once an order comes in, it is routed to one of their production facilities where it undergoes picking, printing, and shipping processes before being delivered directly to our customers’ doorsteps. Each month I receive a payout for royalties generated from sales made through this platform.
This Amazon side hustle has turned out so successful that today I now generate over $49,000 in passive income every single month! And it all started with one small experiment back in 2017 when my sole focus was to make some additional pocket money from the sale of t-shirts. The platform’s low start-up cost is what initially drew me towards this opportunity as there are no initial expenses required, making it an ideal choice for anyone looking to generate passive income without any significant financial investments upfront.
I strongly believe that simple text-based designs can be equally profitable in generating sales through Amazon Merch on Demand; therefore, prior design experience is not a necessity for achieving success with this side hustle opportunity! Furthermore, what makes this platform so unique and appealing to me personally are the numerous automated features it offers. After each order gets submitted and recorded via your profile as its ‘selling SKU number’ these items get automatically forwarded over to Amazon’s production facilities where they undergo picking, printing & shipping processes before being delivered directly to our customers doorsteps!
Another cost-free income stream worth considering is through print-on-demand services available via various marketplaces including Etsy. You may list any products in your online storefront on this platform using the free ‘Create Listing’ option offered by their service, and you can even avail of 40 additional product listing options for free if you sign up through an invite link! I personally use Printful to fulfill orders as they offer a direct integration that automatically fulfills all your order requests while simultaneously notifying customers about the shipment status.
Additionally, there are other print-on-demand platforms such as Walmart, eBay and Redbubble which you can consider cross-listing on if interested in diversifying sales opportunities for this particular side hustle opportunity! I personally use all three of these marketplaces to sell my products.
Another passive income stream that’s worth exploring is the Amazon Influencer Program, an affiliate marketing platform wherein one may make passive money by creating video reviews about various Amazon-listed items they own. This program doesn’t require any initial expenses as joining it is entirely free of charge! All you need to do for this opportunity involves filming review videos utilizing your smartphone camera before subsequently submitting these clips on the platform, and then sharing them with other potential customers browsing through Amazon’s product listings.
If a customer watches one or more of your video reviews prior to making their purchase decision, you may earn commissions ranging from 1-3%. Personally I review anything purchased on the popular retail marketplace without any preference given towards items acquired elsewhere; as long as an item is available for sale via Amazon’s platform it can be reviewed and subsequently promoted through this passive income stream opportunity!
Lastly, YouTube has emerged to become a highly lucrative side hustle option that you may start today entirely free of charge. All one requires for setting up your very own ‘YouTube channel from scratch involves accessing their online platform via smartphone or computer and then creating video content about topics related to personal passions and/or professional skills – in the latter scenario it might make a good idea to share any helpful tips & tricks you’ve picked up throughout your career.
In order for monetization purposes, one needs 4000 hours of watch time across all videos uploaded onto their channel as well as at least 1000 subscribers – once these requirements are met the platform will pay out monthly based on how many ads were viewed by your audience. I currently earn $4900 per month in passive income from my own YouTube channel, and more recently I have collaborated with a fiancé to create content around unboxing Amazon return pallets for which we’re hopeful that we can eventually resell the products at a profit!
In conclusion, there are numerous exciting side hustle opportunities available today – while it may seem intimidating initially due to associated learning curves in terms of scaling such passive income streams, my primary recommendation is to approach these prospects with an optimistic outlook and long-term perspective. I strongly believe that by adopting this mindset you’ll be able to successfully scale your chosen side hustle into a reliable source of passive income!
Ryan Hogue was formerly employed as a web developer while simultaneously teaching classes in his academic capacity as an adjunct professor before deciding to focus exclusively on operating his own e-commerce business. He currently shares insights and tips related to earning passive income through ‘Ryan’s Method,’ which he teaches via CNBC’s new online course – How to Earn Passive Income Online! You may also stay informed regarding any new side hustle developments, along with further practical career guidance by subscribing to his newsletter on the official website of Make It.
Leave a Reply