Stitches and Burns
Elite Member
- Jul 24, 2014
- 1,517
- 1,605
I see lots of threads from mostly newbies asking how to make money during this crisis. Indeed it's tough to make money especially that most people are not spending money like they used to. If people ain't spending money, then it's hard for you to make money too.
I hope I won't look like I'm promoting something that takes advantage of the current situation. But a man's gotta eat. We won't be defrauding people but helping them during these desperate times. Aside from helping them you'll make some serious $$$ just being in front of the computer.
This method is quite complicated (or not) depending on how tech savvy you are. If you have a reliable Internet connection, a desktop or laptop that doesn't give up after a few hours, and some computer skills, there's no reason why you can't make money from it. Heck, you can even use your smartphone.
The crisis has been hard for many people and they're desperate for something to ease their plight. People want to:
So this is where you'll come in. You'll be a MIDDLEMAN who will deliver those stuff to them.
People want to send money to their families and loved ones.
There are lots of people who want to send money to their families and loved ones, but for some reason they cannot do it. Either they can't find a bank or money remittance center, or they're afraid to go out. They want to send the money online as much as possible.
So what you can do is to be the middleman who will facilitate the transfer of money. Let's say that someone has a bank account but they want to send that money to their folks in the countryside who don't have a bank account. But they don't know how. So you'll offer to be a middleman who will get the money from the sender and then send the money to the receiver. You'll have to use your brain and see what channels are the quickest, most reliable and cheapest ways to send the money.
For example:
Sender's bank account => Your bank account => You => Your mobile wallet => Money remittance center => Receiver
You don't even need to go to the remittance center to send the money, as long as your mobile wallet can send money via the remittance center. If you have a contact at a remittance center, then you can do that too.
Or if someone wants to send money to a bank account, but he doesn't have a bank account:
Sender => Money remittance center => You => Your bank account => Receiver's bank account
Or you can offer to top up people's mobile wallets:
Sender => Bank account/credit card/remittance center => You => Your mobile wallet => Sender or receiver's mobile wallet
You should calculate the transaction fees and add your own "service fee." Something like 5% which is higher than PayPal's fees but at least you're doing some manual work. Don't make it something like 20% because we don't want to take advantage of the situation.
You could even put up a website or Facebook page and start promoting. There are also lots of people outside your country who want to send money back home but don't know how. If you can find a way to help them you can make serious money because those people send a lot of money. But I suggest concentrating locally as it's easier and faster and there's less risk of fraud. Speaking of fraud, you can minimize or avoid that by asking for identification before accepting their money.
There are so many ways to make this method work. Heck, I can already think of 10 different ways in my country alone. There are literally dozens of banks, mobile wallets and remittance centers here. People want to send money but don't know how to connect the dots and your job is to do that as a middleman.
I don't know how legal that is in your country so check the laws and if possible ask a lawyer. Afaik, it's legal here as long as you're not scamming people. In fact, there are already people offering it on Facebook and online shopping sites. Always be ready to refund your customers to avoid complaints, and don't forget to cover your ass by checking for fraud.
People want to pay their bills.
In some countries, you can pay your bills through online banking or a mobile app. But most people still pay their bills by going to the cashier. What you can do is to offer a service to pay their bills on their behalf.
Like here, I can pay my electric bills via a bank. But many people don't want to go to the bank, so you can offer a service where they'll pay you via online banking, money remittance center or mobile wallet, and then you'll be the one to pay their bills.
People want to get entertained.
Many are staying at home and are bored as f*ck. They want to watch Netflix or play video games all day.
To watch Netflix you have to use a credit/debit card. But many don't have a card so you can offer to buy Netflix subscriptions for them and they'll pay you for it. What you can do is buy Netflix gift codes. After your customer pays, you buy the gift code and then email the code to them. Easy right? Obviously, the customer can buy the Netflix gift code himself but maybe he doesn't know how or cannot pay for it. In my country, I can buy Netflix gift codes but have to pay for it at a money remittance center (the shop doesn't accept online payments). You can buy Netflix codes in bulk and then sell them.
This is not limited to Netflix. You can offer Steam wallet codes, Tinder, Garena shells, mobile phone credits, etc. Remember that you're a middleman.
Conclusion
Hope this guide will help you a little bit during this crisis. You can make this a temporary moneymaking venture during the quarantine but who knows, it might grow to something bigger. Remember to be honest with your dealings and don't go around scamming people; the more honest and trustworthy you are, the more that people will trust you with their money. Good luck!
I hope I won't look like I'm promoting something that takes advantage of the current situation. But a man's gotta eat. We won't be defrauding people but helping them during these desperate times. Aside from helping them you'll make some serious $$$ just being in front of the computer.
This method is quite complicated (or not) depending on how tech savvy you are. If you have a reliable Internet connection, a desktop or laptop that doesn't give up after a few hours, and some computer skills, there's no reason why you can't make money from it. Heck, you can even use your smartphone.
The crisis has been hard for many people and they're desperate for something to ease their plight. People want to:
- Send money to their loved ones back home
- Buy mobile phone credits to communicate with their loved ones
- Beat boredom by watching TV
- Surf the Internet to beat boredom
- Pay their bills without going out
- and many more
So this is where you'll come in. You'll be a MIDDLEMAN who will deliver those stuff to them.
People want to send money to their families and loved ones.
There are lots of people who want to send money to their families and loved ones, but for some reason they cannot do it. Either they can't find a bank or money remittance center, or they're afraid to go out. They want to send the money online as much as possible.
So what you can do is to be the middleman who will facilitate the transfer of money. Let's say that someone has a bank account but they want to send that money to their folks in the countryside who don't have a bank account. But they don't know how. So you'll offer to be a middleman who will get the money from the sender and then send the money to the receiver. You'll have to use your brain and see what channels are the quickest, most reliable and cheapest ways to send the money.
For example:
Sender's bank account => Your bank account => You => Your mobile wallet => Money remittance center => Receiver
You don't even need to go to the remittance center to send the money, as long as your mobile wallet can send money via the remittance center. If you have a contact at a remittance center, then you can do that too.
Or if someone wants to send money to a bank account, but he doesn't have a bank account:
Sender => Money remittance center => You => Your bank account => Receiver's bank account
Or you can offer to top up people's mobile wallets:
Sender => Bank account/credit card/remittance center => You => Your mobile wallet => Sender or receiver's mobile wallet
You should calculate the transaction fees and add your own "service fee." Something like 5% which is higher than PayPal's fees but at least you're doing some manual work. Don't make it something like 20% because we don't want to take advantage of the situation.
You could even put up a website or Facebook page and start promoting. There are also lots of people outside your country who want to send money back home but don't know how. If you can find a way to help them you can make serious money because those people send a lot of money. But I suggest concentrating locally as it's easier and faster and there's less risk of fraud. Speaking of fraud, you can minimize or avoid that by asking for identification before accepting their money.
There are so many ways to make this method work. Heck, I can already think of 10 different ways in my country alone. There are literally dozens of banks, mobile wallets and remittance centers here. People want to send money but don't know how to connect the dots and your job is to do that as a middleman.
I don't know how legal that is in your country so check the laws and if possible ask a lawyer. Afaik, it's legal here as long as you're not scamming people. In fact, there are already people offering it on Facebook and online shopping sites. Always be ready to refund your customers to avoid complaints, and don't forget to cover your ass by checking for fraud.
People want to pay their bills.
In some countries, you can pay your bills through online banking or a mobile app. But most people still pay their bills by going to the cashier. What you can do is to offer a service to pay their bills on their behalf.
Like here, I can pay my electric bills via a bank. But many people don't want to go to the bank, so you can offer a service where they'll pay you via online banking, money remittance center or mobile wallet, and then you'll be the one to pay their bills.
People want to get entertained.
Many are staying at home and are bored as f*ck. They want to watch Netflix or play video games all day.
To watch Netflix you have to use a credit/debit card. But many don't have a card so you can offer to buy Netflix subscriptions for them and they'll pay you for it. What you can do is buy Netflix gift codes. After your customer pays, you buy the gift code and then email the code to them. Easy right? Obviously, the customer can buy the Netflix gift code himself but maybe he doesn't know how or cannot pay for it. In my country, I can buy Netflix gift codes but have to pay for it at a money remittance center (the shop doesn't accept online payments). You can buy Netflix codes in bulk and then sell them.
This is not limited to Netflix. You can offer Steam wallet codes, Tinder, Garena shells, mobile phone credits, etc. Remember that you're a middleman.
Conclusion
Hope this guide will help you a little bit during this crisis. You can make this a temporary moneymaking venture during the quarantine but who knows, it might grow to something bigger. Remember to be honest with your dealings and don't go around scamming people; the more honest and trustworthy you are, the more that people will trust you with their money. Good luck!