I started my first part-time job at Amazon in 2017 for $0. At the time, I was working two jobs and freelancing, and I was excited about the opportunity to make passive income by selling print-on-demand t-shirts with Amazon Merch on Demand.
At first it was just t-shirts, but now I also sell tank tops, long-sleeved shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, cell phone cases, pillows and tote bags. As the platform has expanded to international markets, I sell my products to customers in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Japan.
The part-time job at Amazon finally allowed me to quit my job in 2020.
What started as an experimental side hustle has grown into ten income streams that now bring in $49,000 per month in passive income.
Here are some of my favorite $0 side hustles and my best advice for getting started in 2024.
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Amazon Merch on Demand
Startup cost: $0
This platform has become my favorite passive income opportunity. It uses a print-on-demand business model where products are printed and shipped after sale.
My responsibilities include creating graphic designs and offering them for sale for the various products available in the Amazon Merch catalog. I find that simple, text-based designs can generate a lot of sales, so for me no design experience was required to be successful.
What I like most about this platform is the automation. After an order is received, Amazon routes it to one of their manufacturing facilities where the product is picked, printed and shipped to our customer. Every month I receive a payout for the royalties we earn from our sales.
Print on demand
Startup cost: $0
Amazon Merch isn’t the only way to make money with print-on-demand. I took the designs I created for my Amazon Merch side business and placed them on other products and marketplaces as well.
I have been selling print on demand products on Etsy since 2018. The only cost associated with Etsy is a $0.20 fee to create a product listing. When you use an invite link to start selling on Etsy, you can receive 40 free listings.
I use a company called Printful to fulfill the orders. Printful has a direct integration that allows them to automatically fulfill orders and notify customers when they ship.
In addition to Etsy, you can also consider listing your print-on-demand products on Walmart, eBay, and Redbubble. I use all three platforms. Redbubble and eBay have been around for quite some time, while the Walmart option became available last year.
Amazon Influencer Program
Startup cost: $0
My fiancé and I have both been participating in the Amazon Influencer program since September 2023. It allows you to earn passive income by creating video reviews of Amazon products you own.
Participation in the program is free and you can start recording videos using your smartphone. The uploaded videos will appear on the Amazon product detail page for the product you reviewed and for similar products. If someone watches your video before purchasing the product, you will typically receive a commission of between one and three percent.
I would start by checking all the products you own that are found on Amazon. As long as the item is available for sale on the platform, you can evaluate it without restriction, regardless of where you originally purchased it.
I have reviewed hundreds of products and my fiancé has reviewed almost 1,000. I think this is a great potential source of passive income that isn’t particularly well known.
Youtube
Startup cost: $0
YouTube is an ever-popular side hustle that you can start today for $0, even with just a smartphone and an internet connection. I’ve found that when I create videos about my passions and hobbies, it often doesn’t feel like work.
The requirements to monetize your YouTube channel with AdSense are 4,000 hours of viewing, total across all video uploads, and 1,000 subscribers. Once approved, you can receive a monthly payment based on the number of ads viewed by your viewers.
I have my own YouTube channel from which I earn $4,900 a month in passive income. My fiancé and I also recently started a channel together where we unpack Amazon return pallets in hopes of reselling the products for a profit. Not only is this project fun to work on together, it’s also on track to bring us advertising revenue once the channel meets monetization requirements.
There are a lot of exciting part-time opportunities. Although the learning curve may seem intimidating at first, my best advice is to approach it with a positive attitude and a long-term perspective. It may take some time to scale these income streams to the point where they can replace a full-time income, but in my experience it is doable.
Ryan Hogue is a former web developer and adjunct professor who left both jobs to run his e-commerce company. Be Youtube channel teaches people how to make passive income using the “Ryan Method.”
Hogue is also an instructor in CNBC’s new online course, How to Earn Passive Income Online.. The course provides an overview of common passive income sources, tips for getting started, and real-life success stories.
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Updated the age of Ryan Hogue, whose birthday was just before the article was published.