Everyone is looking for a good side hustle, some simple way to make money while you sleep.
From drop shipping schemes to retail arbitrage, there are many ways to make money online. The problem is that both of the aforementioned methods require significant time input. Not just time in building the website and the typical web business hurdles (web hosting, SEO, site updates, security, to name a few).
If you plan to start a web business that utilizes drop shipping, you will need to find a trusted drop shipper, which usually requires a monthly or annual fee. You will need to select quality products from their large database of products and hope they will sell, and it’s a gamble.
When you deal in retail arbitrage, you also face significant merchandising hurdles. Aside from the web business setup, finding good resale items is challenging and requires precious time, gas money, and expertise in all manner of items. Sure, some apps help with the expertise aspect, but it is still a time-consuming venture. That said, it can pay off if you know about antiques, vintage, and musical instruments.
The online side hustle that is 80% hands-off, what is it?
Selling t-shirts online. It’s really easy to set up!
With a combination of WordPress, Woo Commerce, and payment processors like PayPal and Printful. If you wanted to offer custom t-shirts, you could even utilize a t-shirt designer plugin for WordPress, like the ALLADA T-Shirt Designer.
How does this t-shirt side hustle work?
- Pick something that WILL sell; if your idea is not good or available cheaper someplace, then this will not work. It doesn’t have to be a t-shirt; Printful makes all kinds of excellent products.
- Set up a free WordPress website, and be sure to add the plugins for Woo Commerce and Printful.
- Set up a Printful account, and connect to your website via the Printful app. Use the same payment processor/PayPal, etc., for both accounts.
- I like to run a test transaction to ensure everything is running correctly; if it is, you are ready to sell!
So how is this t-shirt side hustle 80% hands-off?
Great question! Once everything is set up correctly, you only need to “work” on your side hustle when you want to add to a new product or promote it. The more promotion, the better, so I would try to spend a little more on the project than the bare minimum.
Here’s how the transactions work, and you get paid.
- The customer purchases from your website; payment goes to your PayPal.
- Your website notifies Printful through their app on your site of the new order; Printful takes the print fee from your PayPal account, leaving your profit behind.
- Printful then prints and ships your product directly to your customer.
There is no financial output for the transaction or product on your end and your product is shipped directly to your customer in a package branded for your shop. It doesn’t get much easier.
I use this method for several different websites and have only had to go in and approve orders a couple of times. It is really a seamless selling system that requires little upfront capital, just a great idea or two.
This is a business, and you will want repeat customers and good word of mouth; with that said, you should invest some time and resources into a good search engine optimization (SEO) program and maybe even some Facebook or Google advertising to really drive business. Ensuring your product gets found not only in search but also in online marketplaces like Google Shopping can mean easy money.
What if I don’t have the skills to set up the website and the plugins?
You can always hire a professional website designer to set up your side hustle, and while this will certainly cut into your profit margin it will also yield a better website that is not only easier to use. A bare-bones website with the needed plugins installed should be between $500 – $1000. If you make a $10 profit on each sale you only need to sell 10 to start making money!
Website developer, field recordist, instrument builder. My background is largely based in design for the music industry; websites, micro-sites, and apparel. With that experience, I bring a fresh approach to corporate and construction-related web projects looking to stand apart from the competition. My goal is to help clients better understand different aspects of SEO and website development; I write short, easy-to-digest articles on search engine optimization and website performance-related topics.
In my free time, I enjoy field recording, sound design, and building unusual musical instruments.
Michael Winchester is a website developer and search engine consultant in Southern California.
Michael Winchester Design | (562)283-5688