Do you need to find a way to make $500 fast?
I think we’ve all been there at one time or another. Maybe your car or furnace broke down and you need to get it fixed asap or maybe you’ve just started a new job and rent day comes before payday.
No matter what the reason, you need some money…fast!
Quick cash isn’t going to set you down the road to long-term financial success, but it might be just what you need to get out of a bind.
The problem isn’t that you’re lazy, it’s that you just need a great idea to get you off to a head start. Every idea I’ve included here has been used by myself or somebody I know to make some quick cash. This isn’t an exhaustive list, these are simply the best ways I know of to make fast cash to get out of a financial bind.
Some of these ideas can make you $500 in less than a day!
You have the work ethic so strap on your steel toes and lets get you some cash!
How to make $500 fast
Start flipping items for cash
Flipping is simple, it’s just buying something at a low price and selling it at a higher price. Don’t think it’s possible? I know a couple that took their flipping hobby and turned it into a full-time business, making them over 100k.
I have gotten rather good at flipping as well. The hardest part for me has always been selling. Don’t like selling? Me neither! But it’s a learned skill and the more you practice the better you’ll get. You can earn a quick $500 or even more!
Want to learn what items to look out for? Check out: The 10 Best Items To Flip For Fast Cash
How quickly can you make $500?
If you choose to flip higher-value items such as furniture, vehicles or trailers, you could easily clear $500 in a single transaction, or a few days. If you don’t want that much risk and would rather flip smaller items like cell phones, books or antiques, you could realistically make $500 within 1-2 weeks.
Sell some appliances
I wrote an article about how I once made more than $10,000 flipping appliances. By the time I got out of reselling appliances (I foolishly bought a home without a garage), I was averaging around $100 per unit in profit. In my opinion, it’s the quickest legit’ way for anybody to come up with some extra money quickly. Appliances are a great thing to flip for a few reasons:
- They’re big and heavy, so there are fewer people who want to bother moving them
- They can be found cheap when people upgrade or renovate
- Appliances (with some exceptions) are generally simple to fix
How quickly can you make $500?
When I was selling appliances, I was able to make around $100-200 per set. If you live in a mid-large sized city, you could pick up a set to resell and have your first $100-200 by the end of the day. Do this over twice and you could clear $500 in 3-5 days.
Sell the skill you already have
You know how to do something, market that skill! If you’re a marketer (like me), you can offer marketing services on the side. Perhaps you’re in trades and can help friends do work around their house. Maybe you have some accounting or bookkeeping skills and can help people out with their taxes. Either way, you have something to offer. The easiest way to earn a fast $500 is to capitalize on the skills and contacts that you already have.
Some quick ways to find the jobs:
- Post an ad on Craigslist and Kijiji
- Offer your services on social media
- Print of an ad and bring it to local coffee shops or other places that have a bulletin board
- Phone close family and friends and ask them for referrals
How quickly can you make $500?
This depends on the skill you have and how much you can charge for it in your local market. For example, if the going rate for a carpenter is $50/hr in your area, it would take you ten hours of extra work to pull in $500.
Become a referral source for a realtor or business
Everybody wants more business, and they’re willing to pay for it. I know a realtor who happily hands out $500 checks to people who refer clients to him. It’s worth a chunk of his commission to get a sale that he wouldn’t have otherwise had. If you have some sales skills you can sell nearly any big-ticket items for a commission. Roof replacements, house painting, landscaping and furnace replacement are just a few types of businesses that will pay referral fees.
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure right? If you choose to hold a garage sale to make some fast money here are some tips to help you sell your stuff as quickly as possible.
Sell a piece of furniture
You don’t have to sell something that you use every day. A solid wood hutch, bookshelf or credenza can fetch hundreds of dollars, especially if you take some time to refinish it. If you have some furniture kicking around that you don’t need, selling it off is a great way to make some extra money.
How quickly can you make $500?
If you’re straight up flipping furniture, you might be able to average a profit of $50-100 per transaction. In most markets, you could sell a couple of pieces per week meaning it would take you 3-5 weeks to make $500. If you’re adding value to an old piece by repairing, painting or otherwise refinishing it, you could earn that much in profit much more quickly.
Check out the ‘gigs’ section of Craigslist
There are often some quick money-making opportunities to be found here. Often, they’re quick one-day or two-day things such as helping somebody move, helping out with some landscaping or gardening, cleaning and other such simple jobs. Often the jobs listed here are labor-intensive so this is a good option if you’re strong and can handle some heavy lifting.
How quickly can you make $500 with gigs?
Obviously this depends on how much the gig pays. It’s not unreasonable to expect $100-200 dollars for a full day of work. For full day gigs you could expect to invest about 4-5 days to earn $500. For shorter, lower-paying gigs it will take more time.
Hold a garage sale
A garage or yard sale is a time-tested way to generate some fast cash. If you don’t have enough stuff to hold your own sale, why not get some friends together and do a community garage sale? It can be a great way to have some fun while fattening up your wallet.
If you can’t find many others who are able and willing to join you, why not sell their items for them? Take 25% of the profit for managing the sale and put even more green in your pocket.
Below are some tips to make your garage sale a success:
- Advertise your sale on Craigslist
- Advertise with cheap cardboard signs at high-traffic spots in your neighborhood
- Put it out there on Facebook and other social media
- Get a roll of pricing stickers from a dollar store and clearly price your items
- Go to a bank and get some small bills and coins for change, you don’t want to miss a sale because you can’t change a $20!
- Set your prices competitively and be willing to bargain!
How quickly can you make $500 with a garage sale
You can easily clear $500 in a single day with a garage sale.
Negotiate a payment
Okay I get it, this isn’t technically earning $500 fast, but you can sure save a quick few hundred bucks by negotiating a payment. If you’re stuck under a big payment for a vehicle, boat, RV, furniture or electronics, try phoning them up and asking if you can defer your payment for a month.
I did this years ago with a Ford financing payment when I was hard-up for money. They told me that they’re happy to work with people who phone and ask but take a harder line with those who just default on the payment. It’s worth a try!
How quickly can you make $500?
If you are able to defer a larger payment, you could free up $500 in an afternoon.
Return something to Costco
I know, this just feels a little bit slimy but hear me out. Costco’s return policy allows for a return if you’re dissatisfied with an item for any reason. I recently returned a $600 television because I was not satisfied with the picture.
I’m not suggesting that you be dishonest here, but if you’ve made a big purchase at Costco recently that you’re not completely satisfied with, you might consider returning the item and getting your money back. So long as you’re abiding by their incredibly generous return policy, you’re good.
Become an Uber driver
I don’t think that ride sharing is the best way to make a full-time living, but it’s an awesome opportunity to make $100, $200 or even $500 fairly quickly. It’s good to be set up as a driver for these companies even if you’re not planning to on doing it regularly, so it’s an option when you need some money quick. Here’s what you need to get started with ride sharing:
- Decent, newer model 4-door vehicle
- Must be at least 21 years old
- Insurance with your name on the policy
- Clean driving record
- Mobile phone
It couldn’t be simpler.
How quickly can you make $500?
According to this article, Uber drivers in many major cities earn between $8-14/hr. If you’re earning an average of $11/hr with Uber, you would need to drive for 46 hours to earn five hundred bucks. If you grind, you could probably do that in 10 days, even with a full time job.
Sell an item for somebody else
If you know somebody that is considering selling a big-ticket item such as a boat or RV, you can offer to sell it for them for a commission. You need to agree with the owner on a commission rate as well as the lowest price they’re willing to sell for. After that, you take care of the listings, returning emails and phone calls as well as test-driving, mechanical inspections and eventually, close the sale for a commission.
This can be a great side hustle if you enjoy sales. I know a retired fellow that earns all of his expendable income this way.
How quickly can you make $500?
Generally, the larger the item you can sell, the larger the commission. I know of a local realtor who pays $500 for referrals. You could also easily negotiate $500 for the sale of a larger item such as a car or boat. Using this method you could expect to earn $500 in 2-4 weeks.
List some stuff on Facebook Marketplace
I wasn’t sure about Facebook Marketplace when it first launched, but I’ve used it a few times now and it’s actually a great way to make some quick cash by selling stuff. The thing I like most about it is that unlike Craigslist, it’s not anonymous. You can see the Facebook profile of the person that you’re dealing with so it’s a little bit safer that way. Items also tend to sell fast as you’re getting access to thousands of people who are already on Facebook throughout the day anyways.
Some things that seem to do well on Facebook Marketplace:
- Strollers, high chairs and other baby/child items
- Cars and trucks
- Cell phones and tablets
Sell something on Ebay
Admittedly I’m a late comer to the Ebay thing. I sold a couple of Snap-On wrench sets last year that I was not able to offload locally. To my surprise, I was easily able to sell them for double what I’d been offered on Craigslist.
If you have a unique, high-value item you should try selling it on Ebay. If it doesn’t sell, you’re only out a couple of bucks for the listing.
Sell rustic wall-art or furniture
A friend of mine has recently started selling screen-printed wall pieces. They’re in a basic, 1×2 painted white frame that has that ‘rustic’ look. He’s made $800 in a couple of months outside of his full-time job. Pallet art, rustic country furniture, it’s all really popular right now and you can capitalize on the trend.
There are lots of stories out there of people buying cheap furniture, painting and sanding it to look rustic and selling it for four or five times what they paid. If you can sand and paint you can make a good profit.
If you don’t know what you can make and sell, here are some great ideas to get you started!
Hauling
Hauling is a lucrative business, just ask the guys at 1-800-Got-Junk. There’s a lot of money in it. We had to renovate our place in 2017 and I paid a guy $320 to haul away the carpet, old cabinets, flooring and other miscellaneous junk. It was a big truck load but it only took him about an hour to load it all and the dump fee would have been around $80. Not bad for a morning’s work.
If you have a truck, try advertising on Craigslist to pick up hauling jobs. Find a way to stand out from the pack. You can offer an incentive for each job like give the customer a $20 Starbucks card or something like that.
Clean gutters
People hate cleaning gutters. I’ve been a person for a long time and speak from experience here.. Wherever there’s a job nobody wants to do there’s an opportunity. Many gutters are full of leaves and junk and overflowing when it rains. If you have a ladder and a vehicle you can get started. This is a great service because like painting or mowing, you can sell it door-to-door.
You might also like:
- How To Ask For A Raise At Work (And Actually Get It)
- How to Embrace Frugal Living
- How You Can Make $1000 Fast
Sell your electronics
If you really need the cash, consider selling your electronics. You can come up with some really quick money this way. Many used phones and tablets still sell for the better part of a thousand bucks. The same is true for Ipods, stereo receivers, cameras…you get the idea. You can always buy the stuff again when you’re in better financial shape.
Detail cars
I love this hustle as it takes little more than a vacuum, wash brush, some soap and an eye for detail. Professional detail shops will charge more than $300 for a full detail including shampoo. You can easily charge $100-150 for a wash and interior detail in most areas. Make sure to watch a few videos on how to do a thorough job first!
Some places to pick up your first few detailing clients:
- Post about your new service on social media
- Put an ad up on Craigslist
- Advertise on bulletin boards in your area
- Throw up a simple website and optimize it for your local area
Post that you’re looking for a couple of days work
Leverage your connections! Most of your friends will want to help you out if you’re looking for work and are willing to do anything. It definitely takes a bit of humility but if you can stomach it, post on social media that you’re looking for some extra work and list the things that you know how to do. You’ll be surprised how willing people are to help you out when you want to work for it.
Rent out a room
If you have an extra room or garage, consider renting it out. In larger cities you can usually get at least $500 for a room or garage. It doesn’t have to be a long-term arrangement. You can try taking in an exchange student as well. That pays fairly well where we are. I have family that usually has a Chinese student living with them and it’s been a great experience for them to get paid to share their lives with interesting new people.
Look for jobs on Upwork
Upwork is a great place to get started with freelancing. If you have a marketable skill such as copywriting, SEO, design or coding, you should definitely check out Upwork. Basically, Upwork is a platform where people post jobs that they have available and you can bid on the job. It’s a great place to launch a freelance career or just make a few extra bucks.
Downgrade your car
If you need cash badly, you should be willing to at least consider putting your vehicle on the chopping block. Downgrading your car can be an easy way to make some fast cash without working evenings. Remember, when things pick up a bit you can always upgrade your car again. There’s no shame in doing what needs to be done!
You might also want to consider selling your car outright. If you live near a city you should be able to use Uber, car sharing or buses to get where you need to go. Electric bikes are cool too.
Now It’s Time To Get Started!
Why not try out a few of these methods and decide which ones are right for you? Any one of the items on this list can easily earn you $500 fast. If you combine two or more, you’ll be well on your way to earning all the extra money you’ll need.
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Question for you:
What’s your best tip for earning money fast?
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