Can You Really Make Money Online Without Selling Anything!?

47 replies
Almost in all specialties in the MMO world, you have to sell something to earn a living online. wether it's your product or an affiliate product.

... And this is how most people make money online.

However, apart from Google Adsense and CPA Marketing - I can't really think of any other method, where you can make money online without selling anything ???

What other things that you can do to make money online without having to sell something?
#make #money #online #selling
  • Profile picture of the author Michael Meaney
    Surveys.

    I mean, they still work right?

    *chortle*

    Of course I'm only joking.

    They never worked.
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  • Profile picture of the author kilgore
    There are plenty of non-profit organizations that earn all their revenue through donations and grants. I even know of one for-profit site that earns most of its revenue through donations.

    That said, there's a reason that there's an emerging trend in the non-profit world to rely less on donations and grants in order to be more self-sustaining. When you're constantly chasing donations and grants you're essentially having to sell yourself and your work over and over again -- but to people who usually don't need to pay to enjoy the benefits you're providing. This can be even tougher than selling a "real" product.

    Regardless, I'm wondering why you're asking the question. If you can't or don't like to sell, being an entrepreneur is probably not a good fit for you. Like it or not, selling is just what businesses do.
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  • Profile picture of the author George Schwab
    Can You Really Make Money Online Without Selling Anything!

    No!

    i mean: yes - if you put money down=in first

    is there something like a free lunch?
    yeah of course, but you need to know
    somebody [anybody] in the house
    where the kitchen is...
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  • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
    Originally Posted by CityCowboy View Post

    Almost in all specialties in the MMO world, you have to sell something to earn a living online. wether it's your product or an affiliate product.

    ... And this is how most people make money online.

    However, apart from Google Adsense and CPA Marketing - I can't really think of any other method, where you can make money online without selling anything ???

    What other things that you can do to make money online without having to sell something?
    I would argue that even with Adsense and CPA offers, you are selling something. With Adsense, you are selling attention and clicks. You just aren't selling them to the page visitors. Same with CPA - you are selling responses/leads. You just aren't selling them to the page visitors.

    In both cases, something of value is exchanged for something of value. That'sthe textbook definition of a sale.

    Originally Posted by kilgore View Post

    There are plenty of non-profit organizations that earn all their revenue through donations and grants. I even know of one for-profit site that earns most of its revenue through donations.
    As above, I'd still argue that a sale is being made, only in this case, the product is good karma, feelings of doing good, ego strokes and possibly tax advantages.

    Originally Posted by kilgore View Post

    Regardless, I'm wondering why you're asking the question. If you can't or don't like to sell, being an entrepreneur is probably not a good fit for you. Like it or not, selling is just what businesses do.
    Agreed.
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  • Profile picture of the author Sid Hale
    Sorry Cowboy...

    Originally Posted by CityCowboy View Post

    Almost in all specialties in the MMO world, you have to sell something to earn a living online. wether it's your product or an affiliate product.
    Most affiliates don't SELL anything - they pre-sell it (or should) and rely on the merchant to actually do the selling.
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    • Profile picture of the author DIABL0
      Originally Posted by Sid Hale View Post

      Sorry Cowboy...
      Most affiliates don't SELL anything - they pre-sell it (or should) and rely on the merchant to actually do the selling.
      Most affiliates to earn a commission have to rely on a purchase happening. For someone to complete an offer, they must make a purchase.

      What city cowboy is asking, is what exists that doesn't require a purchase...outside of adsense / cpa.

      I have been promoting CPA offers fpr over 16 years, more specifically PPL (pay per lead...lead generation) offers, for the sole reason that for someone to complete an offer, there is no credit card / purchase required. All a user has to do is fill out a form.
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    • Profile picture of the author kevineverett
      Totally agree Sid. The art of selling is not to sell but to convince the potential buyer that the benefits of the product in question are exactly what they have been looking for. Then pass the (now eager/curious) buyer on to the vendor's sales page, and let them do the selling. That is what they are good at (or should be).
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  • Profile picture of the author George Schwab
    yah right on, one time a affiliate reached out to me and said:

    " I do not sell stuff - you do!"

    i replied; Ok, now what is YOUR part in the whole story?
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    • Profile picture of the author Sid Hale
      Originally Posted by George Schwab View Post

      i replied; Ok, now what is YOUR part in the whole story?
      Of course, I was not privy to that email sequence, but his response should have been...

      TARGETED, QUALIFIEDTRAFFIC
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      Coming Soon... Rapid Action Profits (Pro)

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    • Profile picture of the author hynds
      Originally Posted by George Schwab View Post

      i replied; Ok, now what is YOUR part in the whole story?
      Actually, affiliates don't sell anything, they just drive targeted traffic and/or potential customers to their website and then come to the merchant site or they drive targeted customer to ecommerce shopping sites directly. Then the whole rest processes are rely on merchants.
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  • Profile picture of the author ignmmulia
    paid reviews, you just need to put their link in your blog, then you will get money.
    they just buy your space or high PR site
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    • Profile picture of the author DABK
      So, you're selling space on your site, no?

      Originally Posted by ignmmulia View Post

      paid reviews, you just need to put their link in your blog, then you will get money.
      they just buy your space or high PR site
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  • Profile picture of the author jimmeettee
    I agree with what's been said here. My question is are you primarily doing an informational website rather than a product oriented web site? If so, you still need traffic, visitor loyalty, and an attractive site (search engine-wise).
    I don't actually know what level of consistent traffic is required to be able rent space for advertisers. You might look into that. Just my thoughts.

    jimmeettee
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  • Profile picture of the author aizaku
    Originally Posted by CityCowboy View Post

    However, apart from Google Adsense and CPA Marketing - I can't really think of any other method, where you can make money online without selling anything ???


    Bro, you are selling something


    that something is called advertisement

    not only that, but advertising can even be found in antiquity. Yup, its 'something' we've been selling for a while now:
    The Evolution of Advertising: From Stone Carving to the Old Spice Guy

    -Ike Paz
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  • Profile picture of the author DIABL0
    I think what he was getting at is...

    What can you promote that doesn't require users to make a purchase / financial transaction and still get paid, other than adsense (or similar) and cpa (call, lead, download, install, signup, etc)?
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  • Profile picture of the author George Schwab
    i agree with you and Sid

    of course

    the guy was just a tiny bit too shallow

    he linked to us, without doing any pre-selling

    pre-selling is an art form

    look up Alan Gardyne from OZ
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  • Profile picture of the author Catherine Bueno
    Hi there,

    You can either earn money by working for a client or advertising products and getting commissions from it... Know your expertise, and evaluate if it's on demand in the world of Internet.

    Hope this helps.
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  • Profile picture of the author tomako
    I think we always sell something, advertisement area, words to pre-sell, our service, ideas and most importantly our time. So i can't imagine anything that bring some cash without selling anything.
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    • Profile picture of the author madstan
      I beg to differ. Several of my friends and I make nice returns every year sports wagering (especially during NFL and NBA season) and we haven't sold a thing.

      However I am intrigued by selling online and see it as a challenge and I also have fun doing it.


      Originally Posted by tomako View Post

      I think we always sell something, advertisement area, words to pre-sell, our service, ideas and most importantly our time. So i can't imagine anything that bring some cash without selling anything.
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  • Profile picture of the author Alexis Gil
    I agree with opinion that in any way we are always selling something. It doesn't matter what it is - goods or services. To earn money, you should propose something. And any proposal for money is selling.
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  • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
    An affiliate may not be making a direct sale to the end buyer, but they are making a sale of sorts. They're selling clicks and attention to the various vendors they promote.

    One could also say that a good pre-sell actually sells the viewer on taking the next step of clicking to the vendor site.

    Zig Ziglar had it right when he said that nothing happens until a sale is made.
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  • Profile picture of the author winsoar
    YouTube - but that is Google Adsense of course. I think this is going to be one of the biggest ways of making money online in the future, especially as the quality of TV programming is declining, more and more people are searching YouTube for education and entertainment.
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  • Profile picture of the author Tony Marriott
    Bank hacking

    But only transfer cash. If you get card details you will probaly need to sell them or whatever you purchase with them.
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  • Profile picture of the author xixna
    Well, you can work as a freelancer but again you are selling your services.

    Here are few:

    Online surveys
    Software reviews
    Day trading
    Gambling
    Match betting
    Binary options
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  • Profile picture of the author koolman2000
    You must be selling something to earn money. If you are an affiliate, all the things you sell can be concluded as "effort". Yes you are selling your "effort" to make money.
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  • Profile picture of the author ATAC
    You can play around with surveys and all the other none selling methods but other then cpa marketing . If you want to make real money in this world . Then you need to be able to sell

    If you do not want to sell then you are just wasting your time.
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  • Profile picture of the author dburk
    Hi CityCowboy,

    I disagree totally with your assertion that AdSense and CPA marketing is not selling.

    Publishers "sell" ad space to AdSense advertisers.

    CPA marketers are either selling ad space, endorsements, or doing that actual selling of the CPA offer.

    All you doing is "selling"and in some cases using a 3rd party for billing and/or fulfillment services. You could also lump drop shipper into that category, the main difference is that you are handling the billing yourself on drop shipping.

    If you could find a way to make money online without selling it will likely involve something illegal with a potential prison sentence attached.

    All commerce involves selling. Heck, even as an employee for a company you are literally selling your labor to your employer.
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  • Profile picture of the author ryanbiddulph
    Sale: the exchange of a commodity for money; the action of selling something.

    If folks online are sending you money, and you're sending them (directly or indirectly) a commodity (ad, service, product, etc, etc, etc), you, my friends, are selling
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  • Profile picture of the author zdivine
    Regardless of what you're doing, you're always selling.

    Whether you're selling yourself, your offer, your site, the exchange of value, you're selling.

    Become a master of sales and you'll always be rich.
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  • Profile picture of the author shaunybb
    Hey there,


    Even though making money online is selling I try not to market it that way!


    I have had the best results from recommending something!


    People as we know look for reviews and people that can show them the product also!


    And also my main point is not to sell but aquire a long time future customer I can


    recommend products and services to over and over again!


    Thanks
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    • Profile picture of the author dburk
      Originally Posted by shaunybb View Post

      Hey there,


      Even though making money online is selling I try not to market it that way!


      I have had the best results from recommending something!


      People as we know look for reviews and people that can show them the product also!


      And also my main point is not to sell but aquire a long time future customer I can


      recommend products and services to over and over again!


      Thanks
      So, anther way of putting it is that you are "selling" your recommendations, right?
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      • Profile picture of the author shaunybb
        Originally Posted by dburk View Post

        So, anther way of putting it is that you are "selling" your recommendations, right?

        LOL yes you could look at it that way!
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  • Profile picture of the author Edwin Torres
    I mean you coulddddd if you wanted to make money without "selling". But, in my opinion the amount of money you'd make from those ventures would be tiny compared to what you'd make from real selling.
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  • Profile picture of the author marydelacroix
    Yes, you can make money online and not have to sell if you can write, to admin jobs, customer care, etc. There are various opportunities online nowadays. I think people should try to up their income by doing online jobs during their free time.
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  • Profile picture of the author thi angdiar
    [DELETED]
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Originally Posted by thi angdiar View Post

      I have been with Upwork for about 4 years now and I have been earning money without having to sell anything, just my skills.
      Maybe it's a language thing, but that seems to imply that your skills are nothing...

      If you are trading your time and skills for money, you are definitely selling something, my friend. You are definitely selling something.
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  • Profile picture of the author Cesar Sampaio
    You're always selling something. Even if it's an action like convincing someone to give you their email or the idea that you can build someone a great website.better than the competition.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mike Hersh
    Promoting CPA offers? That's probably the only way to make money without having to sell anything. The world is built on sales people though not sure what's wrong with selling stuff to people.
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  • Profile picture of the author Curtis2011
    With advertising programs you are selling traffic to the advertisers, through a third party system.

    You always have to sell something to make money.
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    • Profile picture of the author DABK
      Nah, not true. Sometimes, women just throw money at me when I pass by. For no reason other than I exist in all my regally royal pulchritude!

      Now, a question from the depth of my pulchritude-encased regal mind: Why are we having this discussion? The whole of Earth is based on nothing's free and you gots to sell/produce/give/create something to get money or other things of value. It's been since before my brother Zeus roamed the Earth as a horny swan. C'mon. Let's all make a mental note of that and refrain from starting threads like this one.

      Originally Posted by Curtis2011 View Post

      With advertising programs you are selling traffic to the advertisers, through a third party system.

      You always have to sell something to make money.
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  • Profile picture of the author krees
    You could offer coaching or a service like seo, writing articles ect. A consulting business catered to brick and mortar businesses?
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    • Profile picture of the author DABK
      All of those are selling something.

      Originally Posted by krees View Post

      You could offer coaching or a service like seo, writing articles ect. A consulting business catered to brick and mortar businesses?
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  • Profile picture of the author KennyAmy
    IMO, I think everything in life is about selling. We put on nice attire to sell ourself to the person who we met for the first time.

    For affiliate marketing, you're risking the level of trust between you and your subs. If the product you promote is not good, and they happen to buy that product. Trust is out of the window haha. It is about selling and earning trust :-P
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  • Profile picture of the author hayeskt6
    Yeah you can do various means. I like consignment because even though i'm buying inventory, I'm not reselling because its bought for a brand.

    Marketing can be done to earn a little extra but its a lot more work then just buying inventory that is already ordered to be sold.
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  • Profile picture of the author JohnVianny
    IF something is gratis, the product is YOU. (ex. Facebook)

    So if u wanna earn without selling anything, you have to sell yourself.
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    • Profile picture of the author celente
      Originally Posted by Connann View Post

      IF something is gratis, the product is YOU. (ex. Facebook)

      So if u wanna earn without selling anything, you have to sell yourself.
      Facebook its common to see crap and affiliate crap sprayed on the wall every where.

      What you have to learn is you have to GIVE to RECEIVE there.

      So, i do well with my FB, and its always good having people chase me down to join programs, but there is a secret involved and took me about 8 months to master.

      Facebook, is really good, but the people doing really well on there, DO this match up and pattern of posts.

      - Lifestyle
      -Content
      - entertainment
      - HARD CORE PLUG [selling]

      also not in that order. You want to mix it up a bit. 25% each. over an eight day period and do it twice.

      Just a thought.

      I do not really follow this, anymore, but I need to be more active on FB and probably a wake up call that i should.
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  • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
    Originally Posted by madstan View Post

    I beg to differ. Several of my friends and I make nice returns every year sports wagering (especially during NFL and NBA season) and we haven't sold a thing.

    However I am intrigued by selling online and see it as a challenge and I also have fun doing it.
    43 posts in, and we finally have something that technically qualifies as "making money online" without selling something.

    Of course, I know a lot of people who have lost their shirts betting on sports, too. Betting online just makes it easier to win/lose more money faster.

    I used to spend a lot of time at a smaller horse track which offered both live and simulcast wagering. Every day, after about the seventh race, the queue for the ATM and the Western Union booth went practically out the door with punters who had lost their original bankroll and were withdrawing money so they could try to make a comeback.

    One of the most depressing things I've ever seen happened after one day at the races. I walked past a man who was staring off into space, mumbling to himself. I asked him if he was okay, and he told me that he'd stopped at the track on his way home from work to have a beer and watch a couple of races. He ended up losing his whole paycheck trying to get back to even, and he was trying to figure out how he was going to tell his wife that he'd lost the mortgage payment and the grocery money at the track. Again.

    I'd had a decent day, so I gave him $20 for food and wished him well. Never saw him again.

    Not sure what the point of the story is in this context, except to tell people that for every winner in sports betting, there are one or more losers contributing to the winner's payout and the juice for the bookmaker.
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  • Profile picture of the author gooroo
    Streaming on twitch and getting subscribers/donations.
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