4 Alternative Ways of Selling Stuff on the Web

If there’s one lesson we should learn from technology pioneers like Steve Jobs, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, that’s to never settle for what’s ordinary.

In the Internet, ordinary means selling your stuff on eBay or Amazon and waiting for your products to be sold. Ordinary means selling on the web in your comfort zone, knowing that it’s where you earn extra income from.

Don’t get me wrong; there’s nothing wrong with these ordinary ways of selling your stuff online. In fact, I urge you to continue with these ways, since you’re already used to it and you have already made a connection with your customers with these platforms.

However, you should also consider alternative ways of selling on the web. In fact, you might even be surprised to learn that selling on the web is not limited to informational products, writing services and other conventional stuff.

Selling on the Web

With the rapid pace of the Internet’s growth, these alternative ways of selling on the web will soon become mainstream.

When that happens, you’ll thank yourself for being at the forefront of these changes.

Sell Footages in the Microstock Photography Market

Do you have some amazing stock videos from your trip to Barbados? Or perhaps you have some really funny clips of a certain situation?

Then maybe you should sell the rights to people who would have better use of them! You can even set the terms of the video you are selling.

Now where can you sell these videos? You can upload them in the growing collection of iStockPhoto Video. You can also use PixelFlow or Pond5. Uploading these videos might take a little longer than your usual YouTube upload, since it will be downloadable into four available formats.

Sell Your Virtual-Building Skills

If you couldn’t make money using Facebook or MySpace, then maybe you should move on to bigger things. By bigger things, I mean social networking sites with 3d environments that allow users to interact with each other like the same way they would in real life.

One popular example is SecondLife, currently the largest 3d virtual community. With this platform, you can create your own environment, make money, go shopping, and be educated. By joining, you are basically starting your “second life” on the Internet.

And the secret to earning money in these 3d virtual environments? You can buy parcels of land, develop them with your knowledge on architecture, and even sell them to real life corporations! Are you having a hard time believing that selling your knowledge and skill online in a game can earn you extra money? Meet Anshe Ching, the first millionaire of the same game.

Other websites where you can sell virtual goods and convert them to real money include There.com and Kaneva.  Even a dress you tailored can earn you hundreds of bucks!

Sell Your Goods on Facebook or MySpace

Believe me, your social networking accounts hold promises for the entrepreneur in you. In fact, you can use it to sell your products and reach out to the place where people essentially are all the time.

One excellent example is Facebook’s Marketplace. Not only does the application have an updated screening of the latest listings, it is also customized to your ideal location. You can sell anything from textbooks to vehicles, and the best part is that people are always checking their social networking accounts!

The chances of them running into your ad are much higher than coming across a free classified ad. MySpace also has a free classified ads section, powered by the same company that supports Facebook’s Marketplace, Oodle.com.

You can also use social networking accounts like Twitter to brand your products and share news about your industry among other things. Although selling your products directly to the consumer has yet to become a Twitter feature, it is nevertheless an effective tool in furthering the goals of your organization and ultimately selling on the web.

Sell Handicrafts Online

If you have a talent for creating hand made goods such as bracelets, baskets, cards, or anything under the sun, then you should consider expanding your business online and start selling on the web.

The market for hand made goods is expanding, and this is the perfect opportunity for you to offer the fruits of your hobby to the world. Artworks are sold at Artflock.com by the minute, while Etsy is a growing community where you can buy and sell everything handmade from quilts to pottery. In your spare time, you can again guilelessly enjoy making hand-crafted goods and start selling on the web.

With these four alternative ways of selling stuff, the Internet has again defied the boundaries and showed that everything can be sold in the Internet in more ways than one. Selling on the web is easy; it’s just a matter of knowing where and how to sell them.