7 Websites That Actually Pay You Money, and How You Get Paid

Intro

Seven websites that actually pay you money, and by the end of this video, you'll know how you get paid on each. If a fan sends you a one-time tip on Ko-fi's free plan, its service fee is 0%. At the very end, you'll see the site that lets you cash out from just $1. Where do the fees and minimums come from?

Each site's own help center, all linked in the description.

7. Ko-fi: tips from your supporters

Number seven is Ko-fi, where you never hold a balance at all. Every payment goes straight to your own payment account, instantly. The help center says there is no minimum balance and no waiting around. On Ko-fi, you set up a page where your biggest fans can support your work.

Its creators range from painters and podcasters to streamers and software developers. Supporters can tip and leave you an encouraging message. You can also offer membership tiers, a shop with physical and digital items, or commissions. On the free plan, one-time tips carry a service fee of 0%.

Anything else, like shop items or memberships, carries a flat 5% service fee. The other plan, Standard, has no monthly cost, takes 5% on everything, and unlocks supporter-only content. Your payment processor's usual fees still apply on top, typically around 3% plus thirty cents. By our count, a ten-dollar one-time tip on the free plan leaves about $9 forty after a typical processor fee.

To get paid, you connect PayPal, Stripe or both in Payment Settings. The help page shows that creating your free page only takes a few seconds. Then you connect a payment method and share your page. Supporters can pay as a guest, without creating an account.

Only PayPal and Stripe are offered, and processor fees vary with account type, location and currency. Rules and taxes on tips differ from one place to another. Subscribe, because next we break down the site where only members' reading time pays.

6. Medium: earning from your stories

Number six: on Medium, the money comes from paying members' reading time, not from views. The help center counts a member read when a paying member reads or listens for thirty seconds or more. The Medium Partner Program lets writers earn for stories they publish, based on member engagement and activity. You decide whether each story is eligible to earn.

An eligible story sits behind the paywall, and non-members only see a preview. Earnings grow with member reading and listening time, plus claps, highlights and replies from members. A 5% bonus applies to member reads that come from outside Medium, like social shares or direct links. When a non-member becomes a paying member to read your story, that story earns an extra one-time amount.

Your earnings must reach $10 before a payout goes to your Stripe account. If a month falls short, the balance rolls over until the threshold is met. Payouts are typically started by the tenth of each month, covering the month before. The help center says it may take five to seven more business days to reach your bank.

Its help center lists the first step: enroll in the Partner Program, then keep the paywall box selected when you publish. You need a connected Stripe account and verified taxpayer information. You must be an active Medium member, with one published story and a complete profile. You also need to be eighteen or older, with a bank in an eligible country.

Only members can read paywalled stories, and enrollment depends on where your bank and tax residence are. Number five swaps reading time for members who pay you every month or every year.

5. Patreon: paid memberships

Number five, Patreon: a creator page published today comes with the standard 10% platform fee. That is the standard plan, plus relevant taxes, for creators who publish their page now. On Patreon, you offer monthly and annual memberships, plus one-time digital product sales. You get a hosted creator page, video hosting, and community tools like chats, polls and comments.

Members pay, and Patreon takes its platform fee and a payment processing fee. The processing fee varies by currency, for example 2.9% plus thirty cents. A two and a half percent conversion fee applies when members pay in a different currency than your payout currency. By our count, a five-dollar membership leaves $4 fifty after the 10% platform fee, before processing fees.

Payout methods depend on your location, including PayPal, Payoneer and bank transfers where available. You can pay out manually, or turn on automatic payouts on the fifth of each month. Automatic payouts send your full available balance. Deposits typically arrive within ten days, depending on your payout method.

PayPal has a ten-dollar minimum payout, and a Payoneer Wallet has a twenty-five-dollar minimum. Beyond those two, Patreon says the minimum varies by method, currency and country. The help page shows adding a payout method under Settings, in Billings and payouts. It also notes a five-day payout lock on your balance whenever you add or edit a method.

To offer memberships, you must be eighteen, or have permission from a parent or guardian. Patreon allows one payout every twenty-four hours, and methods vary by where you live. Number four turns artwork into products, and you never hold any stock.

4. Redbubble: your designs on products

Number four is Redbubble, where you earn a markup you set, and the default is 10%. The help center says you can raise or lower that markup any time, from the Product Pricing page. On Redbubble, artists upload artwork and build their own shopfront and following. You never worry about printing or shipping, because a third-party printer makes each order.

There is no stock in a warehouse. The base price covers Redbubble's service fee and the manufacturing fee. Base price and your margin combine to create the retail price. By our count, a 10% markup on a twenty-dollar base price earns you $2, before account fees.

Creating an account and setting up a shop is free. A platform fee depends on your tier: 20% for Premium, 50% for Standard, none for Pro. Tiers are not based on sales: the help center looks at the origin of the artwork, file quality and appeal to customers. Uploading many low-effort or repetitive designs is one of the factors behind the Standard tier.

These fees only apply when you make a sale, never out of pocket. To get paid, you need at least $10, ten pounds or ten euros, plus valid payment details. Payments start at the beginning of each month and should land by the fifteenth. Below the minimum, your earnings keep accumulating until they reach the threshold.

Its help center lists creating the free shop, uploading a design, setting your markup and adding payment details. You are not paid for orders canceled before shipping, and rules and taxes depend on your location. Number three goes one step further: a marketplace for things you make, design or pick yourself. We're halfway, and one thing helps on every site: knowing the minimum before you pick a payout method.

3. Etsy: selling what you make

Number three: on Etsy, every listing costs twenty cents, whether it sells or not. Etsy is a marketplace for unique goods, and everything you list must be made, designed, handpicked or sourced by you. Reselling mass-produced items is not allowed on Etsy. When an order comes in, Etsy charges six and a half percent of the total order amount.

That amount includes shipping and gift wrap, if you charge for them. Payment processing is a set rate plus a percent of the sale price, and it varies by country. By our count, a twenty-dollar order costs $1 fifty in listing and transaction fees, before payment processing. Sales land in your Payment account on Etsy, then go to your bank on your deposit schedule.

New sellers start with weekly deposits every Monday, and can switch to daily, biweekly or monthly. Funds may take one to five business days to appear in your bank account. Deposits must meet any applicable deposit minimums for your location, based on your bank account's currency. The help page shows the first steps: open the shop, add a listing, connect your bank account, and add a card for Etsy bills.

It also lists a one-time, non-refundable shop set-up fee, then identity verification. All Etsy account owners must be at least eighteen years of age. Sellers aged thirteen to seventeen sell through a parent's or legal guardian's account, with permission and direct supervision. Etsy may apply a Payment account reserve to new shops that have no track record yet.

Taxes and local rules also differ where you live. In one breath: tips on Ko-fi, stories on Medium, memberships on Patreon, designs on Redbubble, goods on Etsy. From products to projects: Number two is where clients hire you. If you want more ways to earn, the video on seven ways people make extra money is linked on screen.

2. Upwork: projects for clients

Number two is Upwork, and there you see your fee before you commit to any work. Its help center says the Freelancer Service Fee ranges from zero to 15% per contract. You see the percentage when a client sends an offer, or when you submit a proposal. Once your contract begins, the fee is fixed and won't change.

Upwork says the fee helps provide payment protection, fraud prevention and dispute resolution. Upwork is a marketplace where freelancers send proposals for client jobs, or receive offers. You then work on hourly or fixed-price contracts. On hourly contracts, hours are billed weekly, with earnings available ten days later.

On fixed-price contracts, funds are released five days after a client approves a milestone. Sending proposals uses Connects, which cost fifteen cents each and are sold in bundles. By our count, even at the top fee of 15%, a one-hundred-dollar milestone leaves you $85. The help page shows the first step: enter your tax information, then go to Settings, Withdrawals, and add a method.

For security, your method becomes active in three calendar days. Options may include bank transfers, PayPal and Payoneer. A withdrawal direct to your local bank costs ninety-nine cents, and the minimum is $5 or higher, depending on your location. Local bank withdrawals should arrive within four business days, and you can set an automatic schedule.

Upwork asks you to be eighteen, or the age of majority where you live, whichever is older. Upwork is not available everywhere, and your bank or provider may charge its own fees. Laws and taxes vary by location, so your own setup may differ. And now, the site we promised at the very start.

1. Fiverr: selling one service

Number one: Fiverr, the site that lets you cash out from just $1. On Fiverr's withdrawal table, PayPal shows a minimum withdrawal of $1. That same row lists a withdrawal fee of $0 and a transfer time of twenty-four hours. Your Gig is how you offer services on Fiverr.

It's your storefront, where clients learn what you do, what's included, and how to order. For every order you complete, you earn 80% of the purchase amount. That includes Gig Extras and tips. By our count, a fifty-dollar order leaves you $40 after Fiverr's 20%.

Payments for completed orders go through a clearing period before they become available. Fiverr also lists Bank Transfer via Payoneer, with a twenty-dollar minimum and a one-dollar fee. A Payoneer Account has a ten-dollar minimum and a three-dollar fee. Its help center lists the first step: build a Gig with a title, category, pricing packages, and description.

A Gig also has requirements and a media gallery. Fiverr pre-fills the start of the title with the words I will. Gig creation is only available on desktop, and once you publish, your Gig goes through an automatic review. New freelancers can have up to four Gigs active.

You must be at least eighteen to withdraw earnings. Between thirteen and seventeen, you may use a parent's or guardian's account, and they withdraw the earnings. PayPal withdrawals work only where PayPal supports receiving payments, and you wait twenty-four hours after your first withdrawal or a method change. The amount you receive may differ because of currency conversion or provider fees, which vary where you live.

That's all seven, so let's put every site and every payout side by side in the recap.

Recap

Number seven, Ko-fi: create the free page, then connect PayPal or Stripe. Number six, Medium: enroll in the Partner Program, then paywall a story. Number five, Patreon: add a payout method; PayPal starts at $10. Number four, Redbubble: upload a design and set your markup.

Number three, Etsy: open the shop and connect your bank account. Number two, Upwork: add your tax information, then a withdrawal method. Number one, Fiverr: create one Gig on desktop, starting with I will. Today, open one site's payout page and find the minimum for your method.

Which of these seven would you try first? Tell us in the comments. Results vary, rules differ where you live, and this is information only, not financial advice. Next on Wealth Filings, watch seven ways people make extra money, linked on screen.

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