How many parents get asked how kids can make money over summer vacation? It's not a bad question for a tween to ask. He wants money for vacation, to spend at the mall, and other reasons. The truth is there are not a lot of jobs a kid between the ages of 9 and 12 can do. Here are some fresh ideas that require a little creativity, but done right can bring extra cash for a tween.
Work at a Flea Market
If a tween collects trading cards, Webkinz, or other collectibles, or just has stuff lying around his room, he can sell them at a flea market. The good thing about a flea market versus a yard sale is that the child can set up shop multiple times, spanning over weekends where it is often difficult to hold a yard sale each week.
There are even great places online that sell "new" deeply discounted flea market items that can be re-sold for higher profits. As long as a parent or other adult has a resale license and collects the proper sales tax on these items, a tween can keep the profits.Try Sav-On Closeouts for some great flea market items.
A tween can also sell homemade items, like crafts or games at a flea market. Keep in mind that these types of items also require an adult with a resale license to collect sales tax.
Things needed for a flea market include:
- Money for a booth (usually $1.00 to $15.00 per table)
- A table covering
- Items to sell
- Money to make change (usually quarters and one-dollar bills)
Create an Online Store
If a tween is into computers, creating an online store can be easy and profitable. According to glblguy of GatherLittleByLittle.com, using a blogging site, specifically WordPress, is the best way to start an online store. WordPress is free to join, so there is no overhead expense of starting the store. A tween will have to invest in products to sell on the site (consider Sav-On Closeouts, as mentioned above), but this too can be low in expenses.
Instead of selling items that need to be shipped, a tween might consider signing on with affiliate programs to sell products for other companies. Well, in reality a parent must sign up with the affiliates, but kids can keep the profits. This requires no overhead costs or the need to store inventory in the home.
How an Affiliate Program Works
Once WordPress is set up, a tween can add banners and links to companies of his choice. When a visitor clicks on one of those banners or links, it will take him to the company store. If the visitor purchases a product from that store, the tween will make a commission for leading that visitor to the store. Commissions generally run from (5% to 20% of a sale, but vary greatly between affiliates).
Affiliate Programs to Check Out
Here are the more popular places to find merchants looking for affiliates.
- Commission Junction
- Share-A-Sale
- Link Share
There are literally hundreds of affiliate programs to join, so it is important to do research before signing on to any of them, as some are scams. It is best for a parent to do this with a tween.
It is important to remind a tween that it takes time and effort to make a job work. Adults do not simply make money, but earn money, and the tween will have to work at it, too. Kids want money right away, but it just doesn't work that way. With persistence and commitment, making money will happen in time.
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