My qualifications for a legitimate site is 1) It's not a scam and 2) The reward or payment is worth the effort involved--some things are legal but a waste of your time when you could be doing something else.
Here is my list so far--if you have any questions about any of them, leave a comment and I'll try to answer it if I can.
First, the sites that will pay you through PayPal and/or Direct Deposit:
- eHow.com--If you enjoy creating how-to articles, this site pays really well and has a very user-friendly format.
- Helium.com--This is a paying website for articles of all types. Focus on contests and the marketplace sections first, since those tend to pay the most.
- Hubpages.com--Create your own webpages and then sign up as an affiliate with Google Adsense, Amazon, and eBay. Input your affiliate IDs, and Hubpages displays ads with your information 50% of the time. It's a way of staring off with webpage design and earning through affiliates without paying anything out of pocket.
- Blogger.com--You can use the same affiliate accounts you created for Hubpages for your blog, keeping 100% of the profits. Google Adsense has it's own selection box, and use the "Third-Party" box for Amazon and eBay.
- Associated Content.com--I personally stick to non-exclusive rights (pays less, but you can make more money having an article on more than one website rather than only being able to have it on one), but they're overall a good site.
- Gather.com--You can earn either gift cards or cash through PayPal through a points system. You get points for posting photos, articles, and possibly by giving comments and creating groups. (They don't share the exact formula--just that being active on the site will get you points.)
- Lulu.com--This is a self-publishing website where you can create books, ebooks, and a lot of other items. You can cash you through PayPal with only $5 in sales.
- Cafepress.com--With the right idea, you can make an income from this site with no out of pocket expense, using the free store option. If you have a blog, consider creating a store related to what you blog about.
- Bukisa--This is a newer website, also for How-to articles. You can cash out through PayPal at $50. It's a great option if you have a lot of articles already written or plan to write a lot. There is also going to be a photo option, which as of the time of this article is not up yet.
- PineCone Research--This is a great survey company to work with, but you have to do a search to find a link to get access to their application. I've worked with them for over 2 years now--I can't go into what we review, but if you come across them it's worth signing up.
- Writing.com--This website will mainly be of interest to writers. The site has a system called GPs (stands for gift points) that you can earn through reviewing people and winning writing contests and spend for reviews for yourself, buy raffle tickets for prizes, and use for merchandise in the site's store. It's a really fun website and has a great community--I've been with them for 2 years. You can see an example of my portfolio by clicking here.
- Swagbucks.com--This website has evolved dramatically (for the better) since I first joined it. It's a reward-based search engine that gives you their version of currency (called Swagbucks) for searching with them. You can redeem swagbucks for everything from mp3 downloads to gift cards to video games. I personally focus on the $5 Amazon.com electronic gift cards for 45 Swagbucks each.
- MyPoints.com--Just sticking to the surveys, opening e-mails (you have to click on a "Get Points" button within the e-mail), coupons for stuff you're going to buy anyway, and other things that don't cost you anything out of pocket, you can earn enough points for a $10 gift card every once in awhile. This one is kind of borderline on the "worthwhile" scale, but I can see someone doing well with it if they're more organized with coupons than me.
I hope all of the sites are able to help you. Best wishes to you!
Tricia
