By Julia Akre

As most college students can attest, keeping a good GPA in their studies is of top priority, leaving little room for a full-time job. Some calling being a student is their full-time job. However, this new phase in the world has left many with more time at home and little ways to make money on the side. Some students have now begun the process of forming a side hustle while in school, or as a way to give back to their community in selling things to rase money for local charities.  
 

There are many options open to students to make money in the age of social media and online websites like eBay or Etsy. Some have gone to Instagram to promote their products. Elle Fleenor, a freshman at Butler University’s Lacy School of Business majoring in Marketing, started her business, the.golden.cactus, in November 2018 to help local charities. In the beginning, she thrifted the clothes she sold. However, for the past year and a half people have been giving her their unwanted clothes for her to sell. She meticulously goes through the donation and keeps what she thinks will sell. Breaking the profit 60%-40%, the later going to her so she can donate 20% of the month’s sells to a selected charity.  

By paying attention to trends and what is more likely to sell at the given time, Fleenor started the bidding price and left the rest to potential buyers in the comments. Giving a 24-hour time after the last bid was placed to reveal the winner. Shipping is discussed in private messages. Fleenor recommends for new sellers looking to start on Instagram to not be afraid to use hashtags.  

For some students, selling clothes is not where their interests lay. 

Ben Wilson, a junior at Marian University with double majors in Communication and Religious Education, started selling thing on eBay in his high school days, giving his store the name savageb54.  

“I had a bunch of childhood stuff sitting around… logos, toys, some semi collectible things, whatever, and I was a 16-year-old looking for date money and started selling things on eBay,” Wilson said. 

According to Wilson, eBay is an intuitive website to use, allowing you to search items that you are looking to sell that have been sold and for what price. He warns sellers, however, to not get “burned on shipping.” Know how much shipping will cost you before you list the product. Wilson primarily uses the U.S. Postal Service as they have flat rates for shipping. They provide boxes and a tracking number which eBay requires of their sellers.  

For those with a more artistic or textile endeavor in mind, students have gone to Red Bubble or Etsy to sell their products.  

Colleen Schena, a senior majoring in Theology, partakes in a number of ways to make money while keeping a 3.98 GPA. From taking freelance jobs to selling art on Red Bubble she is always looking for productive ways to express her creativity.  

“In my life, when it comes to doing things well, it’s a lot about diligence and problem-solving abilities and being able to be flexible,” Schena said.  

Schena cultivated a widespread fascination for niche fandoms such as Worm by John C. McCrae, a self-published web series that has gained a rather impressive fallowing but has little content in terms of fanart or march. She decided to help her fellow fans out by making a Red Bubble account under the name bellaluna18 and started creating fun designs for other fans to find. Schena advises others who are looking to sell online to be active with social media. 

Charis Lott, a sophomore at Marian University majoring in Psychology, had spent her summer plus a few months in quarantine rediscovering her love for crocheting and needle work. Staring the new semester, she began to realize others wanted to support her and pay for her handy work. This led to her opening up an Esty shop called  LittleMisFortunes  to provide a more streamline place for her customers. According to Lott the starting fee for an Esty shop is 20 cents a month, this will increase the more customers you get.  

Not every student and go outside of campus and find a job, some do not live close to campus, making finding a job during school or during breaks difficult. Being able to find work you enjoy and can do from practically anywhere is a good way to spend that free time. With the right determination and patience, making money off your hobbies is a good way to or support charities or afford date night.