Make Cash Online

Players of online games such as World of Warcraft, EverQuest and Eve have been using real money to buy and sell virtual gold for a while now. Spart at www.sparter.com is a new eBay-style site which has been set up to simplify the process. The price for one thousand pieces of game gold is currently around $21 (£10.60).

Mystery shoppers are regular people paid to report back on how they are treated by shops, bars, restaurants and hotels. The average assignment pays between £5 and £10, but you get reimbursed for items you buy, and you can keep some of them too. Find out more or signup at Retail Eyes (www.retaileyes.co.uk)

If you’re handy with a camera you can sell your snaps to an online stock photographer. You’ll get paid every time someone downloads or buys one of your images. Try iStock (www.istockphoto.com) or ShutterStock at (http://submit.shutterstock.com).

You can earn cash by writing reviews of products. If you’ve just purchased a new digital camera or an MP3 player, write up what you think of it and you could be quids on. Several consumer opionions sites pay for reviews, of which the bests are Dooyoo (www.dooyoo.co.uk) and Ciao (www.ciao.co.uk)

Playing the stock market has its risks, but it can also net you a tidy profit. You  will need a good online stockbrocker. Some to consider include Selftrade, Share Crazy (www.sharecrazy.com), and Hoodless Brennan (www.hoodlessbrennan.com).

RPoints (www.rpoints.com) gives you up to 30 per cent cashback when you shop online at any of its partner stores, including Tesco, CD Wow and Vodafone. Your cashback comes in the form of points which you can spend elsewhere or exchange for cash. You even get £5 for joining. Cashback Junction (www.cashbackjunction.com) is also worth a look.

Rather than just throwing away your old mobile phone when you upgrade, you can trade it in for cash. You’ll get paid according to its quality and age. Try Mopay (www.mopay.co.uk) or Envirofone (www.envirofone.com).

eBay might be the best-known auction website but it’s not the only one. There are plenty of other sites to buy and sell on, including ones which are fee-free, or specialise in particular types of product, such as cars, jewellery and computers. A good list of sites can be found at www.auctionlotwatch.co.uk/auction.html