Ecommerce

Are you interesting in selling physical products online?

If so, you’re in the right place. Ecommerce can be a lucrative side hustle with great potential to scale into a full-time business.

In these archives, we cover Amazon FBA business models, ebay selling, dropshipping, and of course the traditional ecommerce model of setting up your own online storefront.

You’ll discover print-on-demand ecommerce models and how some side hustlers have found success in the homemade and handmade marketplaces.

Now these different “flavors” of ecommerce can vary widely in terms of how much they cost to start. With print-on-demand and dropshipping, you essentially have zero upfront inventory cost. With Amazon FBA private labeling, you might be looking at a minimum order of several thousand dollars to get your product imported and up for sale on Amazon.

Your time involvement on the fulfillment side is another factor to consider. With shops like Etsy, you’re in charge of making and shipping the product for each order that comes through. With ebay, it’s off to the post office each time an auction ends. At the other end of the spectrum, the print-on-demand services and Amazon FBA handle the fulfillment for you — but at a cost.

Keep these concepts in mind as you explore the ecommerce archives here at Side Hustle Nation.

$500,000 in Hamster Ball Sales? How a College Student Brought a New Product to Life

March 19, 2026

Half a million dollars in hamster balls. What if you spotted a gap in a market that hadn’t changed in 50 years and turned it into a fast-growing product business while still in college?

That’s exactly what Ethan Haber did with Happy Habitats, a small pet products company he started as a sophomore at Wake Forest University.

While watching his hamster Mooksy roll around in a standard hamster ball on campus, Ethan looked over and saw someone walking a dog.

The thought hit him: why can’t I walk my hamster? That simple question launched a product line now heading into 1,500 stores nationwide through a major big-box retail deal.

Ethan’s story covers everything from cold-emailing a design firm and navigating COVID shipping delays, to cracking Amazon and landing a mentorship with the founder of PetSmart — all from a niche that most people overlook.

Pallet Flipping: How We Made $25k Flipping Liquidation Pallets

May 5, 2026March 5, 2026

When you return a product to Costco, Amazon, or Walmart, it doesn’t always go back to the shelves. In most cases, that product ends up at a local liquidator that resells it to side hustlers, who then flip it for profit.

Jamie McAuley has been doing just that for the past few years, and he’s earned over $25k in profit in the process.

Inside the Sharetown Mattress Return Pickup and Resale Side Hustle

April 30, 2026March 1, 2026

For the past couple years, I’ve seen a few people talking about their side hustle picking up “bed in a box” mattresses. They say it’s something you can do part time and the pay is great.

After that, though, the details become more and more scarce.

How does it all work? Where does the money come from? What’s the catch?

11 Ways to Get Free Items to Flip for a Profit

May 18, 2026February 23, 2026

One of my favorite side hustles is buying low and selling high. This is the business model of Amazon, Walmart — pretty much every store in the history of stores. You buy inventory at one price and resell it at a higher price. It works great, but you still have to buy that initial inventory.

What if you wanted to start with super low upfront costs? Turns out, there are lots of ways to get “free” stuff to resell, and I want to walk you through 10 of those methods in today’s show.

Sell Used Appliances: The 7 Best Ways to Get Cash Fast

May 7, 2026February 18, 2026

Selling used appliances gave us $1100 toward the cost of new ones, and serious appliance sellers can even turn it into a full-time income.

Flipping Books for Profit: How to Make $4,000 a Month Selling Used Books

May 14, 2026December 26, 2025

Do you enjoy hunting for bargains that you can buy low and sell high?

Charlie William does, and his book flipping business is proof that this business model still works.

He’s become a master deal-hunter, selling more than $9,000 worth of used books last month on Amazon.

The best part? Anyone with access to thrift stores, yard sales, and local charity shops can get started with this side hustle for just a few bucks a month.

15 Things You Can Buy on Amazon to Make Money

December 4, 2025December 1, 2025

The holiday shopping season is here, but what if your Amazon purchases could actually make you money instead of just spending it?

These 15 products range from around $60 to several thousand dollars, and each one represents a real business opportunity.

They’re listed roughly from least expensive to most expensive, with income potential and marketing strategies included for each.

The 12 Best Ways to Make Money with a 3D Printer: $1,000+ a Month

May 18, 2026November 28, 2025

Do you want to make money with a 3D printer?

Whether you’re looking to build a 3D printing side hustle or just offset the costs of your 3D printing hobby, you’re in the right place.

Even though 3D printers can be expensive, the good news is there are lots of ways to turn them into money makers.

Reselling Shoes: How I Make $10,000 a Month Flipping Sneakers

January 20, 2026November 25, 2025

After spending hours of research and using the little money that I had saved, I bought my first pair of shoes to resell. It was a pair of Jordans that I bought for $190. I sold them hours later for $300 — an $80 profit after shipping and fees.

It was the quickest and easiest money I had ever made. I had finally found a product that met all of my criteria: high ticket items with good margins that sold quickly. Sneakers checked those boxes very nicely.

$1K/Week Flipping Phones: How to Flip Phones for Profit

May 7, 2026November 11, 2025

Can you really make money flipping phones?

To find out, I sat down with pro cell phone flipper Jeff Duhon from the Smart Flippers Facebook group. In a typical week, Jeff resells 20-30 used iPhones with a target profit of $100 per flip.

If if you did half that volume, you could be earning $1000 a week.

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