Finding yourself in a financial pinch and need to make $500 quickly? You may be dealing with surprise expenses, bills, or just want some extra cash fast.

While quick money schemes are often scams, there are legitimate ways to earn a few hundred dollars in a short period if you need urgent funds.

This comprehensive guide covers smart, legal strategies for making $500 fast in just a few days. Follow these proven methods to obtain quick cash injections when you need them most.

Let’s dive in!

Sell Unused Electronics and Tech Gear

Most households have unused electronics, video games, and tech gear collecting dust. These can easily fetch $100-$500+ based on market demand.

Popular buyback sites like Decluttr, Gazelle, and ItsWorthMore offer free valuation for your used devices and pay the next day after assessing item conditions. Local phone/electronics stores may also purchase.

Maximize earnings by selling high-value items like laptops, phones, tablets, gaming consoles, TVs, drones, cameras, smartwatches and headphones. Just be sure to factory reset and wipe devices.

Pro Tip: Selling just 2-3 higher-end used electronics you no longer need could realistically net $500+ quickly.

Get Paid for Online Surveys

Taking online surveys in your spare time is an easy way to earn $500 fast without any special skills needed. Sites like Survey Junkie, Pinecone Research, and Swagbucks offer surveys paying up to $5-$50 each on topics from products to TV shows.

Most surveys take 5-20 minutes. With consistent effort completing surveys, hitting $500 within a week is very feasible.

Pro Tip: Use survey aggregator sites like OctoPuss, SurveyPolice, and PollJunkie to access multiple paid survey providers and maximize earnings.

Rent Your Home or Car Short-Term

Renting your home or car on sites like Airbnb, VRBO, and Turo is a flexible way to hit your $500 goal fast while also helping travelers. Rental income from even just 1-2 weekends can easily clear $500 after fees.

If renting your home, take photos, promote top amenities, and price competitively based on comparable listings. For cars, highlight features and ensure flawless condition.

Pro Tip: Block off dates and times you need access to your space/vehicle beforehand when pricing and listing availability to rent.

Sell Your Crafts and DIY Creations

Turn your creativity into quick cash by selling handmade crafts, vintage finds, boutique clothing, baked goods, and more. Leverage sites like Etsy, eBay, and Facebook Marketplace to easily list items then ship after receiving payment.

With some hustle listing several creations daily, selling enough items to generate $500 in a few days is very doable. BonusTip: Limited-run seasonal crafts and baked goods sell well.

Pro Tip: Limited-run seasonal crafts and baked goods sell well. Price competitively and use promoted listings features to maximize views.

List Your Services on Task Marketplaces

Local task marketplaces like TaskRabbit, Handy, and Amazon Home Services are a flexible way to pick up quick paid jobs that can earn hundreds of dollars fast.

Sign up for accounts and get notified when nearby tasks match your skills – which can range from furniture assembly to minor home repairs to dog walking and more. The key is hustling to complete multiple available tasks daily.

Pro Tip: Maintain peak responsiveness to claim tasks quickly before others, and exemplary ratings to unlock higher paying jobs.

Consult Your Skills and Expertise

Small business owners and entrepreneurs worldwide seek trusted advisors that can provide valuable insights into achieving success. You can get paid well for sharing your specialized knowledge and expertise through platforms like Clarity.fm, JustAnswer, and Moonlighting.

Fields like marketing, business strategy, leadership, life coaching, and tech offer high demand. Schedule consultations based on your availability and receive payment immediately upon completion. Two to three hours daily spent consulting at $50-$150 per hour easily nets $500+ in short order.

Pro Tip: Offer limited-time availability discounts and concise session durations (20-30 mins) to encourage sign ups.

Provide Freelance Services
Freelancing provides endless opportunities to put your skills to work and earn. Sites like Fiverr, Upwork, and Guru make it simple to list your services then complete projects for clients that pay well. Popular options include:

– Copywriting
– Graphic design
– Digital marketing
– Video editing
– Music production
– Data entry
– Bookkeeping

Multi-tasking 5-10 medium or larger freelance gigs daily can realistically generate $500+ in a few days if you hustle.

Pro Tip: Outline rush delivery options for added fees and fast track completion. Check gigs frequently and provide speedy turnaround.

Flip Products From Garage Sales and Thrifts

An overlooked opportunity is buying items cheap from garage sales, estate sales, thrift shops, and Craigslist free listings then reselling for big profits online.

Focus on electronics, video games, tools, sporting goods, musical instruments, antiques, and more. Check eBay ‘Sold Listings’ for current values. Resell via Facebook Marketplace and eBay.

With some deal hunting and negotiation tactics, flipping just a few choice finds each day can easily net a few hundred dollars profit quickly.

Pro Tip: Bring a price scanning app to instantly look up market values and spot lucrative flips. Act quick on the best deals.

Cash in Old Gift Cards and Store Credit

Most people have unused gift card balances and store credits just sitting around from past holidays, returns, and promotions. But these can be easily turned into instant cash.

Popular gift card reseller sites like CardCash, Raise, and GiftCash allow you to sell your cards at up to 92% of face value. The key is listing cards from desirable retailers.

You’d be surprised how quickly your unused gift card balances can add up to hundreds of dollars.

Pro Tip: Double check your balances beforehand and take photos of the cards to list. FedEx cards quickly after payment so they post fast.

Participate in Focus Groups

Focus groups are an often overlooked opportunity to earn $150-$300 for just 1-2 hours of your time. Companies use focus groups to get valuable consumer feedback on products, messaging, commercials, concepts, and more.

Sites like FocusGroup.com, Fieldwork, and Respondent screen and recruit participants for upcoming local and online focus groups covering all sorts of topics. Payments are delivered shortly after completion via check, gift card, or PayPal.

Pro Tip: Ensure your background profile is complete so you qualify for relevant opportunities. Check new focus groups daily and reply quickly.

Take Advantage of Sign-Up Bonuses and Promos

Banks, financial services, apps, and websites regularly offer lucrative cash bonuses just for signing up and taking simple actions. For example:

• Banks – Earn $100-$400 for opening an account.
• Brokerages – Deposit funds and get $50-$200 in stocks.
• Fintech apps – Get $5-$20 for signing up and referring friends.
• Delivery apps – Earn up to $500 for completing a certain number of orders within 30 days.

Stacking a few of these promotions can easily result in earning your needed $500+ without any monetary risk.

Pro Tip: Pay close attention to the details of each promo and any minimum spend requirements. Don’t immediately withdraw funds.

Sell Your Old Smartphone

Used and broken smartphones can still fetch good cash via buyback sites like ItsWorthMore, Decluttr, and SellCell. Most buybacks only require you to honestly answer a few questions about device condition and provide the phone’s model info.

Recent iPhone and Galaxy models in good condition can earn $200-$500+ depending on specs and demand. But even broken phones bring $30-$100+. So digging up old phones stuffed away in drawers can yield a nice cash payout.

Pro Tip: Perform a factory reset and remove any screen locks before selling. Also remove SD and SIM cards. Boxes and accessories boost value.

Deliver Food or Groceries

Apps like Uber Eats, DoorDash, Instacart, and Shipt offer the flexibility to easily earn $500+ when you need funds fast as an independent contractor.

Sign up, get approved to deliver, then hit the streets during peak hours to complete food and grocery orders from local restaurants and supermarkets. The apps allow cashing out earnings immediately instead of waiting weeks for pay periods.

With some hustle, delivering even during dinner and weekend rushes makes hitting $500+ in a week realistic.

Pro Tip: Work peak hours like weekends and evenings for maximum payout. Use hot bags to keep food fresh and ensure great reviews.

List Yourself on TaskRabbit

TaskRabbit allows you to make solid hourly pay running errands, assembling furniture, performing home repairs, helping people move, and more. Simply list your available hours and local service areas.

Tasks pay anywhere from $20-$200+ per project based on complexity. By hustling and maximizing your active hours daily, you can tackle enough $50-$100 tasks to make $500+ a week easily.

Pro Tip: Monitor newly posted tasks constantly and claim them immediately before others do. Highlight your reliability and experience in your profile.

Rent Out Your Car

Make that car parked in your driveway work for you. List it for rent for travelers on platforms like Turo, HyreCar, and Getaround. You’ll earn steadily with little effort beyond the initial listing and vehicle availability management.

Daily rental earnings average $40-$60. Local demand and higher-end models like SUVs and convertibles can earn much more. A couple weekends a month could net $500 passively.

Pro Tip: Require renters meet minimum age and rating thresholds. Leave clear instructions on pickup/drop-off logistics and have spares of keys/fobs.

Resell Sneakers and Streetwear

The demand for collectible sneakers and streetwear is massive. Capitalize by reselling hyped styles and collabs from brands like Nike, Adidas, and Supreme on sites like StockX, GOAT, and Grailed.

Limited-release sneakers can easily flip for $200-$500 over retail. Study market trends to target models with the hottest demand.

Pro Tip: Verify authenticity before purchasing inventory. Carefully photograph shoes on white backdrops and describe any flaws upfront.

Get Creative Turning Your Skills Into Income

Think flexibly about ways you can directly turn your unique skills and talents into quick income. Could you:

• Offer virtual lessons/tutoring in skills like music, martial arts, languages, arts and crafts, etc?
• Build or repair something for a neighbor for cash?
• Photograph events like parties and weddings?
• DJ an event?
• Make custom clothing or accessories on commission?
• Sell specialized advice and knowledge over the phone or online?
• Enter a radio call-in trivia contest?

Let your imagination run wild with ideas tailored to your abilities. There are endless possibilities for harnessing your distinctive capabilities to meet consumer needs and earn income.

Pro Tip: Brainstorm fresh ways to package what makes you unique. Customize offerings based on local demand.

Conclusion

Quickly earning $500 through extra hustling and monetizing existing assets is very doable with the right systems and effort. Implementing even just a few of the smart strategies outlined above makes hitting your income goal a reality without delays or credit checks.

The key is diligently putting in the hours across multiple income streams daily. Before you know it, you’ll have the needed funds to cover urgent expenses or build savings.

With some grit and creativity, you can earn $500 in record time while avoiding risky options. Follow this guide and go make that money – the possibilities are endless!