How to Earn Money to Live Abroad Part 3

In part 3 of our working and earning a living abroad series we look at how you can utilise the Internet to build yourself a profitable new life abroad

There are ways to make a living overseas which require little or no overheads, and many people have found that utilising the power of the Internet can be a good way to finance their new lives abroad.

Online trading platforms such as eBay offer a cheap way to get into business overseas for example.  There is no requirement to have an office for a start, and the only tools you need to get started are Internet access, a digital camera and products to sell. 

Writing articles for publication also allows expats living overseas to make a living via the internet without having to spend vast wads of cash on businesses that may or may not succeed, and there are even some expats funding their lives abroad playing poker on line and day trading.  In part 3 of our series we look at how to earn money abroad in slightly less conventional ways!

Websites like eBay give expats the chance to offer their products to the world - and if you’re living overseas in a country where products are cheaper than in the US or within European markets for example, your potential catchment area for sales is vast.  As with everything in life however, nothing is easy, otherwise we would all be eBay millionaires living in the Bahamas. 

Research will be the key to your success.  eBay Pulse offers the chance to check what popular searches people are making for products they wish to buy.  By checking eBay Pulse you can match up items of interest with products in your area.  People making a living overseas selling products on eBay are usually dealing in light products such as t-shirts, jewellery, handbags or small leather goods as otherwise shipping costs can be high and make your product - which started out as a bargain – too expensive.

Another option is to ship items in bulk to a contact in Europe or America who can distribute the items individually by mail.  Setting up an eBay account is free and easy to do, and by using PayPal you can receive payments for your products without having to have money sent through sometimes torturous foreign banking systems.

One other option to earn a living overseas with very little outlay is writing.  The first thing that springs to most people’s minds is travel writing of course.  With new travel and expat websites cropping up on the internet almost daily, and with seemingly increasing interest in getting out of the rat race and living abroad prevalent, writing about your experiences overseas, or writing travel guides for your new country, can be a way to fund your life abroad. 

E-books can also be a good revenue earner.  If you have had an interesting experience such as the chance of building a house from scratch in Italy for example, you will be a mine of information for other people thinking of doing the same thing - and most people will take the easy option and pay £12 for a book with all of the information and experiences that may have cost you hundreds or thousands of pounds, but which will save them heartache and cash.

A less well-known method of earning money is online poker playing, which is becoming increasingly popular worldwide, and some people are able to make a living overseas purely through playing.  Obviously there is the very real possibility of huge losses as well as gains, so it’s not something that should be entered into lightly.  There is always the possibility of becoming addicted to your gaming too, which could result in a return to Blighty with a lot less than you left with – which is why we don’t actually think this idea is a very good one!  But it does suit some people – and the same can be said of day trading too!  It’s addictive and dangerous – but we know quite a few successful traders living the dream abroad, working for a few hours a day and earning a tax-free income in this way.

Earning a living overseas using the Internet is only limited by your imagination.  If you can come up with a good and marketable idea, the world is going to be your oyster!