All Side Hustle Ideas
Physical products

Author of popular nonfiction books

Writes nonfiction books and earns from advances, royalties, foreign rights deals and Amazon affiliate links.

At a glance
Estimated by a classifier that read the source. The bar shows how sure it was.
Category
Physical products
75% sure
x
Earns from
AffiliateLow confidence
53% sure
x
Startup cost (estimate)
$100 to $1kLow confidence
33% sure
x
Time it takes (estimate)
Hands-off
83% sure
x
Where
Online
76% sure
x
Coding
No coding needed
93% sure
x
Source
Hacker NewsComment by jawns in “What was your best passive income in 2014?”, July 30, 2014

  • Physical products
    A subscription sends customers a story in physical letters on a regular schedule. Revenue is recurring subscription fees, with fulfillment handled by mail.
    The Koerner Office
  • Physical products
    A diaper bag brand designed to look less bulky than traditional bags, manufactured through Alibaba. Preorders and organic TikTok content helped fund inventory.
    Over $10kOnline
    Side Hustle Nation, 2026
  • Physical products
    A home micro bakery selling sourdough, cinnamon rolls, cookies and bagels from a front porch on Saturday mornings. Customers preorder and items sell out to lines of local buyers.
    $100 to $1k
    The Koerner Office, 2026
  • Physical products
    An online store dropshipping high-ticket camper van and motorhome accessories in the UK, with the niche chosen from search and competitor data. Sales come through Google Shopping ads as an authorized reseller.
    Online
    Side Hustle Nation, 2026
  • Physical products
    Buying poorly listed couches, negotiating the price down and reselling them with better photos, including AI-generated backgrounds. The operator is a teenager working in spare time.
    Online and in person
    The Koerner Office, 2026
  • Physical products
    Growing gourmet and medicinal mushrooms such as oyster, lion's mane and reishi, starting in a very small space. It grew into a farm operation alongside a growing club.
    $100 to $1k
    Side Hustle Nation, 2026