Although eBay charges fees, they are really nominal for the increased price that you can get for your items since you will have both buy it now and auction options and with eBay you don’t have to build your own site and you get huge exposure since eBay runs both commercial ads and print ads.

There have been times that I have practically given things away but I have also bought things at rock bottom prices just the same. If you really aren’t into listing items online (which does require a digital camera) than you can check into second hand children’s stores. These stores will usually buy gently used items.

But I do think that if you take the time to post pictures and make a detailed description about your items you will get more money for them on eBay because you get most of the extra mark-up value that a brick and mortar store would hold for themselves. Be choosy about what you do put on eBay though. Just because you see it on there doesn’t mean it’s going to sell, although we would be surprised at the things that do. One tip to follow is that when you are making your listing, just above the area where you set a starting price there is a link to see what other items in your category sold for. This can give you a good idea of where to start. You should probably also watch some other items to see if they sell and for what amount. Be educated about this because you certainly don’t want to spend money listing items and not have them sell.

Multi-Level Marketing: I almost hate to put this one first because its so predictable but everyone knows about it so we’ll just get it over with. Technically, MLM is a home-based business because you very much so have to leave your home to do your work and presentations. Although you can make your own schedule, you still have to be very flexible and keep business hours. Read what I think about MLM opportunities. Very few people ever make any money in multi-level marketing and unless you do know tons of people and are very out-going it probably won’t work for you – but they won’t tell you that. Be very cautious.

Telecommuting: An excellent way to cut down on commuting. Usually telecommuters go into a business office once or twice a week. A job that could allow you to telecommute might be something like typing, Internet, phone follow-ups, etc. Google allowed employees (they may still) to work from home and drive to the office once a week. This can allow a person to have a job further away from home with a higher salary.

A telecommuter will probably still have a designated superior at work that he responds to and will probably also have to keep an agreed schedule. If you have a job that could be done from home you may want to hit your boss up about working from home a few days out of the week. Just make sure you show good work ethic and initiative.

eBay: Many people have grown successful e-commerce businesses thanks to the the auction giant, eBay and it’s partner Pay-pal. They have made it possible to find so many items from the comfort of your home and you can get paid fast.

Many of the eBay power-sellers offer up advice and techniques to people interested in earning money from eBay. But you may not even need any help…the process is set up so even the most illiterate can still use the auction site. Then you just need to do some math, take good pictures and write good descriptions. eBay even gives you similar auctions in the recent past to look at – just read the writing and follow the links.

Even if you are a stay-at-home mom selling off some stuff to re coop some costs or an avid estate sale goer with a mission, you can probably benefit from using eBay. Because of eBay’s ’scheduling’ function (setting a time for the auction to start) selling on eBay can be done at any time that is convenient for you.

Affiliate Marketing:

Possibly one of the more difficult options for working from home. Affiliate programs seem to be gaining popularity among many websites and blogs but the commissions are typically smaller side so the site needs consistent traffic with viewers clicking ads and purchasing. The affiliate programs track cookies and if that viewer goes back to the advertiser’s site within a certain amount of time (usually 30-60 days) a commission is still received. The only problem with that is that cookies can be cleared from a computer manually. I guess we have to hope the general public doesn’t use that function on their computers very often, if at all.

If you are advertising on-line retailers you would need a website, but that’s too much, right? Maybe affiliate programs are becoming more popular because of content management programs like Word-Press and blogs. Like other businesses, there is an initial investment; but with the capability to change /add new content on your own, costs are dramatically reduced. You can practically build a business that has the ability to make high revenue with very little overhead.

This type of business gives you the ability to work from home as your own boss, really. You pick something you are interested in targeting, research its profitability and then go. You can really set your own hours for this – I like 9pm to 11pm. If you map the Starbuck’s locations along a trip route you can even work on the go.

Party / Event Planning: If you’ve got the knack for this kind of thing you may have already thought about this. There are lots of different party themes and events that people look to professionals for their services. People getting married often use a wedding planner, company’s may use an event planner for a company function.

For most, the road isn’t quite as paved as having a 9-5 that lets you slip home with out much overseeing. Like many dads, you are searching for a way to move out of the office. You may not know exactly what it is you will do but you do know you don’t want the 9 – 5 gig any more. Instead you want to trade it for a 6 – 6 with a few breaks then another shift from 9 – 12.

If you want to be a work at home dad or mom I’ll tell you first what not to do… join a MLM or multi-level-marketing company.

Multi Level Marketing… the process of earning commissions based on the number of people (you suckered) into your “network or circle”. When searching in Google or Yahoo! for work at home dad related materials and / or opportunities you’ll find that it is quite saturated with MLM scams and yes they are scams. They’re scams because… “if it’s so easy and lucrative and you could honestly make a 6 figure income within the first year without having to buy or sell anything… don’t you think EVERYONE would want in on it. Very few people ever make a liveable income with MLM companies and you still have to work during business hours, leave your home to do presentations, etc. or you won’t be making any contacts.

Working your way out of the office can take a lot of time but with the proper planning you can make it. The sooner you start the sooner it can happen. It will be well worth the wait to plan things out and really get into something you can make an honest living at. Here’s a few tips for moving your desk from the office to the home:

1. Show good work ethic. Since you won’t have anyone standing over you, your boss needs to know you can still meet deadlines and stay on task without supervision.

2. Start out by working at home on Fridays or some other day of the week. This will help the transition go more smoothly with the supers since they will be familiar with your work pattern.

3. Tempt them with money-saving reasons to let you stay home. They will need less work space, less lighting and energy, and so much more. This may give them an idea to let more employees work from home and then everyone will love you!