You Won’t Believe People Are Earning from These Strange (Yet Legal) Side Hustles. Not every money-making method fits the 9-to-5 mold—or even the Etsy shop model. Some people are getting creative, and even a little weird, to make money in totally legal ways. In fact, some of these income streams are exploding in popularity on TikTok and Reddit as we speak.
Here are 9 shocking yet legal ways people are making money right now, and how you can get started too.
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1. Selling Toe Pics Online
Yes, really. There’s an actual demand for pictures of toes—especially well-pedicured ones. Some sellers reportedly make $500 to $1,000 per week just by marketing their foot photos on platforms like FeetFinder or Whisper.
Get a top-rated foot care kit on Amazon
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2. Being a Virtual Mourner
People are paying others to attend funerals on Zoom as part of a cultural or emotional need. It sounds strange, but it’s real—some gigs pay £20–£100 per event, just to “be there.”
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3. Renting Out Silence
This new-age gig involves getting paid to sit in silence next to someone who just doesn’t want to be alone. Often used for social anxiety support or reflection, this pays £40–£100/hour.
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4. Becoming a Professional Cuddler
No, it’s not shady—it’s certified and platonic. Cuddlers offer emotional comfort and physical closeness in a professional setting. Some earn £60+/hour via platforms like CuddleCompanions.
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5. Selling Your Hair
Got long, untreated, virgin hair? You could sell it for hundreds online. HairSellon and BuyandSellHair are top platforms.
Use a sulfate-free shampoo to maintain hair quality
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6. Pet Rock Customization
Etsy sellers are making quirky profits by painting and naming rocks. All it takes is paint, packaging, and humor.
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7. Becoming a Human Billboard
People are getting paid to wear T-shirts, shave logos into their heads, or carry signs in public. These gigs pay £100+/day depending on exposure.
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8. Testing Dog Food
Yes, human testers sample pet food—not to swallow it, but to assess quality, texture, and smell. Brands pay £25–£75 per test in some cases.
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9. Selling Ambient Noises or Silence
Upload recordings of birds, ocean waves, or just plain “quiet” to Spotify or YouTube. If you hit a niche (like baby sleep noise), royalties can add up.
Use a high-quality USB mic to start recording
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Bonus Tip: Sell the Weirdness Itself
Many TikTokers and YouTubers are documenting their side hustles—earning even more through affiliate links, ads, and merch. If you’re doing something unique, share it.
Bonus Tips: Even More Weird But Legal Ways to Make Money
You can get paid for lending your voice to AI training projects where companies use your speech to improve virtual assistants. Some people make money by reselling used bubble wrap and cardboard boxes online, especially to small businesses looking to cut shipping costs. Others act as audio mystery shoppers, recording scripted calls to evaluate customer service reps. There’s also money in narrating dry content like instruction manuals or privacy policies for corporate training. Some are selling “nothingness” by uploading hours of silence or ambient background noise to streaming platforms and earning passive income through royalties. A few people have even started renting out their backsides as walking advertisements, wearing brand stickers to crowded places for quick promotional gigs.
People are also selling their dreams—literally—by journaling their dreams and offering them as story prompts or art inspiration online. There’s a small market for handwriting samples too, where your neat penmanship is used in love letters or wedding invitations. Some earn by naming babies, pets, or even startups for indecisive clients. A few have monetized their strong sense of smell by testing scented products, from perfumes to candles, before they go to market. And believe it or not, others are earning by offering wake-up calls or motivational morning texts to strangers who pay for daily encouragement.
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Final Thoughts
These aren’t your typical side hustles—and that’s the point. In a world that’s always online and always evolving, weird is profitable. Just be legal, be safe, and lean into the strange. Who knows? That odd idea could be your next breakthrough
