Unlocking Amazon Mechanical Turk: An Easy Beginner's Guide to Making Money Online in 2024

Are you looking for ways to make extra money online? Amazon Mechanical Turk, or MTurk, could be the solution you’ve been looking for. This beginner’s guide will teach you everything you need to know about MTurk and how to start making money from the comfort of your own home. Whether you’re a student, a stay-at-home parent, or just looking for the easy side, MTurk offers a unique opportunity to earn money by completing simple tasks online. So, let’s look at a number of ways through which you can make money online through Amazon Mechanical Turk.

What is Amazon Mechanical Turk?

Amazon Mechanical Turk, also known as MTurk, is an online platform where companies can offer various services to remote employees. These projects are called “HITs” or Human Intelligence Projects. MTurk gets its name from a famous 18th-century chess game machine called the Mechanical Turk that had been hidden inside by a human being.

How Amazon Mechanical Turk Works

Amazon Mechanical Turk works to provide daily making opportunities for employees who complete Human Intelligence Tasks (HITs) on the MTurk platform. These services include numerous types of tasks such as data analysis, content management, browser games, and web content development.

The workers on Amazon known as Turkers, can find thousands of HIT micro jobs that are listed on Amazon’s MTurk website. Each job offers an hourly wage which is the amount of money they can earn to complete the job.

Several companies or applicants post their HIT projects on the MTurk official website. Turkers can browse available jobs and choose the right one. Once the project is completed, the requesters have 30 days to verify and accept the project. Once the requesters approve the work the Turker becomes eligible for compensation.

Once the work is approved, Turkers have the option to receive payments through direct deposit or Amazon gift cards which gives them flexibility in how they earn their money.

Another thing is that Amazon Mechanical Turk limits the number of HITs an employee can complete per day. However, Turkers can increase their income by choosing higher-paying HITs to earn more money per hour.

U.S. citizens and individuals from other countries can services offered on the Amazon Mechanical Turk platform. However, all employees must undergo a verification process. This verification process includes providing tax-related information such as social security numbers. Tax requirements may vary depending on the employee’s citizenship as well as state of residence.

Tasks on Mechanical Turk

On Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) all the tasks are often broken down into smaller chunks that are easily manageable and these are called “microtasks” or Human Intelligence Tasks (HITs). These tasks are designed to be simple enough for humans to understand and complete but may be too complex for computers to handle. As a new Turker, you will have many microtasks to choose from. Some of the most popular tasks are:

1. Data entry

2. Audio transcripts

3. Image formation

4. Review of data

5. Quality assessment

6. Survey Results

7. Online Research

8. Comparative comparison

9. Content analysis

10. YouTube videos

11. Writing product descriptions

12. Content of the Website

13. Reading books carefully

14. Identify objects in pictures

15. Monitoring Online Forums

16. To fill out online forms

17. Market research

18. Testing mobile apps

19. Create social media posts

20. Translation of the text, and more.

Making Money on Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk)

It is possible to make money on MTurk, but you should be aware that businesses tend to pay much lower fees. This means that it takes time to set up a reasonable amount of money, and relying solely on MTurk for payments may not work.

Jobs on MTurk pay less because they tend to be faster and easier. Consider things like entering things into a spreadsheet or answering a short survey. They’re not hard, but they don’t cost a fortune either.

Plus, there are a ton of people doing these things, so there’s a lot of competition. That means the wages could go even lower because everyone is trying to take the same jobs.

To get jobs that pay well on MTurk, you have to do a lot of low-paying jobs first. This means that you may have to do hundreds of jobs before you can do one that pays well. And when new jobs will come, they will be filled fast. So, if you want to get the job you want you have to be fast.

You can’t rely on Amazon Mechanical Turk as your primary income source. It takes a lot of time and work to make enough money.

When applying for a job, each tells you how much you will be paid and how long you have to complete it. Some services pay only a small fee, while others pay up to two dollars. Sometimes you can find one that pays as much as $50.

Pros And Cons of Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk)

The Pros of Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk)

No Special Skills Required: One of the great things about MTurk is that you don’t need any special skills or qualifications to get started. Whether you’re a student, a stay-at-home parent, or someone looking to make some extra money on the side, MTurk welcomes everyone.

Flexibility: MTurk offers flexibility in terms of when and where you work. You can log in and complete tasks whenever it’s convenient for you, whether it’s early in the morning, late at night, or during your lunch break. This flexibility makes it appealing to people who are busy or have irregular working hours.

Validity: MTurk is hosted by Amazon which is one of the most reputable as well as trusted companies in the world. This gives users the confidence that they are working on the right platform and will be paid.

Variety: One advantage of MTurk is the variety of services that are available. From data entry to writing, analytics to image sharing, MTurk has a job for everyone. This variety makes sure that you can always match your skills as well as interests with the micro job you want to do.

The Cons of Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk)

Low salary: The biggest drawback of MTurk’s is probably the low salary. Most jobs on the platform pay very little, usually only a few cents or dollars. While these numbers can increase a bit in the long run, they are not enough to replace your full-time job. Because of this many users work long hours for the pay that is next to nothing.

Repetitive tasks: Another downside of MTurk is the repetitive nature of many tasks. Because tasks are often simple and quick, over time they can become monotonous as well as boring. This can lead to burnout and anxiety, especially for users looking for more stimulating or challenging work.

Competition: There are thousands of users that are competing for the same jobs on MTurk which can make competition fierce. This means jobs can filled quickly which will leave many users scrambling to find new opportunities. Moreover, when there is a lot of competition the salary for the jobs will be driven down which makes it more difficult to make enough money.

Marginal Growth: MTurk can be a great way to make some extra money online, as a temporary side hustle. But if we look at the long-term growth and development, it offers next to nothing. Because tasks tend to be simple and repetitive, there may be few opportunities to develop new skills or perform more challenging tasks. This can make it difficult for users to progress or increase their income over time.

Tips and Tricks for Success on Amazon Mechanical Turk

Job Availability:

You need to check job availability on MTurk, as it can depend on a lot of things factors such as:

Time of day
Day of the week
What are the requirements from the applicants.

So, if you make changes according to these things and check the platform regularly this will help you in finding new jobs.

Payment Systems:

You need to understand the payment system at MTurk, which typically includes payments through Amazon Payments. You need to know what are the minimum withdrawal limits as well as the fees associated with various payment methods.

Maintain a good reputation:

You have to maintain a good reputation as an employee at MTurk by consistently delivering work that is high in terms of quality. If you have positive ratings from requesters it can lead to better opportunities as well as jobs that pay well in the future.

Qualification testing:

If you want access to better-paying jobs you need to prepare for the qualification test. So, you need to focus on building your skills in order to successfully pass these exams.

Engage with the community:

You need to participate in online communities and forums that are for MTurk users. You can share tips and tricks with colleagues to build connections as well as to learn from others so that you can improve your experience on the platform.

Manage your time well:

While working on MTurk you need to:

Use good time management
Set realistic goals
Balance your workload to avoid burnout.

You need to follow some sort of strategy so that you don’t burnout and have a side hustle that makes you extra money.

Diversify your income:

One thing you need to keep in mind is that MTurk should be seen as a side hustle. So, you need to avoid depending solely on MTurk for your income. You can also look for other freelancing options online to make you more money online.

If you have multiple sources of side hustle such as freelancing on Upwork and Fiverr, along with doing tasks on Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk), you will not only multiply the amount of money you’re making online but it will also help reduce risks as well as provide long-term financial stability.

Understand legal and tax considerations:

You need to know the legal and tax implications of earning income on MTurk, including:

Filing income reports with tax authorities
Understanding your rights and obligations as independent employees.

Other platforms and Opportunities for Potential Side Hustles

Other than Amazon Mechanical Turk, there are other online platforms where you can earn money through freelancing and gig work.

Upwork:

Upwork offers freelancing services in many fields such as writing, graphic design, and web development. On Upwork, you can:

• Create profiles

• Bid on services

• Connect with clients around the world.

Fiverr:

Fiverr is a freelance services marketplace where you can offer gigs starting at $5. It’s easy in terms of usage, but costs can be high, and it can take time to gain popularity as well as to attract customers.

TaskRabbit:

It is an app where you can find local tasks like putting together furniture or cleaning a house. You can choose when you want to work, but the amount of money you can make may change depending on the number of jobs in your area. Also, there is a fee to use the app.

Some honorable mentions are:

Freelancer

Guru

PeoplePerHour

Toptal

99designs

Craigslist

Conclusion

Amazon Mechanical Turk provides an easy way for companies to outsource services and for remote employees to earn money online. While this platform may not make enough money for everyone, it can be a side hustle that is worthwhile for those willing to put in the time and effort. By understanding the platform you can make the most of your experience with MTurk.