The $600 math
Here’s one way the numbers can add up. Your stuff and your city will change the split, but the shape holds.
- Sell $200 to $300 worth of stuff you’re not using. Electronics, tools, bikes and furniture tend to move fast.
- Work about 12 to 17 hours of delivery blocks. Amazon says most Flex drivers earn $18 to $25 an hour, so $300 takes roughly 12 hours at the top of that range and 17 at the bottom.
- Grab two app bonuses for the last bit. Testerup and Freecash each have a $10 welcome bonus. That’s $20, not $600, so treat it as gas money.
That’s $520 to $620 on paper. Will every week look like that? No. But it’s a plan built on real numbers instead of hope.
Step 1: sell your stuff where you keep the most
Where you sell matters more than people think. Every platform takes a cut, and on a $600 goal those cuts add up quickly.
Selling locally for cash means you keep every dollar. Shipping it out costs you a slice:
| Where | What they take |
|---|---|
| Local sale (cash at pickup) | Nothing. Cash in hand, right then |
| Mercari | 10% of the item price plus buyer-paid shipping |
| eBay | 13.6% of the sale in most categories, plus $0.40 per order over $10 |
| Facebook Marketplace (shipped) | 10% per sale, $0.80 minimum |
Mercari pays out by direct deposit for free, usually within 5 business days, or by Instant Pay for $3 a pop, once a day. Funny detail: Instant Pay caps at $600 a month. So if you’re trying to hit this exact number through Mercari, the fast cash-out tops out at exactly your goal.
Quick pricing trick: search the item on eBay and filter to sold listings. That’s what people actually paid, not what sellers hope to get.
Step 2: work the hours on an app with a real pay rate
Most delivery apps don’t publish an hourly number. Amazon Flex does, which is why it’s first here. The other two are grocery apps where tips can carry a shift.
Amazon Flex
Best for: planning hours around a dollar goal
- What it is
- Delivering Amazon packages in your own car, in scheduled blocks.
- What you do
- Reserve blocks up to a week ahead, or grab same-day offers, then run the route.
- How much it pays
- Amazon says most delivery partners earn $18 to $25 an hour, and it guarantees at least $15 to $19 per scheduled hour depending on location and demand, plus 100% of tips. You choose which weekdays you get paid, daily included. Cash-outs to the Amazon Flex Debit Card or a bank account are free.
- The catch
- You need to be 21 with a 4-door midsize sedan or bigger, and blocks can be hard to get in some areas.
Worth it? Yes if you qualify. A published pay range makes a $600 goal something you can actually schedule.
Shipt
Best for: shopping orders with tips
- What it is
- Target-owned Shipt’s gig for personal shoppers and package delivery drivers.
- What you do
- Shop and deliver grocery and household orders, or run package routes.
- How much it pays
- Offer pay based on estimated time and effort, plus bonuses and 100% of tips. Direct deposit every Friday for the previous Monday to Sunday, or Instant Pay up to 3 times a day.
- The catch
- Instant Pay doesn’t unlock until after your first weekly payout, so your first week is slow money. 18+ with a car and insurance.
Worth it? Only if you can wait for the first Friday payout. After that it gets quick.
Instacart
Best for: getting paid soon after each order
- What it is
- Shopping and delivering grocery orders as a full-service shopper.
- What you do
- Pick batches in the Shopper app and shop, deliver, or both.
- How much it pays
- Pay per batch (based on distance, items and expected shopping time) plus 100% of tips. Your full earnings, tip included, are ready 2 hours after a delivery, and you can cash out instantly for a small fee. Otherwise it is weekly.
- The catch
- No typical pay figure is published, and pay rules change by city. You need a vehicle and to be 18+.
Worth it? Yes for fast access to your money. Track your own per-hour numbers the first few shifts.
Want to compare more of these? Jobs like Amazon Flex and the Instacart shopper guide go deeper.
Step 3: the app bonuses (small, but free)
Testerup pays a $10 welcome bonus and shows what every game or survey pays before you start. Freecash gives $10 after your first offer, and most of its PayPal cash-outs are instant once your ID is verified.
That’s it. Twenty bucks. Anyone who tells you a rewards app gets you to $600 fast is leaving out the part where it takes months. Sign up for Testerup and Freecash, run an offer or two while you wait on a buyer, and move on. The rest are on our list of apps that pay you real money.
Need the $600 before you can earn it?
Then you’re borrowing. Do it the cheap way.
If your paycheck already goes to Current, its paycheck advance offers eligible customers up to $1,000 before payday. It’s free if you wait up to 3 business days, or you pay an Instant Access Fee (the app shows it) to get it in up to an hour. You need an eligible payroll deposit of at least $200 landing at Current to qualify.
If you’re in a credit union, ask about a payday alternative loan. The common kind is $200 to $1,000 over one to six months, capped at 28% APR with an application charge of $20 or less.
What you shouldn’t do is a payday loan. They usually run $500 or less, and the CFPB says a $15 charge per $100 for two weeks equals an APR of almost 400%. Borrowing $600 that way is how a one-time problem turns into a monthly one. Our need money now guide covers the scams that target people in exactly this spot.
FAQ
Can I make $600 in a day?
Only by selling something worth $600, like a TV, a console bundle or a bike. Through work, $600 in one day isn’t realistic for most people. At Amazon’s $18 to $25 an hour for Flex, it’d take 24 to 33 hours.
How can I make $600 in a week?
Sell what you can locally, then put 12 to 17 hours into delivery blocks. Most people who hit $600 in a week do it by combining the two.
What app pays $600 fast?
None of the reward apps. The bonuses are $10 each. Gig apps like Amazon Flex, Shipt and Instacart can, but only because you’re working hours, not tapping buttons.
Not quite $600? See how to make $500 fast. Need a bit more? Here’s the $700 version, which leans hard on selling. For more gigs, browse our side hustles or check what’s paying right now.
Next step
List two things for sale today and apply to one gig app. Then check what’s paying right now.
Sources (9)
- Amazon Flex. Amazon Flex FAQ. flex.amazon.com. Accessed Oct 22, 2026.
- Mercari. Selling fees and payouts. mercari.com. Accessed Oct 22, 2026.
- eBay. Selling fees. ebay.com. Accessed Oct 22, 2026.
- Meta. Merchant terms (Marketplace selling fee). facebook.com. Accessed Oct 22, 2026.
- Current. Paycheck Advance. current.com. Accessed Oct 22, 2026.
- Current. Paycheck Advance Terms and Conditions. current.com. Accessed Oct 22, 2026.
- National Credit Union Administration. 12 CFR 701.21, payday alternative loans. govinfo.gov. Accessed Oct 22, 2026.
- National Credit Union Administration. Permissible Loan Interest Rate Ceiling Extended (Letter 26-FCU-02). ncua.gov. Accessed Oct 22, 2026.
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. What are the costs and fees for a payday loan?. consumerfinance.gov. Accessed Oct 22, 2026.
That's the breakdown. Want the next one?
Every Sunday: what's paying that week, what got cut, what to skip.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime.
