Every time a person logs onto the internet these days it seems he or she is inundated with offers to make huge money working on the internet. The bulk of these offers are bogus and anyone with average intelligence knows it. But, all these offers do raise the question, "Can the average person really make money online?" For many the answer is a surprising "yes".

While it is generally safe to discount all those get rich quick offers, there are a large number of legitimate ways to profit on the internet. The key word in that phrase is "working". If a person is seriously looking for a way to make money working on the internet and supplement or replace his existing income, there are a number of resources available. Many employment websites, monster.com or careerbuilder.com for example, offer a large number of telecommuting positions for people who want to stay at home and make money working on the internet. All one need do to see a listing is search the key words "telecommute" or "work from home" on these sites.

Online auctions are another method people have discovered for making money working on the internet. We have all heard the old saying, "One man's trash is another man's treasure." Internet auction sites such as Ebay.com have proven the truth of this statement. There are a huge number of people who make a living buying things at garage sales and flea markets and such, and then listing these items on the online auction sites. It is very rare, if ever, that a person loses money on such deals. It is also possible to purchase brand new merchandise at close out prices and auction it at near retail value on some items. A number of companies have even jumped on that bandwagon by offering drop shipping services to people who will list their items and sell them before buying them.

A large number of people have discovered ways make money working on the internet doing data entry or copy writing jobs. Most of these jobs are done on a contract basis per project, but if the buyer is pleased with the service he receives and the quality of work one does, the odds of getting more work from that buyer increase dramatically. A few people even make money taking online surveys and testing products.

Affiliate marketing programs are another way to make money working on the internet. Here is an area, however, where one must proceed with extreme caution. The number of scams and illegal pyramid schemes that pose as legitimate affiliate marketing programs is disproportionately high. If they promise a huge income for little or no work, they are probably scams. One must do some research and ask some questions to find a legitimate affiliate marketing program.

Every day, we are bombarded with offers of a huge income on the internet. The facts don't support most of these offers. But, it is possible for the average person to make money working on the internet if he is willing to work.