Amazon Data Entry Jobs
We’ve always known Amazon as a super-giant online store where you can find and order almost everything. But did you know that you can also make money from this platform by doing data entry jobs?
Amazon data entry jobs are available on its micro-tasking platform called Mechanical Turk. It is a great platform to explore most especially if you have short bursts of time that you can use to earn extra money.
If you have more time to spare though and want to start a work-at-home job that can replace your full-time job, then this list of stay-at-home mom jobs that pay well is for you!
Blogging is my most favorite work-at-home job on this list. It is flexible and allows me to work from home and set my own schedule. If you are interested in blogging but don’t know how to get started, I have a detailed guide on how to start a blog and make money. Trust me, you don’t need to be a techie or have experience to start a money-making blog!
What is the Mechanical Turk?
The Mechanical Turk, or simply called the mTurk, is Amazon’s proprietary platform for crowdsourced jobs. According to its website:
“Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) is a crowdsourcing marketplace that makes it easier for individuals and businesses to outsource their processes and jobs to a distributed workforce who can perform these tasks virtually.”
Mechanical Turk is basically a micro-tasking site where people can post jobs, and workers can get paid to work. These jobs are short-term and straightforward, so you don’t need a degree or any specialized skill to join the platform. Most of these jobs are monotonous and repetitive, so people outsource on mTurk them to free up their time.
Such tasks are perfect for people who have bursts of spare time and would like to make money on the side. The Mechanical Turk is most appealing stay-at-home parents, retirees, college students and people who are in between jobs.
What is a Data Entry Job?
In essence, data entry is the process of inputting data into the computer. The data may come from hand-written forms or non-electronic format, audio files and even electronic files.
How Does the Mechanical Turk Work?
Basically, a person looking to have a task accomplished (called a “requester”), comes to mTurk and posts the job (jobs are referred to as HITs or human intelligence tasks). The post details the task’s deadline and corresponding payment.
Meanwhile, a person looking to complete tasks and earn money (called a “turker”), clicks on the requester’s job and claims it. The turker works on the task and submits it. If the requester is happy with it, the pay is released by Amazon and is redeemable in 24 hours. The turker can get his earnings through a direct bank deposit or convert it with an Amazon gift card.
Pro-tip: If you’re just starting on mTurk, don’t expect all jobs to be available to you. You have to complete a number of HITs to unlock other jobs. The more small tasks you accomplish, the more job options you’ll have in the future.
What are the Jobs Available on the Mechanical Turk?
Lots of jobs are available on mTurk, and a quick press on the refresh button loads up a fresh batch. And if you’re wondering whether there are Amazon data entry jobs there as well, yes, there sure are.
Apart from online data entry jobs, there are also a couple of Amazon online jobs, such as transcription, writing, categorization, excel-related work designing, and other types of jobs. Frequently, requesters post these jobs because they’re too time-consuming, so they opt to have someone do it for them through the mTurk.
So, if you’re looking for Amazon data entry jobs from home, mTurk should be one of the first few places you should check.
However, mTurk has become saturated by turkers. According to CloudResearch, there were over 226,000 US-based turkers in 2019. This means that you’ll have some fierce competition. You need to be quick in spotting Amazon jobs from home that you’d like to work and submit the output right away to earn more HITs.
How Much Do Amazon Data Entry Jobs Pay?
How much can you make doing Amazon data entry jobs from home? Unfortunately, there is no universal answer to this.
There are different online data entry jobs posted on mTurk, and how much each pays depends on how simple or complex a project is. You could get paid a couple of cents to enter the details from a receipt, or you could make a relatively larger income doing more sophisticated data entry tasks.
I think it’s only fair to warn you that the Amazon work from home salary for these “jobs” is far from impressive. Most of them only pay pennies. However, if you like doing data entry and you’re somewhat a fast typist, I think the earnings could add up.
Speed and accuracy are essential in performing data entry, and if you’re great at both, you should be able to earn a reasonably good amount on mTurk.
How To Find Amazon Data Entry Jobs That Count
As you already know, Amazon work from home part-time jobs via the mTurk are mostly simple and straightforward. They don’t need a lot of brainpower to complete. You can describe an image in a few words, and earn 80 cents from it. You can enter details from a receipt in a few seconds and make 50 cents. Giving a product review in 300 words should take just a couple of minutes and earn you $2-$3.
But how do you find HITs that pay off? Naturally, you want to make the most money by making the least effort, so it’s essential to weed through the HITs dashboard and take data entry jobs that count.
Pick jobs that you insert in between tasks
You can find a lot of simple data entry jobs from home that take a couple of seconds to complete. You can easily sneak them in between tasks, like during a two-minute commercial while watching TV or while waiting for your stew to cook.
Be patient and take low-paying, simple tasks to unlock higher-paying ones.
I believe every turker goes through this phase. Don’t get bummed by taking a couple of low-cost tasks because it’s just a way to build yourself up on the platform. Once you’ve completed a series of small tasks, you should be able to unlock high-quality HITs that pay more.
Think of HITs in terms of time vs. cost.
Another good way to evaluate a task is to determine how much time you need to complete it. Sometimes, even low-paying jobs that seem simple enough aren’t worth your time, if it boils down to just a couple of cents per hour. If you think a task is too time-consuming and the compensation is too low, feel free to take a pass.
Filter your search.
Wading through thousands of HITs can be taxing. You can, however, try filtering your search. For instance, you can search for data entry jobs that pay $50 or higher. This way, you won’t have to spend precious time looking over tasks that you have no interest in.
mTurk Data Entry Jobs Pros and Cons
You’re probably contemplating whether data entry jobs from Amazon are the right gig for you. I know it’s a tough decision to make. So, I’ve listed the pros and cons below of working data entry tasks on the platform to help you genuinely weigh your options.
Amazon Data Entry Jobs Pros
Flexible, work-from-home gig
With Amazon mTurk, you can control how much you work and how much you earn. You can do a few HITs a day if you’re feeling lazy, or complete as much as you can if you desire. You can conveniently log in any time you want, too, making mTurk even more appealing.
Simple tasks
You’ll find plenty of simple tasks that you can easily accomplish within minutes, including data entry gigs. There are also short transcriptions, categorization, description, and easy writing tasks that you can do. You don’t even need a college degree to join mTurk.
Preview before you accept
mTurk has this nice feature that allows you to preview the task so you can decide whether it’s worth taking or not.
Amazon Data Enjoy Jobs Cons
Meager income
I’ve read from a lot of people that mTurk doesn’t pay much. While you’ll undoubtedly find lots of jobs and the site loads new ones quickly, most of them are very cheap. You need to hustle a lot more if you want to make a good side income from mTurk.
Complete more HITs to unlock better-paying gigs
If you’re new to the platform, you’ll have to do the cheap tasks first to accumulate a number of HITs. Most of the higher-paying tasks require that you cross a threshold (for instance, 100, 500, or 1,000 HITs). Once you’ve gone past the required number of HITs, you can claim jobs that pay more money.
Amazon Data Entry Jobs from Home Reviews of Real Life Turkers
Here comes my favorite part: Amazon work from home reviews. I wanted to know what turkers think of data entry jobs on mTurk, and hopefully, help you decide whether this is the right gig for you.
On a guest post on Side Hustle Nation, a turker named Mike Naab said he made $150-$300 a week on mTurk. Mike came across mTurk just as he and his wife were starting a family. He knew that raising a baby would cost them money, so he wanted to get a side job to increase their cash flow. That’s when mTurk came in. Although Mike knew most jobs didn’t pay much, he chose to look at them in an hourly perspective:
“I try to look at it from an hourly rate standpoint. Sure, a survey might only give you $0.40, but it might take you 2 minutes to finish. That’s a $12/hour pay rate, and you made it sitting on your computer at home,” Mike said.
Meanwhile, Trent Hamm also wrote of his experience on mTurk on the site The Simple Dollar. He was surprised at how easy and quick most tasks were. However, Trent says there’s more left to be desired when it comes to earning potential:
“Having said that, you can do better than minimum wage with your time. Turk earns well enough that you might be able to fill in spare moments with it – or use it as a stopgap when you’re job hunting – but approximating minimum wage isn’t a good reason to just sit at your computer and click all day,” Trent wrote.
Amazon Data Entry Jobs: Are They Worth It?
I find that most people have mixed feelings about mTurk. If you’re looking for Amazon data entry jobs online that are flexible and convenient, getting them on mTurk is a good idea. You can work anytime you want, so it’s easy to insert a couple of tasks here and there whenever you have spare time.
But many people have one compelling reason why they’re not happy with the platform: the pay rate. Earning a couple of pennies for one task didn’t sit well with them. If you want to take better-paying tasks, you need to complete a number of HITs first.
I don’t think there’s reason to believe that mTurk would make you rich or replace your full-time income. It’s safer to think of it as a way to earn some supplemental income that can pay for some groceries or bills. Perhaps, if you hustle hard enough, you’d make more.
So if you’re just getting your feet wet with working-from-home and trying out low-pressure jobs, mTurk fits that bill perfectly. Even better if you’re a fast typist because the more you can accomplish in a short time, the more you will earn.
Have you tried getting Amazon data entry jobs at home? What was your experience with mTurk life? Do share with us in the comments.
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