A recent check of my email inbox revealed yet another collection of internet business offers. Some sound too good to be true. (Delete) Some are obviously for the very technically inclined. (Forgot to get my rocket science degree. Delete.) Some offers are slick and sophisticated. They are well written and really catch my attention. Click! So many choices but so little time.

If you are completely new to the world of making money on the internet, it might be helpful to know that most of those offers filling your inbox are most likely affiliate businesses, ebay ideas, network marketing/mlm businesses or e-commerce web sites.

Affiliate marketing is the internet business version of commission-based selling. A business owner has a product to sell. It may be shoes, software or an e-book. The business owner pays a commission for referrals that lead to purchases of their product. Many internet merchants offer affiliate program enrollment right on their web site. Others use third-party web sites such as Clickbank, Commission Junction and Linkshare Network. Typically an application is required for each program. Some require that you have a web site for them to review; others let the affiliate generate referrals by using a uniquely coded link.

There are various ways to sell items and make money on Ebay. A quick search of your garage or attic might turn up some great items to sell. Ebay provides resource pages and links to assist you in locating wholesalers. If you do not wish to carry an inventory at all, that's not a problem either. Scores of dropshippers have created entire programs for auction sellers. You simply sell the product to the buyer, collect payment and then forward the merchandise order to the dropshipper for order fulfillment. Having or maintaining an inventory is not necessary.

Savvy network and mlm marketers are turning to the internet to locate people interested in their business opportunities and products. This is accomplished with online audio and video presentations, turn-key product web sites and Web 2.0 tactics, such as blogging and social networking. Complete, business-in-a-box internet marketing systems are available for everything from wholesale travel memberships to beauty products to wellness products.

If you want to simply open your own retail store online, this is referred to as an e-commerce site. You will need a web site that features a shopping cart and a merchant account. You may or may not choose to maintain an inventory of actual product; again, there are numerous wholesaler and dropshipper solutions.

Well, that's four great ideas for your new internet home business. Now, go clean out that inbox.