There are several reasons why making money online is difficult to do.

The Web is competitive; it is difficult to find a niche today that isn't already being exploited by someone else.

Setting up a business on the Internet may require a cash investment that some would-be entrepreneurs simply don't have available to them.

Going into business online may require a skill set, such as writing or programming skills that some people who would like to get involved just don't have.

While these may be obstacles to certain types of moneymaking ventures, it doesn't eliminate all of them. In fact, there are hundreds of ways to make money that don't involve large investments of cash, programming skills, or the ability to push online giants such as Amazon out of the marketplace.

Here are a few examples of ways to make money online:

Create your own online store. You don't need to know how to build a Website; many Web hosts offer complete, "turnkey" shopping cart systems. You just need to fill in the blanks to add merchandise. Some wholesalers will even drop ship merchandise for you, so you don't have to stock or ship the merchandise yourself.

Sell things on eBay. If you aren't the sort of person who likes finding bargains at garage sales, you can even make money promoting eBay. The auction site will pay you a small commission for every new customer you send to them who signs up and bids on something. Some eBay partners earn more than a million dollars per year this way.

Create a blog. If you do have the ability to write a bit, you can create a blog about any subject that happens to fascinate you. Google or any one of a number of other companies can place advertisements on your blog that pay you if anyone clicks on them. Each click won't pay much, but it can add up over time.

Sell products through affiliate marketing. There are no limits to how many different things you can promote online as an affiliate. Amazon has an affiliate program that pays you a commission if you send someone to the site that buys something.

The possibilities for making money online are endless, if you only put your mind to it. If you can't come up with ideas on your own, just do a Web search. After all, there are some two hundred million answers out there.