If you are the organized sort of person, you're already prepared. You picked up gifts throughout the year, thereby spreading out the expense of holiday gift giving. You bought your plane tickets several months ago taking advantage of lower airfares. If you are that sort of person, this article is not for you. This article is for the person like me who is faced with spending hundreds of dollars in the next few weeks because I waited until now to start preparing for the holidays. Fortunately, there are some fast and easy ways to make some extra money during the holiday season without getting a second job.

My favorite way to make quick cash is through Amazon.com's MarketPlace and eBay. These resources offer fast and easy ways to not only make money, but also rid your home of clutter.

My first stop is always at Amazon.com because of its ease of use particularly if you have books, CD's or software in good condition. I have made $110 in a single week selling my gently used books through Amazon.com. To open an account, visit Amazon.com and scroll down the page until you see the "Make Money" box on the left. Click on "Sell Your Stuff" and follow the instructions for opening an account.

Once the account is open, log into your Amazon Seller's account and click the option to sell items. You can search for the product by name or use the ISBN, UPC or ASIN number located near the bar code on the back of the product. Input the number where indicated, list the condition of the item, add a few comments about the item, input your price, and submit. Amazon.com does the rest including adding a picture, processing the payment, and direct depositing the money into your account 14 days later.

Amazon charges you nothing until/unless your item sells. The fee is .99 cents plus a percentage of the sold price. Amazon also gives you a shipping credit to cover the cost of mailing your item to the buyer.

For example, if you sell a book for $12.00:

- Amazon's commission is $2.79 (0.99 + 15%)

- Postage credit for a book is $3.34

- Media mail for one pound or less is = $1.59

- Your net income is $10.96 ($12.00 - 2.79 + 3.34 -1.59)

eBay is another great way to generate income fairly quickly. I use eBay only if the item I have cannot be sold through Amazon.com because it takes more time to list items at eBay. I especially like eBay for my novelty items such as infomercial products or things I'm not sure how to price. To open an account, visit eBay and click on "Register". Once you are registered, log into your eBay account and click on "Sell".

Some items such as book, eBay may have a stock photo you can use. For other items, you'll need to take a picture to add to your listing. Follow the directions for listing your item including adding a picture and description.

eBay charges you for listing your products whether they sell or not, but its very reasonable and only once have I not had an item sell. The insertion fee ranges from .20 cents to $4.80 depending on price of the item. eBay offers optional listing feature such as "Buy It Now" or "Gallery Listing" for additional fees. The only other required fee is the final value charge which is a 5.25%+ of the sold cost. Shipping costs can be covered by you or passed on to the buyer.

For example, if you sold a $12.00 item on eBay:

- Insertion fee = .60 cents

- Final value fee = .63 cents

- Shipping you can have the buyer pay (priority mail up to 1 pound) = $4.05

- Your net income = $10.77 ($12 - .60 - .63 + 4.05- 4.05)

Ten dollars may not seem like much, but if you sell 10 items, you'll make over $100. Or you can offer more expensive items. With a little effort, you can have an extra $100 or more in a week. Who couldn't use that? Plus, you'll be getting rid of clutter you don't need.

Here are some tips to quickly and easily earn some fast cash through Amazon.com and eBay:

1) Go through your home and gather all the items that are in decent condition and that you are willing to sell. The best items I have found are non-fiction books, electronics and electronic accessories, software and name brand gizmos for Amazon's. eBay is great for infomercial products, old eBay items you don't use, name-brand clothes (especially kids clothes), toys (Legos are a big hit!), collectables and memorabilia, and novelty items.

2) When listing, be honest about the condition. You don't want to hurt your selling reputation by not mentioning marks or other faults with the item.

3) Price items to sell. Your goal is quick cash so consider pricing items lower than the competition. Of course, at eBay, the market will drive the ultimate sale price, but start low and don't put a reserve price (price that must be met for the item to sell). There is some indication that items with a lower starting bid often get higher sales than similar items with a higher starting bid.

4) Finally, once you receive payment for the item, ship it ASAP. Package it so it's safe and secure. Print out the name and address of the buyer and tape it to the package to make sure you don't misspell the address. eBay offers a great feature in which you can print postage right from your computer printer. Stamps.com also offers online postage services to save you a trip to the post office.

Now is a terrific time to make quick money using Amazon.com and eBay because many people are holiday shopping for quality items at reasonable prices online. It's win-win for people who want to save and people who want to earn some extra holiday cash.