- Why "low-risk" means moving small once inside a range you can afford to lose — not waiting until everything is perfect
- How, even when the first profit is almost zero, the real-world skills you gain by moving (taxes, customs, supplier and customer trust) stay with you
- How to keep your distance from "anyone can earn easily" hype, backed by Japan's side-hustle income data and consumer-trouble trends
Quick answers
- Q: Can you really start a side hustle with almost no money?
- A: Yes, some side hustles start without a big upfront outlay — skills, content, or affiliate-style referrals from a phone, without inventory. But "no money down" is not "no risk." It takes time and effort, results vary by person, and income is not guaranteed. Decide how much you could lose this month without it hurting, push it toward zero, and start with a small step.
- Q: Should I trust ads that say "anyone can earn easily"?
- A: Be cautious. Japan's National Consumer Affairs Center reports "easy money" side-hustle complaints rose from 1,341 (2020) to 3,694 (2023); in 2024 (as of end of July) 70.1% started via social media, with an average contracted/paid amount of about ¥1.06 million. Anything that makes you pay a large sum before you start is a signal to stop and check.
This article is general, educational information for people starting a side hustle, not individual investment, tax, or legal advice. "Low-risk" here means the money you put in at the start is small; it does not mean "no risk at all" or "guaranteed to earn." Results vary by person, it takes time and effort, results may not come as hoped, and anything involving money or investment always carries some risk. No income amount is guaranteed. Make your own decisions and consult a professional where needed.
The noise wears you down
"Just your phone." "No skills needed." "Anyone can do it." Open your feed and there they are again, the same promises stacked one on top of the other. I used to scroll past posts like that half annoyed, half hoping. My salary alone felt thin. I wanted to start something. But honestly, the "easy" part rarely turned out to be true.
So let me say this up front. This isn't a story about making money. If anything, it's a story about barely making any. And even so, I'm still glad I took that one step.
I moved once — and kept it small
What I actually did was resell a brand-name bag.
I had no eye for spotting real from fake, and no confidence I could. So that was the one place I refused to cut corners. I stayed away from the sketchy suppliers and spent real time hunting down a brand maker I could trust. Then I imported a bag from the United States. One. Not a batch, not a shelf's worth of inventory. One bag.
When people hear "side hustle," they assume you have to bet big. You don't. A survey by Persol Career found that the most common monthly income from a side hustle in Japan was "under ¥10,000" — 48.1% of respondents — and the average came to about ¥65,000 a month. The people pulling in serious money from day one are a tiny minority. So if that's the reality, why not test small, just once? As an entry point, one bag was plenty.
In Persol Career's side-hustle survey, the most common monthly income was "under ¥10,000" at 48.1%, with only 13.8% earning ¥100,000 or more and an average around ¥65,093. The "¥X00,000 a month" screenshots you see are the far right tail of that distribution. A small first number isn't failure — it's normal. (Source: Persol Career side-hustle survey)
The gross profit was basically zero
Here's the unglamorous part. After the first sale, almost nothing was left.
Subtract the cost of the bag, the shipping, and all the hours it took to actually sell it, and there was no number I could stand behind. Divide the profit by the effort and I wasn't even earning minimum wage. I'll be honest — it deflated me a little.
Move once in a side hustle and the money does not just show up. That's the reality, and I think it's worth saying plainly.
But suddenly I could see the whole thing
Here's what I didn't expect. The moment I actually moved, things I could never have seen from a spreadsheet started appearing one after another.
First, taxes. Sell a single bag and you feel, in your own hands, that filing is now your job. Then, dealing with the maker. Getting your intent across cleanly to someone on the other side of an ocean is harder than it sounds, and a single badly worded message can shift how they see you.
The part that made my stomach drop was customs. The bag I'd imported got held at the border. Digging into why, I learned that personal imports are generally duty-free when the customs value is ¥10,000 or under — but leather bags are an exception, and they aren't exempt even below that line. I also learned the customs value is calculated as 60% of the overseas retail price. Before I started, I didn't know a single word of that.
According to Japan Customs, personal imports are in principle duty-free when the customs value is ¥10,000 or less — but leather bags are an exception and are not exempt even below that. The customs value for personal imports is calculated at roughly 60% of the overseas retail price. This is the kind of thing you learn faster by moving once than by reading about it. (Source: Japan Customs)
And finally, customer trust — actually delivering something genuine, properly. Behind that zero-profit sale, all of this real-world knowledge quietly piled up inside me.
A quiet argument with "anyone can do it easily"
That's exactly why I don't really believe the "anyone can easily earn" line.
According to Japan's National Consumer Affairs Center, complaints about side hustles advertised as "easy money" rose from 1,341 cases in 2020 to 3,694 in 2023. In the 2024 figures (as of end of July), 70.1% started through social media, and the average amount contracted or paid was roughly ¥1.06 million. People are lured by the word "easy" and end up holding a large bill. (Source: National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan, Sept 4, 2024)
I'm not saying "don't do a side hustle." I'm saying: be careful of any entry point that uses "easy" as its main selling point. That's all.
Low-risk probably means something like this
No profit stuck around. But a different feeling did: this is something I can actually do. Customs stopped my bag, and I looked it up, handled it, and kept going. That one round widened my world a little.
Low-risk isn't about waiting until everything's perfect. It's about moving small, once, inside a range where losing is survivable. And what stacks up before the gross profit ever does is the view only people who moved can see — and the confidence to take the next step.
Start from a small "range you can afford to lose"
Kingfin's affiliate has no inventory and no big upfront cost — you can build a small "entry point" to a side hustle from your phone. It isn't a place that promises you'll get rich. Try it within a range you can afford to lose, and grow it once you see a real response. Results vary by person and no income amount is guaranteed.
Sign up freeBefore you go
If you want material for thinking through a side hustle, read the insights on Kingfin. It isn't a place that promises you'll "get rich." It's a place to get your head straight before you move. For transparency, this media contains PR and affiliate content, and it links to partner services. With that said, I try to write honestly.
One closing question: that one thing you keep putting off until you're "fully prepared" — what is it?
Frequently asked questions
[Disclaimer] This article is general, educational information provided by the Kingfin English Editorial Team, not individual investment, tax, or legal advice. "Low-risk" means the money put in at the start is small; it does not mean "no risk at all" or "guaranteed to earn." A side hustle takes time and effort, results vary by person, results may not come as hoped, and anything involving money or investment always carries some risk. No income amount is guaranteed. The content reflects a general summary as of July 2026 and its accuracy, currency, and completeness are not guaranteed. Customs and tax treatment vary by circumstances; make your own decisions and consult customs, a tax office, or a qualified professional where needed. Kingfin's affiliate promotes FX and investment-related services, which involve the risk of loss.
