{"id":436446,"date":"2026-01-25T11:43:41","date_gmt":"2026-01-25T11:43:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/436446\/"},"modified":"2026-01-25T11:43:41","modified_gmt":"2026-01-25T11:43:41","slug":"google-gemini-is-basically-running-my-side-hustle-for-me-heres-how","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/436446\/","title":{"rendered":"Google Gemini is basically running my side hustle for me \u2014 here\u2019s how"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve ever tried to start a side hustle while also having, you know, a full-time life, you already understand the biggest problem: it\u2019s not the work. It\u2019s the mental load.<\/p>\n

I wasn\u2019t even sure I could pull it off with three young kids on top of my 9-to-5, but those three kids are exactly why I need the side hustle in the first place. My current side hustle is selling Trader Joe\u2019s bags \u2014 and yes, people really do spend a ridiculous amount of money on them.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Some are seasonal, some are limited and some are just weirdly hard to find depending on where you live. Either way, the resale market is surprisingly active if you know what you\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n

You may like<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve tested other chatbots<\/a> for this kind of help, but Gemini<\/a> does more behind the scenes like a real assistant, and it\u2019s been the best at helping me find buyers online. Here\u2019s exactly how I use Google<\/a>\u2019s chatbot to basically run my side hustle<\/a>.<\/p>\n

1. Gemini writes my listings so I don\u2019t overthink them <\/p>\n

\n

\"Trader\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Future\/Amanda Caswell)<\/p>\n

Writing product listings should be easy. It\u2019s literally just describing a bag. But if you\u2019ve ever sold anything online, you know how it goes: you stare at the screen trying to make it sound good, you rewrite it five times and somehow you still end up with something awkward like:<\/p>\n

\u201cCute bag. Good condition. Bought it. Selling it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gemini fixes that in seconds. I\u2019ll paste in the basics \u2014 what it is, the condition, and any details that might matter to a buyer \u2014 and ask Gemini to write a listing that sounds clear and natural.<\/p>\n

Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.<\/p>\n

What I ask Gemini: \u201cWrite a friendly listing description for a 2024 Spring Trader Joe\u2019s tote bag. Mention condition, size and that it\u2019s sold out. Keep it short and casual.\u201d<\/p>\n

It gives me something polished that still sounds like me, and I can post it immediately instead of turning it into a 20-minute task.<\/p>\n

2. It helps me with pricing <\/p>\n

\n

\"A\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Natee Meepian\/Shutterstock)<\/p>\n

When it comes to selling online, pricing is the fastest way to lose your mind. If you price too high, nothing moves. If you price too low, it sells instantly\u2026 and then you realize you could\u2019ve made double.<\/p>\n

You may like<\/p>\n

Gemini can search the most resent resale prices in real time and help me come up with prices based on those, plus, it’s really good at helping me think through pricing logically.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll tell it the bag type, condition, what I paid, how much shipping will cost, and what profit I want to make. Then I ask it to give me a pricing range that makes sense.<\/p>\n

What I ask Gemini: \u201cHelp me price this bag for resale. I paid $3.99. Shipping will be around $6.50. It is going for $300 in some places. Suggest a list price and a lowest price I should accept.\u201d<\/p>\n

That alone saves me from making emotional pricing decisions like \u201cI just want it gone.”<\/p>\n

3. Gemini writes buyer messages for me<\/p>\n

\n

\"Gemini\"\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Future)<\/p>\n

This might be my favorite use. I am by nature a very sociable and overly chatty person. Gemini helps me get the job done without telling the buyer where I grew up and what else I enjoy doing with my free time other than shopping at Trader Joe’s. Because, buyer messages are where side hustles go to die.<\/p>\n

People ask questions that are already answered in the listing. They ghost. They come back. They ask if you\u2019ll take half the price. They want it held \u201cuntil Friday\u201d (spoiler: they won\u2019t buy it on Friday).<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t want to be rude, but I also don\u2019t want to waste time. Full disclosure, I once literally told someone “you’re wasting my time” and lost a potential sale.<\/p>\n

Gemini helps me respond quickly, politely and firmly \u2014 without sounding like I\u2019m about to throw my phone into the ocean.<\/p>\n

What I ask Gemini: \u201cWrite a short message to a buyer who offered $10 on a $200 item. Be polite but firm and offer $200 as my lowest.\u201d<\/p>\n

It gives me something I can copy, paste, and move on with my life.<\/p>\n

4. It helps me stay organized without a complicated system <\/p>\n

\n

\"A\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Shutterstock)<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not running a warehouse. I\u2019m selling bags in the evenings and weekends from my basement. But I still need to know what I have, what\u2019s listed, what\u2019s sold and what still needs to ship.<\/p>\n

Gemini helps me create a simple system I can actually stick to.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll dump my current chaos into one prompt:<\/p>\n

Everything I listed in a day\/weekWhich sales are pendingWhat items need shippingItems still waiting to be photographed<\/p>\n

What I ask Gemini: \u201cTurn this into a simple to-do list grouped by: list today, message buyers, ship and restock.\u201d<\/p>\n

From there, Gemini turns everything into a useable spreadsheet. And when you\u2019re juggling a side hustle, your main job and everything else, this is a real time saver.<\/p>\n

5. Gemini helps me make my side hustle feel less exhausting <\/p>\n

\n

\"A\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Shutterstock)<\/p>\n

This is the part people don\u2019t talk about. Side hustles aren\u2019t hard because the tasks are difficult. They\u2019re hard because they\u2019re constant. There\u2019s always another listing to post. Another buyer question. Another thing to package. Another trip to the post office.<\/p>\n

Gemini doesn\u2019t do the work for me, but it removes the grunt work that might otherwise make me throw in the towel. It cuts down the time I spend thinking about what to write, how to respond, what to charge and what I\u2019m forgetting.<\/p>\n

And when you\u2019re trying to make extra money without burning yourself out, that\u2019s the difference between \u201cI tried a side hustle for two weeks\u201d and \u201cthis is actually sustainable.\u201d<\/p>\n

The takeaway<\/p>\n

Selling Trader Joe\u2019s bags sounds random until you realize people genuinely want them. Once I saw the demand firsthand, I knew I had something real.<\/p>\n

Gemini is the reason I can keep up. It helps me handle listings, pricing, buyer messages and organization without letting the whole thing take over my life.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s the point: whether you\u2019re flipping tote bags, selling on Facebook<\/a> Marketplace or starting something completely different, Gemini can help you run a side hustle like you have an assistant \u2014 or even help you figure out what type of side hustle to start in the first place.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

\"Google\n<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Follow Tom’s Guide on Google News<\/a> and add us as a preferred source<\/a> to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. <\/p>\n

More from Tom’s Guide<\/p>\n

Today’s best Apple iPhone 17 deals<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you\u2019ve ever tried to start a side hustle while also having, you know, a full-time life, you…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":436447,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[256,254,255,64,63,105],"class_list":["post-436446","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-artificial-intelligence","tag-ai","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-artificialintelligence","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/436446","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=436446"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/436446\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/436447"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=436446"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=436446"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=436446"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}