The opportunity to work at home appeals to many people for many different reasons. Whether it's the ability to stay home with your children, the desire to escape the pressure of someone always looking over your shoulder, or even the yearning to stay in your pajamas until noon, work at home opportunities can open up a whole new world of freedom and adventure.

Many websites offer directories of work-at-home opportunities, some are genuine but most are scams offering little if any real income. Five opportunities to work at home are not only authentic but also offer a change to make a very decent living, if done correctly. The purpose of this article is to discuss in greater detail these five opportunities that are the best the Internet has to offer.

Ebay Selling

While Ebay is a great place to sell off the junk collecting dust in your basement, it can also be a viable work-at-home opportunity. All you need is a good source of items, a good camera, and a touch of creativity when writing descriptions. Items for resale can be purchased at yard sales, antique shops and even on Ebay itself!

Another alternative is to create your own products if you are good with your hands and creative. There is no limit to the types of things you can sell on Ebay (as long as they aren't illegal – read Ebay's Rules and Policies) and no limit to the money you can make. Many people selling on Ebay make enough money to sustain themselves without needing another job, in fact some "Powersellers" make tens of thousands of dollars a month!

Freelance Writing

If you enjoy writing, are creative, and possess a good amount of self-discipline, freelance writing may be the best work at home opportunity for you. Plenty of websites are dedicated to connecting writers to companies that need writing done. Freelance writing, copywriting, web content writing, and blog writing are all great opportunities for a writer to work at home and earn a reasonable income.

It is possible for writers to branch out and sell their writing to print newspapers and magazines and greatly increase the amount of money they make. The best way to get started working at home as a writer is through the search engines. You'll be amazed at the number of work at home writing opportunities.

Web Designer / Graphic Designer

If you like pictures better than words, think about the work at home opportunities as a web or graphic designer. Offer your services to design websites, logo, marketing materials, even newsletter templates are all worth big bucks as a graphic designer on the Internet. Simply polish up your creativity and set out on the search engines to find your opportunities to work at home as a graphic designer.

Directories and job sites are good sources for work but eventually you may want to advertise yourself, both online and off, so consider designing your own promotional material and get you name out there.

Independent Sales Consultant

Years ago it was common for housewives to start selling Avon or Tupperware to bring a little extra money into the household. These work at home opportunities can turn into a lucrative business in the right hands. If you enjoy networking, search online, sign up to be an independent sales consultant and begin earning money based on how hard you work.

It is a good idea to sell a product that you enjoy using yourself since it'll make your sales pitch more believable. Many of the companies that work with independent sales consultants offer marketing packages with demo items for home parties and Internet solutions such as personal websites and online email campaigns.

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing started becoming popular around 2000. Since then most online businesses have set up an affiliate program to help get customers. One of the reasons for affiliate marketing's popularity is that it's a win-win situation, business owners get someone who will market their product and essentially work on commission (you don't get any money unless you sell a product) and you get a percentage (as much as 50%) for simply informing people of good products and linking them to the sites. You don't have to make the products, stock the products or ship the products. What more could you ask for in a work at home opportunity?