NUMBER OF E-PPORTUNISTS ON THE RISE

The amount of people earning a second income by trading online has doubled in the last year

A survey by Collect+, the parcel delivery and returns service, dubs such online entrepreneurs ‘e-pportunists’ and found a third earn over £10,000 a year.

59 per cent of those trading online began doing so within the last 12 months, suggesting many have turned to the internet to supplement their income as real wages fall and the job market remains stagnant.

26 per cent are entrepreneurs aged 25-34.

According to the research, many e-pportunists depend on the additional income to make ends meet - 23 per cent said they would struggle to pay bills without the additional income.

However, for a third of those surveyed success has meant they are planning to leave their day job and focus on online trading as their primary source of income in the near future.