I sell feet pics on the side. Here's how I find buyers, set prices, and make sure no one can identify me.

• Riley, 21, has been selling feet pics online for more than three years.
• She uses a pseudonym and VPN to stay safe and keep her identity discreet.
• She doesn't have set prices, instead tailoring them to each client and request.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Riley, a 21-year-old college student who sells pictures of her feet online. Insider is only using her first name to protect her identity, but we've verified her sales and income. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

I've been selling pictures of my feet online for more than three years now. The first thing I did was make a separate email account that was affiliated with a pseudonym instead of my actual name. With that email account, I created a second Twitter account, a Cash App account, and a PayPal account.

It's super easy to get started

Once I created all the accounts, I started tweeting. I'll tweet something super simple like "selling feet pics" with a hashtag or two and people will message me just from that. I think people who look for feet pictures online just look for keywords like "feet pics" on Twitter and then message people from there.

Once I began tweeting about selling feet pictures, my direct messages filled up with people wanting to buy pictures from me. Sometimes people offer things other than money in exchange for pictures, like resharing my tweets about selling pictures of my feet, but I don't accept things like that.

I've learned to ask for the money up front

At the beginning of my journey selling feet pictures, people were able to get the photos without paying because I didn't ask for the money beforehand. Once I realized that people were saying they would pay after they got the pictures but then never actually would, I started asking for the money beforehand.

Now I'll tell customers that I have the pictures ready, and I'll send them the moment they send me the money. But honestly, most people are really good about paying, because liking feet pics is often tied up with financial domination — meaning they sexually enjoy sending you money.

If they're paying more than usual, sometimes I'll accept half the money upfront because I want them to know I'm trustworthy. Even if they don't pay the other half, it's still more money than I usually get.

Thankfully, it's been pretty easy for me to stay anonymous online

To keep myself safe, I'm very careful about what I say online. I don't reveal anything about who I am, what I like to do, or where I'm located.

I also use basic technological privacy practices like having a private VPN, which is meant to help hide my identity and location. I'm not sure if it works, but it makes me feel safer. I feel like it's more about what you say and what you give clients access to, like information about your real life outside of selling feet pics.

I use a pseudonym, and to my knowledge, no one who has bought pictures from me has ever tried to find me under my real name.

It's different than OnlyFans, where people develop parasocial relationships with creators

People don't really ask for anything from me other than feet pictures. It's really a business transaction. It's not uncommon for me to go check on a past customer only to see that they deleted their account. I can't say for sure, but I feel like they get embarrassed or perhaps feel guilty for indulging in something seen as weird or taboo.

Sometimes I feel guilty and wonder if I'm taking advantage of people. It almost feels like the equivalent of a gambling problem, and I wonder if I'm preying on people's weaknesses. However, the guilt only lasts for a moment, because then I think of how my clients are adults who are actively seeking people who sell feet pictures out. All I'm doing is providing the service.

I don't really have set prices for buyers, but people pay more for videos versus photos

Sometimes I'll offer pictures for a cheaper price, like $5, because then people tend to buy more of them and I end up making more than if I sold single pictures for a higher amount. You just have to feel it out.

Some buyers have specific requests (like one who asked me to walk barefoot in Walmart and take a video of it). To see how much they're willing to pay, I'll ask things like "How much is this video worth to you?" I've even had people ask me to ship them dirty socks but I haven't done that. 

If you're thinking of selling feet pictures online and want to stay safe or anonymous, I recommend keeping walls around your identity — like by using a pseudonym and a VPN. As long as you're being safe, it can be a lucrative and relatively easy side hustle.