For those of you who have taken the MSPA Video Shopping I &II ---

1. Was it worth your time and cost?
2. Did you recover the cost in shop income quickly?

There is one being held in Sacramento, CA in April that I am considering.

For all who video shop --

1. Do you enjoy it?
2. Do you get a lot of assignments? I haven't seen many assignments posted in my area.
3. What are the pros and cons?

Thanks in advance for any helpful input!

I took the training originally sponsored by the big video shopping companies. It involved three days of travel and was well worth it when the video companies were all given my name so offers started coming in quickly. I don't know if the MSPA training does that and for some reason I want to say a couple of the video shopping companies are not even MSPA members. There are some other options for training that you might want to check into and compare before committing. My first month video shopping paid for my camera, my trip/training and video shirts. Personally, I love video shopping and wish I could do it exclusively. Many more companies are posting video shops on boards, but there are still some you will not see.

Ditto. I too love video, although I have to admit once in a while it's nice to relax and not have to worry about equipment failures, etc. I have not taken any formal training; I did take a certification course online and if there was a cost to take it, it was nominal. I have purchased 3 cameras, 1 DVR, and 3 video shirts and my first month or so of work covered all of that.

Pros: better pay, shorter reports (generally speaking)
Cons: upfront/replacement costs, equipment failure, not all MSCs doing video yet so not as much work....YET

I say, go for it. You can usually lease/borrow the equipment from an MSC to get started and to see if it's a good fit for you. If you do decide to take the plunge, buying the whole setup together (DVR, camera, buttons, etc) is usually cheaper than buying them separately, but be prepared to spend about $700 depending on where you get it.

Thanks for the helpful input. If the equipment fails, is the shop completely rejected and negatively affects your shopper rating? How do you send the video to the MSC? I would assume the file would be too large to attach to any system. Does it get uploaded to an ftp site????

Obviously if for some reason your video is unusable you will not be paid for a shop, however the better video MSCs understand that stuff happens. Upload is dependent on the MSC. FTP, Dropbox, and Sendfile are the most common but I've worked with a couple of MSCs that have their own upload tool built into their website.

FileZilla is one FTP program that is widely used. And yes, if the equipment fails, you will not be paid. I have had some sort of equipment failure twice, maybe 3 times? Many of the video schedulers do video themselves, and everyone has had a failed video for one reason or another. So while they understand and commiserate, they still can't pay you for an unusable video.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/30/2015 12:27PM by chigirl777.

FileZilla = FTP
FileZilla is just a program (one of many) you use for ftp, much like Internet Explorer is a program you use for web.

As I recall, the second part of the MSPA video training could not be taken when the first part was being taken. Has that changed?

IMSC will offer video training the day after the November conference in LV. Kathy from Clear Evaluation (who is THE best) will do the training.

The email notice I received about the course indicates that Part I and II are conducted on the same day and there is not an option to take only one.

@walesmaven wrote:

Kathy from Clear Evaluation (who is THE best) will do the training.

True statement about Kathy regarding almost anything, not just training.

Video shopping schedulers are the most understanding when you've made every effort to deliver a usable shop. Batteries die, button cameras short out or we end up filming the ceiling. Most will try everything possible to use your shop. I've had the cam short resulting in several spots with a blank screen and no sound. I've also had a battery die within minutes of starting a shop and I was lucky enough to notice, change batteries and only lose a few minutes. In both cases those shops were used and I was paid. There are other clients and MSCs where it wouldn't have been the case and they would have sent in another shopper. There is always talk of the higher fees paid for video. Remember that balances out with the higher expenses for equipment and travel. It's all about risk versus reward.

Adding to what Lisa said about risk vs reward....

With video there is zero risk that the target or client can successfully claim that the shopper did not follow the guidelines when the shopper did follow them. Also, yes, the video MSCs will really go to bat for the shopper. More and more, the video MSCs are insisting that the client fully pay the shopper when the client's own information casued the target to be MIA when the shopper arrives or when the location is locked up when it was supposed to be open. (Yes, the shopper may be required to wait for a reasonable time or to return somewhat later in the day, but if that does not work, many video MSCs will now insist that the client ante up full pay, not just a trip charge.) Also, any video scheduler worth her salt will answer the phone and provide guidance and/or permission to shop an alternative target when the original target is reported MIA by the shopper. Most video MSCs provide the shopper with written, very specific guidelines concerning these situation and will insist that the shopper be compensated when those guidelines have been adhered to.

(And, yes, in ten years of video I have had exactly one male scheduler, who also personally trained me. He was wonderful, but he was both the first scheduler I had and the last male ever sighted in video scheduling land.)

Lisa - are you referring to training with Video Shopping pros? [www.videoshoppingpros.com]

I also found [www.videoshoppingnetwork.org] and was wondering which training you did. Thank you

Neither. My training was with the now defunct Undercover Essentials. The program was sponsored by the major video MSCs and conducted by a highly experienced shopper. At the time it was easy enough since loaned cameras were extremely rare and UE training was the only one offered. With several options for training my inclination would be to compare costs and benefits. I would spend a few extra bucks for training that immediately offered me a recommendation to all the major video companies.

The training at the IMSC conference location in November offers immediate referral to major video MSCs. Also, by attending the IMSC conference before the training, you will be able to meet owners and schedulers from several of the most active video MSCs and many active video shoppers. (Informal evening seminars happen in the conference hotel bar!) Attendees also get discounts on the purchase of video equipment through an IMSC exclusive arrangement with the most prominent supplier.

I am not compensated in any way by any of the organizations or individuals mentioned here by me.

Thanks Walesmaven.

Thanks Lisa