Video Mystery Shopping

I haven't done any yet, don't have any equipment but looking to add in these types of shops in 2017, what type of equipment do you all have?

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Do NOT just go on line and shop for a bargain. The MS industry standard for video is the PV-500 as supplied by Greyhawk Video.

You can find that model other places but it will probably be shipped with an inadequate camera of audio system.

Please do a search of the forums for "video equipment" and read, read, read. Expect to pay about $400 for an adequate starter system.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

Just like Wales said. And Grayhawk is the way to go. A great idea would be to go to one of the IMSC conferences with video workshops. Dan will most likely be there and usually offers equipment at a discount.

The VidoPro conference in May 2017 would be a great place to learn about video shopping, network with shoppers, MSP and Grayhawk will be there.

Not my circus - Not my monkeys @(*.*)@

~Polish Proverb~

Where is the VidoPro conference in May 2017, and what would we do there? Thank you, Night Owl at 3:32 pm.

VideoCon17 will be held in Colorado Springs on May 2 and 3. Information is available at VideoCon17.com
Greyhawk Video is a sponsor and will be there with some exceptional pricing on video equipment. Early Bird pricing is in effect until 12/31/2016 and payment isn't due until 1/31/2017.

ok great thank you for all the information. When I am filling out the various profiles for new companies (i have stuck with Marketforce and Sinclair and recently Second to None for the last 5 years) now I am really trying to reach out and learn more and do different shops other then the same ol same ol but I do see a lot of the PV 500. p.s. i am new to this board so i'm learning the ropes here!

bowling,
Welcome! If you want tons of choice in what shops are available to you sign up with 50 to 100 or more MSCs. At the foot of each page here you will see a list of legitimate MSCs. Just a few minutes per week and you will be getting lots of new offers. There is a huge variety of assignments beyond what your original MSCs can offer.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

I am racking my brain right now but one MSC that I recently registered with ships you the equipment to use on your shop and you ship it back when you are done. I thought that would be a good training method. They train you and provide the equipment! Plus pay me to do it! BONUS--

I've been over my lists but cannot identify who it was.

Anyone else heard of this?

EPMS will loan video equipment, I think.

But, most now expect the shopper to own their own rig. Expect to pay about $400 for a rig that meets MS video technical standards. Right now, the only vendor that most experienced video shoppers trust to supply the correct equipment and provide support is Dan Thomas of Greyhawk video. Both IMSC and MSPA are proud to have him present at their shopper education conferences.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

Another source for video equipment is LawMate America. I have purchased two complete systems (PV500-ECO and PV500-Lite3) from this company, and I had a good experience each time. (A "system" includes both DVR and 18BU camera.) The URL is: [www.pimall.com]. My latest system (PV-500 EVO2) came from Greyhawk. Dan was fun to talk to on the telephone. The prices were about the same at each vendor. I hope someday to attend a conference for the MSPA of the IMSC if they come closer to Houston, TX. :-)

Dandy,
Several folks have had recent problems with vendors representing themselves as "Lawmate," but who are not. The vendors then disappeared when problems arose.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

Thanks so much for all your help!!

This may be a dumb question but I'm noticing a lot of job boards if you will where multiple companies list their jobs but then you have to register through each individual company. Is there a difference or benefit to applying for shops through the big job board vs the individual company? For example I think it's MSjobboard, I registered through them to see the shops thinking it would be a good thing but then I had to individually register through sentury marketing and about face, are the same shops at both places? what do you all do? I can start a new thread or if there's advice elsewhere please point me in the right direction. Thanks bunch!!

bowling,
Please go to the New Mystery Shoppers area of the forum and read, read, read the first dozen or so topics. You do have to sign up with each MS company (MSC) that you want to work with. The are competitors of one another and do not just post to one big job board.

Most active shoppers are signed up with 50 or more. The very most active shoppers may sign up with 150 to 200 MSCs. Start with at least 10-12 and then add a few each week until you find out what kinds of shops you like the best.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

Thanks so much for your help!

Usually by the time MS Job Board hits my inbox the shops advertised in the email have all been taken. Not all MSCs are going to send notification emails anyway. It's best to sign up with as many MSCs as possible, and then for MSCs who don't send out notifications of shops, take note of which ones they are and cruise their website job boards frequently.

Greyhawk does offer a "lease-to-own" program if you want to try out a system. Dan Thomas also has some instructional videos you can watch to become more familiar with video shopping (https://www.facebook.com/GreyHawk-Video-Solutions-615552571878445/).

You can also try the Talon app on your smartphone (iPhone or Android) for video. However, this type of video shopping is new. You can try it out and use it all your want but only a few video shopping companies will accept the work from there. If wanting to use this for actual video work, be sure to check the shop description to make sure it SPECIFICALLY mentions that Talon is acceptable. Grace Hill and Eagle Eye has some of these and I saw on Ace that Talon is coming (and they have a certification test for it). Even on those companies, the app will only be allowed on certain clients so be careful to check the shop offer description.

Shopping across Indiana but mostly around Indianapolis.

I have been doing the Talon jobs now that I have moved. They pay good and they are easy to do. I hope they get more jobs soon.

Hello all! I've been mystery shopping for four years and am ready to take the plunge into video. I love this forum and appreciate all the valuable information. This is my first post so far. I was curious if anyone else plans on attending VideoCon17? I've never been to a conference but thinking of mystery shopping my butt off to get to Videocon and possibly Vegas later this year. I also plan on attending the basic video certification class on May 1, but not sure if I should already have my own equipment or if they offer hands-on with theirs? Thanks to all of the great information on this forum I contacted Dan at Greyhawk and intend to purchase the starter kit from him, just don't know if I should purchase prior to the conference or wait til then.

I have heard great things about video con. And, I love the IMSC conferences and will be there in November. They have a separate fee for 1 day of basic video, either the day before or the day after the IMSC conference, because it is not IMSC that actually does that training. Also, Dan offers a discount on video equipment bought AT the IMSC conference.

I am not sure that you will meet any more video MS schedulers at VideoCon than at IMSC, since all of the top ones go to both as far as I have heard.

My advice about VideoCon is to contact Jeff through that site and ask him about the need to have your own equipment for that training. He also does the training the day before/after the November IMSC conference, I think, so you might want to think about traveling to that one and save a lot on airfare, hotels and the trip from Denver to Colorado Springs, which is expensive, not matter how you do it.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

When applying for Video training at VideoCon you will be asked if you have your own equipment.

Thanks for the replies! I have emailed the training company, hopefully Jeff, to ask if I should have the equipment already. Agreed, walesmaven, that Colorado would be a costly trip, but I've always wanted to go there! Plus I would be driving, 18 hours lol so I've got some thinking to do.

Lawmate America does not have a web site. The guy that runs that site is just a dealer for Lawmate. My feeling is that anyone who would mislead you like that cannot be trusted. Stick with Dan at Greyhawk. He will go the extra mile for you and will never exaggerate (lie) to make a sale. In my experience, his prices are better than anyone else (if you let him know you are a mystery shopper). Don't compare prices listed on the web site. Contact Dan and ask for the code for a shopper discount.

You do not need to have equipment for the basic video class. You DO need to have equipment for the advanced video class. Both are being offered at VideoCon17. You will need to have completed 20 video shops to take the advanced class. Details are available at VideoCon17.com. The classes are discounted at this conference.

Thanks for the info!

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