Mystery Shopping Companies

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I have had a great time being a mystery shopper for the past two years. I have done well over three hundred shops in that time, I work with six different agencies, and my box stays filled with offers, as well as my phone is ringing since I will travel at least 50 miles. I get paid for my gas, and travel. It is great.
nodrama_mama1@yahoo.com

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It is incorrect to state that you dont have to claim the money unless over 599.99, and you may be loosing out if you dont. It is true that a company does not have to issue you a 1099-MISC which is reported to the IRS, unless the amount is $600 or more. However, the business deductions you are loosing out on, such as a portion of your internet, office supplies, mileage deductions--$.445 for 2006 and .485 for 2007, portion of any long distance telephone, cost of your computer-which is required to find and file most jobs, the purchases if required, can really help to reduce your taxable income. It's best to check with a tax professional.

I agree with most things that are said here, the only thing that i would reccomend against is not reporting your income. There are benefits of working for yourself, you just have to kkep records like, milage, expenses, I use excell for my record keeping, and a palm pilot to keep track of the jobs.

The list above is great and I plan to use it and register with as many companies as I can.

ive looked at the list i didnt see anywhere to shop in my area how do i get started?

Laura,

The only way to see if a company shops your area is to register with them. I am registered with about 75 companies and only about 25 of them work in my area.

Mike

Yes, report your income. People who are self-employed get audited by the IRS more than others. My husband and I, while also having other jobs from time to time, have been audited twice in 25 years. The first time, IRS backed down, but the second time, my husband had actually overlooked something he sold. It set us back paying IRS. Remember this if you are tempted to cheat. We didn't cheat, and we still had to pay.

Hello, everyone,

I love Shop'n Chek. They nearly always have jobs in my area, they are easy to work with, their website is easy to maneuver, and their Help Desk answers after hours. They even have something to click on if I want to change the date of my shop.

Does anyone know how to contact A Cut Above? I used to work for them in the days when everything wasn't computerized. One of you mentioned them the other day, but I can't find them on the Internet and only pay stub I kept doesn't have their address?

Which companies do phone shops? I know about Corporate Research and Business Evaluation Services, but I never find any on their websites. I would like to have some phone shops for those times when I can't get away from my regular job except for a short lunch, or I have to travel to something personal. I did phone shops for a company years ago and liked it, but now I can't remember which one. They probably don't have the same contract anyway.

Thank you.

[www.a-cutabove.com]

i agree CRI pays low and they expect a lot. A lot of papers that have to be downloaded. And this cost a lot on ink for the printer. They don't pay for your gas but if you are ask or requested by them to do a job for them, they might increase your rate by 1 to 2 dollars. Then it is up to you if you will take it or not. Shopnchek would ask if you spend on tolls or parking, they will reimburse that. Thank you for all the old and new shoppers who share their views here. It helped a lot.

I get a lot of those emails that say they need to deposit money into my account and i get to keep 10%or 30% of that large check or sometimes they say they are money orders my sister got ripped off like that over some money orders they came by ups and they looked real the post office cashed two of the eight there was ten of them for 9000 her bank cashed two but they put her checking account over draft when they came back flase.but she was able to pay her accont off because she never mailed them any of the money she just put the money back into her acccont and all was find thy are looking for these sites at the bbb.

I am brand new to shawdow shoppers and they seem terrific. I am so impressed with the service from Jacob. The supportive e-mails have been very much appreciated. This list is awesome for a new and excited mystery shopper like myself!
Thank you

Thanks for listing GapBuster WorldWide.

The correct url for GapBuster Mystery Shopping is:

www.gapbuster.com

and NOT gapbusterS.

I am signed with approximately 30 companies.
The lists that have been provided are excellent.
Apply to all of them, so what if they don't shop in your area, don't keep looking at their shops, just go with the companies that do have shops in your area.
I jumped in a year ago and tried to go full time but scheduling is a major issue to consider. I know I could have made more money but we only had one vehicle which made it difficult to complete more shops.
Also watch for when the companies post new shops. Some are on the first, some a week before and others as they get them. Learn when they come out to beat the veterans who are sitting there waiting to apply.
Another thing I have noticed is some companies will pay bonuses towards the end of the month. Most veteran shoppers it appears will not shop for the regular rates and will wait until they post the bonus. It works if you're willing to run the last week of the month, you can at least double your monthly income in one week. You also have to know when the veterans are going to take the job so you can apply before them.

I been with with BestMark for about a month i like it ,i hope i can find many more so i may quite , one of my job.

Agree completely with 817franks – sign up with as many as you can but then just look at the ones offering assignments in your area.
If you’ve signed up with a company that doesn’t have any shops in your area currently you’ll probably get an email from them letting you know when they do.

Thanks Jacob for the excellent lists – I spent a few hours this week signing up with all the listed SASSIE companies and found a few more companies offering assignments in my area.

It does take time getting started and the different companies have different reporting criteria. Thoroughly reading the instructions is so important. If a job offers a low bonus then it’s probably easy and a good one to cut your teeth on. Higher paying jobs always seem more attractive but there are usually more complicated to shop and report.

I would like to earn an extra $300.00 to $400.00 a month and I do not want to pay somebody in order for me to do this in my spare time. I like to go out to eat and shopping and I love to travel as well. I live in the Quad Cities.

After reading all of the comments, it would seem this is a pretty risky way of making money, rather play the market. I also feel it is not prudent these days to post SS#'s and bamk account numbers for anyone to view. If I do a job, then a check that is valid should be mailed to me directly and then a 1040 completed for their taxes and not on-line. Too much security breaches and ID theft as is.

If anyone has a comment to share with me and wants to help me to see that I may be wrong about the risk invloved, please let me know.

Be wary of the websites that claim to have the top 10 mystery shopping companys.
I've checked with the "work at home consumer protection website", www.wahwatchdog.org/ and out of the top 10, four of them were graded the worst
by consumers. This website posts reviews,shares your feedback, and even helps
resolve disputes.

Has anyone shopped for Pacific Research?
One of their clients is Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. I signed up and because I really don't care for KK I wasn't going to do the jobs. They called me and talked me into it and even offered me a bonus for the driving distance. The report is 114 questions long and requires detail comments for any no answer, plus 21-30 photographs.
The first assignment I did took me around 2 hours to complete on site with another hour at least submitting the report online and photographs. My pay was to be $30 plus $10.71 for the required purchase. My total invoice $40.71. It takes 6-8 weeks to be paid.
I checked the online status of my invoice and they have deducted points for the report and have reduced my pay to a total of $23.71.
I shopped for them again in July but that report is still in editing so no telling what they will do to it.
I submitted photographs required plus every NO response photograph and then one month later they deduct from what they owe me.
I would NOT recommend anyone shop for Pacific Research.

I don't blame you.

People always seem to recognize that gas is an expense that cuts into your pay. Most people realize that we run up a small bill on office supplies, especially if you don't have a scanner.

One more expense to consider; Paypal takes a percentage of what is deposited in your account. I didn't go to the site to look up the percentage, but it is posted prominently. And Paypal reports to the IRS, over $600, at least it does for eBay, who owns Paypal. Check it out, for you would be evaders.

Another thing to consider.

Paypal doesnt report over 600.00 to the IRS. I alway keep 800.00 in my paypal account and they have never reported me to the irs. I know because I work for paypal.

Hi: I want to get started with a reputable company and this seems like one. Contact me at lavonnecooper@yahoo.com

AND, PayPal does NOT take a percentage or charge a fee of any kind as long as you have them transfer the money that you want directly into your bank account. I know, because I just did it.

If you have one of their cards and can withdraw money at the ATM, they charge $1 per transaction (like MOST Banks). If you want them to send you a check, they charge $1.50 to cover mailing and processing expenses.

To the general work force, I am physical disabled. I have been a mystery shopper for about one year now and it fulfills a great need, plus allows me to have the freedom to choose what jobs I will or will not do. It is a great way to cut down on expenses and help you be a part of something that is very useful to these companies. I have signed up many friends and family members to mystery shop as well. I'm a lifer for mystery shopping!

Great list, Jacob. Unfortunately, not all companies have jobs available in all areas/states. I have been shopping for about 15 months and am signed with ~400 companies. But living in a rural area of Appalachia, I find that I regularly do jobs for only about 12 companies. I still wade through all the emails I receive, but I delete 95% of them.

I wish... but, no, that's for another forum.

I have had some experience with a number of these companies. Consumer Research is one of the hardest to work with because they do expect a lot for very little and they are quick to lower your rating if you run into trouble and can't complete an assignment. I am looking for the companies that pay enough to where you can make some money. It's difficult with gas costs the way they are. I am disabled and trying to support a family, and this so far has not been a profitable venture. I have cut way back and I am looking for a full time job so that I can make ends meet. Anyone who knows of companies thatpay enough to make it worthwhile to shop for them please let me know about them. I also would like to find some survey companies that have and pay out on paid surveys rather than having you spend money to make money. In the long run this just ends up costing more than you make.

Jacob, I read all of your information but my experiences are not good. I'm getting really down about mystery shopping. I guess I need a little more info from someone who has been successful at this. Is there any way that I could talk to you directly?

Thanks

BobW,

I have found out that working for several different companies and scheduling more than one shop a day helps the pay. Like the other day, I did a gas staion one for Texaco and then went to Sonic for lunch. I got paid a total of $22.00 for both of these shops that took a little over an hour, put some gas in my car and fed my tummy. It takes a lot of organization on your part to time these shops like this. I carry a planner with me at all times and when I check my e-mail, it is beside me with all my shops, locations and times written down. I shop for 32 companies and it takes some time to get organized, but I finally have and it is paying off. Yesterday, I went to 3 gas stations, one of out town but only 28 miles away and an office supply store and made $44.00. Not to bad. Be sure to pick and choose your shops. E-mail me at sassylmk@msn.com and I will give you a few of the best companies to work for.

Start out for FREE by registering yourself with the various Mystery Shopping Companies. They have a good list here, at volition.com, at walletboosters.com and on the MSPA site at mysteryshop.org (among other places) and they're all free.

There are some 500 or so companies, so it may seem like an "insurmountable" task to register with even a hundred of them. But, if you just dedicate yourself to registering with just 3-5 companies per day, after your first month, you'll be registered with nearly that...and registration can, and should, be an "on-going" thing until you're so busy that you don't want to get more offers.

And, Kitchens, you're absolutely correct. The best way to make any money is to "bundle" at least 3 or 4 shops in the same general area together. I know a shopper who does as many as 10-12 shops on the same day. I also know of others who schedule 100 shops, or more, together and make a "road trip" out of it. Too much reporting all at once for me. I like up to just 4-6 at a time...especially when they're bonused at month's end...4 shops last month, $115 in fees!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/19/2007 03:47PM by nwazshopper.

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