It appears that some MSC don't tell you if there are shops in your area until you sign up. However, I am still having problems finding them, even after you take the time to sign up. You have to put in cc info and banking info to find out there's no way to put in your zip in to find out what is in my area! Is there any way to find out if they even have shops in your area, before waisting your time to find out they have nothing closer than 100 miles. Shadow Shoppers even gives you this plus part of the job description. Any help? Thanks!

Carolyn

Until you sign up with a mystery shopping company and sign their Independent Contractor Agreement (ICA), which usually includes a confidentiality agreement, most companies will not disclose the names or locations of their clients to you.

If you want to get an idea of recent jobs in your area, you might try JobSlinger. The jobs posted on JobSlinger are probably old, and I doubt you would get any assignments, but it would give you an idea of companies that had recent jobs in your area and you could sign up with those.

I found it more time-effective, when I was starting out, to go down the list and sign up with all the companies on the list. After signing up, I could look at their job boards and see who had which jobs in what areas. Some had jobs in my area and some did not. But, just because a company does not have a job in your area right now does not mean they will not have clients in your area next week, next month, or next year. Some of my best assignments have been with companies who had no jobs in my area when I signed up - but they suddenly got a big client - and I was signed up and ready.

It does seem like wasted time to apply and to then learn the company has no assignments posted in your area, but, on the other hand, the time spent is time invested in your small business. Most small businesses spend time advertising their services and following leads that ultimately do not result in a job.

There's JobSlinger, but it is by far not a complete view of shops in your area. There's that whole pesky ICA thing, so most aren't going to just post client info and MSC, until you have signed up with them, and signed the ICA agreeing to confidentiality.

Also, it's a good idea to sign up with as many as possible, even if they currently don't have any work in your area. MSCs gain/swit change clients all the time, so by signing up with them, you'll be one of the first to know when/if there is any new work through them in your area.

Also, I have never put in any CC information.

Short answer - think longer term and jobslinger.

It definitely is frustrating when you sign up with a company and immediately check their job board only to find few if any jobs within 100 miles. I've been there many times and probably will do so again. However, that one view is merely a snapshot into the world of opportunities. As such I have found it can be misleading. Jobs are typically posted all at once, often around first of the month. As they they are assigned, they gradually disappear from the board. When the next round is posted the job board is suddenly repopulated like a blooming meadow in the spring. If that company has jobs in your area you can find them by peering in at the job board at different times. You can become familiar with the schedule for posting jobs from each company or each client. Also, you now have access to emails from the new company that will often announce new postings or even bonuses for harder to fill shops. What I have done is to sign up for good companies and go from there. A little patience can go a long way.

Jobslinger is by far the best of several sources that match shoppers with companies that have shops in their area. It lists jobs from the 60 or so Sassie companies and groups them in one website. I find the free version of Jobslinger is sufficient.

Good luck!

Credit card information? I've never given an MSC credit card information. Banking info is only needed for direct deposit; an email address for Paypal.

Use the job board on the MSPA site and Jobslinger to start with. You can search by zip code and find some companies in your area that way. Then start adding companies. Add five or ten a week if you can. Search here for information on them if you want before signing up. And don't delete any accounts if you sign up and they don't have jobs in your area. They might not this week, but they might next month or a year from now.

Jobslinger is great but don't be afraid to tackle the list of MSCs on here too. There is also a new site (to me anyway) I've used since January called MS Job Board. Not every MSC is on Jobslinger and I've missed out on assignments in my area by not expanding the ways I check for work. I know it's a pain when you sign up only to find out the MSC doesn't have jobs in your area (for me it is often my country). You just have to keep signing up, keep looking!

I would recommend too if you have a smartphone (e.g. Android) to download the SASSIE shop notifier. It will list all notifications from the MSCs you signed up with using the same email address.

To the OP ~ I am in agreement with the others. I have never been asked to give out my credit card information EXCEPT for the basic questions of: Do you have a credit card? Do you have a {name of bank} credit card? I have never been asked for the actual credit card number.

You should never pay to get mystery shops. If they are asking for the cc info, it is most likely a scam. Since you have not mentioned ant client names, please tell us which company asked for your cc info. The more experienced shoppers may be able to tell you if they are a valid company or a possible scam. Good luck!

There is one I can think of (Satisfaction Services) that does ask for this info to sign up to be a rated shopper. This "special rating" has a fee attached. I do not pay this fee and they call me every month to give me shops. The ones they give me are great shops. You do not need to be a paid member even for this one. The basic guideline is that the MSC's should be paying you to do work for them and question if it is the other way around.