It is certainly not profitable in the beginning: (I love shopping
but here goes)
1. New shoppers don't likely take into account: gas, ink, time reporting, time executing, cost out of pocket to pay for the shop, the long wait to be reimbursed, so 2 months feels like forever for some...
f\Failed shops, sometimes you take a loss, if your shop is rejected. Everything you did for that shop feels like you wasted your time and money, all the effort you spent.
If you can get past this and watch your bank account grow (open an account specifically for mystery shopping) I saw $20 turn into $1,000 and there you see your efforts.
Another thing new shoppers should consider: Your taxes. Even if you write off everything, (to each his own on taxes) I for one, make payments to the IRS throughout the year. That cost comes out of my pocket, out of my mystery shopping. So, new shoppers, if you earn $8,000 in 2015, don't forget to figure in taxes. How each shopper deducts costs and etc, is his/her own concern. Just saying you should figure out what you "might" owe the IRS and make payments throughout the year, as necessary .