Is it possible to support yourself entirely by mystery shopping, and does anyone here do that? How much does/would one have to shop in order to support one's self entirely, and is there a lot of travelling involved? I'd be interested to hear some stories! I'm not considering it myself, but I'm curious!

Do a search for "full time" and you will probably find some of the past threads on this topic....

Thanks, that's very helpful.

From personal experience, you can't really earn much from this. I did extensive shopping years ago. I probably made $1,600 a month, but I was using up a lot of mileage on my car. Up to 20,000 miles in one year. I claimed them on my taxes. I spent a lot on gas too back then circa 2000-2004 gas was cheaper. Today with the price of gas it would be not be beneficial for me to drive long distances. Plus shops back then paid higher than today. 5 dollar shops were not as common back in the day as they are today. I did 10 dolar shops and above. The most profitable ones were from companies like EPMS and S&G Marketing and Pinkerton. Some shops were paid 40 dollars. Maybe someone else has a better answer than I do. In fact, I'll check that recommmended thread myself. Also I remember my net earnings with deductions on my tax forms came out out between 11,000-13,000. You can't possibly live with that.

Dear Broke - Possible, but highly unlikely. Very slim chance. This works better as extra income.

MDavis,
What do you think of the DFW market? Is there a lot to offer or is it mostly $5-10 jobs here and there? I haven't taken the jump yet - just gathering information. When I do, I'm applying with the three Flash suggested to learn the ropes. Thanks!

I believe there is a huge amount of work available if you're interested in shopping the complete metroplex (Dallas, Tarrant and all contiguous counties). If you are willing to take all types of jobs, you will find multiple offers every day. I hear about high paying shops, but frankly I rarely see them. I had a total of 32 last year that paid $25.00 or more (not counting reimbursements). That's out of a total of 591. However, I don't do video shopping or apartments, which would have increased the number of better offers. Fine dining shops don't appeal to me because I can't put a $75.00 meal in the bank, and I won't write the report to get the meal. You, on the other hand, might love those shops and they would greatly increase your offers and fees.

Chances are you can work as much as you want. The problem is going to be getting paid a decent amount to do the work after you clear your expenses. This is not a good choice if you are able to get and hold down a full time job with benefits. This is a good choice if you want to pick and choose your jobs, control your own schedule, and work alone without supervision. I don't recommend this for regular full time employment. It's just too hard and it pays too little. If you have other income and you're looking for some extra income, this can be great.

I failed to address the question about the $5 - $10 shop pay. I don't think you will have a problem averaging $12 - $15 in shop fees. Key concerns with any shop are (1) what does it pay and (2) how much time is involved? Sometimes a cheapie quickie shop will be a lot better deal than one that pays more but requires enough time to be a career. Here's the nitty gritty question to ask yourself: Are you willing to work really hard for not much money because you like the tradeoffs?