I have been with three really high paying agencies for over two years. I have made enough money to pay my bills, without burning a lot of gas. When I started there was no time in which to complete the jobs by, that is the only draw back at this time. But since I fill out my reports on line, I now am considered a skilled shopper, and my supervisors call me at the home day or night to complete my shops and especially when they need someone for the next day, or someone on the spot to go somewhere that is far.
Goldengirl

Did you have to pay to get started? Also could you help me with a good agencies.

Thank you,
kasnhas@aol.com

I am frustrated with the low paying mystery shopping companies like Corporate Research...My time is worth more than a $5.00 0r so pay with having to make a purchase of anywhere from $3.00 to $10.00, even though I am paid for this as well.
That means I do a shopping job for anywhere from $6.00 (including reimbursement) to $12.00 (including reimbursement).

Many times I don't have the $1.00 to make a purchase so I pass up jobs...

If companies want us shoppers to make purchases, they should send us prepaid cards that we can either use for our purchase(s) or take to an ATM and get the cash to use for purchase(s). We have to show receipts anyway to show we did the shop so what would it hurt for shopping companies to send us payment for the purchases prior to the shop date?

One company, Service Experts, I think it was does just this. They sent me a prepaid card for a ski rental shop. It was cool, easy and fun. ANd I was paid $15.00 for the shop! I will definately work for this company again!

And what is with us shoppers having to pay to get a job in the first place?
That is stupid. If most of us shoppers had the xtra money to spend, we would buy something for ourselves, our homes and/or our families.. Wouldn't we?

I have found that the better paying shopping jobs want shoppers to pay first before they will give us a decent paying shop/job.

And Secret Shopper site wants you to pay to get a better paying job and a Gold or Silver level paying job(s). Our level of payment, if we must earn a better paying job(s), should be based on the # of shops we do and the quality of our reports..Not because we paid into a higher level..

Do you agree?

I have been shopping on and off for over 10 yeras and I have yet to find a steady income with a single or several shopping companies that don't require perpaid levels or pay out first to be reimbursed jobs...

What shopping companies don't reqiure a purchase or a pay in to get a better paid and quality shopping job?

denise_biers@yahoo.com

I do not believe it would be lucrative for companies to pay in advance. This is the Internet and they don't know us until we work for them a while. I have only been doing this for just over a year and I have seen the price of jobs go down and not up. I believe this is because there are more shoppers than jobs. I also believe there are more shoppers who think they can make a quick buck instead of being willing to do the work required to make real money. Since this is something I do in my spare time I never look at the hourly rate because it would not be worth doing. Instead, I look at the extra money I make each month and I try to only do jobs for places I would go anyway. There are a few companies out there which pay squat. As an independent contractor, I have the option of turning those jobs down. There was a time when I believe someone could do this and make a real living but today I think the market is flooded and it would be impossible to try to count on this as anything more than extra cash.

I work a fulltime job for a company, and I have work the hours before I get paid. I have been doing mystery shopping for about 3 years and the only time I got anything up front was when I did a greyhound station and I had to buy a ticket and they send me a check up front, but I had been working for them for over a year. I still had to send in the receipt. I dont believe that are more shoppers then jobs, because my email is full of jobs right now that I dont have time for. if i didnt need the benefits or the insurance I would do this full time. I go to florida about 2 times a year and i also will do shops in the area that I am at.

I am looking for some new mystery shopping companies.

Looking for some high paying jobs.

You should should look for real estate shops for better pay. Apartment leasing scenarios seem to pay pretty good.

I found that Martiz is a good company as well as NRG.

Jacob Jans , 3/14/2007 Wednesday
President
Jacob Question Could give me personal attention on this Mystery Shopping because this my first Expierence with you Positionand personally dont want to do a Bad Review.

Could there be a Rep in the area in am in to possible do a little Coaching
by a personal contact or by the phone consverationthank you
231-878-2796 cel between 9:00am to 7:30 pm
if itis possible and ok give me a name and a phone numberorCallme at my numberor
Emailaddress: lonedriver04@yahoo.com

One method of getting higher paying jobs is to wait the companies out. When they are nearing the end of the month, several of the companies I work for will raise the commissions on jobs that they are having trouble filling. Sometimes you can actually negotiate your commission. Denise N. mentioned Corporate Research, a company that I do a lot of work for. Many of the jobs they have are low paying and I am not wasting my time on jobs that pay less than 10.00, so I just wait to see what happens. I recently got some very high paying jobs from them because they had no other takers. I got two 35.00 jobs and one 50.00 job from them. I live in a very rural area and while there are hundreds of jobs up north, I am three hours downstate from there. When companies have jobs in less populated areas, they sometimes don't have a lot of shoppers in these areas and so I get a lot of phone calls and emails saying WILL YOU HELP? Generally, they are willing to increase the pay rate substantially by that time.

The most basic thing you can do is to apply at a lot of companies. Find a list of companies such as the one at Volition.com, read the descriptions of what the companies do and what their area of influence is. Don't waste your time applying if you live out East and the company mainly covers Western states. You are going to apply perhaps to some companies that you never or only rarely hear from. That's OK, just keep applying. Do not PAY to shop! If I lived in a more populated area, I would mystery shop full time and probably make reasonable living at it. I do pretty good anyway, even here in the end of nowhere. Another helpful idea is to read every forum (such as this) for hints from shoppers about companies and ways to shop more successfully. Mystery shopping will not make you rich. You have to work hard at it because it will not just fall into your lap. You have to research companies and look all the time for better jobs. Don't be afraid to ask for higher commissions, all they can say is no. Cindy

I would really appreciate a list of good paying mystery agencies. Cookie

I think the best cvompanies are Shopnchek, Bestmark, Gapbuster and service intelligence. I hope that help the ones that are looking for good companies.

I noticed that a lot people responded to the person that wanted info. on good mystery shopping companies that pay well. However, you didn't provide the lady with any companies.

Here are a list of good paying companies for the young lady that asked:
Ellis Property Management
SpeedmarkVision
Maritz Research
Shopperscritique
Feedback Plus
BestMark

I hope these will assist you. Good luck.

Marie

in my state there are very few Good paying job.
in mystery shopper companies, so we keeping trying until you find a good one.
it seen we are all in the same boat.

I agree with Cindy on Corporate Research. Their commissions seem to go up each week, even though it's only a slight amount each week. If you wait it out, they can get to be high commission. I too, am in a more rural area. They've offered $40 to do gas shops since no one is able. The only thing is with waiting is that someone may snatch them up. Just is a matter of how much you need the extra money or free items/food offered. I negotiate with them every month on the some commissions. I can accept for less than a certain amount to make it worthwhile to drive 30 miles one way, plus file the report at home. They seem to accomodate that, being the rural area I'm in.

I try to schedule more shops in one trip to make it worth while. I do this as a supplemental income and can make $300-$500 per month.

Happy shopping everyone....

Just getting started and would like good paying mystery agencies and any other helpful advice for newcomers.

Linda

I work for DSGai alot doing either Sonic shops or cell phone shops. These are available everywhere I go so they 'pay the gas' for my other shops. If I am doing 3 shops in town for example, I add on a Sonic and get my lunch reimbursed plus the $6.00 for my gas.

goldengirl,

I have found that bestmark pays pretty well, I do 1 or 2 casino shops, in Atlantic City NJ and they pay $75.00 each and reimburse for the required purchase.

Mike

I too live in a rural area,(a newbie)new shopper and travel distance is from 25 to 100 mile one way. It is not profitable for me to do $0.00 to $10.00 shops. Are there Companys/shops out there with more pay/more hours worked. If so Please let me know. HELP

As long as there are shoppers willing to do $5 shops, there will be $5 shops. A company is not going to pay more than they have to. My favorite companies are Shopn'Chek, Trendsource, Certified Reports, Service Intellegence and Second To None. Good Luck!

After reading the many replies to this subject, I feel more confident about Corporate Research International and the game plan- if we all waited these shops out as I do we all would be paid more money. I caught on to this after checking the available shops everyday, the prices do go up around the 10th of the month and continue to climb. If you can hold out until the end of the month when they begin to be desperate for shoppers the shops that started out at $4.00 will be $20.00 and up. Lets all get together and show them that we need more money!!!!

I am registered with approximately 90 companies. I have been Mystery Shopping for close to a year and I do not play the wait it out game. I live in an area where there are a lot of shop postings, and I believe a lot of shoppers. When I first started I used to look for shops on a daily basis, it has gotten to the point that I don't even have time to search for jobs anymore. I usually get 60-70 posting daily. Several companies have called me on the phone to fill shops because no one else took those shops. I have done "crunch" shops to help the scheduler and it has been to my benefit.

I think a big part of success in finding the good paying jobs, not agencies, is in being willing to take on some of the lower paying jobs. I will not turn my nose up on the lower paying jobs because I know that they will lead to the higher paying jobs. I have decided to not be a Mystery Shopping snob. I did 5 shops on Thursday for 3 different companies. One company, Service Intelligence, was at crunch time so they made an offer to increase the pay based on the number of shops a person signed up for. I had other shops in those areas so it made sense for me to include 3 of their shops. Three shops originally paid $7 and I was able do them for $10 each because the schedulers had to meet their deadline.

Basically, I want to shop until I drop and don't have the time to wait the companies out for higher pay.

I just recently starting shopping for SEC. One has to certify for their clients and that does take a bit of time. I have also picked up some high paying shops from Imaginus, Checkmark, Ann Michaels, and A Closer Look.

I believe that the key is to register, register, register with a lot of companies.

I believe that taking the low paying shops will lead to being offered the higher paying shops. I think that I am establishing a reputation that says that I am reliable, meet deadlines, follow instructions, and that I am a team player. If I hadn't taken the lower paying jobs,the schedulers would not known about those aspects of my character.

We are very interested in becoming a Mystery Shopper. Please help me & my friend get started. We are excellent matured shoppers.

Hi Sally & Jane:-)
Here are my suggestions for getting started:

1. Open an email account to use for Mystery Shopping only.

2. Log onto PayPal and get a free account which is connected to your Mystery Shopping email address. Many companies pay through PayPal.

3. Go to Volition.com and look for Mystery shopping companies. You will find a massive list of companies you can register with for free. NEVER PAY ANYONE TO MYSTERY SHOP!!!! Some companies will want a narrative of your best or worst shopping experience. You can use a Word program to write and edit the same scenario and use it for as many companies who ask for one. Companies are looking for shoppers who can articulate well using proper spelling, punctuation and grammar. The more companies you register with the better your chances of finding work in your area.

4. Buy a big desk calendar and keep it next to your computer so you can keep track of your assignments. That way you do not overbook yourself and you can group assignments close to each other. Some companies will notify you via email when work is available in your area. Other companies will have job boards for you to check for work.

There are many other things you will need to do and you will learn as you go. The MSPA has a wonderful bulletin board with lots of information and you do not need to certify to join. Good Luck!

THEY DON'T HAVE ANY. NOW THAT I HAVE SAID THAT I WILL TELL YOU THAT I HAVE BEEN
LOOKING FOR ANY JOB THAT PAID AT LEAST $25.00 OR MORE. WITH GAS GONE FROM CAN GET TO SELL YOUR KIDNEY AND YOUR CHILD THE LEAST THE COMPANY COULD DO IS PAY FOR THE GAS. OR GIVE YOU UP TO A TANK OF GAS. I DON'T KNOW ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE BUT I
CAN'T LIVE OFF $5.00. I KNOW THAT WE DO A GOOD JOB AND THE WORK WE DO IS HELPING
THESE COMPANIES THAT IS WHY THEY WANT US TO DO IT. BUT I GUESS THEY TREAT US JUST LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE THAT WORK FOR THEM, LIKE DIRT UNDER THERE FEET.

WE DON'T WANT ALOT JUST A THANK YOU AND MAYBE A DISCOUNT COUPON ONCE AND AWHILE.

If the cost of gas is the issue sign up with Ritter and Associates, they pay $5.00 for the shop and up to $5.00 for a required gas purchase. I use them once in a while, but with the cost of gass, I will be using them more. You will have to schedule 5 to 6 shops for a full tank of gas, but you will make between $25 and $30 and get a free tank of gas.

Hope this helps

Mike