Hi all, I'm new to this and very excited to get started. But i'm getting a little disappointed. I see jobs paying $5 and $6 the most I have seen is $10. The detail report that is required seems to be worth more that this. Am I missing something?? Is this really worth the time??? I would like to do this as a hobby fun and extra money for my family. But I dont get it. Please help.

There are many, many underpaid jobs. There will never be "big bucks" in mystery shopping. I have been doing this for a number of years and the best paying routine shops I get are $35 with a $5 bonus if I get them submitted in time. These require extensive narrative and observations so are hardly "big bucks" jobs as they may take several hours to write up, especially when you are first getting started.

This does not make much sense to do as a "hobby" because as a hobby all income is taxable and you get no benefit of the offsetting deductions for mileage and such.

That being said, if you are consistently working at it from the time you start through the rest of the year and show a profit at least every year or two, IRS will consider it a "business" and allow the deductions.

A major benefit of shopping is the reimbursements. In my household we go out to dinner (there are just 2 adults in the household) on reimbursement only shops a handful of times each month. Over the past 5 years I have gotten my oil changed every three months paid for by shops--though since my vehicle takes more than 5 quarts it usually costs me a buck or two. A substantial portion of the monthly grocery bill is paid for by reimbursements for shops. On occasion I will do gas station shops, but only those where the value of the shop (fee + reimbursement) is at least $15. For the month of May the fees I have earned is only somewhat higher than the reimbursements I am to receive. The reimbursements represent an improved quality of life or a substitute for personal outlay for the same goods and services I would be buying anyway.

Do not expect to see major money from this and do not expect to see your pay and reimbursements quickly. For May the average value of a shop I have done is $18.85 and of that the fee is about $10 per shop. I spend a lot of time looking for and performing jobs. On a fee basis only it works out to much less per hour than slinging burgers at McDonald's.

Wow.

Doing this has to make sense to those who shop, for various reasons. But, it's not going to make us rich.

Nope. Mostly it doesn't make sense if you are trying to raise money to pay the rent/mortgage because you need some cash to lay out for shops that you don't need for 4-8 weeks. Otherwise you are pretty much resigned to the often extensive narratives of bank shops or purchase & return shops or virtually throwing away a dollar here and there for something you probably neither need nor want in order to get a receipt.

But I'm celebrating today because I filed for Social Security today which will begin in the fall. I will probably still be shopping.

Congratulations!!! Payback for those many years of hard work. Hopefully, you can kick back with a good book and a cup of tea.

The good Lord willing and the creek don't rise, we hope you'll continue shopping and sharing with us.

Thanks, You all are great. Maybe I can do this for evenings or luch out with my husband. Money is very tight right now and we have three kids. I love the forum and I hope that you will add me to your community of shoppers and friends.

Hang in there and give it some time. Sometimes it takes a lot or work to get where you want to be.

Congratlations Flash. I did it a year early and never regretted it.

Mert Wrote:
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> Congratulations!!! Payback for those many years
> of hard work. Hopefully, you can kick back with a
> good book and a cup of tea.
>
> The good Lord willing and the creek don't rise, we
> hope you'll continue shopping and sharing with us.

Thanks! I figure I will continue shopping for some very basic reasons: 1) the thrill of the chase, 2) the possibility of keeping my tech toys reasonably current as a 'deductible expense', 3) the subsidy it offers to living expenses, 4) the structure offered by needing to get dressed and out of the house at frequent intervals. For me it has never been about paying the rent/mortgage so much as keeping from having to raid the retirement nest egg significantly. I figure with my family's longevity and increasing life expectancies that I'll be around for another 35 years or more and would hate to have to rely on Social Security to cover basic living expenses.

Flash, I, too, signed up for Social Security to begin in the fall. My birthday is July 10, but they said I wasn't eligible for a check for that month because I wasn't 62 all month. But they are going count my wages for all year. I will continue to shop and hopefully work at my regular job part time.

I love the shopping. Around here gas shops and fast food is about all I can get.

Brenda

You may not be signed up with enough companies to see other varieties of shops. The majority of banks are shopped by one company or another, most grocery store chains are shopped by someone, I do a couple of a local chain of restaurants each month. If you are signed up only with the major companies most of what you will see is the ff and gas. If you haven't done so before, check Jobslinger.com to see who is shopping in your area.

I do not feel $5 or $6 jobs are worth it, but there are jobs that pay more. Many shoppers have boycotted the $5 and $6.00 jobs, they are really an insult.

Flash Wrote:
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> Nope. Mostly it doesn't make sense if you are
> trying to raise money to pay the rent/mortgage
> because you need some cash to lay out for shops
> that you don't need for 4-8 weeks. Otherwise you
> are pretty much resigned to the often extensive
> narratives of bank shops or purchase & return
> shops or virtually throwing away a dollar here and
> there for something you probably neither need nor
> want in order to get a receipt.
>
> But I'm celebrating today because I filed for
> Social Security today which will begin in the
> fall. I will probably still be shopping.

And I took this up when I retired and started collecting my SS for a hobby and something to do if and when I'm bored! As most say, you won't get rich, but it will keep you occupied and bring in a couple bucks to spend friviously! There were better and more shops available 2 years ago or so, but in these economically depressed times even Mystery shopping has lost good clients!

amen rogkar. Congratulations on drawing Social Security.

My husband laughs at my MS'ing. He says it's like all the other "Money Making Deals" I've tried through the years. It ends up COSTING him money. (there's a long story to that, and in a way he is right!) But he says he enjoys seeing me having so much fun. I do enjoy it, and since I keep all the money I make in a separate account, he doesn't know how much I am making. I am not getting rich, but I am able to spend what I want on what I want and not feel guilty for taking away from the household budget. But I can't relate to those of you who do this full time for a real income.

barbage Wrote:
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> My husband laughs at my MS'ing. He says it's like
> all the other "Money Making Deals" I've tried
> through the years. It ends up COSTING him money.
> (there's a long story to that, and in a way he is
> right!)

Barbage....I had to laugh at this one!! I am the same way, I invested in many "money making deals" I've done Tupperware & Avon (when the kids were little) and have $1000's in Mary Kay, My last venture was Rubber Stamping & Scrapbooking. I opened a online store 10yrs ago and now have over $20,000 in inventory. I closed the business last year and I'm trying to sell everything cheap on ebay and craigs list.

barbage and shopping: I can relate... I still have several large plastic tubs full of children's boutique clothing I never got around to selling on ebay and never will sell on ebay since they changed everything around.

One of these days I'm just gonna list the lot as one big "seller starter kit" to some new sucker seller on ebay. I'll be sure to throw in some "Free Super Secrets of Powersellers" that I type up. The last of which will be "run away while you still have money in your account!"

You know,I think it's sad the way things have gone with Ebay, both as a buyer and a seller. I have made good money on there in the past, but haven't even tried in a couple of years. And as a buyer, once you add shipping charges,there are no bargins anymore. But!!! the ads to make millions are still there.

I too used to do very well there as both a buyer and a seller in the days when a majoity of the stuff was people selling their extraneous stuff rather than trying to make millions with drop shipments of stuff they never touched. I hardly even bother looking around over there any more. Taking it from person-to-person sales to pseudo-businesses killed the place as far as I am concerned.

Flash Wrote:
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> I too used to do very well there as both a buyer
> and a seller in the days when a majoity of the
> stuff was people selling their extraneous stuff
> rather than trying to make millions with drop
> shipments of stuff they never touched. I hardly
> even bother looking around over there any more.
> Taking it from person-to-person sales to
> pseudo-businesses killed the place as far as I am
> concerned.

I used to buy stuff there starting in 1999-2000, mainly computer related stuff, used, as I was a student with a family and broke. It worked as it was real people selling their own stuff. Then sometime before I went to grad school in 2003, it changed. For the worse. I only buy old negatives and old 8mm family films to use in my work now, and rarely at that. It's awful there, and I hate going. Have since that sea change.

I just started this month and so far I've signed up with over 75 companies and am still at it. My question is where do I go to find out about withholding taxes and whatnot.

The companies you work with as an Independent Contractor will not withhold taxes from your pay. They will send you a check for $X that represents fees for jobs you have done in a time period and reimbursements you were entitled to. They will issue a 1099 at the end of the year only if you have earned enough in fees for it to be required AND that they are a US based company.

As an Independent Contractor, you are self-employed and will be reporting all income and expenses from this work on a Schedule C filed with your 1040 tax return. Note that you will need to report ALL income, whether you receive 1099s or not. If your profitability for the year is more than $400 you will need to pay self employment taxes at the time you file your tax return. These are the social security and medicare taxes that normally you would split with an employer but as a self employed you pay the whole thing yourself.

For more information about handling the tax issues, go to IRS.gov and look at the Schedule C information.

Jessica darling. How do I start? this is a 'business' in the loosest definition. You will have to go through a learning curve that will be 'expensive' and with the lag in payment time, anywhere from 6-8 weeks , you will be in the hole. when all is said and done, you will find a pace and find some companies that will pay some money and not just services. I find these to be a waste of time. unless you are using the product. This may not make sense to you now, but as you have discovered, many shops are no more than $5-10. You hear some people on this forum extolling the virtues of reimbursed shops. True, if you are a customer of those establishments it may pay. but remember you complained of all the work involved with reporting a $5 assignment , get involved in a reimbursement for $25 or $30 and they will punish you with paperwork. You could easily schedule 3-4 shops in the time and effort for the reimburse shop and buy your own food. Plus if you goof the report or the shop in someway , kiss the reimbursement goodbye!! The barter (reimburse) is a great gimmick the companies use to keep from paying you for a job what you are worth. I will not do a reimburse unless the shop fee stands on its own and then if I will use the product. Ever go to a dollar store and buy a whole bunch of dollar items you really won't use, just because it was a buck. Same principle here, don't do a shop unless the fee stands on its own. If a company won't pay you a fee for a reimburse shop, find another. I don't know if you have googled Volition or just listings of mystery shopping companies. There are great lists. get on line with as many as possible and you will learn to cluster shops, to maximize your time/expense. If you are in a rural area...well quite frankly, look for something else, you will not find it worth your while, unless you are looking for a few bucks a month. and willing to travel a lot, but with gas and wear and tear, not worth it. Good luck

jessicaclarke Wrote:
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> Hi all, I'm new to this and very excited to get
> started. But i'm getting a little disappointed. I
> see jobs paying $5 and $6 the most I have seen is
> $10. The detail report that is required seems to
> be worth more that this. Am I missing something??
> Is this really worth the time??? I would like to
> do this as a hobby fun and extra money for my
> family. But I dont get it. Please help.


dear

if you want to growth your earning, frist you do join the new group and company with his new customer than y could earn best and u should make goodwill with his customer surly you get success

thank for ...