I am very interested in getting started as a mystery shopper. I am aware that I have to get equipment, other than my pc and printer. I would like to know exactly what it is that I need to get. After I get the assignment, complete it, what forms do I need to fill out. Do I e-mail all this info or do I mail in a form for this. As you can see I am very new at this and need all the help that I can get. Any help would be much appreciated.

R. Ochoa

Hi, I just signed into this website, I am fairly new,too, but have learned a lot through trial and error, If you have an "all-in-one" machine (computer, copier, scanner and fax), that should suffice for now. Take your time and do smaller shops to start. When you are accepted for a shop, all the information will be included - instructions, report forms, etc. You will answer all the questions, save the report and then hit the "Submit" button.

If you don't have a scanner, most companies will accept faxes of receipts. Good luck! It can be fun and exasperating! I have read a few of the notes on this website and will not comment at the moment. The idea is to be professional and accurate. My personal e-mail is AZLindalee@aol.com, but I work full time and will be a little "lapse" in returning e-mails, but would like to continue chatting with you

i like mystery shopping, but somtimes the wait to be paid is annoying. payless shoes , and michaels stores are fairley easy, bus gas stations are tough

i done one of my trials. i got 1 more but how doyou report what you did. i cant seem to fine out?

I just started last week, am currently unemployed and trying to supplement my husbands income. How can I get shops that pay more than 15-10.00

I am trying to become a mystery shopper. But I don't know where to start. How do I get jobs. Ones that pay ,And I don't have to pay them to get started

I am interested in being a mystery shopper as Im currently unemployed and need
to get a income.

Well... I don't mean to burst anyone's bubble, but I would not count on mystery shopping for a full time job. Especially not at first! It is more of a side thing that you do to make additional money or enjoy dining out, services, etc.

Shops that pay more require more time and effort. At first, shops take more time. Now, I can get two or three $15 shops done in an hour - not too shabby! It's all about planning, getting shops in the same area. You have to sign up with many different companies, not just a few. But, you can do it!

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Hi Rosalie, what I did was signup with ShadowShopper.com and read the information on their site. It will tell you everything you want to know. They have a great MS University and you can also learn about merchandising. I joined at $4.99 trial membership for 30 days. So far it has paid for itself. But I agree, I will cancel after 30 days because I had no idea how many companies I can register with to do this without having to pay someone to find them for me. Good Luck!

HiRosalie, I have been Mystery shopping for about 4 years now. The best place to look for work is on the Volition.com. they have all kinds of information there. They have several lists of mystery shopping companies that you can sign up with. I found this site by accident one day. I have gotten alot of work from that site. You should do a internet search for mystery shopping companies, or just mystery shopping this will get you some companies to. Sign up with MSPA and take their certification test. You have to start out as silver but you can get your gold certification. Mystery Companies like shoppers that are certified.
You have to work to find the companies they will not come looking for you.

Hello all. I am new to this and just looking around and reading all your questions and answers. I am interested in this also any advice. Can you do this if you already have a nother job.

I discontinued Shadow Shopper and have now registered with over 70 companies. I just plug away at them day after day. The list that Jacob has supplied is awesome and his newsletter is too. I have scheduled myself for a couple of great local shops in December plus I got in with NCIM to do demos. I did all this on my own, so I don't think there is any need for Shadow Shopper unless you work full time and don't have time to go down the list any register with every company.

I would like to get started as a mystery shopper

Volition is a great source of mystery shop companies. The list is free and you can register with the companies for free. When I started 2 years ago I spent a week just registering with about two hundred companies. The more companies that know about you the better. Shadow shopper is a good source of jobs. I am a member and feel the membership does pay for itself. They send jobs directly to your email. A lot of companies don't send emails when they need shoppers and you have to constantly go into their websites to check their job boards. Shadow shopper does cut down on some of the hunting for jobs it is also a great source to find new companies to sign up with.

For the people that don't live in a large city, it is harder to do. I live in New York and I am usually overloaded with shops and don't have enough time to do all the shops I get some high paying retail shops for several of the companies. I am doing two $60.00 shops on monday and a $50.00 shop Tuesday. I have been offered amusement park shops and even cruise ship shops. I am a MSPA Silver certified shopper and once you establish a relationship with the companies and they know you are reliable, they will offer you the good shops personally, before they post them.

For the new people make sure you are reliable, the schedulers HATE IT when you "flake" on them and leave them with un-met deadlines.

Also, if you want a shop and the pay is too low, negotiate- (ask for a higher pay). You can also mitigate you expenses by planning several shops in the same area on the same day. I typically do 4-5 shops a day and I ask the schedulers to even open up the shop range window for me so I can route it with shops I have with other companies. They are verrrry cooperative with their A-List shoppers.

How long do you generally have to shop for a company before they consider you an A-List shopper, providing of course that you're doing a good job?

It depends on the company. Just try to be reliable and consistent. Make your reports clear and grammatically correct. Soon schedulers will contact you directly, when they have new shops or are in a bind to get a shop completed.