Once again, my bid was declined. Here's the reply:

"The Make An Offer was declined.
You can accept the current price or decline the shop or make another offer."

Sure, I bid high. It's getting near the end of the period. If I get declined, I make a second offer $3 lower. Usually that gets declined too. But it's my final online offer as well as my lowest price I will command for the location.

What is the lowest price for the location? The lowest price going forward is the highest price I've received to date. Understood? I will NOT go lower than the highest fee I have received previously. Never.

If there are other shoppers who are willing to low-ball the location, have at it. I do not want, nor do I need, a burger shop, for example, every week.

So what now if there are two declined offers? I anticipate the phone call. When they offer a lower fee I point out that the last time I did that location I received a fee of $60, $40 or whatever was the highest fee to date. They can confirm that. Most times, but not always, at this point they agree to the fee I requested.

The clock is ticking. They know it. I'm sure they use algorithms. They ponder; "Is it best to accept the fee the shopper is requesting or gamble we can make more phone calls to find a shopper at a lower fee?"

Again, I will NOT go lower than the highest fee I have received previously. Never.

Don't be a weak negotiator and cave in. It lowers the fees for all of us.

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 07/20/2025 11:01AM by maverick1.

This works if there are not many shoppers in your area. Where I live, the highest fee I have gotten for a burger place is $30. Anytime I have gambled and tried to go higher, I lost. There are soooo many people here who will gladly take those jobs for $9. Maybe they are trying just to feed their family. Have at it, I won't do them for anything less than $20 and that is IF one of my adult children ask me for it.

For my closest location, I won't go below $25 fee. It goes up from there depending upon location. Furthest location, I've rec'd $60.

@Datagirl wrote:

This works if there are not many shoppers in your area. Where I live, the highest fee I have gotten for a burger place is $30. Anytime I have gambled and tried to go higher, I lost. There are soooo many people here who will gladly take those jobs for $9. Maybe they are trying just to feed their family. Have at it, I won't do them for anything less than $20 and that is IF one of my adult children ask me for it.

I was able to snag a few $20-30 burger shops this past week without much effort. I rarely take them at $9 unless I know for sure I'll be near one that day and want an easy free meal. Otherwise I will "bite" if the shop fee is around $12-18.

I have 4 within a 9 min (or less) drive that I will do for $18 unless it is late night and then it must be $25, For the ones a little further afield it is $22-25 depending if I will be near the area and a few a bit further (but not downtown) that I will do when they get to $35 if I can pick up some other bonused shops in the area to make the drive worthwhile. They don't go above that here. And I think there are some new shoppers in the area because the downtown locations don't make it to Make an offer or over $20 nearly as often.

They are based in California, and California changed its laws a few years ago. That is where the bidding came into play. I examine the job, the price, and consider what I am willing to do. I've never bid on a job, and I always got what I asked for.

@Dino29 who is this they of which you speak? More than a few men is based here in Virginia a few miles from my house. I also know their accountant at Deloitte, my common law brother in law. If you don't offer a bid then you aren't asking, rather they are offering. unless I entirely misunderstood your post.

You have a good system.

I only look for jobs when I'm already in the parking lot
So, the amount I will work for depends on the day. Am I hungry? Do I want a meal covered? Will it put a few bucks in my pocket? And I need to be able to self assign because I'm already in the parking lot.

I'll likely never do the shop again that you're mentioning. If I'm in a city with that chain, I'm too busy for mystery shopping.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/24/2025 03:37AM by prince.

Answer to the header: Go ahead and share your bidding technique? There's always room for one more.

Since the chicken shop flew the coop the burger shops are selling like hotcakes. They don't stay long enough to get bonused in my area. I guess there are a lot of hungry shoppers who are only signed up with this one MSC.

If I'm traveling and won't be in an area other than today, i have have grabbed a meal at base pay instead of having to buy lunch.

Does that make me a bad person?

@wrosie wrote:

If I'm traveling and won't be in an area other than today, i have have grabbed a meal at base pay instead of having to buy lunch.

Does that make me a bad person?

If your are doing a full day and are one of the people that eats lunch, that makes you a smart person. I don't eat lunch and tend work later, but I have scheduled a dinner on road trips in the past. Always tried to find one with easiest report and food I liked.

Are these sassie shops? Didn't know you could bid on the fees. I usually just wait till last minute when they have bonuses.

No. Sassie never has "Make an offer."

My requested fee varies on a few factors, including how close it is to me (or how close to what I'm doing that day), and what time period. I hate the "late night" shops, so, you have to pay me a pretty penny to come out of my house for that. However, there's one near where I regularly volunteer, and if I'm pulling a long shift, I will absolutely take it at $12 if its the correct time of day for when my break is that day. (That one very rarely goes up past $12. Occasionally $15. Otherwise, I think the only time it goes beyond that is if someone flakes).

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/31/2025 04:20PM by mysterioso412.

@sestrahelena wrote:

No. Sassie never has "Make an offer."

Almost all Sassie platform jobs have a field for comments when applying. That is how I make an offer.

Oh. The phrase is usually associated with a company that uses it exactly. I misunderstood.