I want to sign up with some new MSC's, and I was wondering if anyone would consider sharing some of their favorites or lesser known companies in return for me putting down a name as the person who referred me. I know many people don't like to share their companies extremely freely, so I wasn't sure if this might be a way for someone to benefit from sharing some knowledge and for me to benefit from a more veteran shopper's MSC list.

Is this is a weird idea? Has anyone done this in the past? And finally, would anyone be interested in this?

My guess is you will run into some resistance. People don't like to share their good companies from what I remember. I started in 2006 and then took a huge break. What I can tell you is to sign up for as many as you can. Use Firefox of Chrome to autofill the applications so you only have to fill in a few things. Also, check out job slinger dot com for a good list of the companies that use the sassie system, that would be a pretty good start for you. Good luck, I can tell you jobs move around, I have this great list of my go to companies with go to clients they have, and it is basically totally useless after taking a few years off. Shoot, a good number of companies are long gone since then.

Definitely all good advice but advice I've heard before. I'm fairly sure I'm signed up with all the Sassie's in my area and I check JobSlinger and add any company that pops up in like, a 200 mile radius or in my travel locations. I don't limit myself to Sassie, either, and my non-Sassie MSC list is even longer. I also started a thread a bit ago asking about the best form-filling software so I could sign up faster as well. If anything I would ask someone on the West Coast to check near me and vice versa for a company exchange so I'm not infringing!

I suppose if the MSC's had a little more $$$ on referrals, this might be more appealing.

I love those checks in the mail for doing absolutely nothing, LOL!!!

I doubt I know any companies you are not signed up with, but PM me if you wish.

Jenny, it's not that no one wants to help you, but the MSC's that have shops in my area may not have them in yours. Or we may not like the same types of shops. The best thing to do is to sign up with all the companies on the official list (bottom of this page).

I rarely refer people. I don't do it because I rarely know if someone is a quality shopper or not. In my opinion a referral reflects upon the referee as well. I am selective and really only refer people I know well. In return, the referrals I've gotten have been from other shoppers I know well.

@HonnyBrown wrote:

Jenny, it's not that no one wants to help you, but the MSC's that have shops in my area may not have them in yours. Or we may not like the same types of shops. The best thing to do is to sign up with all the companies on the official list (bottom of this page).

Exactly this. I can understand why you might want to benefit from a veteran shopper's list. It would be a great shortcut - but only IF you found a veteran shopper in your area who liked to do the type of shops you like to do AND didn't mind giving you some of his business. I already have a lot of competition.

Because of the differences in the reasons we shop and our individual needs, I don't think it would work. It constantly surprises me that I read comments on the forum about "my least favorite" and "the absolute worst" ..... and it's one of mt top companies. And then I read posts about a wonderful company ..... and it's on my Never-Never List because, to me, it's the worst loser company in the bunch. Some of it is regional. Some of it is simply different tastes - we like to be treated in a different way. And some of it is the type of shop you want to perform. As a part time shopper, my likes and dislikes are very different from a full timer who wants to make as much money as he can. And my likes are totally different than those who video shop.

As for putting down a shopper's name as a referral, referral fees are almost nothing. The few times I have referred someone to a company, I haven't bothered making it official and collecting the referral fee. The fee doesn't justify the referral because for the couple of bucks you receive as a referral, you have given away numerous shops, perhaps long term. I am sure you are an excellent shopper, but I would need to know more: that you have a good work ethic, are detail-oriented, etc., and would do a good job. Most new shoppers do not last in this business and if I referred a short-timer who did not do a good job, I would feel compromised with the mystery shopping company. And......since we all post anonymously here, how might I or any other veteran shopper determine if a new shopper were someone I wanted to refer?

I definitely hear and understand many of the things you all are saying. I can appreciate not wanting to refer someone if you don't know the quality of their work; it seems many MSC's advertise their referral system as a way to bring in new shoppers so I hadn't considered that.

As for the shops being in different areas, I have companies I signed up for that I never shop because they only have locations away from me. But for someone in that area, that might be a good company! So I think it's fallacious to say that I would need to find someone in my area (who would be less likely to share anyways). I always look at the entire job board when I sign up with a company; even if the only thing showing is newbie shops many many miles away, I can take notes for when I'm traveling or home across the country.

Also, I know everyone has their preferences on companies and shops; I'm REALLY looking to expand my horizons though and I tend to be open to trying anything at least once (except meth, that it). Therefore I wouldn't mind if someone gave me information on a company that doesn't have much in the line of what I'm comfortable or used to. At the very least I might try one or two shops that I don't enjoy and figure out what ISN'T for me, which is almost as valuable as knowing what is!

Thanks for the feedback, y'all! @ceasesmith I will shoot you a PM

You might also want to check the Kudos section of the Forum to see who/what MSCs shoppers are happy to work with...that might help you decide on some companies to sign up with. HTH