Trendsource shops?

December 08, 2022 10:34PM

I think I have completed 2 Trendsource shops in 10+ years. I just so happened to login just to see what clients they might have here in SoCal. I'm seeing what I feel are crap shops. Many I-9 certification shops.

On the first page, I saw this nonsense as well.....

Do you want to make money without leaving your house?
We're currently looking for good agents to complete calls for our healthcare program.
Each call takes about 3 minutes on the phone and pays $1. There are only a few multiple choice questions so inputs are typically completed in 1 minute or less.

Seriously, $1 calls? Okay, if the call takes 3 minutes and the report takes 1-2 minutes, that still roughly 5 minutes per call/report. You will get 12 calls/reports done in 1 hour if you do this nonstop for the entire hour. Make a whopping $12 after all that. WHO is doing this crap?

I did not see any retail or even fast casual shops. It could be all the best shops were taken already and only the crap is sitting on the board waiting for someone to take it.

Do they still do any dining (fast casual or regular restaurants)? What about retail shops?

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December 08, 2022 11:12PM

The retail shops they do near me are ink for printers.

I would not touch them for the $10 they offer or even the $15 they might get up to if they don't find a sucker to take them before they offer incentives that usually go up $1-2 at a time.

They do Medicare Advantage near me which I'll do if I get the necessary PAD.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/08/2022 11:16PM by wrosie.

December 08, 2022 11:25PM

Yes, I remember the 2 letter ink project (I think it was the 2 letter brand). I used to think they had some fast food/fast casual stuff too. Even maybe an ice cream place back in the day. Guess I have not really missed anything with them over the years.

December 09, 2022 12:02AM

In my area TS use to have a big chain of grocery store shops, the grocery shops moved to another company in Feb 2022. Now i see mostly just the printer shops and I-9's. I haven't done a shop for them since February. I do miss working with TrendSource schedulers I found them helpful and pleasant to work with; always quick to respond to questions and willing to help,

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/09/2022 01:41AM by 724PM.

December 09, 2022 01:20AM

The pros are that they pay weekly and their reports are pretty easy (except for the Repo Lots and Photo printer retail photo shops - those take about an hour each so if you accept these you must ask for addition $20 PAD at a minimum). There are very few, if any, narrative questions on most reports. The cons are their editors are borderline ridiculous, seeming generally to have no common sense (or they are really young and inexperienced). They will ask clarifying questions that are inane, for example I recently had to take 3 rounds of emailing to explain how cloud storage works (this was not what the shop was about, btw...they will go down weird ratholes that are just nuts!). So if you add on the sometimes multiple rounds of silly editor questions, their low paying shops become pretty big time sinks. I will add a few of their shops as fillers if I'm traveling and want to flesh out a route, but would never consider them a primary MSC.

December 09, 2022 04:44AM

Oh, Wow, I love The Source. I don't think I've ever received a question from an editor, and the pay is FAST. Last shop I did, I completed on Monday and got paid Tuesday. Love them!

December 09, 2022 05:06PM

I don't work with them often, but i just did a bunch of nicely bonused Medicare shops for them in the last month. I was impressed with the ease of the reports and the fast pay. I'll also do the ink projects if they approve $25 or higher PAD. Other than that, they don't typically have much in my area.

December 09, 2022 05:33PM

I have done significant numbers of repo lots, general business verification shops, and even an occasional I-9 shop. I think that all of them required PAD to make them worthwhile for me. Either I get the PAD I request, or I don't do it. I used to do the two-letter ink shop in drugstores, etc. since they were so easy. I used them for fillers. I occasionally get questions from the editor on repo and business verification shops where the "geometry" or facilities are unusual, such as an elevator door opening directly into the reception area without an intervening door. The next time I encounter that situation, I answer the question before they ask me.

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008

December 10, 2022 03:32AM

Add minimum $15 PAD for ink mystery shop and $20 PAD for ink audits! Yes. Really!

December 10, 2022 03:54AM

Myst4au- have you done any of the virtual business inspections?

December 10, 2022 11:32PM

Periodically TS has fast food inspections in my area such as a Mexican and a hot dog place . Not so much about the food as it is signage. Food reimbursement is $2 - $4, but there is also a fee paid and often times a bonus/PAD.

I pick up the photo site inspections which are exterior pics only, quick, and a easy report. The healthcare shops were bonused quite nicely last month.

Their shop fees start out low, but I find they are very accomodating when requesting bonus/PAD.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/10/2022 11:36PM by Zek.

December 11, 2022 12:01AM

I think one of the very few shops I did with them back in the 00s was the W hot dog chain. Don't remember much about it, but I don't go there, so it wasn't good enough for me to continue doing those shops.

I see I'm not missing much since people are only talking about shops that have no interest to me. I don't care about the 2 letter ink shop. I am not interested in the business verifications either.

This is a hobby for me, so I can wait for the bonused bank shops and restaurant assignments that have FEES.

December 11, 2022 09:57PM

It is the same hot dog place you mention. In your area, the mexican is likely a competitor with Taco Bravo.

Love the profit on the bonused bank shops too.

@hbbigdaddy wrote:

I think one of the very few shops I did with them back in the 00s was the W hot dog chain. Don't remember much about it, but I don't go there, so it wasn't good enough for me to continue doing those shops.

I see I'm not missing much since people are only talking about shops that have no interest to me. I don't care about the 2 letter ink shop. I am not interested in the business verifications either.

This is a hobby for me, so I can wait for the bonused bank shops and restaurant assignments that have FEES.

December 11, 2022 10:08PM

I have noticed TrendSource has dropped the pay for their in person inspections from $17 to $13. I won't touch them at $13.

December 12, 2022 12:31AM

I won't touch them for $17. Always, and I mean always, request PAD.

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton

December 12, 2022 03:38AM

I did two of them using Zoom (?) when they first started doing them virtually. I would do more, but my competition seems to find them and accept them faster than I can.

@ShopperGirly wrote:

Myst4au- have you done any of the virtual business inspections?

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008

December 12, 2022 03:43AM

The $13 ones are done virtually, at least in my area. The rate for business verifications that require a visit are generally $17 or $19. I always request PAD. It generally takes me 30 minutes onsite and about the same amount of time to do the report. So, IMHO, the base fee does not cover mileage or driving time.

@johnb974 wrote:

I have noticed TrendSource has dropped the pay for their in person inspections from $17 to $13. I won't touch them at $13.

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008

December 12, 2022 06:24AM

Zoom would be fine with me but the ones I have looked at mention Skype or Whatsapp. Really curious how it works. And I will not be doing them for $13 either.

December 12, 2022 02:19PM

I honestly don't remember which remote meeting app was used. I used some during the early days of COVID which I have never heard of again. I really don't care which one it is. Since I am sitting at home and with no driving costs or driving time, I am willing to do them for $13, but that is marginal even with the client taking the photos in advance.

@ShopperGirly wrote:

Zoom would be fine with me but the ones I have looked at mention Skype or Whatsapp. Really curious how it works. And I will not be doing them for $13 either.

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008

December 13, 2022 03:14PM

The ink shops are so easy and if you live in an area which has a lot of discount retail, you can do a quick route between BJ’s, Costco, Walmart, Staples and Target. I’ve gotten it down to a science and just rotate through those stores in less than an hour combined for a quick few bucks. I of course do this on the way to the post office of my w-2 job.

December 13, 2022 04:57PM

They've contacted me a LOT for some health insurance presentations. They were nicely bonused, but most of them were about an hour from me and I work a full time job as well so even with bonuses, it isn't worth me taking a day or half day off.

December 15, 2022 12:57AM

Myst4au. What exactly is a repo shop?

December 15, 2022 02:50AM

@ShopperGirly wrote:

Myst4au. What exactly is a repo shop?

The one I did was photographing the vehicle after it had been repossessed for the bank/lending company.

December 15, 2022 04:23AM

More commonly, the Repo Shops are onsite inspections of Repo Lots. These will be in a sketchy part of town (thats just where these lots are!) and you will spend 30-40 minutes there taking pictures and asking about 50 questions. They will offer you $19 for this. Assume 30 minutes drive time, 40 minutes onsite and 30-40 minutes of report entry time. I did a few of these last year for the base pay not know any better. While at one of the sites, the owner told me the last inspector who came out said they were paid $100/lot. No idea if that was through TS or someone else, but thats closer to what these jobs should pay.

December 15, 2022 06:46AM

How do you know they are repo lots? I have been asked to do a couple (shady parts of town) but nothing indicated these were anything other than used cars. Not that it really matters- just curious before I accept any. And yes, the initial offer is $17 and they will offer $37 if it is urgent.

December 15, 2022 08:12AM

Yes. I generally get $100-$125 for repo shops. Just ask for PAD.

@Cassiespark wrote:

More commonly, the Repo Shops are onsite inspections of Repo Lots. These will be in a sketchy part of town (thats just where these lots are!) and you will spend 30-40 minutes there taking pictures and asking about 50 questions. They will offer you $19 for this. Assume 30 minutes drive time, 40 minutes onsite and 30-40 minutes of report entry time. I did a few of these last year for the base pay not know any better. While at one of the sites, the owner told me the last inspector who came out said they were paid $100/lot. No idea if that was through TS or someone else, but thats closer to what these jobs should pay.

December 15, 2022 11:15PM

TrendSource identifies them as Repo lots. They generally start at $21 or $23. Some are only outdoor lots. About 50% also have indoor storage as well. Many (not all) also have offices. Photos are required for all three parts (office, indoor, and outdoor). I generally figure on an hour onsite. I think that there is an association of repo lots that verifies them and requires inspections every 2 years. I have been to one three times now, and it only has a small trailer office and an outside lot, so it takes me about 45 minutes. I generally figure that the base fee covers the onsite visit. I ask for PAD to cover travel and the time it takes to input the report. The shops in suburban Philadelphia (and all the way to AC) tend to be in very rural areas of South NJ (for those of you who only know NJ from the NJ Turnpike, you don't know about rural NJ - think Pine Barrens and blueberry bogs). The only "urban" one I do is in Chester, PA, and isn't very scary.

These are not used car dealers. I do a lot of "traditional" business verifications for used car dealers.

@ShopperGirly wrote:

How do you know they are repo lots? I have been asked to do a couple (shady parts of town) but nothing indicated these were anything other than used cars. Not that it really matters- just curious before I accept any. And yes, the initial offer is $17 and they will offer $37 if it is urgent.

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008

January 02, 2023 05:15AM

I signed up with Trendsource last month and they do not offer much in my area. Perhaps the good ones were scooped up. Do they list more once you do a job for them? They say that new registrants are not ICs until they do a job and must apply for jobs, if none of their existing ICs apply then you will do it and then become an IC with them.

One of the negatives I see is that for a specific job they list a range for the fee. This seems odd to me. Why not just list the exact fee. I do like that they offer the expected duration of the task. Would like to hear from others if Trendsource is accurate or do they over/under estimate the time.

One job had the following listed.
Estimated Length of Project:< 1 hour including input.
Pay per Project:Between $10.00 and $15.00

For the ink audit they listed the pay between $4 and $10. What the heck is that about?

January 02, 2023 08:08AM

@hbbigdaddy.................. I'm laughing so much at your starter post I can't read the others........."Who is doing this crap?" I don't know... Different strokes for different folks..... Desperate times calls for desperate measures.... A sucker born every minute...... Whatever floats your boat...... I don't know hbbigdaddy. Thanks for the laugh.

January 04, 2023 05:38PM

I remember signing up with a ton of companies back in the mid-2000s. I wanted to know about every potential shop and what was offered.

15-20 years later, I find that I really do most of my work for 10 companies (or less).

Trendsource is definitely not one of them. I haven't seen a client/shop they have had that I would be interested in doing. I also do not like "hunting" for shops. I much prefer being spoon-fed my shops :-) Sassie and shopmetrics lets you know what is posted and you can grab and self-assign. I cannot imagine logging in daily (or regularly) to most of these crap software systems to look for assignments. Sinclair, 2nd to none, Marketforce, the now defunct prophet software, A Closer Look, and many others.

This is a part-time thing for me, so I am happy with the shops I'm automatically notified of without much effort. If I feel like eating 5G/RC...i know where to login and look when I get the urge.

@1forum1 wrote:

@hbbigdaddy.................. I'm laughing so much at your starter post I can't read the others........."Who is doing this crap?" I don't know... Different strokes for different folks..... Desperate times calls for desperate measures.... A sucker born every minute...... Whatever floats your boat...... I don't know hbbigdaddy. Thanks for the laugh.

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