Can You Make Money Mystery Shopping?

Scam Alert:
Do not to respond to ads or letters that promise free gifts and fast cash for performing mystery shops and evaluations. These scammers ask you to cash a check and wire back to an address. The “reward” is that you keep a percentage of the check as payment for your services. After you have sent the money to the address, the check bounces and you’re out all of the money. Real mystery shop companies do not engage shoppers in this manner or provide payment in this manner.

Making Money Mystery As A Mystery Shopper:

If your looking for hands on work and want the flexibility but also want to do some work off of the computer, Mystery Shopping may be right for you. Like any business you do online, you need to make sure you are doing work for reputable businesses. There are also honest sites with connections to reputable clients.

What Is Mystery Shopping?

In order to make sure their service is up to the proper standards, stores, restaurants, gas stations, fast food chains and banks need mystery shoppers to act as typical customers and report back to them. They use a business that connects them with mystery shoppers rather than find individuals themselves. These companies pay you on a contract basis to perform “shops”.

The paperwork part of the job can all be done on your computer. Once you have signed up with a reputable company, you receive notifications of jobs via e-mail. You then choose the jobs you would like to do. Shops can pay anywhere from about $15.00 to $60.00 or more. Many of the shops reimburse you for purchases or services you receive as well as pay cash for your report. Some shops have few questions to report on and some have many. You pick the ones you want to do and apply for them.

When I was testing it out, I found there were plenty of jobs to choose from every month. I would average about 15 notifications every day. The good thing about this type of work is that you have a choice. The amount of time you want to spend at it is up to you. You also often find businesses that offer you part time or full time opportunities doing merchandising in store. You can accept or decline any offer.

I joined up with Shadowshopper and was very pleased with the amount of work available, the amount of requests I received and the information and help they provide for learning about mystery shopping. They have a wide range of clients looking for many different types of shops. I could choose from restaurants, clothing, video and retail store shops. The shop I did paid exactly what was expected. Gapbuster is another good pick. They focus on fast food. They also provide training for their shoppers through their site.

Mystery shopping is available in all areas. You don’t have to live in a big city to get work. There are many shops in high demand for shoppers who live in rural areas.

What You Need To Start:

A computer and access to the Internet.
File folders to keep track of your work and pending work.
Sign up to a reputable business.
Write a profile (potential clients can view your details and request you).
Prepare an example of your writing by doing an example shop report.
A method to receive payment: Paypal, Hyperwallet (check with the companies paying you).

Not Required But Helpful:

Get certification at MSPA (Mystery Shopping Providers Association)
www.mysteryshop.org

Where To Sign Up:

Click here to visit Shadowshopper.com

Gapbuster: http://www.gapbuster.com/

Good luck and have fun making money!

Best Online Business:

Profit Article: (everything you need to start blogging for income, writing articles and more. Tools and links with step by step instructions to get you up and running).
www.paydotcom.com/r/40669/greatb/2997784

Online Income From Writing Articles

One great way to make money and hone your craft as a writer is to write online articles. There is a growing demand for businesses that want fresh content on their websites. It is essential for them to create and maintain the interest of their viewers. One of the ways that they can do that is to buy articles. The article sites that they buy from either have a list of articles to choose from or have writers’ compete for titles they want generated.

You really can make income if you put some effort into your work. There is generally no cost but your time to start. It is also a great way to get published, even for writers who have not previously published their work. You don’t have to have a resume or journalism degree, just the ability to craft a grammatically correct piece and have something interesting to say. The pay can range anywhere from about $10.00 - $150.00 per article.

The subjects that you can write about are from categories ranging from home improvement to fragrance information. Pick something you are interested in and can research. Something you know about personally is also a good choice. The quality standards on these sites are high, so be prepared to edit and rewrite your article. Always read the writer guidelines before you start. The better the quality, the more money you will make.

The pay methods vary from place to place. Some let you set your price and give you advice on usual ranges, and on some you receive offers. Some have a pay system that is related to you receiving commissions from advertisements placed beside your article on the sites your article is placed on. Check all the methods when you sign up to be sure it is a method you agree with.

Here are some of the sites I found that are promising for those interested in earning money from article writing:
www.helium.com
www.writerlance.com/cgi-bin/lance/r.cgi?greatb
www.triond.com (Note: read how your paid section first, it’s a little different)
www.constant-content.com

Writing articles is also a great way to get traffic to your site. There are some very good free article sites that you may want to submit your articles to. They don’t pay but hopefully the income will come from hits to your site. Almost all of these have a resource box that you can put your URL in. Doing a search for “free article submission” should bring up many sites to choose from. My personal favorites are:
www.ezinearticles.com
www.articleinsight.com