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Beware of
Mystery Shopping Scams!
Companies all over the U.S. and Canada are looking for ways to get a competitive
edge in the market place. One way they are doing this is by hiring mystery
shoppers. A Mystery Shopper is someone who is hired by a company
to pose as a customer to check or purchase pre-selected merchandise or evaluate
the service received. Mystery shopping as a form of market research is quickly
becoming a huge industry. This is great news for those people who want to
set their own hours and get paid to shop! Unfortunately, (yes there is a
catch!) many of these sites that claim to have hundreds of mystery shopping
jobs out there for people, just aren't legitimate. Due to this high demand
there have been a number of mystery shopping sites created that promise
daily shopping jobs only to find out that they have outdated databases and
no jobs to offer. In addition, trying to find someone in customer service
to help you is practically impossible.
I was motivated to provide reviews to mystery shopping sites, ever since
I had been taken for a ride by 100+ very promising websites that I had signed
up with earlier this year, in hope to earn some extra income. Every month
we review 100 mystery shopping websites and select the top 5 that offer
access to quality assignments, great customer support, and other factors
which result in the quickest and highest earning potential. I have talked
with their owners, reviewed their member's areas, and have spoken to many
of their clients & workers. These reviews were set up to guide you towards
the top companies based on our research as of
October, 2024 . At one time, I have used all 5 of these companies and have had several
great shopping jobs to choose from them right away. This is a great way
to earn some extra money, from anywhere between $200 to $5,000 per day,
depending on how many jobs you sign up for that day. Pretty much it is all
up to you and how much work you want to put into it.
Editors Choice: Top 5 Mystery Shopping Sites Rated
By Our Experts
Based on reviews and customer feedback as of November 20, 2024
One woman shares her success in the following excerpt from the Wall Street
Journal, June 9, 2004:
"Cheers," she said, hoisting a frosty Corona with lime. Tanned and relaxed
after playing a few holes, she finished up the beer and ate a cheeseburger.
The golf and burgers were all part of the job, as were the strict instructions
from her boss to "consume at least one alcoholic beverage." Her morning
jobs were equally trying. She went dress shopping, stopped into a bank to
cash a check and visited a Saturn dealership to look at new cars. After
golf, she was headed to Manhattan for dinner at a nice Italian restaurant.
All these activities were paid jobs. Her total earnings for the day: about
$300. "Can you believe they call this work?" she said.
And what does she make a month? According to the Wall Street Journal, "she made nearly $7,000" the previous month.
In summary, Mystery Shopping jobs offer numerous opportunities at earning
a great income quickly especially for those who enjoy shopping. In addition
to the characteristics they have been reviewed upon, all our recommendations
offer a money back guarantee. I trust you will be happy with the companies
that have made it into our top 5 based on our reviews.
Best Regards, Lori Anderson (wwwSiteReviews.com) |
- Potential participants register on
a Mystery Shopping site to gain access to potential assignments.
- The Mystery Shopping site will determine which jobs/assignments
are in the participant's area.
- Usually within 24 hours, the participant will receive an assignment
in the inbox of their email.
- After opening the email, the participant can choose whether or
not to take the assignment.
- If the participant chooses to take the assignment they will conduct
a secret shop.
- After the assignment is completed the participant will write a
detailed report on their finding back to the company where the secret
shop was conducted.
- The company will analyze the findings and seek out ways to improve
their product or service.
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- Set up a separate email account for
the Mystery Shopper assignments. You may receive quite a few emails
to secret shop and this is an easy way to keep them in order. You
can sign up for free emails through hotmail.com or yahoo.com.
- While on the job act professional.
- Answer all questions that the company wants you to answer. Make
sure that the answers are clear and as many details as possible are
provided. Some mystery shopping companies will require you to submit
writing samples before hired.
- Make sure all reports are submitted on time.
- Thoroughly read all questions and guidelines provided by the shopping
provider.
- Keep all paperwork for at least 60 days. This will help you and
the shopping provider in case any questions arise.
- Make sure you are reliable. If you accept an assignment, make sure
that you follow through with it unless a real emergency comes up.
This will ensure that you receive the best and highest paying assignments.
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- 200+ Company Inventory
- 45 days money back guarantee
- $34.95 one-time fee
- U.S. and Canada
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Overall Rating
Shop Until You Drop is recognized as a leading provider of mystery shopping resources. Shop Until you Drop directory
includes 220 very well known and established companies, such as, the Gap and Olive Garden. This site has great
customer service. Shop Until You Drop is staffed with people who have a through knowledge of mystery shopping
and can answer all your questions.
The site is well organized and includes several bonuses included
in the one-time membership. Shop Until You Drop also has an up to date "Daily Job Board".
They are also available in Canada and the UK.
....find out more
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Pros:
- Site well organized and easy to navigate
- Great FAQS section, answers almost any question you may have about their site
- Great bonuses
- Another great value site
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Cons:
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- 200+ Company Inventory
- 60 days money back guarantee
- $29.95 one-time fee
- U.S. and Canada
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Overall Rating
Paid for Shopping is a great site, especially if you are just getting
started as a mystery shopper. They have a large database that includes
most national retail stores and restaurants. Paid for Shopping even has
mystery shopping for fun parks and cruise ships, like Six Flags or Carnival
Cruise Ship lines. This site is one of the easiest ones to use to access
some of the best mystery shopping jobs out there.
Included in their one time membership, Paid for Shopping provides
some great bonuses on getting paid to take surveys and reading email.
And if you are just getting started you get a Mystery Shopper handbook
which will tell you everything that you need to know on how to be a successful
mystery shopper.
....find out more
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Pros:
- Great site for first time mystery shoppers
- Easy to use large database
- Great bonuses and customer service
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Cons:
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- 200+ Company Inventory
- 45 days money back guarantee
- $25.00 one-time fee
- U.S. and Canada
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Overall Rating
Shopping Jobs has a huge database that includes some of the best paying companies. You can make anywhere between $10 to $40 per hour per assignment!
They have a detailed FAQs sections that explains everything you want to know about mystery shopping and
they even include a sample mystery shopping questionnaire.
This site is very easy to navigate and their
customer service is top-notch which makes it great for beginners. Shopping Jobs includes a step by step guide and
employee log to help you get started as soon as possible. They also have an update "Daily Job" board.
....find out more
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Pros:
- Large and comprehensive database
- Detailed FAQs section
- Easy to navigate site
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Cons:
- Many frivolous offers
- Site does not tell you which companiies are part of their database until you join
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- 160+ Company Inventory
- 45 days money back guarantee
- $39.95 one-time fee
- U.S. and Canada
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Overall Rating
Get Paid 2 Shop is one of the best mystery shopping sites out there.
The companies in their database include Banana Republic, Cheesecake Factory, and Diesel.
There are several different types of mystery shopping jobs that you can choose from too!
You can go to movies, amusement parks, golfing, and much more.
They have great
customer service and they bonuses on how to make money other than just mystery shopping
included in their one time fee. These bonuses include how to get paid to surf the net,
get paid for focus groups, and for reading email.
Even though they are a bit more expensive
than some other mystery shopping sites out there we highly recommend them based on our stringent
review process. They have one of the best databases and customer service departments that we've seen.
....find out more
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Pros:
- Large database of well known companies
- Great Bonuses
- Good customer service
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Cons:
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- 140+ Company Inventory
- 90 days money back guarantee
- $24.95 one-time fee
- U.S. and Canada
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Overall Rating
Shopping Jobs Here is one of the older mystery shopping sites. It was created by a woman who has actually done mystery shopping for
a living for years! Shopping Jobs Here directory includes over 140 companies who need personal shoppers. The site also
includes over 40 companies in Canada for Canadian mystery shoppers.
Shopping Jobs Here is giving away free bonuses, included in
their one-time fee, to help you make the most money from mystery shopping. They also provide resources to getting started. This is a highly recommended site especially if you are new to mystery shopping.
....find out more
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Pros:
- Many free bonuses
- Great for people new to mystery shopping
- Large database that includes many well known national companies
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Cons:
- FAQs section not as detailed as some of the other sites
- No Privacy Policy stated on site
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