Hello all. I'm new to the mystery shopping thing,in fact I have yet to go on my first shop. One program was going to cost me a bunch of money so I cancelled it, and the other one turned out to be the infamous Shop'nchek scam...that one has me very nervous considering they have my address and phone number... I dont know if I want to continue pursuing this mystery shopping thing, but if I do decide to,its nice to know that this community is here!

You're astute, rosecherry, and know a scam when you see one. MS'ing is legitimate, and can yield rewards. Good luck going forward!

Thank you Mert, I appreciate you taking the time to respond to my post.

Welcome to the forum! At the bottom of each page you will find a blue heading "Official List of Mystery Shopping Companies". These are legitimate companies and there are links both to the registration pages of those companies as well as to recent discussions among shoppers here about those companies.

Hi there Rosecherry!! Glad you found this forum, now you can search to find legitimate opportunities. Best wishes & look foward to hearing about your first shop!

Hello Rose - Welcome to the forums!

I put together a little help/fact sheet outline for new shoppers. Hopefully you find the information valuable and helpful getting you started!

Try and spend as much free time as you can find READING the forums. Too many new shoppers come in, post 1 time, and then skeedaddle. There is so much valuable information you can find just by visiting (even lurking), and reading!


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You are probably feeling somewhat overwhelmed, wondering where to begin. Here are some facts and tips:

1. Mystery Shopping is NOT "quick money" or a "way to make a living". (True, few people do, but they are gone on over-the-road video trips for several weeks at a time, and they BUILT their Reputation by starting at the beginning.)

--> (A) Mystery Shopping is work - hard work.
--> ( You are self-employed.
--> (C) You pay taxes on ALL of your income (YES, EVEN on that single $7.00 Shop Pay you got from one company you did work for once in the year!).
--> (D) You need to keep a spreadsheet and/or track of ALL of your expenses.
--> (E) You should have an office with a good computer, internet, printer, paper, ink, a good camera (if you decide to get into auditing), or a good cell phone with a camera.

2. You get paid (starting usually) $4.00 to $10.00 AFTER you complete a job, submit a survey free of errors, have your survey accepted, and hopefully had no deductions!

3. You get paid - 95% of the time - 45-60-90 days AFTER your survey is accepted. (There are a few companies that may pay in 30 days, just don't count on it, and it really helps to learn how to balance/budget your future earnings.)

--> (A) Most of the time, you will need to lay out money first. Example - that Fast Food shop? You need to pay in *CASH*. You'll get reimbursed - and also a "fee" - but that will come later (See #2 above)

4. You need proper Grammar, Spelling, Capitalization, and Punctuation. Yes, that should include a forum. We consider ourselves professionals, even on a forum.

5. READ - pull up a chair and Read. Tired of reading? Don't like to read? Well, you are not going to learn anything unless you start reading. Grab a soda, coffee, tea, whatever your preference and start going through all of the threads - at least threads on the first page of EACH forum. Forums are listed at the bottom of all of the pages.

--> (A) When you get to "New Mystery Shoppers" Forum: [www.mysteryshopforum.com] - there are "Sticky Threads" at the top of this forum. READ through ALL of the information that a long time shopper/member (Flash) wrote for new shoppers. Then, go back and read it again. Some people have been known to print out the information that Flash has written (not all of the follow up threads, just her first post).

6. Get yourself set up with a spreadsheet to keep track of your future jobs. Search here on the forum "spreadsheets" - and you should pull up ideas on how others set them up. You NEED to keep track of your expenses - you will need those for tax time!

7. Get yourself set up with a PayPal account.

--> (A) I would also suggest that you set up an Email ONLY to be used for Mystery Shopping - and use that email to connect with your Paypal account and the one you use signing up with MSC's.

8. I'd also recommend that you start a new checking account - Again, ONLY to be used for Mystery Shopping. At tax time - especially if you stay interested in shopping - you will be SO glad that you had separate accounts! Someone recommended it to me when I first started - and I am definitely glad that I did get one!

Have fun shopping - but you do have to do the work yourself. It's the only way you are going to learn - and find out what type of company works best for you.

Flash,peachgirl,r@inyDayZ3, thank you all for your welcome.I will be putting in a lot of thought as well as some research over the next several days and then come to a decision as to whether I want to pursue MS at this time. The one thing I have learned this far is that it will take diligence!

Rosecherry, it is good that you think about it. Mystery shopping is not for everyone. Shops themselves are rarely difficult, remembering everything you are supposed to do/observe at first may be difficult. Report writing requires modest to moderate computer skills. Keeping track of work to be done, done and reported and ultimately paid requires a little bit of systematic record keeping. Dealing with schedulers and editors requires a little tact and aforethought.

Many people try mystery shopping and leave it within 6 to 12 months because some aspect of it they can't deal with. It may be that they need payment almost immediately to cover their bills and most companies pay in 4 to 6 weeks, with some agreeing to pay in 3 to 4 months. It may be that they perceived editor comments as personal criticism and just can't handle that. It may be that a shop is rejected because they didn't do/observe all they were supposed to do/observe and a rejected shop will not reimburse you for your actual expenditures either. These situations can quickly sour a shopper on the whole process.

You aren't going to get rich mystery shopping, and in most cases it will not provide what could be considered full time income. What it can provide is a nice extra income stream once you get a couple of months into it and the money starts getting paid. You find your niche of jobs that work for you in your market. Once the pieces start to fall into place, you are operating a small business that offers you the tax benefits of owning a business and the responsibilities of that as well.

Those of us who have been doing this for years have found ways for shopping to work for us, and most of us would not stop doing it because there are just too many advantages to us personally in our niches.

Rose - I completely agree (and so will a ton of others on the forum) with all that Flash has posted. You will find that she is extremely helpful and insightful in the wonderful world of Mystery Shopping.

PS: Many of us are hoping she puts out a book!

Hello Rosecherry - you sound like a thoughtful and organized person who could make this work for yourself. Most of us do this for supplemental income. The freedom, flexibility, and tax advantages are substantial.