Hello Fellow Shoppers! I have been mystery shopping since 1998 and have completed hundreds (perhaps 1,000s?) of shops for just about every industry. I currently work about 15 hours a week and make about $1,000 per month by working around my schedule. I work both locally and nationally and have had companies fly me to remote locations to complete assignments. I routinely get new schedulers emailing me to get me on their schedule and I'm Gold-certified by the MSPA.

So many of my friends want to know how they can break into mystery shopping that I've decided to write an e-book. I'm planning to make it available on Kindle for $.99. It includes chapters such as: How to Get Started; How to Maximize Your Income; Recommended Tools for Shoppers and How to Spot a Scam. Can you think of anything you would especially want to know from a seasoned shopper? Would you buy this for $.99?

Nope. All of that is already available for free. Have you checked with the owner of this forum to see if it's OK to promote your book here?

No. I believe in free sharing of information.

There are people out there though who probably would though.

Hi Kim,
Thanks for your response. I am not promoting the book here, just asking some questions. I'm pretty sure that's OK, right?

All that information is available here for free. And there are some wonderful people here that will answer any of my questions for free.

I'd have to agree. I would not buy an eBook on how to make any kind of money doing anything, even if it was a successful pitch about how I could eat dozens of pies a day and make thousands a week. If its legit, the info is already out there.

BUT I will say if you put it up on an eBook site for .99, people may buy it on occasion for the convenience.

Hi, welcome to the forum. I am glad you are only asking questions and not attempting to get free advertising by posting on the forum to promote your book.

To answer the question: NO, I would not spend 99 cents for the book you described. And I would not recommend its purchase to any other shopper, including new shoppers. All that information and more is available here free, along with the ability to network and ask personalized questions.

I would tell all shoppers not to waste their money or time on it.

An e-book is just not dynamic enough to stay current. It will be quickly outdates and only relevant to a few. This forum contains all of the information anyone would ever need to know about MSing if they just take the time to read it.

iamloved1; your credentials are equaled or exceeded by many of the forum members here that contribute for free....

Thanks all. Let's close this discussion. I was asked to write a book on the topic by several friends. Just thought I could get some ideas from my fellow shoppers. I wasn't trying to "sell" anything.

I personally would not buy it, but a lot of newbies would. I say go for it.

Tell your friends to come here. This forum is fantastic!

Thanks, Canuck. I will! :-)

iamloved1 - If you go the ebook route, you may not want to start with what your income is. Your pitch is great, but I personally click away whenever someone tells me I could make $XXXX a month. :-)

Something like,

Unravel the mysteries of online shopping and learn how to make extra income or get free products.

> Would you buy this for $.99?



Probably not.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/10/2013 01:07AM by Shawn S..

I don't think many people here would but I do think there is a market for it and I do believe that is all well and good. If someone put a book in front of me explaining Etsy in an easy manner for 99 cents I would buy it...I just can't figure out that site (very well) on my own. I have a good craft product, I am signed up and have been for a couple of years and haven't listed one thing. A step by step book would be great. I am sure many new mystery shoppers or ones considering it as an option would consider an e-read quick and informational.

I don't believe people here would buy it because for the most part they are beyond those needs. That said on other boards I frequent that have nothing to do with mystery shopping at least twice a month a thread is started on ways to make money "from home" or on the side. This would be your market.

I would start the book in a definite how to manner and proceed in that fashion...step by step from the beginning.

I know there is a lot of chatter that all of this information is free and sure it is BUT sometimes a person prefers a guide or a different way of obtaining the information. There are many information sources out there that make books or professionals not needed. IF I wanted I could totally handle all of my finances and investing on my own but I prefer to use a service, read books about it and then go on.

Liz

I think I will take the minority view on this.

I JUST MIGHT GET YOUR BOOK IF.....

* It truly has a comprehensive list of ALL Mystery Shop Companies, not just the ones who pay MPSA dues or who are a part of SASSIE or JobSlinger but ALL companies.

* Particularly helpful would be a list of those ghost MSC that have long ago gone out of business but for which, SASSIE and Prophett forgot to pull the plug. I am talking about the dozens of companies I still faithfully log into each week but have never seen a shop anywhere in the United States posted for over a year.

BigEdBSA Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think I will take the minority view on this.
>
> I JUST MIGHT GET YOUR BOOK IF.....
>
> * It truly has a comprehensive list of ALL Mystery
> Shop Companies, not just the ones who pay MPSA
> dues or who are a part of SASSIE or JobSlinger but
> ALL companies.
>
> * Particularly helpful would be a list of those
> ghost MSC that have long ago gone out of business
> but for which, SASSIE and Prophett forgot to pull
> the plug. I am talking about the dozens of
> companies I still faithfully log into each week
> but have never seen a shop anywhere in the United
> States posted for over a year.

Not only that but their pay history or scheduling. Maybe even some of the TYPES of shops they are known to do and the areas they service. You couldn't give out exact clients, but that would be helpful.

Read the Mystery Shopping Magazine online for up-to-date information. - free

While road warriors work more than 60 hours a month, most make a full time living as well. A lot of the part-timers on this forum average $1,500 a month or more.

WOW! I got a good chuckle out of all this. I am shopping for over 150 companies now. I am making "around" $100 per week. I would pay 10 bucks for your e-book if it gave me honest and insightful information about what I need to do to make the kind of money you are making. $1500 a month??? I am going to look up this Mystery Shopping Magazine online for sure.

I think .99 is a duable price that shows your not out for the money, however, this forum is full of experienced shoppers.
The newcomers here get updated advice, hence, a book doesn't tell you which clients have changed MSC's and since you
really can't give out who does what, your not doing anyone a service, as that is the one question everyone wants, and
doesn't have an answer. There are a couple books out there (I haven't read them), and most of us just do our own research
and learn "on the job". The thought was good though. I actually saw a few years ago, a shopper that had a class in a community school with a fee....she no longer does this type of teaching.

If you want to write this book, do it. Don't let anyone discourage you from doing something you want to do.

Sisterseven, the OP is making about $1,000 a month and says she has completed hundreds, maybe thousands of shops in 15 years. The point is frequent contributors to this forum have shopped 20 plus years (Flash and Cettie come to mind) and those of us who have not shopped as long have still racked up thousands upon thousands of shops AND we share the information for free.

For the record, I am all for ambition and do not fault anyone for wanting to make a buck. My problem is when someone comes here to ask our opinion about making money on what we do provide for free or worse yet, promotes their product here. I have read some of the blogs, etc, and was appalled at what they contained. I have actually read things that were taken almost verbatim from posts on this site and guess what, the person writing the blog was not the one who originally authored the post. There is also the issue when a person with limited experience decides they know enough to classify themselves as an expert, including one blogger who had been shopping a whole three months and completed less than a 300 shops.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/10/2013 04:07PM by LisaSTL.

TravelLiz said: If someone put a book in front of me explaining Etsy in an easy manner for 99 cents I would buy it.<<<

Really ? You haven't listed anything ?

Wow - I have been on Etsy for 6 years and could probably answer nearly any question, it is just second nature at this point. I guess I should write a book - but if you want to PM me I will answer anything you might want to ask.

99 cents why not. I would. There may something it it I could learn. Not a big investment for something that could help.

I think your book is a good idea, and I can say that since my day job is publishing. The only tweet is target your book to people who have no clue this is a legit option, not the old timers. Think like the person who thinks its a scam or even fell for a scam and write to them. As a promotion do it for $0.99 but $3.99 is a good rate for a SOLID book. It has to almost be a complete how to since most too lazy to do the heavy work, which is why you go up after your initial promotion. Perhaps get some interviews from some of the legit companies and MSPA.

This question needs an answer from "IAMLOVED1", and is: How do you make $1,000 for 15 hours work? I work two weeks,
and don't count reimbursements, and do count in gas and my time, and make less, please tell as it seems a bit of a fantasy for many of us.

I believe the claim was $1,000/month with about 15 hours a week of work, so it would be more like $250 for 15 hours of work.

deleted



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/12/2013 02:29PM by Irene_L.A..

Iamloved, a friend of mine took a day class at the local community college years ago. She said the teacher was great and also had a book which he sold to her at the end of the class, or it may have been included in the class fee.
That is how I indirectly got started mystery shopping. I never even looked at her book. There is definitely a place for a book. I have spent way too many hours on this forum...it is addictive and sometimes even fun, always rewarding but a well written and researched book would be a shortcut to reading many, many threads in this forum that a newcomer could use to get started. I think it is nice to have things spelled out neatly and organized and definitely think .99 is cheap enough even for cheap people like myself. I assume since it is an ebook you would be able to update it as necessary.
Take the plunge....I would suggest you address the issues I find might be confusing for someone starting out...mainly whether a job is worth doing and how to figure out if you are actually spending more than you are earning. Also what is worthwhile depends on what type of place you live in. I read much from people on this forum who live in rural or small town america. I am jealous of their ability to get bonuses while they may be jealous of the 200 shops I see daily on Marketforce. Shopping an urban area has different challenges than what they describe. That should be clear as well.