I want to become a secret/mystery shopper or professional shopper as I have heard it called. I have found many websites, but I don’t know which ones are real and scam free.
I want to become a secret/mystery shopper or professional shopper as I have heard it called. I have found many websites, but I don’t know which ones are real and scam free.
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Always make sure they are a member of the Mystery Shoppers Providers Association, it’s a global organisation for legitimate mystery shopping companies
http://www.mysteryshop.org/index-na.php
Member agencies will have an MSPA logo on their website
Most companies doing mystery shopping are listed as Market Research in the yellow pages. Be careful looking online. If they aren’t listed in the phone book, they aren’t real companies. And watch out for spoofers. There is a real company called Secret Shopper, but scammers are putting up job postings on craigslist and other sites using their name, but not the real company phone number or emails. So always make sure you call the phone number listed in the phone book,not one you get in an email
And anyone asking you to deposit or wire money is NOT a real mystery shopping company, its a Nigerian scam.
http://www.mysteryshop.org/news/article_pr.php?art_ID=111
Real mystery shopping companies dont advertise on craigslist or other sites, they normally have application on their own website
You can search by your country or city here http://www.mysteryshop.org/searchmspa/search.php then google to find the real company website or phone number and ask them how you can apply
Mystery shopping is not a job or way to earn a lot of extra money, its more a hobby. You often spend more money on parking and transportation than you make on the shop itself, normally you are paid $15-20 per mystery shop, even though to get that you might have to drive an hour, spend an hour in a store, drive home an hour, spend an hour filling out the evaluation, then going to the post office to mail it. Is that worth $15 to you? I do it because I studied marketing and find it fun, not for the money
Comment by Ghana Banana — March 17, 2010 @ 8:57 am
You need to get a college degree in business, marketing, or communications. Then, apply using a resume and job application with real companies. There are no free jobs on the Internet. They’re all scams. Sorry you had to learn this tough lesson.
Comment by Gaytheist Buddha — March 17, 2010 @ 8:57 am
Definitely go to the MSPA – only legitimate companies can be members and they check thoroughly to ensure that is the case.
To Ghana Banana – there are fees you must absorb, but they may be tax deductible as a business expense. Almost all shoppers are independent contactors and, therefore, are their own small business. Most shoppers do it for the fun, not for the money.
To Gaytheist Buddha – you DO NOT need a college degree but being very observant, articulate, objective, and flexible definitely helps!
For the flexibility, if all you are willing to do is restaurant shops, you may not get much work – almost EVERYONE wants to do restaurant shops!
Sincerely,
Cory Jensen, Owner
I-Spy Mystery Shoppers
Omaha, NE
Comment by Cory Jensen — March 17, 2010 @ 11:14 am