I've finally reached the point where every 2 or 3 days I have money show up in my mailbox, checking account, PayPal account or PayQuicker account.

Feels like it took forever to get paid but now I have not only the excitement of the secret shopping but also of having money coming in from somewhere most days

Now I'm going to take a week off while my son is away at summer camp and enjoy doing nothing (although I'm sure I'll be on the computer filling up my 1st week of July).

I'm so glad I found you fine folks on this forum, I could not imagine trying to figure all of this out without the shared knowledge from all of you.

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Onebusymomma...glad you stuck it out! Way to go!!!

Congratulations! No matter what reassurances folks give you, the proof positive that shopping works is when the money starts dribbling in. It is a wonderful confirmation of what you wanted (and need) to believe, but it seems like forever between the first shop and the first payment. I remember that my first check was for $7 and when I received it I thought it was a rebate check from something I had purchased--then it dawned on me that it was my first shop payment.

You know how some businesses frame there first dollar. You can frame your first Paypal statement, I did(J/K). It can be a curse, now my wife(THEBOSS) keeps asking me how much I have in my PP acct. so she can order something online (LOL). What a great feeling-Momma, congrats.

Once you start shopping on a regular basis, the payment dates become secondary since the money is always flowing. It's when you take a whole month off that it feels like forever to get paid when you restart.

Just be sure to keep track of what you were paid and weren't, and make sure all the amounts are correct, especially if any bonuses were involved.

Any recommendations for new shoppers anyone?

Yup! Just read the forums...

Definitely, read the forums. There is not a F.A.Q. on any secret shopper website than will give you the information that is shared on this forum.

I do a search of every topic I wonder about on here and almost always find my answer.

Thanks I am beginning to read the forum. Which me luck and let's get ready to rumble. lol

Cenoir,
Also, don't overlook the FAQ stickies on the new shopper area of these forums. They are a great place to start understanding what topics you will need to be alert to.

Onebusy,
Congrats and well done! Once you get to this point, adding a few MSCs a month, or a week, will start a snowball effect on your opportunities.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/02/2012 12:41PM by walesmaven.

Woohoo! Good for you! I find it takes about 3 months before you start getting regular money. Then it's great!

wow, congratulations! find a new way to earn money

I started the end of April and did a few shops, but then I broke my thumb and didn't do any shops until late June. I am still such a newbie! I picked up quite a few shops recently and cannot wait until the dollars start dribbling in. I did a few Car dealership shops. It was fun pretending I was going to buy a brand new car and test driving a new vehicle. I am getting ideas for when I DO buy a new vehicle!!! I am also getting ideas of what dealerships I will want to deal with when I do!!

Me too phlutter!!! I'm doing all of this for new vehicle money <3 Can't wait to actually buy one instead of just secret shopping them

OneBusyMomma- So far my favorite test drive was a Chevy Sonic I like little cars. I would love to get a VW dealership and get to test drive one of the new VW Beetles! I also drove my first SUV, which helped me realize I don't really like driving big vehicles!

My fave test drive was the Fiat... I really wanted to take that little car home with me! I drove a $85,000 Jaguar too. Made me a little nervous!

I just keep telling myself.. "one day I won't be pretending to buy this car"...

Sounds like you are really doing well I am inspired!

lol I recently amped up my shopping. I am enjoying seeing that money every couple of days too. But it is also a lot more to keep track of!! So now on top of more shops, I have to do more bookkeeping!! The other day I actually got annoyed (not really, but sorta) that a company paid me much earlier than I had anticipated! I knew what was supposed to come in next moth. Now I need to adjust!

My favorite test drive was a $100,000 car and I was having way too much fun to be nervous!

OneBusyMomma559 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My fave test drive was the Fiat... I really wanted
> to take that little car home with me! I drove a
> $85,000 Jaguar too. Made me a little nervous!

Do the shops usually start to taper off by the end of the month? I did so many of them early in the month... but the jobs got slim to none... Hopefully more will post soon!

phlutter,
Yes, jobs tend to get snapped up and off the boards in the first three weeks of the month. BUT, once youhave established an excellent track record wit a few companies, you will start getting calls of limited circulation emails offering end-of-month bonuses for reliableshoppers to mop up the remaining shops and those that must be reshopped due to flakes or failed shops. Many experienced shoppers will take a low paying bank shop at the beginning of the month, for instance, just to maintain their eligibility for late month bonussed shops that may pay 2 to 3 times the base rate. Many schedulers and MSC managers have bunuses of their own at stake, based on their shop completion rates for the month and/or the calendar quarter, so you cn often bargain late in the period, especially at the end of the quarter and for"out-of-the-way locations.

Thanks for the good info!

hmm very good info I didn't know thanks for sharing! Still learning.

How much money do you actually make?

I am debating if it is worth the time-?

No one can really answer that question for you. There are too many variables. How much time and money are you willing to invest in your business? How much time do you want to work? What is your skill set? Obviously those of us on the forum feel it is worth our time, the question is how much is your time worth.

kvc - Many of us probably show little profit after we deduct all legally allowed expenses. If you need substantial income, look elsewhere. If you need a solid supplement, you've found it. I usually gross between $1,000 and $1,500 per month during the months that I choose to work. Most of what I do are simpler type jobs such as convenience store audits that don't require much financial outlay on my part. I work too many hours for what I earn, but I like the personal freedom, flexibility, and the opportunity to work in small rural towns most of the time.

Since I don't work every day, and I'm prone to take a month or two off now and then, it would certainly be likely that you could easily earn more much more than I do. The problem in depending on this is that the work is never steady and you cannot predict a dependable flow of income. Also, you can expect shop fees to continue to go down, at least for the time being. Downward is the current trend, and from what I hear from more experienced shoppers, fees have been going down for a few years now. They will probably never go up. How much you can make will depend on work availability, number of shoppers in your area, how well you organize, and how effective and dependable you are. And, of course, you'll have to work like a dog in a fight to keep your business profitable.