I am new and rather intimidated by secret shopping, but want to get my feet wet. I heard a lot about scams (know someone who works for a bank) the individual said sometimes people come in with bad checks from secret shopping.

I guess I have a few questions for you experienced shoppers out there.

1. What steps do you take to confirm to the best of your ability that a Secret Shopper Company is on the up and up?

2. What are some of the TOP companies to shop for?

3. What would be the best way for a new shopper like myself to hook up with a company that serves places that I frequent?

I guess the last one could be answered with, "apply with as many companies as possible," but is there any way to know in more detail what company serves which public company?

There is only your experience that will tell you for sure. Sign up with the companies listed on this forum...

The stickies in this forum have been extremely helpful as well.

1. Sign up with legitimate companies by accessing the Official List f Mystery Shopping Companies, the blue link at the bottom of the page. Use the "search" to search for feedback about individual companies on the list, putting in "all dates" to see all comments.

2. Each of us has different favorites or top companies AND it varies according to where you are located.

3. Sign up with a lot of companies. It's best to sign up and get a good variety of shops and clients rather than search for particular clients.

My best advice is read, read, read everything on the forum and sign up with at least 50 companies. Think of the time spent as an investment in your new business.

Lets start with scams. Yes there are scams that generally send you a check (sometimes in the name of a legitimate mystery shopping company) that basically say this is yours if you send me some. Legitimate offers will never ask you to pay to mystery shop. Check the stickies for more details on the scams.

Legitimate MSPs (Mystery Shopping Companies) - Check a few places. The MSPA (Mystery Shoppers Providers Association is a trade association in which membership almost always signifies legitimacy. Next, the forums - both this one and Volition.com - offer a wealth of opinions and experiences by shoppers about MSPs. For this purpose I prefer volition to this forum because there all the posts about each company are organized in one thread. This forum is more free-flowing with more targeted threads. Lastly, the BBB can provide some information about individual MSPs.

What are the top companies? I suppose that is a lot like asking what are the best restaurants in your town. Preferences and opinions are a big part of that - but the forums have threads asking similar questions. I suggest you peruse those. What I look for are MSPs that are responsive, well paying, and quick paying.

How to hook up with MSPs that offer shops in your town? Start with Market Force and Corporate Research International. They are both very large with many shops in just about every part of the country. You easily could be doing shops for them in the next 24 hours. After that, sign up for jobslinger (the free version), shopper emails from MSPA, and sign up with more MSPs.

What MSPs shop which clients? You won't get much in way of a response because it would violate my shopper ICA (Independent Contractor Agreement) to tell you which MSP shopped McDonald's, for example. The ICA contains many things we are not to reveal. However, this is the big one to avoid doing. With that said, some MSPs will list clients on their web page.

One more answer - The best way to get your feet wet is to DO SOME SHOPS! Go to Market Force and/or Corporate Research International and get some shops under your belt to see how you like it. Make your rookie mistakes (we all have them) with the rookie type of MSPs so it doesn't harm your reputation with some of the better paying, more desirable MSPs.

Lastly, don't forget to keep the documentation for tax time!

Good luck!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/07/2013 02:37AM by vlade5394.

Please note that MSPA membership is nothing like, not even "sort of" like, a guarantee of ethical practices. And, scammers can and will try to hide out behind the names of legitimate MSCs. So, if you get a check in the mails for hundereds or even thousands of dollars before doing a shop, that IS a scam, ragardless of the company name on the check.

Mystery Shopping is a very different industry. I've read threads about companies that people consider frauds and yet they have been wonderful to me and others. There are too many variables. You really just have to try each company because it's not a JOB where you are paid XXXX for a duration of time. If you do your job correctly, you get paid.

A fast food meal and an hour of work is not the biggest paying job. It is terrible if you are not paid, but we are talking a meal under $7 and 30 mins or so of your time. You don't have to repeat it if you don't want to. Besides, everyone has to eat, right?

Now, if you work for 40 hours and do not get paid, that is a serious issue.

Try one of the companies listed and try for one or two jobs and see if you like the company, the job, and if they in fact pay when they say they will.

Yes, the best way to get started is to just get started! ha ha.
I was terrified my first couple of times but after awhile it is like second nature. And it is pretty fun.
Also, if you mention in your report that it was your first time, they are usually pretty nice and understand.

I have personally had great experiences with Market Force, Bestmark, and ICCDs.

As far as the different shops go, I have done just about everything: clothing shops, fast food, banks, car lots, grocery...
You never really know how you will like a certain type of shop until you try it. And like someone said above, if you don't like it, you never have to sign up for that kind of shop again.

You should be able to find some type of opportunity in your area. I live in a pretty rural area and there is almost always some kind of opportunity that I can find.

Hope that helps! :-)