Mystery shopping jobs are legitimate jobs that you can do as part of a home based business. If you learn to do it properly, it can be very lucrative because you will earn good money working in this way. At the same time, you have flexible hours that allow you to meet your other commitments of home and family. The best way to find such jobs is to subscribe to job boards, You will see lists of companies looking for mystery shoppers and at the same time, if others have had problems with some companies because they didn't get paid, they will often post a note on the board to that effect.



Most of the companies that hire mystery shoppers are legitimate. However, one thing you have to be careful when you get started with this type of work and that is if a company asks you to pay a fee to be able to become a mystery shopper, you should avoid them. You don't pay to go to work at this job - companies pay you to work for them. At the same time, there are companies that ask you to subscribe to their list of shoppers that they can call on, but you shouldn't have to pay for this.

One of the main advantages of working in mystery shopping is the flexibility that it gives you. You can work and make money when you decide to and you don't have to adhere to any schedule. This means you can be home when the children get home from school and be home in time to prepare lunch and dinner. Other perks involved in this type of job is that you earn regular money and get many things free that you would otherwise have to buy yourself. For example, you may get a chance to eat at a fancy restaurant for free just to see what the food and service is like and get paid for doing so.

Anyone can do mystery shopping. Stay-at-home Moms and Dads, seniors, retirees, college students - anyone looking for another source of income can be found working at this job. The thing is that you would never recognize them when you are out shopping or dining in a restaurant, mystery shoppers are just like all the other customers.

You don't need to have any type of experience, such as a university degree or a trade to earn money in this type of work. However, you will have to write reports for the companies that hire you and much of the correspondence is through email, so you need to be proficient at using the computer. You will need to know how to send attachments and how to work with spreadsheets. When you are shopping you should be able to carry on a conversation with the store employees and be very courteous. Some of the personal qualifications that you need to do well in this job are to be observant, reliable and have a good imagination. If you have a background in education, finance, real estate or business, you will likely be hired for the job and do it well.