Mystery shopping (sometimes called secret shopping) is an excellent way to make extra money. It is very easy to do, you need no previous experience, no special knowledge and no expensive equipment. Mystery shopping can be performed by anyone who is able to go shopping. The mystery shopping companies employ men and women of all ages and descriptions as secret shoppers in order to obtain feedback from a wide range of different people on a wide range of services. Some mystery shopping assignments have to be undertaken by people who are accompanied by children in order to report back on specific facilities in places such as theme parks or family restaurants. (If you don't have children of your own in the right age group, don't worry: you are allowed to borrow them from relatives or friends.) If you enjoy shopping, mystery shopping will be a fun way for you to make extra money.
Mystery shopping consists of getting paid to go into a business (eg a shop or restaurant), without the employees knowing that you are anything other than an ordinary shopper, and reporting back to the mystery shopping company. A focus group is when you get paid to sit down with other people who are also getting paid and discuss new products or services, many focus groups are actually held online, so you don't even have to leave home for carry out the assignment.
The reason mystery shopping companies and survey companies exist is to provide companies with impartial feedback on their employees, products and services. That way they can see where there might be problems and make the necessary changes to improve things.
Mystery shopping companies will pay you to shop, eat at restaurants, have a drink at a bar, visit the cinema, take a trip and take part in focus groups. If you are sent out to do mystery shopping, you might be required to visit a particular shop and just make enquiries about an article to test the staff's customer service level but, if you are instructed to make a purchase, you are allowed to keep the articles and will be reimbursed for the cost. If you are sent to do mystery shopping at a restaurant or bar, you will be given a budget figure to spend on your food and drink and that money will be reimbursed to you by the mystery shopping company on top of your fee for the assignment. You might be asked to sample new products and these items will be sent to you free of charge. As part of your mystery shopping, you might find yourself receiving free samples to test of anything from detergent to chocolate. (This can also happen if you join survey companies.)
Mystery shopping jobs are obviously easier to find if you live in or near a fair sized town where there are a large number of shops, restaurants etc but, if you live in a rural area, you can still earn money taking part in online focus groups which can be found through online paid survey companies.
After you do a mystery shopping assignment you answer some questions on a form provided by the mystery shopping company and file your report with them. These reports are usually set up as a series of questions with a box for you to add any relevant details the company might request. The reports can usually be completed very quickly and it is best to complete your report straight after you finish your mystery shopping so that you don't forget any detail. Some mystery shopping companies require you to report to them by phone immediately after you have completed the mystery shopping assignment but, generally, the companies expect you to submit a written report by post or email.
The way to approach mystery shopping is to remember that basically you are like a reporter. You must never add your feelings or recommendations to a mystery shopping report. Your job is to just answer the questions, report the facts and describe what actually happened during your mystery shopping expedition.
If you accept a mystery shopping assignment but then are unable to complete it, make sure you immediately notify the mystery shopping company so that they can make alternative arrangements to avoid letting down their client.
When you start doing mystery shopping, make sure you accept all suitable assignments including last minute jobs and any less than glamorous assignments you might be offered. The top class assignments will be offered to reliable mystery shoppers so you will need to prove yourself and build up a good reputation by making a good job of the lower quality assignments and getting your report in on time. At the start, you might find yourself being asked to do mystery shopping a the local fast food outlet or department store. Once you build up a reputation as a reliable mystery shopper, you can look forward to assignments where you are paid to visit expensive restaurants and designer shops. You might even be lucky enough to get a free trip and hotel accommodation as a mystery shopper.
Always keep in mind that, although mystery shopping is a fun and easy way for your to make extra money, it is a business and you need to behave in a businesslike manner when carrying out your mystery shopping assignments and reporting the results to the mystery shopping company. Your mystery shopping reports will be helping to shape the future of the businesses you visit and you have the chance to make a positive impact on decisions relating to improvements to services and facilities which will be of benefit to you.
Make Extra Money Quick
When selling something, the most important thing a seller must consider is how he or she shall be paid. This is a very risky decision since a lot of fraudulent activities in eBay involve payment. Selling on Ebay is a great way of making extra money.
PAYPAL
This is the most common way of paying a seller on eBay.
eBay is adding a new service for online traders which will let sellers add Skype functions including free internet voice calls and instant messaging to their listings across a range of categories.
PayPal is an online business that facilitates the transaction of transferring a monetary amount between a merchant account and an online buyer. Because it is electronic, it is basically a paperless transaction.
It was in October 2002 when PayPal was purchased by eBay. Before, PayPal was just a choice of most eBay users, whether it's a buyer or a seller. The other choices that time involves eBay's subordinate, BillPoint.
However, due to a relative percentage of PayPal, being the most widely used mode of payment by almost fifty percent of eBay buyers and sellers, eBay had eventually phased out BillPoint and concentrate more on PayPal.
Right now, there is another company that is in the same line of business like PayPal. This competitor is known as BidPay. There had been reports that a number of eBay buyers and sellers resort to this kind of payment scheme.
ESCROW
PayPal is an online business that facilitates the transaction of transferring a monetary amount between a merchant account and an online buyer. Because it is electronic, it is basically a paperless transaction.
For high-priced items, eBay recommends that the method of payment should be with an eBay approved escrow service.
Buyers and sellers should take note that there are fake escrow companies lurking in eBay. Hence, it's important to detect if the escrow company that the buyer and the seller deals with is approved by eBay.
EBay recommends that sellers, as well as buyers, should only contact eBay approved escrow companies like escrow.com for Canada, U'.S., and U.K. eBay users; escrowaustralia.com.au for eBay users in Australia; escrow-europia.com for eBay users in Spain and Italy; ebay.iloxx.de for German eBay users; and tripledeal.com for eBay users in France, Netherlands, and Belgium.
EBay strongly warns its buyers and sellers not to do transaction concerning wire transfers like the Western Union. This is a very unsafe mode of payment because it does not guarantee the concerned person that the process will be smooth.
So, it's best for every seller and buyer on eBay to opt for the mentioned payment methods so as to be sure of an honest and reliable business transaction. Besides, eBay will protect the sellers and buyers if the transactions were made under these approved eBay mode of payment.
eBay is adding a new service for online traders which will let sellers add Skype functions including free internet voice calls and instant messaging to their listings across a range of categories.
Both Elaine Currie & Vinod Kumar are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Elaine Currie has sinced written about articles on various topics from Internet Marketing, Family Concerns and Web Development. To find sources of mystery shopping jobs visit Elaine Currie's - while you are there, pick up a free copy of. Elaine Currie's top article generates over 135000 views. to your Favourites.
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