Mystery shopping sounds exciting to many who seek an independent work at home or part time job. At one time I became a mystery shopper after hearing I could make three hundred dollars in one day. Now that sounds exciting! After ten mystery shops I came to the conclusion, mystery shopping is not for everyone.

After ten mystery shops I came to the conclusion, mystery shopping is not for everyone. Being a mystery shopper has perks and downfalls. If you take a look on any search engine with the keywords mystery shopper, you will find many websites offering free and paid memberships to shop. Some offer small fees for memberships around $24.95. Some are much more expensive. Coming back to reality, this small fee to most people is one big fee even if you are promised to make your membership fee back within your first few shops. I would suggest staying with the free mystery shopping websites.

Mystery shopping has its perks. I will grant that. It is a good extra income for many people. Some people even claim they make their living off of mystery shopping. If you find a good company, you could get paid up to twenty - five dollars per shop for just an hour or two of work. You have the ability most of the time to work your own hours and select dates you would like to shop. This works out great for the mystery shopper who has children. All your assignment can be reported 99% of the time online. Many companies pay you mileage.

Some downfalls also come with mystery shopping. If you ever have been a mystery shopper, most companies want you to give your social security number through the Internet by way of an online form. This of course can make anyone very hesitant. The majority of shoppers said they liked working their own hours. Yet, a lot of mystery shops have to be done at a certain time, therefore many mystery shoppers do not set their schedule. Many shoppers like to work independently. Being able to choose shops or deny them depending on their weekly schedules. Just do not turn down to many shops, you sometimes will see a decrease in pay or offers to shop, said one mystery shopper, who is my dearest friend.

Usually if you work jobs in January you do not get paid until the very end of February. Some shops require you to give an accurate description of the employee including height, eye color, hair color, and sometimes even more information. Certain companies forget you are helping them and take advantage of your services.

Before you begin a career in mystery shopping, take my advice and ask a lot of questions from a company your considering working with. Remember, you do not work for them as an employee. You are working for yourself. If you are not getting paid by each shop make sure you are paid at least minimum wage per each hour you work plus mileage if the shop is out of your area. You do not have to accept every shop presented. Choose the shops that work for you.

I think anyone can do well at mystery shopping. It is ultimately up to you. It depends mainly on the companies you shop for and how many jobs they allow you to accept per month. If you enlist with companies that pay higher hourly wages you can do very well. Keep in mind that some companies do not pay for mileage.