Ivan -

You allude to the "benefits" of this badge. What are said benefits?

I've been using iSS for well over two years. I am under the impression that my age, ID and more have been pretty thoroughly "verified" by the companies on this site. What will I miss out on if I don't do this?

Apps like this one: Several other companies have apps, but all are different. I rarely use apps as the vast majority of my shops are either video shops or require a fair amount of narrative. I simply find using my computer fare more efficient.

Gloria -

Tina gave you the exact suggestion I would have given you.

Good Morning Barbara!

1. Always read the guidelines well before performing a shop.
2. Always complete shops to which you are assigned. Not fulfilling assignments is bad, bad, bad.
3. Always turn in high quality work. Fudging answers is a great way to never get assignments again.
4. Always admit to mistakes. You are going to make them. Own up to them honestly. and, when possible, fix them.
5. If you are going to do much shopping, you want a separate checking account for it.
6. If you are going to do much shopping, you want an email address just for mystery shopping.
7. Some of the most lucrative mystery shopping assignments are not advertised online at all. Once you are well-established as a great mystery shopper, MSC's just might start calling and emailing you with great assignments.

So... Are you saying that I will no longer be able to do some of the shops I perform now (i.e. casinos, banks, apartments) if I don't pay for this service?

Please excuse my skepticism, but I have already provided my Social Security Number, and Driver's License to every MSC on iSS. I am well-established as a shopper here and am less-than-thrilled that I am being asked to pay for a service (even if it is only a measly $10) in order to continue to do the work that I have been doing for a couple of years.

I have found that it's a real mixed bag. Most of the new home video shops I've done have had almost no report. Most or the video retail shops I've done have had primarily yes/no reports with minimal narratives. I've done apartment videos with no report and with really long reports. The new car video shops Ive done have all had fairly long reports..... Etc.

You will need to pay taxes on all your mystery shopping income. You are an independent contractor and will want to file a business tax return. Individual companies will ask that you fill out a W-9, though each has its own procedures as to when they will ask you to do so.

Susan -

Money can be made mystery shopping....I pull in over $2K each month while working full time in my profession. I have done over $2K in a week when I am off work. However, it takes time to make connections, etc.

Hi Kirsten -

This is an industry in which you very much determine your earnings. I know of folks who only dabble and are happy to bring in an extra $100 a month. I know of others who do this as their primary income and, from what I can piece together, make better than $70K annually. And, there is everything in between.

I teach full time, so I shop quite a bit on non-school days and much less when school is in session. I just glanced at my spreadsheets and am at a little shy of $20,000 so far this year. With that, I have had two months that I basically took off. This number does not include purchases for which I have been reimbursed (meals, electronic equipment, clothes, gambling losses, gas, oil changes) or other perks, such as gambling winnings. The value of these would be close to another $10K.

I have been shopping for about 2 1/2 years. I shop when I want and take time off when I need to rest or have something more important. I do want to be clear: You will *not* earn thousands of dollars right away. It takes time to building yourself up as an independent contractor. I occasionally go on multi-day routes and I frequently spend long days driving. There is money to be had, but it takes time, a ton of work, organization, and reliability.

Ivan -

I'm not big on the badges, but they don't bother me either. The one thing I would like, however, is a published list of any systemic benefits for having badges and specific rankings. For instance, I know that the higher your Reputation Rank, the more shops you can self-assign. I'd like to know how many more I'll be able to self-assign with my next rank.

MSPA:

I have membership and have never noticed any specific benefit. However, I can't say that there wasn't. I suspect that, if you are brand new to shopping and an MSC is looking to assign a new job to either you are another new shopper, they would give it to the one who has MSPA barring a compelling reason to do otherwise. Once you are established with a company, your reliability and work quality will be a far more important factor in determining whether or not to assign shops to you - or seek you out when they are desperate and willing to pay generous bonuses.