[Foberswife]

Is anyone a member of this site? You can join for free but you can't find any jobs because their jobs are listed only for their Gold and Silver Members. I had joined but haven't upgraded not because of the cost (30-day Gold membership, for $10 or our 30-day Silver membership, for $5) but because I shouldn't have to pay to be paid for something.

Once in awhile I will get an email from a scheduler that saw my profile but usually it's still not one I can do because they are out of my area (I did get one near me but I was going to be out of town so couldn't do it). So that is why I havent' dropped them yet.

Just wondered if anyone has joined them for free or even upgraded and what you thought of this site. Do you recommend anyone joining it? Do they pay? Tell us what you know about this site. I'd love to hear more about this site.

[puravida]

Hi Dawn,

I just took a quick look, and it appears that they make money just for referring you to other mystery shopper opportunities. They won't do that, though, unless you pay them --which seems a bit odd to me since it seems they make money on you already.

If you don't pay, they just give you a basic list of shadow shopper companies you can probably find anywhere. And, I'm sure they'll love having your email address -if you know what I mean.

In the end, it's tough to know if it's legit or not; but -like you've said before- I wouldn't pay anyone for a mystery shopper opportunity. That's just me.

-Brandon

[Yertle]

There is actually a certificate you can earn on-line that will (or should) make you a certified mystery shopper. Certified meaning that when you join a shopping company, you will give them your certification information and that information will upgrade from an unknown to, let's say a silver or #5 - depending on the rating system used by that company. I wish i had the web address in front of me for the certification company. But I have seen many shopping programs that will ask for your certification #. They charge a one time $15 fee (I hope i'm remembering all this correctly). I'll look for that info and post it here as soon as I come across it.... sorry. I guess this post didn't end up being quite as useful as my intentions. <_<

[Yertle]

Got it. It's called MSPA Certification. Silver certification is done on-line for a $15 fee. Gold can only be earned after completing Silver and you have to watch for it to come to a city near you. The certification covers North America, not just the US. SG Marketing accepts MSPA, maybe others can let us know what other companies recognize this certification? Here's a link if you need more answers.
http://mysteryshop.o...rtification.php

[Astrea]

I want to add that I'm a free member of this site and find it very valuable because it sends me emails notifying me of jobs in my area which usually contain the name of the company looking to hire someone. I then google the company and join directly from their site (for free).

<3 A

[jnailor69]

I have used the 5 dollar trial membership amd have gooten lucky with the mystery shopping and merchandising jobs that are listed on this group, but I live ni a fairly large city close to Philly. It doenst have a lot of mysteryshopping jobs listed though mostly merchandising.

[EagleWings]

I do mystery shopping and just wanted to add that there is no reason to have to pay to access a list of companies that will hire you. I got started shopping before I came across shadowshopper and already had a pretty good base of companies set up. I went ahead and signed up for the free membership and the first couple weeks I got a few offers from schedulars, but nothing substantial.

I found the majority of all my companies in one place and it was free, Volition- which was mentioned earlier. Other companies I found by doing a search for "mystery shopping."

The same rule for surveys applies here- You don't need to pay to gain access to a list!

[GetPaidToFan]

They lowered it to only 3 bucks now for silver... I guess it's worth a try if you really want to know. But I hear that mystery shopping doesn't include gas fees which can be quite costly to you. Also, at times, they don't pay you the full bill of what you paid, so it's only like getting a discount at the store.

[Devorium1989]

i personally am a gold member with shadowshopper, at first, i too thought it was a rip-off, until i received a call from marketstar. they offered me a part time position as a product demostrator. but one thing i didn't know was how they got my number. because i did the demographics for shadowshopper, they saw me as a fit canidate and now i'm going to start promoting hp's printer at different locations at $14 an hour. now i wouldn't mind signing up for the occasional mystery shopping whey i recieve there e-mails.

[multimastery]

Well I paid to join a ShadowShopper a little while back and gained a few assignments through them. Actually did better through this matchmaking network than going it alone. Just my personal experience, results may vary. Many people say they're a scam because they charge. But i don't see them that way. They provide a database and matching service to match potential shoppers with merchants. Much like all those dating sites do. Yeah people can go out on their own to find a date for free, but they choose to go through a dating service WHY? because it easier and more convenient.

Same with ShadowShopper. Now the main thing to differentiate is that ShadowShopper Is Not a Mystery Shopping Company - they're job is to match you to a database of mystery shopping organizations in their network. So with that being said, NO you should never pay to 'shop' for any company, but a company who is providing you a Match Making Service has every right to get paid for their service. Afterall, they don't MAKE you go through them. Bt the reason many people do is because they want to invest the time to track down the good paying companies themselves. It's a choice.