Excerpt of an article I wrote about paid surveys

The first question you may have is, "Can I make money with paid surveys?". The answer is yes, you can make money with paid surveys, BUT you need to be careful about how you go about doing it, and you need to realize that you may find yourself feeling ripped off by joining a paid surveys website. In this article, I want to give you the good, the bad, and the ugly of paid surveys.

The Good:

There are a bunch of paid survey websites out there which will pay you for your opinion. They will pay you because they are doing market research for companies which need information about you, the consumer. A good paid surveys company will pay you somewhere between a few pennies and $75 or more for each research survey you complete.

The Bad:

There is probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 700 paid surveys companies out there, some of which are very good, but MOST of which are very bad. The good paid surveys companies will pay you great money to take surveys, but the bad paid surveys will do nothing but sell your email address and send you spam, or send you surveys which will only compensate you with lame prizes.

The Ugly:

A lot of paid survey databases use deceptive advertising practices, like showing you earning potential of something like $5000 a month, which is nearly impossible to achieve with paid surveys...although you just might get 500 spams email a month, and for the record, THAT IS NOT AN EXAGERATION. Additionally, many paid surveys databases are notorious for NOT giving refunds they promise in their guarantee when you email them to request one...instead, they just ignore you.

Conclusion:

You CAN make money doing paid surveys, but if you do sign up and pay for a paid surveys database, you are likely to get lots of spam, few survey opportunities, and will have difficulty getting a refund from the paid surveys product. Instead of paid surveys, I'd recommend learning how to market digital products online through internet marketing.

 

This is a great article and quite true of current practices; however, there are MANY free lists available from honest people who have taken the time to research for legitimate survey opportunities. It isn't necessary to purchase a membership to a paid survey database to get started.

 

Let me share my experience with surveyscout.

I signed up a couple years ago, got a few surveys, but that' snot where the money is being made.

I got - I think - at least 50 phone calls - until I told them to take me off their list as registered to participe for surveys - from research companies who were inviting me to focus groups and were paying me around $200 for one. Not bad. So yes, surveys are a way to make money!
I was pregnant at the time, kinda hard to move around, so I did not go to any. But I just wanted to share my opinion. Finding these companies does pay.
You calculate how much I would have made if I was going ...And the more active you are, the more calls you get.

 

Survey Scout gets all kinds of complaints on http://Ripoffreport.com. They may have been good a few years ago, but now they have a horrible reputation.

Recently, however, I found a survey company called Maximum Paid Surveys which I can actually recommend. What I did was a little test just to see if I could find an honest paid survey company.

My "test" simply involved writing 7 different paid surveys databases to see how I would go about getting a refund from their product. Only two out of the seven paid surveys companies responded. One of the companies was Maximum Paid Surveys, which does not appear on the Ripoffreport!

Here is an exerpt of what Sam Parker of Maximum Paid Surveys wrote after I informed him that he passed my test:

"I really appreciate your care for your visitors. You have an ethical approach and it matches 100% the way I do and I want to do business.

You are right. Most survey sites have dirty practices: No customer service, no refund, poor website design, broken links, links to fake survey companies etc. We have set up Maximum Paid Surveys to be the most professional resource for both paid surveys and mystery shopping jobs."

Hats off to Sam Parker and Maximum Paid Surveys!

 

It is a good article.

 

My wife have a laptop and is looking for such opportunies to make
extra income.What would be the best site to join for paid surveys
that you don't have to pay to join?

 

Quoting: crankit98What would be the best site to join for paid surveys that you don't have to pay to join?

Let me give you one small piece of advice:

If you decide to join a free paid surveys database, MAKE SURE to set up a dedicated paid surveys email address. I once signed up for a bunch of paid surveys opportunites at yellowsurveys.com, which was a free service - and I ended up with about 500 spam emails within a few months!

Since signing up for Maximum Paid Surveys, I have received ZERO spam - just be careful with the free stuff, and come back and report here if you do get a bunch of spam.

 

Thanks for the info i will keep those thing in mind

 

$39.95 for a membership to Maximum Paid Surveys! NO THANK YOU! There are plenty of good sites that supply a list of legit market research companies.

However, if you do feel that paying for a membership for a list will offer you more... I suggest joining cashsurveysonly.com

most people here may recognize cashsurveysonly as a member of this form; And although cashsurveysonly and I express different opinions on this subject (http://www.work-at-home-forum.com/paid-surveys-19/made-money-already-this-month-6518.html)... He seems to have some good advice and list only legit cash paying surveys for only $29.95


getagrip: I once signed up for a bunch of paid surveys opportunites at yellowsurveys.com, which was a free service - and I ended up with about 500 spam emails within a few months!
yellowsurveys.com is a free site, but getagrip is right... they do have a bunch of scammy sites listed in their directory.

You really need to use your own discretion when signing up to market research companies. With that in mind, try avoiding companies that want you to complete offers as a survey, for these are not real market research firms.

 

Quoting: spadeHowever, if you do feel that paying for a membership for a list will offer you more... I suggest joining cashsurveysonly.com


Thanks for the endorsement,

Quoting: spadeQuoting: getagrip
I once signed up for a bunch of paid surveys opportunites at yellowsurveys.com, which was a free service - and I ended up with about 500 spam emails within a few months!

It is the situation that getagrip got into recieving 500 spam emails, what we a trying to avoid.

 

Quoting: kristanthere are MANY free lists available from honest people who have taken the time to research for legitimate survey opportunities. It isn't necessary to purchase a membership to a paid survey database to get started.

Totally agree!

 

Quoting: mlynnTotally agree!

Although you agree that people don't need to pay for a list and can do the research; There are some negetive aspects of doing your own research. Here are 5 things that will

1) Having Your inbox full on spam emails
2) Getting Scammed along the way
3) Waisting Precious Time
4) Getting Burnt out from doing the research
5) The chance that even if you do the research you may not be sucessful

It is not that easy to do the research on your own, it gets frustrating and many people give it up, after months of research.

 

Quoting: CashSurveysOnlyAlthough you agree that people don't need to pay for a list and can do the research; There are some negetive aspects of doing your own research. Here are 5 things that will

1) Having Your inbox full on spam emails
2) Getting Scammed along the way
3) Waisting Precious Time
4) Getting Burnt out from doing the research
5) The chance that even if you do the research you may not be sucessful

It is not that easy to do the research on your own, it gets frustrating and many people give it up, after months of research.

You make some very valid points but reasearching is like anything else in marketing. You need to be organized and have a plan to follow. Checking the known scammer sites and the BBB reports on a lot of those companys will help eliminate a lot of headaches. The dedicate email is an absolute must when signing up with unkown companys.

 

Quoting: FlyboyYou make some very valid points but researching is like anything else in marketing. You need to be organized and have a plan to follow. Checking the known scammer sites and the BBB reports on a lot of those companies will help eliminate a lot of headaches. The dedicate email is an absolute must when signing up with unknown companies.

You hit the target but this is true when you are dealing with someone that wants to do research on these companies. But if someone wants to make money with paid surveys and needs a list ASAP has a better chance just purchasing a good list of paid surveys.

 

Quoting: CashSurveysOnlyBut if someone wants to make money with paid surveys and needs a list ASAP has a better chance just purchasing a good list of paid surveys.

Not necessarily.

Sorry I disagree.

 

Quoting: mlynnSorry I disagree

I agree with your disagree! Even paying for a list of surveys will land you in the same trap.

 

Quoting: mlynnSorry I disagree.

All opinions are welcome.

Quoting: spadeI agree with your disagree!

We are back to square one.

 

Soooo.... should we just agree to disagree and disagree on the things that we agree upon?


Sorry.

The survey route is tough. And the question remains, Anyone actually making any more than $27.83 (or so) per month doing it? And what about the offers for being a secret shopper that seem to be surgically attached to all survey info???

 

Quoting: IAmAMoneyMakerSoooo.... should we just agree to disagree and disagree on the things that we agree upon?

lol

Quoting: IAmAMoneyMakerThe survey route is tough.

It should be very easy if you choose the right sites.

Quoting: IAmAMoneyMaker$27.83 (or so) per month doing it?

First of, where did you get that number from, and your answer yes people make a lot more then that.

 

You guys are funny!