Paid surveys, focus groups and mystery shopping

Possibly one of the first money making options you run into online is paid surveys. They sound reasonable: $10 for a survey that takes you 15-30 minutes to complete and you can take as many as you like. Plus the ever present referral bonuses. But the reality runs more like this: of the few sites that pay cash, the average wage is $3 for a 30-60 minute survey (down from $5/survey a year ago), and you only qualify for 1-2 per month. If you're in an unattractive demographic (i.e., poor) that can drop to 1-2 per year.

That might be fine if there were hundreds of survey sites offering such work, but a quick review of the Survey Police Panel Rankings

• http://www.surveypolice.com/rankings

yields about 20 sites that meet this standard (and will likely pay out) for an optimistic grand total of $120/month at $6/hr. With a diligent downline, you might be able to double that. Something to think about if your minimum wage job is cutting back on hours. If you're interested, try

• http://www.thesurveypro.com/
  

I'm ignoring "build a huge downline" options here because, well, it takes the same amount of effort to pick up dollars as it does dimes, and paid surveys are definitely on the dimes side of things.

Ocassionally, diligent survery takers in attractive demographics will be offered participation in a focus group at $20-$40/hr. Again, this is a once-a-year type deal, so it might boost your average monthly take to, say, $125.

Mystery shopping is a natural extension of paid surveys. Mystery shoppers are paid to act as a customer at a specified shop and report on the experience. According to the forums at volition.com

• http://forum.volition.com/
  

this can be a full time occupation if managed correctly, with a wage around $10/hr. Frustrations include exacting reporting requirements as well as lack of reimbursement for mileage and gasoline. Bonuses include occasional assignments to spend $150 at a restaurant or spa. This is work that actually could pay the rent (after months spent establishing good relationships with a few dozen agencies), but it doesn't really lend itself to the kind of wealth generation we're aiming for here.