Mystery shopping

It seems you're talking about 2 different subjects.

Don't know anything about being a mystery shopper, sorry.

If you goal is to get out of debt, it would not be wise at this point to buy a new computer.

As far as writing it off, you would have to depreciate it over a certain amount of time (years), and it would have to be for business use.

For the small amounts of money you're picking up so far, I would suck it up and deal with the slower computer for a while, and concentrate on paying some of your already existing debt down before going out and spending more.

Isn't there something else you can be doing while the computer is processing? Going through your mail, or some other project.

Write youself a wish list.....make 2 columns.

One for "must have's", one for "nice to have"

Look at it every couple of weeks and notice how your "must have's" drift to the "nice to have" side of the list.

Since Chai covered the taxes, except you forgot the Section 179 deduction as an option, I will stay away from that end of your question.

The mystery shopping. I get offers all the time. I rarely do it because it is not worth the time or expense on my end compared to what the so called company is willing to pay. If and "if" I do decide to do one I always check out the company first. I will not pay them anything up front (a lot ask for that). Also, they typically are not even in the same state I am in and a big clue is whether they are willing to give you their EIN (employer identification #) which they are required to have if they are a business in the USA. For a self employed individual, it is their SSN, if they are a sole proprietor.

Back to your mystery shopping. Their are 2 companies I do use my computer for and do so called "assignments". I do get paid either by check or paypal, it takes very little time for me, I do it because I find it fun, and it usually involves opinions, some on major companies. I can't tell you which major companies because that is against their policy and I can't tell you the 2 companies because I feel that is against the TOS of this site.

Normally it is the employer or company themself that are hiring these other companies to get information on their own products or service. They may want information on other companies (their rivals) but consumer opinion only and they use this information to better their own product taylored to the consumer. This is where you come in the picture to provide that information.

If you really want to do this just know a lot of those companies are not legit. and I would do as much research as possible to find the ones that are and then you have to decide is it really worth your time. In my opinion if I wanted a "job" that pays me what my time is worth, I would go out and get one in the traditional way.

I used to do the mystery shopping too.

I was lucky and found Gap and Walmart. They were reliable, but the pattern I saw was that you get FLOODED with work right away.. and as soon as you have visited places more then once, they tend to forget about you and focus on other "fresh" faces.

What they want is a general opinion of their stores. And in order to get that, they need MANY people.

It is not stable, reliable income so please do not invest in anything.
What you get paid would , if it continued, be enough to cover a small monthly payment on a financed laptop or what ever you need... the issue is that the income does not stay around.

I have known quite a few people who got lucky as I did and got into the REAL stores.
As TTH says, there are lots of companies who wont pay you **** no matter what you do . Some even try to make you pay first.

Even those that I know who got into major stores had the same experience.
huge explosion of work..
slowly trickled to nothing over about 2 months

Good luck. But dont consider this a long term income source.
It doesnt work that way sadly.

Because .. if it did.. think about it.. MANY MANY people would do just that for a living, and not a handfull of random people.
You would see job openings for it on TV, you would find job openings for it at the work force centers.
But you dont.
The joblistings for it are in secret , hard to find places on the internet..

BIG BIG warning bell about their stability right there..

This is just me, but yeah, it doesn't seem like something to make a good amount of money on, if you consider your travel, shopping time, reporting time.

but, I hate shopping anyway.

Just a follow up. I don't like shopping either.
This part from above that I wrote does not require shopping or leaving the house.



Otherwise if this helps:
Major company>hires company to gather info.>pays you to supply that info.

It is not the typical "mystery shopping". I consider it that because it has to do with products or service.

I also slipped it in my answer as a clue that you can make money off the use of your computer. I don't mean the ones that are willing to pay you $5 for a 45 minute questionnaire. That is not worth the time.

Also, the key word I used is FUN. I would not consider it as steady income that one can support themself with.

I really would tell you the 2 companies because they are legit. I just strongly feel it is against the TOS of this site if I did. I would actually be able to make money by getting others to join. That is why I can't tell you.

Hm, I was thinking I was asking generally about mystery shopping as a personal business. I wouldn't think one could make a whole career out of it, but was thinking that there is probably some business formula about breaking even vs. making a profit you could apply to figure out just how much you would have to earn in order to make an investment of x amount a reasonable expenditure...

I will keep track of how many jobs I am offered with my non-investment "bronze" status... Flooded for a couple of months would probably work to my advantage since I am a student and have access to the university's computers in the library, but only during their hours of operation... Convenience would have me get a business computer and maybe a better printer and dsl rather than dial up and... et cetera...

Ftr, I came up with the idea after hearing one of the managers at the department store I work at part time mention we should be aware that "mystery shoppers" would be evaluating us... I make less than $10/hr there, and thought perhaps there would be a possibility to make a little bit more in my spare time. I have a dollar amount in my head I want to have in my bank account in case of emergencies, but every time I try to make a little bit more money, it winds up costing me most of what I make in expenses (like, for instance, doing massages; I needed new business cards, fliers about my spring discount, new oil since most of my old had gone stale, a sitter for my baby- who must be paid whether the client pays or reschedules last minute... Or, if I take an extra shift at the department store, there is babysitting, disposable diapers since the sitters aren't keen on cloth, easy food for the kids to make themselves + me to take to work, arranging for someone else to transport kids to their various events or make them pay the price of missing sports or extracurricular classes.) This mystery shopping business, I hope, will be able to fill in the cracks and make maybe $100/week extra...