December 31, 2004

Curious George: paid surveys. The idea of earning a little extra cash just for answering questions seems tempting to all of us, I'm sure. Having seen sites like these recently, it seems easier than ever, too. Do any monkeys have success stories (or warnings!) they can share? Which sites are most lucrative? Which are scams? Which are simply raffle entries, not actually paying sites? Any and all information or experience you can share would be very helpful.
  • At the very least, these two seem eerily similar, quoting the same bounties for activities, as well as having the same "membership fee." I'd wager they're some sort of mlm-style system, whereby members not only can "take surveys" but also open their own Get Rich From Home pages for an added bonus. The personal information required by the free one seems a bit extensive, but nothing more than an average telemarketer would want.
  • Once again, there is no free lunch.
  • The one company I have surveyed for, and is legit, is Vividence. The surveys are rare (once a month) and can pay between $10 and $25 in Amazon certificates, usually the former. No membership fee. I've done 3 and got paid $45. I do them so I can buy books I can't find at my local libraries. Another good source is craigslist. Go to the various regional sites and do a search for 'survey'. Once in a while, a nice one might come up. I've done a couple that way and gotten $20. Be aware that this isn't a real income opportunity. Just some extra occasional pocket money. I would be wary of most survey sites, though. Seems a ripe time for scammers. And, as is said, 90% of everything is crap.
  • Oops, correct link for craigslist.
  • I did one once when a survey company happened to catch me on a quiet day. They came to my house, the survey took an hour, and I got a $30 book voucher. Sweet.
  • Because no one has made this most obvious joke (perhaps because it is obvious, yet still it must be made): I'll tell you how I feel for $20.
  • Ironic comment, freethought.
  • I do paid surveys for Stanford University Behavioral Labs that give me $6 from Amazon. They are not consumer surveys... more like psychological and sociological questionairres. I get about one or two a month. Usually they are fairly interesting. I know that I originally found this Craigslist, but I can't find a link for sign-up now. More lucrative than surveys are focus groups, which you can also find on Craigslist, especially if you live in a large city. I did two groups in December. I was a "floater" for one on hotels, meaning that I was a fallback in case subjects didn't show up. I sat in a waiting room with free coffee and soda for two hours, read a book, and was paid $150 cash (off the books). The second was for VH1. The group presenter was involved in a car accident, and was late. We waited for 45 minutes, they fed us lunch, and then they canceled the group, but still paid us $100 each. In 2003, I made $750 bucks doing these things. Now I don't even have to hunt them out, they just call or e-mail me directly.
  • Thanks, Gyan, for the Vividence tip - I think this is the sort of thing I'm looking for. And kimdog, I would definitely do some focus groups - if I could find any on craigslist! I live in Dallas and searched for them but couldn't find any at the moment, so maybe I'll just wait it out for a while. Thanks you guys.
  • I can also vouch for Vividence, been doing surveys with them for a couple years now and they have always delivered as promised. I think they just merged with a company called Keynote (can't find the email with details now). Getting on the list for a market research firm can be a great way to make a bit of cash in exchange for very little work. You can usually call them and fill out a profile for them to match for various studies. Local universities may have all kinds of studies for a bit of extra cash. I'd stay away from any place where you have to pay to be in their pool, as legit firms don't need to do that.