Paid Surveys - Are they legit?

Paid surveys are not new, despite all the hoopla. Marketing research firms have been paying consumers to participate in surveys, focus groups and such for some time. But the Web has granted them a more-efficient way to collect data. So, many now conduct legit, online paid surveys and other types of paid, online marketing research.

But many questionable, "middleman" paid survey sites are poisoning the well, by hyping easy money for participating in online marketing research from home. When there's competition for selling an easy-money scheme working from home, you can bet that there's also exaggeration, if not outright scams.

Many questionable middleman sites charge "membership" fees for access to lists of marketing research firms that conduct online paid surveys. But you can find many for free, by searching the Web. It's how this writer found 60+ to review for this article. It's also likely how the membership sites found most they list. Regardless, some try to dupe you into believing their lists are special. But, according to messages on scam forums, their lists are essentially the same as others. Worse, some also list other membership sites, trying to dupe you into buying essentially the same list over and over again. They include sites that seem to be their competitors, because they earn referral fees or commissions when you click the links or buy memberships. A couple mentioned in scam forums even try to dupe you into buying the same list at other membership sites they own under different domain names. So, natch, these sites have incentive to exaggerate how much you'll earn from online paid surveys.

Other middleman paid survey sites provide free lists. But, many are effectively in cahoots with the questionable membership sites, because they too earn referral fees and commissions by hosting links and ads for membership sites. So, they too have incentive to exaggerate.

If anybody is earning a living from online paid surveys, it's considerably more probable to be middleman-site owners than participating consumers. Of the 60+ paid survey sites reviewed, most "pay" only token rewards in the form of goods, services, coupons or samples. Many pay cash only through sweepstakes. Even if you're lucky enough to win several sweepstakes, it likely won't lead to early retirement. Prizes at most reviewed sites range from $5-200 in cash or goods and drawings are only occasional. Some pay with points that are redeemable for cash or goods. Typically, you must rack up a bunch to redeem them for anything of significance. Most pay nothing or only sweepstakes entries for completing screening surveys, that determine your eligibility to receive certain paid surveys. A couple don't pay much of anything, unless you recruit others as in pyramid schemes.

A few paid survey sites reviewed do pay relatively well in cash. But questionable middleman sites hype hypothetical, best-case scenarios that can't possibly apply to each and every consumer for each and every hour he or she participates. In the real world, the likelihood that you'll often earn the higher of the hyped amounts is slim. Besides the reality that most simply don't pay much, you must be invited to complete paid surveys. To be invited, you must fit targeted demographics. That alone limits your earnings right off the bat, as you can't possibly fit every demographic.

Consequently, despite what questionable middleman sites imply in their "dream job" hype, it's unlikely that you'll earn a living from paid surveys and other marketing research. You might, however, earn or win some extra spending money, or free or discounted goods or services.

Most reviewed paid survey sites effectively promise not to share personally-identifiable information or not to share it without prior consent. It's an industry standard, by which legit marketing research firms are bound. But many membership sites reviewed don't make either promise, or do so only in a limited or wishy-washy way. Unauthorized go-betweens such as membership sites don't have to honor the marketing-research industry's privacy standards.

Consequently, by joining, you might have also rolled out the red carpet for the membership site or its unnamed "marketing partners" to solicit you. (Some who joined membership sites reported in scam forums that they were swamped by spam only minutes later.) Your personally-identifiable information is worth a small fortune to direct marketers, especially since the U.S. Federal Trade Commission pushed for legislation in 2002 to stop unsolicited telemarketing calls. Ask yourself if a few extra bucks, iffy sweepstakes and other token rewards are worth the aggravation of dealing with potentially dozens of pestering privacy invasions that offer nothing for your time.

All things considered, it's no surprise that some of the marketing research sites reviewed disclaim any connection with membership sites. Real paid survey sites pay you, not the other way around.

How to Find Legitimate Paid Surveys Online

Countless Internet pop ups advertise free paid online surveys. These advertisements are not the only places people can go to find paid online surveys either. There are services that offer consumers the chance to access a database of paid online surveys. It is important to note that while many of these offers may be legitimate, most others may be misleading.

Paid online surveys advertised by pop ups usually aren’t legitimate. Companies that offer these promotions merely gather the surveyors’ personal information and sell it to marketing firms. Once these companies have a person’s name, address, email address, and phone number, they bombard the person with telemarketing calls, spam emails, junk mail and unwanted catalogues. These types of scams are obnoxious, but they do not really cost the consumer any money.

A middleman site that promises to give people access to a database of paid survey opportunities can cost money. These websites connect people to survey sites after the people subscribe to the service by paying a fee. Most of the time, the sites in the database are easy to access on the Internet and do not need the middleman sites, making the database useless. These sites also make money by selling the subscriber’s personal information.

There are a number of websites that offer true opportunities to make money taking paid online surveys. These sites pay modestly, but deliver what they promise. It is important to read the find print before deciding to take a paid online survey. Many of them contradict their promises of payment in the fine print, resulting in wasted time.

Paid online surveys can be a good deal, but many of them are misleading. Those that offer small payment or rewards are more likely to be honest than those that promise huge cash rewards.

Paid Surveys Zone provides detailed information about free paid surveys, cash paid surveys, and paid online surveys, as well as paid survey directories, and advice about paid survey scams.

Commonly Asked Questions about Survey Taking Online

What are online surveys?

Companies need to understand consumers, and to do this they hire market research companies to survey their target audience. By registering online with these market research companies and providing your demographic information, you become eligible to voice your opinion in surveys that shape company decisions.

How do I participate in online surveys?

Once you register with a survey provider, your information is placed into a database. When a study matches your profile, you are sent an invitation by e-mail to participate in the survey. The e-mail states the approximate length of the survey, the topic and the incentive (cash, prizes, points, etc.) The survey is conducted online and once completed your check is mailed to you, or you are provided with information on how your incentive will be provided.

What's the difference between free surveys and pay to join surveys?

Free Surveys are just that - they are free. This means that registration is free, and participation is free too. You will still be provided with incentives to participate in studies. Pay to Join Surveys are a little bit different. You pay a small initial fee to register with these companies, and they will find surveys for you that are available for participation. People who would use this service are typically those who take online survey-taking more seriously, and would like to make a fair amount of money doing so.

How will I be contacted to receive survey invitations?

When you register with survey providers, you will be asked to provide an e-mail address. This address will then be used to e-mail you survey invitations. Simply follow the instructions in the e-mail, and your survey will be conducted online, via your browser. Rarely is there anything to download.

How will I be paid after I participate?

Normally you will be paid by check a few weeks later. Sometimes other payment receipt options such as PayPal are available. Othertimes if a gift certificate or product is the survey incentive, after completion of the survey, details will be provided as to when and how your reward will be delivered.

How often will I get survey invitations?

This depends on a variety of factors. Of course, the more market research companies you register with, the better chance you have of being invited to participate in studies. Also, if you fit a demographic that companies are particularly interested in, you will likely receive more survey invites than somebody else.

When I'm e-mailed a survey invitation, do I have to participate?

No. If you do not feel like participating in a particular study, the choice is simply yours.
Is there any cost to join?
There is no cost to participate in surveys. The only time there is ever a cost involved to participate in online surveys is when you register with a pay to join survey company which scours available surveys for you to take. A better explanation of what pay to join surveys are is provided above.

Who can register?

As you navigate our website and click on a survey provider, you will be provided with information that states who qualifies to register with the chosen company. For example, many companies only allow US residents who have reached the age of majority to register, while others allow international residents over the age of 13 (with parental consent) to participate.

What do I get for participating?

Incentives range from a stated amount of cash, to merchandise, to chances to win big prizes, to points redeemable for cash or merchandise. Incentives (or rewards) for surveys are stated in the e-mail invitation you will receive, inviting you to participate in the survey. Keep in mind that when you are offered a chance to win a large sum of money, your chances are of winning are pretty good (compared to something like the lottery). You are often only competing against a few hundred other participants.

What do market research companies do with my data?

They report their findings to corporations that have hired them to conduct the studies. They don't mention names and the data is provided in a form of a report, with findings for the entire group, not just simply one individual. Market research providers normally have privacy policy statements on their website, assuring participants that their privacy is protected during survey experiments.

Can I get rich taking online surveys?

Probably not. Any website that says you will is lying. Even if you sign up with every single market research company in existence, you'll probably only have enough surveys to do as a part time job. Online survey taking is more like an easy and fun way to supplement your existing income. Who else would pay you $25 for less than 15 minutes of your time, to answer a bunch of questions about, say, candy?

United Kingdom Paid Survey Sites

UK paid surveys and market research companies online. Get paid to take online surveys in the UK from your home computer. These paid surveys are available to anyone living in the UK, free of any joining fee's. Market research companies all over the UK and Europe are looking for people like you to participate in online surveys. Complete their surveys and you could be rewarded with cash and other incentives just by giving a little of your time and of course, your
opinion!

Get started now by joining these paid surveys, and you too could be among the 100's of thousand of people all across the United Kingdom and Europe who are making their opinion count, and being paid to do so.


UKSurveyPanel.com
Companies in the United Kingdom need your help to create better products. Earn Cash and rewards by doing online surveys.

PaidSurveys.com
Earn cash and rewards from over 25 survey companies - get started today - it's free!

Opinion World Surveys
Win a personal Laptop! OpinionWorld is the place where your opinion matters. You get the chance to influence the future of consumer products including game consoles and digital cameras.

Opinion World Trip to New York Competition
Take a journey of a lifetime to the American capital of trends, fashion, music and art. Apply now simply by completing your details and wait for the OpinionWorld e-mail in your mailbox to arrive and complete the survey.

The Survey Pro UK
Free list of paying surveys in the UK. Earn up to £100/hr giving your opinion at home.

Global Test Market
Get paid to influence the next generation of consumer services and products. Make a difference now!

Voice in a Crowd
Win prizes just for letting us know what you think – answer Voice in a Crowd’s surveys to gain extra entries into the monthly prize draw. Registration is free, and gives you the chance to win top prizes ranging from cold hard cash and the latest gadgets to once in a lifetime experiences.

Survey Club UK
Earn easy money and great prizes for visiting fun websites and doing quick paid online surveys.

ECN Research - Win a Flat Screen TV!
Join their interactive survey and enter for a chance to win a flat screen TV.

Survey Spot
Get paid and win prizes for taking online surveys.

Ciao Survey Panel
Earn Cash for taking Surveys! Speak your mind and get paid for it - find out what your opinions are worth.

ACOP Consumer Opinion
Join today and get paid cash to fill out online surveys! Typically, receive $4 to $25 for each survey you complete!

Paid Surveys Reviews offers you details about paid surveys sites.

How To Maximize Paid Survey Income

Paid surveys has undoubtedly become very popular as a good source of extra income to many individuals all over the world. It allows you to easily work from home, to set your own working hours, all without the usual pressures of a regular job. Though big money may only come with great effort, many people suffice themselves with　supplementary income through online paid survey.

There are a variety of ways to maximize your income through paid survey. If you want to earn a good potential income, you can do so by following the tips below:

If you are still starting out, accept every paid survey sent to you. As a novice, you have to establish your track record with your survey provider. You should create an impression of a reliable and trustworthy respondent. The better you track record is, the better your chances are of getting more survey offers. Besides, you might just be deleting a $50 worth survey.

Use separate email addresses. Email addresses are mainly use to update you with new survey offerings available. Depending on the number of sites you signed up in, you can be receiving a good number of survey invitations daily. With more email addresses and with good track record, you can start receiving hundreds weekly, therefore allowing you to pick and choose those which may pay you better.

Use an automatic form-fill program. There is lots of good software programs available to help you easily fill in forms. This can help you sign up in multiple survey companies quickly as information such as name, address, or phone number can be entered automatically.

Sign up with a number of paid survey networks. Some people find it very profitable to sign up with 10 or more sites. The more sites you sign up with, the more chances you have of getting more survey offers. Be very careful though, as you may run the risk of being out of focus. If you are starting out, try to stick with about 5 in order to determine just how much you can do. Once you are ready for more, go ahead and register in other survey networks available.

Form a team. You can form a team with your family in doing this part-time paid survey gig. Remember that surveys are targeted to certain populations and respondents depending on the market required. You can team up with your spouse for example, and he can answer questions that are targeted to the opposite sex of his age. This is an excellent way of doubling your income.

Keep records of your pay check. Paid survey does not usually incur income taxes as you are considered an independent consultant in this case. It is best to keep a record of all your pay checks in order for you not to get trouble with your local IRS. All expenses associated with paid survey are usually tax deductible, so this can actually be an advantage on your part.

Paid surveys are undoubtedly an excellent way to earn extra income online. The profits may not come as fast or as quick, but with patience and time, you can be on your way to.

Make Money Taking Surveys

How exactly do you get started to get paid to take survey online? Here are the four things that you need to get you ready to earn by paid surveys.

Try to imagine how it will be like just sitting at home, facing your computer, listening to your favorite music and actually get paid to take survey online. Does it sounds too good to be true? But for many people, getting paid to take surveys online is a daily reality. On fact, online surveys are one of the best work from home jobs to get involved in.

Note though that as in most work at home jobs; do not expect to get paid with thousands of dollars overnight. You can actually get paid with decent amounts, but only if you work doubly hard for it. The key to getting paid to take survey online is to take as much surveys as you can through the most reliable sites in the Internet.

There are essentially four requirements that you are willing to devote if you want to get paid to take survey online:

• Time. Do you have the time it takes to get paid to take survey online? The amount you earn will depend on just how much time you are willing to devote in taking them. It is not a "get rich overnight" scheme, and it will take you a couple of hours per week to get a fairly decent amount of money.

• Dedication. Do you have the patience to answer 10 to 30 minute surveys, actually test a new product, or participate in a focus group when needed? You can get anywhere from $20 to $150 per hour for special projects. However, to get this remuneration, you must be willing to go the extra mile to provide the information that companies need. Sometimes, when you are your own boss in terms of time and work load, the dedication can falter at some point. However, if you want to get paid to take survey and to earn regularly, you have to establish your credibility as a survey taker and finish your projects within reasonable time frame.

• Honesty. Are you ready to answer as truthfully as possible and reveal some information about yourself for profiling purposes? If you want to get paid to take survey, you have to be willing to reveal information about yourself and to express your honest opinion about certain subjects. There is no space for fake identities or "no comment/not applicable" replies with online surveys.

• Good and reliable computer and internet connection. Of course, being paid to take survey will practically need you to have a good computer system and a reliable Internet connection. While this is generally self-explanatory, some people actually fail to consider how these two are the most powerful tools that can make working from home possible. If you want to make money online, you should invest in these two to make sure you reap full rewards on your effort.

Of course, starting on your journey on getting paid to take survey will involve registration in online survey sites, signing up for a separate email account and for a PayPal account, but these are fairly straightforward and easy to do within minutes.

Online paid surveys - Truths and Myths

Online paid surveys can make you rich. Is this statement true or false? The answer is false. But before you drop your jaw, allow me to explain more. Taking free internet paid surveys can never make you rich. But to earn you a second income is truly achievable. So the next spin doctor that comes along telling you that you can get rich from doing online surveys, send him to the door. It is a Scam! This article will reveal truths and dispel some myths about making money from online paid surveys.

Online Paid Surveys Myth 1 – You Can Become Rich from Taking Surveys

Surveys can make you a millionaire. If you consider having a few hundred to several thousand dollars as being wealthy, then you are not wrong to say that doing free internet paid surveys do make you rich. But to the man on the street, being rich takes on another definition. Well, you cannot become a millionaire from surveys.

Online Paid Surveys Truth 1 – You Can Pay Off Bills from Taking Surveys

But using paid surveys to pay off bills, buy new toys for the kids at home, bringing your family out for dinners, paying your car installment and mortgage loan is likely.

Online Paid Surveys Myth 2 – You Can Cheat the Survey System

Folks have beaten the survey system. So can you. What they do is to check the answer across the same column in each questionnaire. Completing each survey takes no more than 5 minutes flat. No thinking is needed, just mindless finger action. The logic is: the faster you complete, the more you do and the more you earn.

Online Paid Surveys Truth 2 – The Survey System Outsmarts You

Some smart alecks think that they can beat the survey systems. Unfortunately, the online surveys would be reviewed by human beings. The system may take your answers but they hardly escape the scrutiny of a trained evaluator. You would lose your account if you try to earn a few quick bucks.

Online Paid Surveys Myth 3 – You Can Second Guess the Answers

There are “sophisticated” survey takers who second guess the answers to the survey questions. Why do they have to do so? You see, free internet paid surveys require prescreening or what we call prequalification to assess your eligibility for the surveys. This is quite usual for high paying surveys or focus group discussions which can net you up to $150 per session. People would try to emulate the response of a potential candidate in order to participate in the surveys. Some also lie about their hobbies such that they can be offered more survey opportunities.

Online Paid Surveys Truth 3 – You are Second Guessed!

The online paid surveys system is smarter than that. The survey companies are either using human reviewers or garnering programs to review the answers or both. So if you think you can second guess what the appropriate answers for each question is, then you are in for a rude shock. They have tons of statistical data and intelligent software to help them decipher the information you provide. While it does not work every time, it is just not worth it to risk your account for that.

Online Paid Surveys Myth 4 – You Can Succeed With Just One Survey Company

Stay loyal to one survey or market research company and you would get the chance to do numerous surveys and make a killing out of it.

Online Paid Surveys Truth 4 – You Can Succeed Only With Numerous Survey Companies

Professional survey takers do not stick with one market research company. To stick with one is to decide to be poor. The trick to succeeding with online paid surveys is to be registered with as many good paying market research companies as possible. This would bring you a constant stream of surveys to participate in. Without that, you only get trickles, nothing like the avalanche of free internet paid surveys you were expecting.

Learn how to survive and thrive with online paid surveys at my blog. This article may be freely reprinted or distributed in its entirety in any ezine, newsletter, blog or website. The author's name, bio and website links must remain intact and be included with every reproduction.

Online Paid Surveys - Truths and Myths was written by:
Author: Davion Wong
Website: http://ipod--music-download.blogspot.com
Category: Online Paid Surveys

Free Online Paid Surveys - What You Need to Know

There are plenty of money making opportunities online with free online paid surveys hailed as one of the simplest and most widely used to earn some quick cash. If you have spent some time searching the web, you probably would have come across dozens of sites that make claims that you can become rich from filling some questionnaires. The truth is, anyone in their sound mind would instantly know it is not possible and these are scams. But a few hundred to thousand dollars is achievable by participating in free online paid surveys.

People actually do make money from doing free online paid surveys. Stay-at-home mums as well as college students are earning some pocket cash from these. As long as you have a realistic view of this income opportunity, there are reliable market research companies you can work with. A few hundred dollars per month would be great for most families as a supplementary income. For the young adults, the money can be used to purchase a new bike, MP3 player or even a computer.

Be down to earth and know that it is not possible to hit $1000 a month within the first month. The clue to making a substantial income is to participate in as many questionnaires as possible. To do so, you need to be a member with more than one or two market research companies. One hint here is to join as many of them and go for the high paying ones. This more or less guarantees you would always have floods of offers for free online paid surveys to do.
Exercise your discretion when picking a market research company to work with. As a market norm, the company should not charge you a registration fee. The worst companies are bucket shops that charge you for joining and never send you a single offer. A genuine market research company just wants your opinion and is willing to pay you for it.

Folks may be upset that after paying online survey directories, they are not getting the questionnaires to start earning with. For a moment, they may feel they are scammed but the fact is, they are not. The truth is, these directories are not the market research companies.
Basically, when you pay the directory, you are paying for a compiled listing of established market research companies. This saves you a great deal of time going through the internet and checking out each company one by one. With such lists, you can get started with earning a good income as soon as possible.

That said, if you are tight on budget and have a lot of spare time, you can search online for the information about each market research company. Set aside a few weekends and register with each company and test it out. Earning a supplementary income using free online paid surveys can really be profitable and interesting.

Visit my site if you wish to find out more useful tips about questionnaire filling for cash and discover the best paying market research companies around.

Davion is a successful online entrepreneur who goes hunting for the hottest income opportunities. Discover where to find the best paying free internet paid surveys at his wildly popular survey blog. You can also find another interesting article on online paid surveys and start earning some extra cash today.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Davion_Wong

SurveySpot Review

Regions Of Participation: US, Canada, and UK
Minimum Age to Join: 18 years old
Rewards: Cash or Cash Sweepstakes Entry
Average Pay Per Cash Survey: $2 to $10

SurveySpot Company Information

SurveySpot was created by Survey Sampling International, partners with the world's leading researchers since 1977. They offer interesting surveys via their research panel, and in exchange for your opinions you can earn cash and prizes. To date, they have rewarded their members over $12 million in rewards and prizes.

Program Details and Our Suggestions

Getting Started. Once you sign up to become a member you will be issued a username and password so that you can access their members site. From their you can check your cash balance, check your survey history, cash out, and update your panelist information. Survey Spot pays about $2 to $10 per survey, although not all of the surveys are cash surveys, some are for sweepstakes entries and their Instant Win Game Play. In the Instant Win Game Play, you receive one token to play an online slot machine, where you can win one of the following prizes: a trip to Las Vegas, $1000 Amex Gift Cheques, a Canon digital camera, sweepstakes entries for their $25,000 dollar jackpot, or many other numerous prizes. You can request payout when you have at least $5 in your account.

What to expect? In addition to being able to view current surveys in the member's area, SurveySpot will automatically email you survey invitations that they feel may be a close match for your profile. Each invitation will indicate the survey topic, the estimated time to complete the survey, and the reward for completing the survey. The amount of surveys you will receive depends on your profile and the current studies being conducted, but in general you should expect several invitations a week. While most of the survey invitations are rewarded with an entry in their $25,000 sweepstakes and an Instant Win Game Play, you can still expect to receive several cash paid survey offers ranging from $1 to $10 per survey each month. I typically receive two to four cash survey invitations per week. You have to qualify for most of the cash surveys by answering a few introductory screener questions. Based on your answers and the survey client's needs, you may be asked to complete the survey. The good thing is that even if you don't qualify, you are usually still rewarded with a sweepstakes entry and Instant Win Game Play for attempting the survey. Do not be alarmed if you do not immediately see your earnings in the member's area for completing a survey, it can takes up to six weeks for survey earnings to be processed and be available for redemption. This is one of the few drawbacks with this otherwise exceptional panel. Following redemption from the member's area, you can expect a check by mail within two to four weeks.

Advice: It is a good idea to take the first couple of survey invitations to show your dedication to the panel. SurveySpot sends more survey invitations than most panels, so we only recommend that you take the cash incentive surveys that you feel are worth your time, and to take a few sweepstakes surveys a month that have topics that are interesting to you. Unless you simply have lots of time, I would not recommend taking all of the survey invitations they send out. It is too time consuming, and your time can better spent taking survey invitations from the other survey panels we recommend. The most important advice is to answer the surveys honestly, and to take time to answer them correctly. The better your responses, the more likely it is that you will qualify for your cash survey invitations, and be invited to take future paid surveys.

Review
Scale: 1 = Lowest, 10 = Highest

Quality of Surveys (9)

Surveys are easy to understand
Surveys are fairly interesting, and can generally be completed in less than 20 minutes

Compensation for Surveys (8)

Compensation for cash surveys is good ranging from $1 to $10 average for cash surveys
Most survey invitations are rewarding with sweepstakes and Instant Win Game Plays

Frequency of Surveys (10)

SurveySpot sends lots of survey invitations, with about 1 out of 4 being cash surveys.

Timely Payment / Payment Options (6)

$5 minimum required to request payment.
It can take up to six weeks from the time you complete a survey for a cash reward payment to be deposited into your SurveySpot account.
Payment delivered via mail, and usually arrives within 2 to 4 weeks.

Survey Panel Member's Area Site (8)

Links to view current surveys, redeem your unclaimed rewards, review your payment history, and update your member information.
Link to current and past SurveySpot Sweepstakes winners

Overall Panel Ranking (8.2)


The Bottom Line

SurveySpot offers good compensation per survey, and the quality of their surveys is good, with most taking less than 20 minutes to complete. You can expect many survey invitations; however, only about one in four will be cash survey invitations. This should still yield several paid survey invitations per month. The sign up process is quick, it is a consistent earner, and gets our recommendation for definitely worth joining.

(source: http://www.online-paid-surveys.net/surveyspot-review.htm)