Earning extra cash mystery shopping is fun and easy. I'm not a big shopper at all, but I got into mystery shopping because I needed to earn some extra income. You choose whatever kind of mystery shop you want to do, so you are your own boss when it comes down to it. When you are registered with certified companies, they provide you a list of shops available in your area, and they show you how much they pay, and if their's a reimbursement. How much you make mystery shopping is entirely up to you. The more shops you complete monthly the more money you will earn, and you will become more efficient in the world of mystery shopping. I personally don't shop that much due to my lifestyle, but at least I know for a fact that there is a lot of mystery tasks everyday to perform. I constantly get emails everyday about new shops available in my area.

Besides evaluating stores, restaurants, and amusement parks, their are other unique independent contractor jobs that I never knew that existed. When you apply to certified company's that offer all these kind of jobs, you are considered a independent contractor, and you are responsible to file your own taxes, usually if you make over $500 with a company, and then they provide you with the appropriate tax form.

Now below is a sample of other cool jobs that are needed of secret shoppers.

* Merchandising

* Retail Auditing

* Theater Checks (trailer checks, seat counts, blind checks, anti-piracy checks, etc.)

* Undercover Operative

One of my favorite company's provide the first top three, and theirs always a lot of fun assignments on that website, for example, anti-piracy checks, requires you to go to your local theater, with an authorization letter, and you simply check to make sure no one is bootlegging or taking photos of the movie, usually the first day a new movie comes out, and you just sit during the first 20 mins. and then you go to the next room, and you usually get paid $10 a room, very fun and profitable, since your not paying a dime to get in the theater.

The purpose of this article is so I can give a few sample mystery shopping websites that do NOT REQUIRE ANY KIND OF REGISTRATION FEE AT ALL.

I know theirs sites that require you to pay to be a mystery shopper, which is ridiculous, but I did my research and found over 90 certified mystery job websites.

The basic guidelines to follow to be a successful shopper are:

* Good grammar - it is required to have decent grammar, since a narrative is required on most surveys once you've completed a mystery task. When you complete a task, you login back to the company's site, fill out a simple survey, and then you might be asked to write a paragraph in detail about your shop. Fairly simple.

* Detail - Details is key when it comes down to your narrative. What is looked for is precise details when giving descriptions and feedback on your shop. It needs to be known exactly how it when down on the customer services, as well as the cleanliness of the establishment.

*Timing- It is crucial that you meet the deadline for any assignment that is given to you. So always make sure that you will be able to complete the task on time. If theirs a time issue once you have accepted an assignment, always get in contact with the company and let them know if you can have an extension or make some kind of arrangement.

*Discretion - Always be discreet when you are performing a mystery task, of course, thats the whole idea, never let any employee know that you are a mystery shopper. It puts shopping in a whole new perspective as well. Giving honest evaluations on customer service benefits you, as well as society.

Those are my top guidelines that I follow, and every company as well seeks that kind of quality in every mystery shopper.

So you can see for yourself how to become a mystery shopper, I've provided 5 certified sites below. Their is no registration fees at all, you simply fill out a basic application included with your e-mail address, and then you'll get a confirmation with your user name and password, usually instantly, or up to 1 day. Some sites will have to approve you first to be accepted. As long as you have decent grammar, you'll be accepted. The reasoning for this, is that a short narrative is required of your recent shopping/dining experience on some applications. The more site you apply to, the more possibility it'll before you to earn more money.

Depending where you live in the U.S.A., you may or may not receive a lot of mystery tasks, and therefore it is best to apply with different company's. So you can get a better idea yourself, here's 5 random sites below from a list that I have,containing over 90 certified websites that don't require any registration fee.

1: Anonymous Shoppers & Assessments of Pittsburgh

Website: http://www.asapittsburgh.com (for entire U.S.A. not just Pittsburgh)

2: At Your Service Marketing

Website: http://www.aysm.com

3: Beyond Hello

Website: http://www.beyondhello.com

4: Data Quest, Ltd.

Website: http://www.dataquestonline.com

5: Certified Reports, Inc.

Website: http://www.certifiedreports.com <<<<< my personal favorite :)

For  a list of over 80 mystery shop websites, check out my blog here >> linx2income

All FREE of any Fees