by Sybille Baylis

Created on: August 08, 2010   Last Updated: November 06, 2011

Thinking about online paid surveys as a means of making some cash?  Want to know how to distinguish between the legitimate, reputable Market Research sites that do reward you for your opinion, and the rest?  Read on to discover how.

Search Engines will display a myriad of so-called “Paid Survey Sites” but, unfortunately, only 100 or so will be sites that you can trust - even less outside the USA, and less again that reward with cash.  In fact, most will want to charge you a joining fee, sell you something, or simply be a complete waste of your time, not to mention filling your email inbox with spam.

Take a moment to understand the mechanics behind the legitimate sites.  The majority of online paid surveys are conducted for market research, which many businesses and service providers undertake in order to improve existing products/services or to launch new ones.  They research the market place by testing their ideas, their products, their services, or a present or proposed advertising campaign, on a small sample of the population.

To this end, they commission an Online Survey Panel, who in turn obtains this sample by inviting their panel members to participate by completing an online survey to express their opinions.  A particular project could involve current or new consumer products or services, motor vehicles, healthcare, political affairs, the economy, cell phones, new movies, DVD releases etc.

The legitimate Online Survey Panels are generally a branch of a Market Research Company.  Their websites are usually a reliable indicator of their authenticity.  For a start, if you are asked to pay for the privilege of joining then leave that site immediately.  You will NEVER be asked to pay a membership fee, or for anything else, by a legitimate Online Survey Panel site.  In fact, you are more likely to receive some form of reward from the Panel as an incentive to join!  . The website should be up to date, and provide contact details, terms and conditions, usually a FAQs (frequently asked questions) section, and a members helpline.

There are sites purporting to be Survey “clubs” or facilitators that charge a fee for providing a list of “Top paying survey sites”.  This is totally unnecessary - you can obtain this information free. Apart from providing affiliate earning survey sites, they quite often pass on your email address, and other details

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>