Paid Survey Success

Interested in paid surveys on the internet? They are easy to find. Type “paid surveys” into Google and you’ll get back 7,810,000 results (as of Aug 2, 2007). With a list like that it shouldn’t be too hard to find paid surveys on the internet…but there’s a catch.

As you start to look through the results you’ll find a common theme. The sites are NOT the actual survey sites, but rather sites that promise “$150 an hour taking surveys” or “get rich taking surveys”. Some want your email address to register and get access to their list of paid surveys on the internet and others expect you to pay your hard earned money for “membership” to their site. Other sites may even claim that getting paid for internet surveys is a total scam. So what should you do and who can you believe?

Is it really worth it to try getting paid for internet surveys or should you stay away?

First, you need to understand that these websites with lists are not the ones that will be paying you to do internet surveys. The surveys and payments come from market research companies, many of which started offline, but have moved to online surveys to be able to reach a larger audience. These market research companies have been paying people for their opinions for years, sometimes decades. They have found that the internet is an efficient and cost effective way for them to reach the largest number of people to get data for companies who pay them for their research. These market research companies are, for the most part, completely legitimate. Their research is used by companies to improve existing products and services or to determine the best way to introduce new products and services.

The thing is that there have been many sites, some good and some really bad, that are trying to cash in as well on the popularity of paid surveys on the internet. The information itself is not bad, but some sites require you to pay them for membership to their sites and access to their “special” list of paying surveys. Honestly, there is no reason to ever pay someone for a list of paying internet survey companies. This information is freely available and anyone who wants you to pay them for the information is simply stealing your money. The ones who offer free access, but require your email address to register are not quite as bad, at least they are giving away the information, but it still comes at a price. If you give up your email address to register at one of these sites don’t be surprised if the amount of spam you receive increases dramatically. They only want your email address to resell or to use it to market to you themselves.

So, you’ve managed to avoid the scams and you’ve found the legitimate paid surveys on the internet and now you still want to know if it’s worth it trying to get paid for internet surveys. That totally depends on what you expect. If you’re looking to get rich and retire then keep looking. You won’t be able to retire with what you make taking internet paid surveys, however you can make several hundred dollars a month and improve your lifestyle.

The key to making paid surveys actually pay is twofold. First, sign up with as many paid survey companies as possible. Since the survey companies are looking for a certain demographic for each survey you won’t always qualify. By signing up with more survey companies you’ll get more survey opportunities. Second, make sure to respond to all of the surveys you get. The survey companies will track your response rate and guess what? Those who are more reliable responders will get the better surveys. Makes sense doesn’t it?

Each survey typically takes 15-20 minutes and pay ranges anywhere from $1.00 to $50.00 per survey. You can take 3-4 surveys a day in just 1 hour and at an average pay of $5.00 a survey you’ll make $150 in a months time. Of course your earnings will vary from month to month depending on what surveys you get, how fast you’re able to complete the surveys and how much time you devote to taking surveys. In any case you should be making around $15 an hour which isn’t bad for a part time job you can do at your leisure from home.

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While paid surveys are a good way for many people to make money online, they are especially well suited to students. Considering that many students live on a shoestring budget any extra money they can get is appreciated. And with paid surveys a student can make several hundred dollars a month to supplement their budgets. Paid surveys for students are definitely a good way to make extra cash.

There are several things that make paid surveys a perfect money maker for students.

• Students spend a good part of their time online already
• Paid survey sites place a premium on users between the ages of 13-25
• Most students can benefit from the extra money earned with paid surveys

People between the ages of 13-25 spend more time online than any other age group. Some surveys put the figure as high as 8 hours a day. That may be a bit high, but even if the number of hours is half as much there is no denying that students are online a lot. Between IM’ing friends, doing research for school, participating in web 2.0 spaces like Facebook and MySpace and taking exams or completing assignments online today’s students are truly connected. So, why not take some of that time on paid surveys for students and use it to supplement income.

It takes such a small amount of time taking surveys to make a decent income that it would be quite easy for a student to fit in several surveys a day. Take one while chatting with your friends. Or maybe use them as a break from calculus or that essay on current morals in business. Since each survey usually takes just 10-15 minutes I think you can see how easy it would be to fit in quite a few each day.

And it is very likely that since market researchers need younger people so badly they will be paying a premium for their survey responses. How about $10 for a 10 minute survey? It’s easily possible because market researchers can’t get enough young people for their surveys. This demographic is the most highly sought out of any because of their disposable income and online habits. Why not take advantage of that while you can?

Finally, I have yet to meet the student who couldn’t use some extra cash. Being on a limited budget while attending school makes it difficult to find the money you need sometimes for clothes, video games, parties or most everything. You can make your life a little easier by adding hundreds of dollars to your monthly budget with paid surveys.

And wouldn’t it be nice to know that anytime you need a little extra you can log on and take some surveys to get paid. No need to be at the mercy of a part time job where you are locked into the schedule THEY want. You can take surveys online at anytime of the day or night, whenever YOU’RE free.

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Make Money With Paid Survey Jobs

How much will I get paid for taking online surveys?

That is completely up to you. You can do as many or as few paid survey jobs as you like. It depends on how motivated you are and how many paid survey sites you register with. Individual surveys can pay up to $40, but most will pay less. If you get chosen for a focus group they will pay between $100-150 generally for 1 hour.

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How soon can I start to make money online?

If you follow my advice and register for all the paid survey sites on the first page of the database today you should receive your first paid survey jobs within 24 hours and certainly within the first week.

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Who pays me for taking the online surveys?

You will receive payment from the market research company that is hosting the survey. This can be in the form of a check mailed directly to you, a deposit to your account with that company or a deposit to your PayPal account.

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How many paid surveys can I take?

You can take as many surveys as you like. Once the number of companies you are registered with grows you will find that you have more than enough work to keep you busy. If you need to make more money take more surveys, if you want to relax a bit pick only the highest paying surveys sent to you. You’ll find that paid survey jobs are very flexible.

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Why do these companies pay me for filling out surveys and giving my opinion?

Companies need to know what their customers think and the information is extremely valuable to them. In the past they held focus panels onsite, but this was very expensive and time consuming. It also limited them in the number of people’s opinions as well as the diversity of the responses. The market research companies are continuing doing what they have always done, but they are making the research more relevant through the use of the internet’s reach.

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What if I don’t live in the U.S. Can I still make money online taking paid surveys?

Yes you can. Most companies these days have operations all over the world and they need the opinions of their customers all over the world. Some programs are only available to users in specific countries outside the U.S. The most popular paid survey jobs are listed in the sidebar to the right.

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Do I have to pay taxes on the money I make taking online surveys?

If you are a U.S. citizen the companies will issue you a 1099 form at the end of the year if your earnings are over $600. If your earnings are less than $600 with each company it is your responsibility to report these earnings to the IRS. Your paid survey jobs income is considered regular income for tax purposes. If you have any doubts at all please talk to a tax professional. I am not a tax professional and the information in this FAQ is not to be considered tax advice.

If you are a citizen of a country other than the U.S. please check with your governments tax authority to determine your tax responsibility.

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Do I need a PayPal account to get paid for taking surveys?

Many of the paid survey sites will pay you with a check, but some require a PayPal account to send your payments. All you need for a PayPal account is a valid email address and signing up is easy. You can visit PayPal here.

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