# Make money with surveys??? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 4, 2002, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-money-with-surveys/135190 "2002-11-04T08:58:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Fallus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b5e925/32.png) [@Fallus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fallus)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2002, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-money-with-surveys/135190/1 "2002-11-04T08:58:10Z")
You know, I normally never read spam. But today I got a mail claiming that I could make up to $150 per hour. I had already gotten lots of mails that promised me high incomes, but for some reason I decided to read this one anyway. The mail took me to a website which claimed they would pay me between $20 and $150 for taking surveys, and I could take as many as I want. However, I would have to pay a one time fee of $29 for my subscription. I’ve seen other websites like this before, and never really believed them. But I’m not sure… So my question is : is it true? Could one make a reasonable income by filling out online surveys? Or at least make some extra money? Or am I just being too naive? If it is true, what are the best paying sites that offer something like this? Which ones should be thrusted, and which ones should be avoided? ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2002, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-money-with-surveys/135190/2 "2002-11-04T10:33:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fallus \* > **You know, I normally never read spam.** I think you’ve answered your own question, by correctly identifying this pitch as spam. If it sounds too good to be true, yadda, yadda, yadda. And, > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fallus \* > **Which ones should be thrusted…** This one should be thrusted, directly into the “Deleted Items” folder. ---
**Author:** ![Fallus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b5e925/32.png) [@Fallus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fallus)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2002, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-money-with-surveys/135190/3 "2002-11-04T10:44:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Early Out \* > \*\* > I think you’ve answered your own question, by correctly identifying this pitch as spam. If it sounds too good to be true, yadda, yadda, yadda. > \*\* Well, just the fact that someone sent me spam about it (may have been an affiliate or reseller, I don’t know) isn’t enough proof that it’s bullshit. It makes it very suspicious though. I think the concept sounds plausible. Companies want information from possible customers and pay them to get this information. I’m sure you will be able to earn some money with it (otherwhise there would be some fine print somewhere on their site, and I couldn’t find it) but it’s probably peanuts, simply because they will probably have only a limited set of surveys, so you can only take 5 each week (even though they say you can take as much as you like, I doubt you can take the same survey multiple times and get payed each time). 99,9% of me thinks you’re right and I should delete it, but the other 0,1% is still wondering if this is possible. Has no one ever tried something like this? ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2002, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-money-with-surveys/135190/4 "2002-11-04T11:20:06Z")
Just did a Google search for “make money surveys” and WOW! There certainly a mountain of these characters out there! I didn’t visit more than a couple of the sites produced by the search, but you might want to browse through them to see what’s out there. What makes me instantly suspicious of the offer you received is the requirement that you pay for a “subscription.” If companies really want information from you, they’re not going to charge you for the privilege. Look for someplace that doesn’t demand cash from you - if it’s legitimate, there should be no reason for that. ---
**Author:** ![Urban\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2002, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-money-with-surveys/135190/5 "2002-11-04T11:39:49Z")
That doesn’t sound like any real surveys if: 1. You can do it over and over again 2. Nobody has any control over who takes what Sounds like a scam to me ---
**Author:** ![SoulFrost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f07891/32.png) [@SoulFrost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoulFrost)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2002, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-money-with-surveys/135190/6 "2002-11-04T14:19:50Z")
If they charge you money, then you can safely assume that it’s a scam. However… If you are a specialist in a field (or can fake it,) you _can_ make a hundred bucks or more for filling out a survey. Normally, these are by invitation only (you fill out an application, and they decide if you’re a Qualified Professional™. Understand, though, that these surveys can take hours to complete… and many have error-checking built in to determine whether you _really_ know what you’re talking about or not. A friend and I sometimes team up on these things-- each of us handling our own areas of expertise. We split the cash (it’s her account, so she gets the paychecks then writes me a personal check for my half.) Our most recent payment was for $90, which we received within a week of completing the survey. My part of the survey took about 35 minutes to complete, while her part took just under half an hour. Sometimes, you can get in on a focus-group, which can pay a couple of hundred dollars. Basically, you just sit around in a Java or IRC chatroom and answer questions. -David ---
**Author:** ![Bongmaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Bongmaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bongmaster)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2002, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-money-with-surveys/135190/7 "2002-11-04T17:05:06Z")
This is a classic scam, don’t waste your time/money. There are literally thousands of scams like this, and they all require an small upfront investment to get started, that’s how they make money. The method varies (making small wooden bunnies at home, filling out surveys etc). but they also all end the same way: you without your money. ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2002, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-money-with-surveys/135190/8 "2002-11-04T17:54:05Z")
I wrote some reviews for Epinions and did make a little money there. But the money I was paid compared to the time it took to write the reviews seemed a little low. On the other hand, I still have an account and occasionally check in to see if any more funds have been added. Some have, so maybe over time it’ll add up to what I’d think of as a fair payment for services. They never asked me for money up front either. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2002, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-money-with-surveys/135190/9 "2002-11-04T21:36:42Z")
This may be a twist on one of the more common varieties of scam: There are some groups out there who will genuinely pay $100 per hour for survey-taking, in a very specific group (as **SoulFrost** says). It may be that what your “subscription fee” buys you is a list of such groups, and their requirements. They don’t help you to qualify for any of them, and the information is all stuff you could have found out easily enough for free. So you’ve got _something_ for your twenty-nine bucks, but it’s not anything worthwhile. Other varients: The e-mail promises “High-paying hospital jobs”, and what you get for your money is contact information for a bunch of hospitals which might be hiring. Or it promises “Full scholarships for college!”, and all you’re actually buying is links to a few difficult-to-obtain scholarships.