Your right! Survey's are not what you think. They require a lot of time, and you won't make what they claim you will. A couple of my friends did a six month test on several different survey sites like Survey Savvy, Harris Poll, Greenfield, Opinion Outpost, Survey Sport, Buzzback, NPD online, Lightspeed Panel, African American, Your2Cents, Project Payday, Inboxdollar, SnapDollars,Send Earnings, Creation, mycoke rewards, E-poll etc. Each did some the same sites and some different sites. Totaling at least 15 - 20 a piece. They're not what people say they are. Yes they are easy to do and you can receive money and prizes, compensating you for your time and effort. So they're not a scam. They're very time consuming though. When you add the time together, It's more time then you think! If you do decide to get into surveying, you better plan on spending 8 to 10 hours a day and make minimum wage. Sometimes you will hit good surveys that will pay you a lot, but what's required to get that is amount, the calculations of the time involved, and what you got paid in these "higher" paying surveys, still only averages out to minimum wage. It's a psychological thing because the time is spread out on these, so it doesn't seem to be as long as it really is. But we did the documentation's and figured the time vs money factor. We found that there was more time with little money to be made.
Here's how the survey's work. You spend approximately 10 to 15 minutes per each site to register and set up a profile to qualify for surveys. (this is non paid). To make anything really work, you need to register for at least 14 different ones, and make sure non are related to each other. Then you'll start receiving emails for surveys. Each survey you have to complete a 15 to 20 minute "pre-qualifying" survey, after you were already told you qualified based on your profile (you don't get paid for this) Then if you do qualify for a survey (which majority of the ones you don't qualify for. so you've wasted this 15 to 20 minutes and sometimes longer of non paid time.) Then if you don't qualify for one, they offer another and you have to do the same thing, and the same thing happens.) You waste approximately 45 minutes to an hour until you finally qualify for a survey. You take a 30 to 45 minute survey and make normally $1 to $3 a survey that they claim takes 15 minutes. Or instead of money, you earn "points" which later on can be exchanged for money or prizes. You have to earn enough points to make $10. That's not including the 15 minute pre qualifying survey, that you had to repeatedly do prior to land this survey. So you've now spent thirty minutes to an hour and made $3 or a few points. And the process between each of the survey sites is the same. So you can pretty much do the math. It averages out to be between $2 to $6 an hour. Sometimes you do come across a survey that will pay you $25 to $75 a survey, BUT there's A LOT more to it then what meets the eye on that as well.
Here's how the larger pay out survey's work. It could be a telephone survey or a Internet survey. You get the pre qualifying part of 10 to 20 minutes then if you qualify for it another 15 to 30 minute survey or a telephone survey about the product your about to try to see if you qualify to try it. Even though you took a 10 to 20 minute "pre qualifying survey" that said you qualify for. When you qualify for it, they send you a product out to try for 7 to 10 days and you do some daily documentation's on it. Depending on what the product is and the documentation's it's usually 5 - 15 minutes each daily documentation. (you got a free product to use around the house, this is a good part of it) after trying the product out you have to complete another survey that takes between 15 to 30 minutes to do. Now you do the calculations on that. You don't get as many of these types of survey's. They use the hype on getting paid $25 to $75 dollars for 15 minute surveys. NOTICE THE PLURAL IN "SURVEYS" What they don't tell you is that there is more then one survey involved in these. Now calculate from your pre-qualifying survey to the next pre-qualifying survey from the company carrying the product, to the trial and documentation's, to the last survey on these products. Then you receive a check four weeks to six weeks later. Do the math, that's less then minimum wage!
Another way to e********y on survey sites, is to refer people over to the sites. Some survey sites will give you a percentage on what the people do after they've reached a curtain amount of points or obtained their first check (refer back to the top of what's involved) You either get a lot of points for this, and only one time and when you reach a curtain amount of points you can exchange it for cash or prizes. (Cash amount is usually $30 before you can cash out- do the math on how many pre-qualifying surveys and the surveys you get, the time involved etc this is what it takes to earn the $30) Other survey sites you complete shorter surveys (5 to 15 minutes) and your entered into sweepstakes or lottery things for prizes or money. "Lottery"-one winner out of all the people doing survey's. If you don't win, you lose your points. I can go on about all the other types of survey's available and what was involved in that if you'd like me to elaborate on it.
I do survey's because it does help the marketing on different products and they do use the opinions of what things look like and what not. So I do it for the principle of the matter. Don't do it for money, because you won't make a sufficient amount of money with this or quick money either.
You really have to register for a lot of different sites. The paid survey sites offer the same survey's as the non paying ones. You get the same type of prizes and some pay a little more money. Again calculation time. Calculate how much you "paid" into these sites and the time you put into it, (refer back to how the survey's work) and it calculates back to minimum wage. If your doing this to make a living off of, you will be disappointed. But just for some extra cash, it's a good source and like I said, the companies do document the feedback and use it to better advertise their products and in some cases come out with new products based on the input of the surveyors.
If you need more money then what you will make from survey's then I would look into a home job. You have a few different options. . Understand that they are minimum wage earnings, so you won't make a sufficient amount of money. But they do pay better then the survey's. After taxes, you will end up making below minimum wage.. Here's a couple URL's you can take a look at and apply. These are call center types of jobs. I can't guarnatee that you'll get the job, home jobs are high in demand because of the gas prices which causes food and everything else to go up, but you can apply.
http://apply.westathome.com/ Here's some information on careers at home for other types of home jobs:
http://www.homecareerinfo.com/0235/mt If you need more then a minimum wage job, then I suggest you take a look at home based business opportunities. There are plenty of options out there through many different industries. My husband and I have had our home based business in an industry for several years. You make more money having your own business then working for someone else. You have the same income opportunity as a traditional business without all the over head expenses.
If you'd like some ideas on home based businesses, I came across this blog on yahoo. I found over half a dozen different industries to take a look at. In which I have friends that have their own businesses and some of these industries and do make a very good income working from home.