The Good and Bad of Survey Panels

It is fun to be a part of new product ideas before anyone else and earning extra money is a great perk. Once you weed through the scams on the Internet and find the legitimate companies it is good to weigh the good and the bad to see if being a part of a consumer opinion panel is right for you.

Advantages

Points and Cash - there are legit survey companies that will pay cash for completed surveys or offer points that you can turn into cash. No legit survey company will make you rich, but you can earn extra money on occasion and use it to treat yourself or someone else. It is nice to occasionally get a check in the mail.

Contest Entries - most survey companies have on going sweepstakes and give you entries with every survey you complete. I don't know if people actually win these; I never have. But, I still hope one day I will. If you sign-up for one of the opinion panel companies that offer points or cash for completing surveys, you won't be as dependent on the hopes of winning a contest and the sweepstake entries will just be a perk.

Your opinions heard - You get to learn about products ideas and give your opinion on them, before they come out.

Product testing - Sometimes, if you qualify and agree they send you products, for free, to test out and do follow up surveys about. Over the years I have tested deodorant, cat litter, toothpaste, body wash, a couple of T.V. pilots, etc. You don't get products often enough to stop buying basics, but when you are picked to test something, it is fun. Plus, you save a few dollars by getting something for free.

Free/No obligation - There is no fee to join a legitimate opinion panel and there is no obligation to complete all or any of the surveys. If they have several surveys available to you and you choose to just do one or even none that is fine. You do the ones you want.

Disadvantages

Long Surveys - Most companies will tell you ahead of time how long a survey should take, on average. But, at times it might seem like they go on forever and they keep asking you to answer how much you like a product you have never tried. A lot of companies will allow you to stop in the middle of the survey and come back to it and start where you left off. Make sure you can first, because some you cannot go back to. Sometimes they tell you to click certain answers, just to see if you are actually paying attention or if you're just clicking to finish, so it is best to stop and then go back to it rather than clicking to get the points. Plus, they are not getting accurate results if you don't care and just randomly click. Though, most surveys need to be completed within a short time, so it is best to respond quickly and to go back right away if you stopped part way through.

Contest - Not a complete disadvantage, but some survey companies only offer sweepstakes entries. One of the first companies I started doing surveys with only did sweepstakes entries, but they now offer points too. The disadvantage is that unless you win one of the sweepstakes you might find the surveys too much work without any more incentive.

Points don't seem to add up fast enough - Again, being part of a consumer opinion panel is not a get rich scheme. But, I have discovered that points add up faster if you actually do the surveys. I use to just skip them a lot, since some do take time. But, with the incentive of needing more money, I started doing every signal one I got and the points do actually add up fairly quickly when you participate.

Confidential - It is fun to hear about products before they come out, especially if it is from a company you like. But, when you sign up for any consumer opinion panel and do surveys, you are agreeing to not say anything about the products you did the survey on, nothing, not even friends. Only other members of your household can know, but you strictly agree, for you and your household, to not say anything.

If you find advantages outweigh the disadvantages, I recommend signing up and making your opinion heard. Check out my article: 'Earn a Few Extra Dollars with Legitimate Survey Companies,' for a list of 4 companies, that I use, to start with.