How would you like to get paid to test products at home?…
Yes, the same kind of products that you use in your every day life! There are many companies out there that are willing to pay you to try their products and give them feedback.
Try Swagbucks, the famous rewards program that pays you for watching videos, taking surveys, shopping and more.
This is a way for companies to improve their products, and come up with new and better products for the future. And who better to tell them what exactly is wrong or great about their product, what improvements it needs and what kind of products will be good to bring in to the market, than the average consumer who is going to use such products, you and I!
Product Testing?
You may be wondering about this whole idea, why would businesses and companies go through all that hassles of hiring people as product tester and then paying them to sample their stuff for free!?…
Well, these product testing programs allow companies to find out if a certain new product is going to sell in stores well or not, or if an already available product may do better with a few improvements. It’s the same concept as paid website useability testing. Its just a way for them to gauge the consumer’s opinion about their goods.
How much money can you make?
The amount of money you can earn from testing products can vary hugely. You could earn anywhere from a mere $5 to up to $250 and sometimes even more for testing products. It all depends on the study and product being tested.
How do you get one of these product testing jobs?
Becoming a paid product tester is always free, and you do not have to pay to join a company. If you do come across a site or company that charges a fee for registration or whatever else, know that it is a scam.
To start testing products you must register with certain companies (listed below). Once you’ve registered with them for free, they will send you qualifying questioners whenever they have an upcoming study.
If you have to only sign up for one paid survey site to make money with, I recommend Ipsos-iSay. Ipsos is the most fun and well-paying panel. Give it a try to see how you like it. It is free anyway!
If you do qualify, they will mail you the product, you get to use the product for a while (normally 2 weeks). Once the testing period is over, you will receive an email where you can answer a few questions about the product, and basically provide your feedback about it.
Some of these surveys may seem a bit repetitive, but remember that you are actually making a huge difference by voicing your opinion about products that you use in your every day life, resulting in better and more improved version of the same product, not to mention you get to earn some extra cash as well, on top of getting free products.
Now, most companies don’t conduct product testing on their own, because it would cost them way too much time and money to find people, send them products, followup with emails, and so on, every time they wanted to evaluate a product. Instead, they use market research companies or paid survey sites. These sites, not only help companies with product testing, they also conduct surveys on their behalf as well.
So, in essence, by registering with these sites, you hit two birds with one stone – you get to take paid surveys and earn money for giving your opinion, and you also become eligible to receive products to test at home and earn money that way as well.
With that said, here are some of the best free companies where you can get paid to try products at home.
Note: Not all of these companies do paid surveys, some of them are only there to conduct product evaluation studies.
1. SurveySpot
I have done a few product testing for them and they do pay good for each trial.
The highest I got paid was for a premium coffee testing trial which I was paid $200, not to mention I got to drink high quality premium roasted coffee for free.
2. Microsoft Usability Research (U.S.)
How would you like to receive free stuff from Microsoft and tell them what you think of their products?…
Well, now you can! Most of their studies are conducted in their main campus in Redmond, WA (U.S.A.), they also conduct online surveys and Field Studies for people in other parts of the country as well.
3. MySurvey Panel
By far the biggest company in terms of paid product testing. Expect to receive lots of stuff to test at home.
4. MindsPay
One of the original paid product testing panels which is still going strong.
5. Ipsos I-Say
They send 1-2 products a month, averaging around $30.
6. iPoll
This one actually pays you $5 just for signing up. Lots of surveys and a few testing a month.
7. Product Testing Services
Test all kinds of products and get paid in the process.
8. Toluna
Mostly household items, beauty supplies, as well as foods.
9. LOreal Product Testing Panel
Mostly focused on beauty products, so if you like getting lots of free beauty supplies, this one is for you.
10. SurveySavvy
One of the highest paying sites averaging around $30 per product test.
11. Consumer Product Testing Centre (Alberta, Canada)
A product testing panel for Canadian to evaluate Snack products, Meat products, Pasta meals, Yogurt, Sports drinks, Energy bars, Chocolate and more.
12. Opinion Outpost
They rarely do product testing stuff, but non the less, they do. Besides, you can still earn money by participating in their surveys. Opinion Outpost Canada, Opinion Outpost UK
13. VOConline
If you like to be the first one to try new products and services, VOConline needs you!
14. UTZ Snacks (U.S.)
As the name suggest, they mostly focus on food items such as snacks.
15. Global Test Market
Mostly surveys, but they also send products to your house for testing as well.
16. Tragon
They test a variety of products including sportswear and equipment, housewares, food and beverage, automotive parts, and also over-the-counter pharmaceuticals. However, they only have panels in the San Francisco Bay Area (Redwood City, CA) and the Chicago area (Deerfield, IL).
17. The Litmus Test (U.K.)
This is only for UK residents. Mostly concentrates on cosmetic and toiletry products.
18. Start Sampling (U.S.)
When it comes to getting paid to test products, SS is a very trusted company. Join their panel to receive free product samples and participate in their online contests and promotions.
19. Software Judge
Perhaps the most famous get paid to test product panel where you can review softwares and tools that you may use in your daily life. They pay up to $50 per review and you can review any software you like.
20. Acronis
You will be part of a panel who will be beta testing Acronis software products.
21. Brillo Consumer Advisory Panel
You will get household cleaning products in the mail to test in the comfort of your own home. After a few weeks, you will take a short survey and receive your money.
22. Contract Testing Inc. (U.S. & Canada)
Contract Testing specializes in sensory evaluations. Basically as a panel member, you get to taste and eat all kinds of food, then you answer a few questions about the taste, texture, smell and appearance of the products you sampled.
23. EJ’s Ezine
Great for those who enjoy field testing fishing supplies, you will want to join this site. The best part is that not only you get paid for evaluating fishing supplies, you also
get to keep them for free.
24. Good Housekeeping Product Tester Panel (U.S.)
Yes, it’s the same company behind the Good Housekeeping magazine. They send surveys and products about a variety of household related products.
25. Great Lakes Marketing Opinion Panel (Toledo, U.S.)
Only accepts members from the greater Toledo (Ohio) area.
26. Food Perspectives (Twin Cities Minneapolis Area)
If you live in the Twin Cities metro area, and are between the ages 18–65, you can earn money by working with this company as a paid food taster. In order to qualify, you must not have any food allergy, neither should you be working for any food company.
27. Opinion World
I get very few products to test but pays well. I mostly get beauty items to test with them. Opinion World Canada
Conclusion
While everyone of us will enjoy making some extra money with these sites by trying products at home, perhaps being able to voice your opinion about products and services that you use everyday, thus influencing and shaping the products and service of the future, is the most satisfying part of this whole “get paid to test products at home” thing.