I did extensive research on this a few months back. There are dozens of sites that offer such opportunities, but all have a service charge that merely gives you access to their "database" of clients (i.e. companies). You then have to contact each company to be added to their survey list before being offered surveys and making money. Most of the feedback I found on google only recommended a few sites and even then you can't be sure who posted the recommendation (a site administrator?). I decided to save my money.

Yes there are, in Australia there are 2 such sites that pay you to take surveys. They do actually pay you, as i have received cheques from both.

YES! People never believe me but you CAN get paid doing surveys. Mostly you get paid in prizes instead of cash, but some of the prizes are pretty decent. Check first that you're dealing with an actual survey group and not a scam - if you have to pay to join, it's a scam. The real ones are free. The surveys are mostly related to products - companies want to get quick responses to their new concepts and quite a few things I've seen in these surveys have ended up on the shelves eventually. Sometimes I get products to test at home, which is fun! Then I get free stuff AND I get paid. Sometimes you have to do a lot of surveys to build up points, but once you get into the habit of doing it you can take home a margarita shaker, a pair of binoculars, a magazine subscription, some good headphones, and other various things I've earned this year. DON'T use the ones that just enter you in a drawing for participation, they almost never pay off. You want the ones that pay cash, Paypal, or points. They're out there. If you're lucky enough to get into Pinecone Surveys, they pay you $5 per survey. They're very hard to qualify for and it took me a long time to get in, but now I get checks from them all the time. I'll try to come back and post a list of companies that have paid off for me. The ones that come to mind first are Lightspeed, MySurvey, Harris Poll, and sometimes SurveySpot (they alternate between drawings and cash, I only fill out the cash surveys).

Pinecone.com is legitimate. You have to click om a random appearing banner or be invited by them to join. They mail a check for $5.oo per survey completed. It is for real and I know people very desperate to get on their list. I got lucky.

I have a site that I take surveys for. They do not pay cash, but you earn points which can be exchanged for prizes, or even donated to charity! I have recieved two prizes from them, and have had no problems. It is completly free to join. Email me if you would like more info. Be sure to put Answerbag in the subject so you don't accidentally get deleted.

My friend runs a company that does market research for video game developers. There is maybe one or two surveys a month, pay out is usually 5 bucks for 10 minutes or so. http://www.game-surveys.com/

I tried taking surveys. It's mostly being entered in drawings. When they offer cash, it's usually hard to qualify for the survey and the cash isn't very much. Also, they always want you to subscribe to magazines or buy something.

I tried that legit. survey website, but I gave up. I had no patience - it goes deeper and deeper and it seemed like I was never going to finish it. I have no time for it either. LOL

I did a legitimate one a couple of months ago. I was paid $50. It's no way to get rich, but it's better than nothing.

Here is my comprehensive list of many legitimate, free, paying survey sites that I personally use and get paid! By paying - I mean cash, paypal, gift certificates and prizes. NOT sweepstakes and entries into drawings. I feel like those are a waste of time since your chances of winning are so small that you are basically doing surveys for free. http://pages.suddenlink.net/legit-paid-surveys

Alot of these are scams, but there are a couple that are good. Chashcrate is one. One that I've had success with is Treasure Trooper. I signed up last week and have already made $20. I was skeptical at first, but after I got my first check, I started to believe... Check it out: http://www.treasuretrooper.com/573511 Joe