U.S. Monitor Review

What is U.S. Monitor?
U.S. Monitor is a service that companies often use to determine the efficiency of their mailings. Companies are often very interested to find out if the things they send out are received in a timely manner as well as what condition the mailings are in when they arrive. U.S. Monitor hires mail decoy agents to receive mail from various companies. After receiving pieces of mail, agents input into the computer when the pieces were received and in what condition they arrived. The company has been around since 1973.

How much does U.S. Monitor pay?
U.S. Monitor pays their mail decoy agents a flat rate of $10 per month and an additional .25 per piece of mail received. The amount of money you can make for doing this is not guaranteed apart from the $10 a month, but some people have been able to make as much as $200 per month. The amount is really dependent on how much mail you get. You can’t make a living from this job, but it could provide a nice little source of extra money every month.

What method payment does U.S. Monitor use and when do they pay?
You are paid once every month for U.S. Monitor, but there are no details available on method of pay. I would guess they pay with a check, and I’ll update this post if I find out otherwise.

What does the application process involve?
You just fill out a form to apply. You don’t need to have any special skills at all, and there are no tests to take. You will only be hired if they need people in your zip code/area. If they already have a mail decoy agent actively working in your area, you may not be contacted. Additionally, they receive a large number of applications, so you may also be placed on a waiting list before being hired.

Does U.S. Monitor hire decoy agents from outside the U.S?
When you apply, there is a drop down box for country, and several different countries are available to select. They do not state which countries they accept applications from, but if you are not from the United States and would like to do this, you could always try applying to see what happens.

What is the work with U.S. Monitor like?
If you are hired as a decoy agent, you can expect to receive anywhere between 10 to 40 pieces of mail per day. Sometimes the mail will be in the form of newsletters and flyers, and sometimes you’ll get actual products that you can occasionally keep. You have to get on your computer every day and go through a short process to let U.S. Monitor know about the mail you received, including what day it came in and in what condition it arrived. You also have to let them know if you received no mail. The mail you get personally and the mail you get from U.S. Monitor will be different because the U.S. Monitor mail has a special code on it, so you don’t have to worry about confusing it with your personal mail. They want you to keep the mail you receive for between 5 and 7 days, and then you will either discard it or return it to them depending on what they want. If you have to return anything to them, you will do so in postage-paid envelopes that U.S. Monitor provides. Nothing ever comes out of your pocket. If you are hired, don’t expect to start receiving a lot of mail immediately. You may not get much for the first few months, but the longer you are with U.S. Monitor, the more mail you may start to receive.

Should You Do This?
I see no reason not to sign up to do this if you’re looking for a little extra money in addition to what you already make. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who sign up for this and never hear anything back because of the huge number of applications U.S. Monitor receives and the fact that they only need one person per zip code. As tempting as it may be, please don’t apply more than once if you don’t hear anything back after the first time you apply. Things I’ve read online about the company indicate that applications are kept on file and that they will let you know if they need you. So absolutely sign up if you think you’d like the work, but don’t be too let down if you’re not hired right away! I did sign up several months back and received an email about getting baby formula samples in the mail to process and send back, and I can’t remember why, but I never responded. Maybe I was too busy with other things.

If you want to sign up, you can do so by filling out the form on their website here.