Small Business Blog

You may have seen the pitch online somewhere: make money by reading emails, also known as paid emails. And you probably disregarded the paid emails pitch as hooey, just another scam to rob you of your free time and your dignity. But there’s a hopeful part of you – the same part that fuels your entrepreneurial spirit – that wonders if maybe, just maybe there might be something to that paid email pitch.

Here’s the deal. I signed up for InboxDollars’ paid emails program back in 2006, mostly out of curiosity. I figured that making a few cents by opening an email here and there isn’t much different than launching a new Web site with Adsense ads on it. Nor is it much different than looking down when I walk through parking lots, in hopes of finding a penny or two. Being a self-employed entrepreneur, I believe that very small amounts of money add up over time; if I didn’t believe that, I wouldn’t survive being self-employed.

Addressing scam claims

I have read articles and reviews that characterize InboxDollars as a scam. After my experience, the only explanation I have for this claim is that those individuals were somehow misled (by themselves or by InboxDollars) about how the paid emails program works. You’re not going to experience that same disillusionment, because I’m going to tell you the whole story right now.

Money made

Since 2006, InboxDollars has paid me $122.23 in aggregate. I received four checks, approximating $30 each: two in 2007, one in 2008 and one in 2009. Clearly, this is not a get-rich-quick scheme. It’s also not for people who are impatient and tend to give up on things quickly when they don’t see results.

The primary parameters of InboxDollars’ paid emails program are as follows:

• You get 2 cents for opening an email and clicking on a confirmation link.
• You will probably receive seven or eight emails per week.
• You have to accumulate 30 dollars in your account before you can request a check.
• InboxDollars assesses a $3 check writing fee, which is deducted from your account balance after you request a payment.
• You can refer your friends and receive credits when they open their paid emails.
• You can increase your earnings substantially by using the Cash Shopping program when you need to make purchases; some of the merchants in the InboxDollars mall will give you discounts on top of rebates back to your account.
• There are survey opportunities that can add to your earnings; I have not found these to be worthwhile however, because they are time-consuming.

Consider these factors and decide for yourself if InboxDollars’ paid emails program is worthwhile. It’s definitely not for everyone. Personally, I view the earnings as free money, because I don’t have to do anything but read my emails and buy printer cartridges—two things I do anyway. Sure, it’s only about $30 a year, but that’s better than a sharp stick in the eye.