There is probably nothing as annoying as junk mail. I don't care if it's postal or email. Both just end up cluttering your mailbox with messages from people that you don't want to hear from. If you're anything like me you just toss it to the trash and thats the end of it. But what if I told you that you're actually throwing money away. I know you must think I'm crazy. But you can actually get paid to receive junk mail. If this sounds interesting to you then sit back and read my SBKC Review. It's going to reveal how you can get paid for your junk mail!
What is the SBKC?
SBKC stands for Small Business Knowledge Center and located at SBKCenter.com. We'll continue to use “SBKC” because their full name is too damn long to keep repeating over and over again in this article. In any event, SBKC was founded in 1992 as a research company to help other businesses understand the effectiveness of direct mailing marketing. SBKC achieves this by collecting junk mail from people like you and I for use in their research work. Some of the information they collect also helps these businesses by providing information about their competitors and what they're mailing. That's all good and dandy for them but how does this help you? I'm glad you asked.
How To Make Money with SBKC
Making money through SBK center is actually very easy. You basically have 3 options.
- All you have to do is send them your junk mail via the pre-paid envelopes provided by SBKC. In return for sending them your junk mail, you earn points. Don't worry the stupid points can actually be converted into real money and gift cards.
- You can also be paid for forward certain type of emails to their email address.
- Another less common way to earn money through SBKC is by participating in their periodic consumer surveys including shopping and product review surveys.
What Kind Of Junk Mail Can Get You Paid By SBKC?
You can't just send SBKC any of your junk mail. They only seem to be interested in mail that fits the following areas:
- Insurance: Health Insurance, Life Insurance, Auto/Property Insurance, etc.
- Investments/Annuities: IRA/Rollovers, Mutual Funds, 401(k), Pensions, etc.
- Mortgage & Loans: Auto, Home Equity, Mortgage, Personal Loan, etc.
- Banking: Checking, Savings, Money Market, Certificates of Deposit, Rewards or Loyalty Programs, etc.
- Credit Cards: General Use Credit Cards & Charge Cards, Retail/Department Store Cards, Affinity/Rewards Cards such as Airline, Hotel, Alumni, Club/Association Cards, etc.
- Telecommunication: Wireless (network providers such as Verizon, AT&T or manufacturers such as Samsung or Motorola), Wire-Line (Landline/Home Phone), TV/Cable, Satellite, Internet, IP/Internet Phone.
- Travel & Leisure: Hotels, Cruise Lines, Airlines, Car Rental Services
How Much Does SBKC Pay?
If you had dreams of quitting your job and getting paid for receiving junk mail, you can wake up and smell the coffee because that ain't happening. SBKC is pretty much an extra income opportunity . The first thing to realize is that you do not actually earn money directly from SBKC. Instead you earn points that can later be converted into gift cards redeemable from a number of retailers. Below is a simple summary of what you are likely to earn.
? SBKC junk mail and forwarding valid emails- 2000 points or $20 after point conversion every 6-10 weeks as well as gift cards
? Shopping surveys- 100 -500 points plus gift cards
? Inviting a friend and making referrals- 50 points
? Joining- 50 points
How Do You Join SBKC?
Joining SBKC is absolutely free. You can do so by clicking here. This means that you lose nothing at all be joining and participating. There are, however, a few restrictions on who can and cannot join. The first is the age restriction where only people who are eighteen years or older can apply to become members.
Complaints Against Small Business Knowledge Center ( SBKC ).
Despite sounding so good on paper, there is no denying that the SBKC has some major faults. Below are six of the most common complaints about their program.
1. You ain't paying any real bills with this! As mentioned earlier they don't actually pay you cash. You can only use gift cards and that's assuming they have gift cards for where you shop. But either way I prefer the option of cash so I can use the money as I see fit. But given you aren't making a lot of money with this opportunity anyway, it may not be as important.
2. The special surveys are not frequent enough. SBKC rewards you for your junk mail. But as we mentioned earlier they also have these shopping surveys which are a pretty easy way to earn points. But not surprisingly there aren't enough of these opportunities to go around so you can rack up on some easy points. So that pretty much leaves you to focus on the junk mail aspect of this opportunity.
3. We want cash! I don't mind websites that have their own funny money system as long as they provide the option to cash out via paypal or direct deposit. Unfortunately SBKC doesn't offer this option from what I can tell. You're just limited to gift cards and apparently they have a wide selection. But I would still like the option of cold hard cash.
4. You have to leave your house! Although the postage is paid for by SBKC to send the junk postal mail you still need to leave your house to send them off. That means putting aside time and possibly burning up some gas to get to your local post office. Most people on this blog are looking to work at home so you avoid this. So this opportunity may be deal breaker for you if you want to work at home.
5. What's up with the payment delays? According to some, SBKC is known for delaying payments regularly. Considering how long it takes to reach the payout minimum, waiting any longer to get your reward sucks! So it's something to consider. I know some companies purposely build in a certain amount of time before sending out a reward. So maybe some folks aren't aware of this and it's the reason they're complaining. It's hard to tell but either way, it's worth mentioning here.
6. No International Love. Sorry my international brothers and sister but Membership to SBKC is limited to residents of the United States only. This happen too often and I really don't understand the logic behind it.
So Is SBKC Legit or a Scam?
Given the positive BBB Rating and the great SBKC reviews from members, it is pretty safe to conclude that SBKC is not a scam. However, it is important to remember that with the SBKC you're not going to be able to earn a living with it. But it maybe a nice way to rack up gift cards to do some holiday shopping at the end of the year. That said, I would love to hear your opinion about SBKC. Let me know your thoughts by posting a comment down below. I would love to hear your thoughts on my SBKC review. So don't be shy!
What's Next?
If you're like me you're probably a little disappointed you can't really make some real money with your junk mail. So what can you do if you need to supplement or replace your income? Well I would recommend you look into My Top Free Work At Home Recommendation. It's what's helped me earn a full time income. The fact that you're on this site reading this review is because of what I learned with it. So I'm confident it can help you earn some real bill paying money as well. You just need to be willing to learn, have patience and willing to work. If you can do that, then my #1 Free Work At Home Recommendation is for you.
Now that said, I am a huge proponent of multiple streams of income. If you ever lost a job and had your life thrown upside down, you understand that depending on one source of income is dangerous. So with that in mind I would encourage you to also look into my Work At Home Courses so you learn other ways to make money at home as well. The more options you have, the better for you. It's how I've been successful and I'm sure it will help you as well. So be sure to check out my Work At Home Courses as well.
I just bowed out after trying this for 2 months. Sending them 20-35 emails a day (legit companies) and several snail mail packets got me 377 points. Their payout isn’t worth the effort.
I tried this company but I found it took too long to accumulate points. I’d send 1,000 emails a day, but probably all were not accepted. Plus you have to forward each email, which is a pain. I never got surveys but did send mail in the envelopes, which they have restrictions on what to send. A much better place is Surveysavvy. So easy.
Hi Eddy,
I find the concept of profiting from junk mail fascinating, even if you won’t be ‘paying any bills’ with it. It kind of makes you feel like you’re messing with the people who spam you. I must wonder though–what does SBKC do with the junk mail? Do they perhaps turn it over to a consumer advocacy? They have to be making profit from it somehow…
Also, if you don’t mind me saying, I wouldn’t place too much confidence in the BBB. In the past, they’ve been accused of being partial toward businesses. They might have cleaned up their act, but I’m not personally very confident in them.
Thanks.
Hey Paul,
I’m not sure if you read the article completely but companies hire SBKC to conduct research on marketing. So a competitor may want to see what their competitors are doing to mimic or beat them. Or they can be checking to see if they’re own marketing is reaching their target audience. So SBKC is making the profit for managing this whole thing and sharing the income with people that send back the junk mail.
I totally agree about your feelings regarding the BBB and have written article about this here. Thanks for chiming in.
Thank you for your review. I had never thought of this but I sure have plenty of junk mail that I don’t need. It seems like that is all I get! This might be a good thing for my kids so that they can earn gift cards to buy what they want. It is true it won’t replace an income but I certainly cannot complain about more income.
You’re welcome. I like the way you would use this opportunity. I’ve never thought of it as a way for my kids to earn cards for stuff they want. Good idea! Thanks for chiming in!
Hello here. Thanks for showing an opportunity how to reverse my junk mail to gift cards. I wonder if they give for us gift cards as from Starbucks or PaneraBread?
I think that it would be nice.
I just need to think how I could with a push of one button forward them all my junk mail.
You mentioned that they want just particular ones. It can take a time to sort them.
Anyway, thanks for the interesting review and showing option how to recycle these junk mail letters.
All the best, Nemira.
You’re welcome. I’m not sure about their gift card selection. You would have to visit their website and ask them about it. In terms of forwarding them your junk email, I believe there are certain ones they want. So again I would contact them. I don’t think they want all your junk mail so regardless you would need to spend the time filtering through them and decide if it’s worth your effort. Either way thanks for sharing your opinion.
Oh wow, never seen something like this LOL. I guess in today’s internet world, there’s a little bit of eveything you can think of. Getting paid by getting junk mails?
To be honest, that kind of presentation of their website doesn’t really feel legit or believable. They should think of something else that’s more serious or convincing.
Great review!
I agree. I’m always amazed of the various ways you can earn money from home. Their website definitely can use a face lift but from what I’ve researched it is legit. It’s like the saying goes you can’t judge a book by its cover. lol Thanks for chiming in. I appreciate it.
Hi Eddy!
So I finished signing up I will check SBKC out and see what happens! I figure I have nothing to lose since I was going to get rid of the mails anyway.
Mate as well give my junk to someone else for money. That way it went from no money to a little money. Hey every bit helps. As always thanks for the information!
Cheers,
Francesca
Hey Francesca,
That sounds good. Keep me posted. I would love to hear your personal experience.