So for a few years now, I've been a member of an online survey group and I actually get not only money for doing surveys ($3 a pop) but also, many times, I've been shipped products that manufacturers want to have tested to gauge their marketability.
The surveys are pretty standard and usually take no more than 15 minutes tops to complete. Sometimes the products up for scrutiny are interesting or new enough to make the task somewhat fun, but mostly it's boring variations of the same ol' shit the manufacturer is known for making. And usually, "remaking" in order to encourage an upswing of sales. The ol' "New and Improved" philosophy of marketing 101.
The company running the surveys is totally legit. They go by a rather innocuous and unfamiliar name for the purposes of these online surveys but the parent company is none other than The Nielsen Company...famed for their longtime trusted TV ratings system. So yes, I do get paid on-time and claiming payout is very easy (although they do try to "persuade" you to spend the "points" you earned on their catalog items (since the cash equivalent is smaller that way) the same way some "rewards" credit cards try to
As far as the shit the manufacturers (all top brand companies) have sent? Well, I'm not at liberty under penalty of death or something to divulge the manufacturer's or the products they sent to me to sample, but here's a quick list of some of the one's I remember...the brand names are disguised so as to not have some Men in Black show up at my door. (As a clue though, I'll include their pretty-recognizable logos for each):
"Pennsylvania Olde Fashioned Religious Group but Not the Amish" New Oatmeal variety.
"Java Friend" New Non-Dairy Coffee Creamer variety.
"Joan Crawford's Soda Company" Flagship Diet Cola with a New Artificial Sweetener way before it went to market. I told them I thought it sucked. They caved in to the current anti-aspartame trend and switched to sucralose. (They did eventually switch to this nevertheless and I hate it so now I never buy it, only their competitor's "Diet Mr. Pembeton's Atlanta-based Brand Cola" which thankfully still uses aspartame.)
"Ground Black Common Spice Mountain Chain Agricultural Crop Land" (HUH!! Break it down. Ah nevermind...hint: a well-known national bakery brand) New flavor of popular "aquarium life" crackers.
"Ultimately Fix" New Spray-on Carpet Spot Remover and Refresher
"Famous Teabag Brand Turned Dry Goods Food Brand As Well" New variety of savory flavored rice mix.
"Aurumn Link" New Men's scented medicated deodorizing body powder.
"A Trade or Skill But Spelled With a K; Known For their Cheese Products" Macaroni and Cheese. Not a new variety or anything, just the same shit we all know and love. Guess they want to confirm that love. (Um, the above pixelation didn't hide shit, LOL!)
These are just a few off the top of my head. Not bad for just a few minutes of my time here and there. Couldn't make a living on this, but hey, every little bit counts.