Hi all, Just wondering if anyone might have some thoughts on this:

For a while, I`ve been going to essay companies to get some work edited. Through one of the companies, I was fortunate enough to meet a good editor who I then continued working with and paying for his services. I then found him on freelancer.com (by the way, is it unethical for a freelancer to let a client contact him directly, even if they actually met through a middle agent? Normally, is he expected to have some kind of loyalty or contract to the agent, stating that he is not to approach clients directly and thereby steal away potential revenue?)

So now, I pay him directly, but more or less (sometimes less it seems) than what I paid him through the company.

I would like to know, if anyone has the experience to shed some light on this - what is the normal mark up percentage a company puts on a writer`s work, or rather, what percentage do they pay them from what they charge the customer?

Also, for short notice work, does the writer make any money from that?? Or just the agency? (He did not make any extra when I paid quite a bit extra for a same day needed revision)

Finally, I wish I had contacted my writer outside of the agency sooner, because now I realize from the forums that it seems like a lot of money is actually kept away from good writers by management by way of "shoddy work", "plagiarism" accusations and "you`ve earned too much, now go away so we don`t have to pay you what you`ve been accumulating for months".

So my next question is, why on earth do writers not just go solo and collect 100% of the profit instead of go through an agency?? Surely when they bid on work, they are not able to bid what they would normally charge and feel is fair to themselves, because they are trying to "win" work by being cheaper than normal, right?

I am curious and a little confused by the whole thing. Any replies of value would be most appreciated. Thanks.

P.S. one last question - if some of you could give me a range of prices one would normally expect to pay a FREELANCER that is not with a company vs. what you would expect to pay a company per page for good work, I would find that really helpful for future comparisons! (Been burnt by the $7.50 a page claims so now I need to do my research dammit - you get what you pay for, but how much SHOULD you be paying for it?) Ample time vs. 24 hour turnaround, freelancers vs. company

Thanks in advance for helping me out with the millions of badly organized questions! :)