Reliable agencies, of which there are many, are not guilty of either of the things you mention. I don't know what you mean by marking up prices. They do take a percentage of the fee. The better agencies never bait and switch.

Although it is hard to generalize, agencies work better if you like to book on very short notice (like same day). Independents often require more planning. Agency girls can be higher volume, although again there are no hard and fast rules. When they travel, independent providers can also be fairly high volume as well. Agency girls tend to come and go with greater frequency so they are not good for an ATF relationship. Finally, agency girls are often younger than independents. If you like 21-23 y.o. hardbodies, you'll likely end up at least considering working with an agency.

The one thing you can say without question is that more independent providers participate in TER boards than agency girls. That might be one reason you get the impression that the better traffic is all about independents. But truthfully each has its place. A reliable agency can be a lot of fun to work with.

the bring new talent to the market at rates generally below comparable indies. The particular agencies I use do a bit of screening as well. And with their reputation, I feel very comfortable seeing ladies who have not yet been reviewed. On the rare occasion that there is any issue they are quick to make it up to me. I have an excellent rapport with three local agencies plus a very UTR Asian agency here. They represent more than half of my hobbying by volume.....

Read the Phoenix and Legal boards

You might wish to think twice about using agencies...