I'm a professional writer. Here's what happens when you buy an essay from me.

[PatriciaWong]

I've been working as a freelance academic writer for five years. I see a lot of misconceptions about what happens on the other side of the screen, and I want to share. When you place an order, it usually goes into a pool. I, the writer, bid on it. I get paid very little for the work (usually about 20-30% of what you paid). This means I have to work fast to make a living. If you give me vague instructions, I will write a generic essay that might not get you an A. If you give me your professor's rubric, your textbook chapters, and specific sources, I can write something that looks like you wrote it. The more you help me, the better your paper is. We're not magicians; we're just skilled writers following orders.

 

[MattFlarr]

I think students assume these services have PhD experts just waiting to craft masterpieces. Knowing it's regular writers racing against the clock for low pay explains a lot about the quality variability.

The part about providing materials is key. I had a friend who used a service, gave them nothing but a topic, and got back something so generic it was basically unusable. Makes sense now why.

Also, 20-30% is criminal. The platforms are exploiting both students and writers. Wild system.