The eBay of Essays

By Melissa Traynor

News Editor

February 27, 2008

Imagine a network of writers, skilled in every field of study an assigned paper might require, able to pump their efforts into work as delicate as a four or five-page-essay or as demanding as full-length dissertation.

You don’t have to wear out the strength in your fingers or the creativity in your brain cells if you’ve got the cash to let this network get that paper written up and spiffy for you.

EssayBay.com, in association with Academic Answers Ltd. can grant students the access to such a network with writers from all over the world; for example, there are over 110 American writers and thousands more from around the world ranging in background educations from Yale University to “self-taught,” and some are professors.

The Web site is run like eBay. com, or an auction site where one student can post the assignment they would like to be written for by writers who can bid on them.

Once students have logged in whether to buy or write, they can then post assignments or start bidding.

“The process is very similar to eBay in the sense that it’s an auction. The buyer registers with the Web site, lists their project—giving full details on length, schooling level, grade standard, desired sources— and then writers who have registered are free to bid on the work,” said Barclay Littlewood, the owner of the site and Academic Answers Ltd.

He said that the buyer can then select a writer with full knowledge of their academic background, so if they would like an Oxford educated writer to complete their work, they can select that certain writer. In the same way, a writer with a less prestigious education can bid much lower and therefore provide an opportunity cost situation for the buyer.

Also like eBay, the Web site features a list of feedback, both negative and positive comments, for each writer and a certain percentage of buyer satisfaction for all potential buyers to see.

“Because EssayBay operates as a transparent community, if a writer receives poor feedback, they jeopardize their chances of receiving further projects,” Littlewood said. “Also, writers are encouraged to offer a full range of guarantees, such as no plagiarism guarantees, guaranteed standards, copyright sale etc, and many writers offer full money-back guarantees if any aspect of the work is plagiarized.”

EssayBay also has a private server where completed essay can be uploaded to or downloaded from for writers and buyers. The essays are only accessible for a short amount of time so as to provide protection.

Littlewood said that there are no set prices for an essay, but the process and cost does depend on how the writers bid and whether his or her credentials are desirable to the buyer. He did say that the cost has been anywhere from $20 to $40,000 for certain, depending on the assignment. The payments are made by Escrow, which means the buyer has much more control over the transaction.

Academic Answers Ltd. is based in Nottingham, England and is the umbrella organization for EssayBay. com, as well as UKEssays.com and it prides itself on holding the reputation of being the UK’s leading custom essay Web site, according to Littlewood.

In terms of plagiarism and, Little wood said that EssayBay is in no way liable for legal action due to the fact that it has no control over how the papers are used, only in that it proves a service.

For those who are not interested in purchasing an essay, but would like to see his or her own improved, sister-site UKEssays.com offers a feature where students can send in their papers and have them marked by professionals in that field and can seek advice if needed.

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