413047-Underground-Commercial-Sex-Economy

Internet-based sex work commands high rates, and online prices are advertised according to the duration
of the date (compared to street prices, which are typically determined by the services offered). A 15-
minute date typically costs about $60, a 30-minute date ranges from $60 and $150, a 60-minute date
ranges from $120 to $250, and a “full service” date (during which any number of sex acts may be
performed for a predetermined fee) costing as much as $300 to $350, if not more. “Full service” dates are
reportedly common with online work.
Online work is extremely lucrative but also physically and mentally exhausting. An Internet-based sex
worker from Atlanta explained that she made “at least $350 a call” and nearly one thousand dollars over
the course of a few hours on Eros.com (N1). These high profits came at a cost; many noted that the length
and demands of these types of dates. In the words of a 36-year-old individual from Seattle, online work is
“guaranteed $250 for an hour. But they [the clients] call the shots for the hour … They can cum as many
times as they want to. It’s a lot of work for that hour” (K2).
It is important to note that at least one respondent stated that online work was not as reliable as street
work. This individual, from Washington, DC, explained that she did not quote prices online and found the
money to be unpredictable. She explained, “Online, you can quote $120, but [the client] might not
necessarily bring it, whereas on the stroll, you can see the money and see what [the clients] have” (L7).
Although online prices are generally higher than street-based prices, online work is prone to similar
externalities as street-based work. It was stated that sex workers selling services online are drug-addicted,
which many speculate has compelled some sex workers to request low prices. One respondent explained,
“Young girls have made things so cheap now selling $50 [sexual acts] online. It’s because young girls are
snorting powder, which is cheaper today, so they can charge less money” (L5).
These pricing dynamics have made the online sex market notably competitive. A sex worker from Atlanta
described this trend:
Interviewer: Is there competition [today]
Respondent: Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. There’s girls charging $30, $40.
Interviewer: Online
Respondent: Yeah.
Interviewer: So people started giving specials
Respondent: Yeah. I saw one girl, she looked like a crackhead. That’s the type of people.
She posted for $20. I wanted to cry, she’s posting for $20 and I’m posting for $80.
Backpage. is always going to be heavy. Always a money type of thing. Women posting
every day. (N1)
The Internet has also provided sex workers and their clients with venues to assess each other, which
increases competition. One participant explained how sex workers used Craigslist.com to review each
other:
Craigslist is really hot right now. Online, I flag girls, and they flag me. Someone said I was
an old hag and then a guy didn’t want me. Another girl told the guy I was supposed to be
with … that I was lying about breast size. This is all on Craigslist using the flag feature.
Other johns would post and say, no, I’ve been with this girl and she’s not lying. (L5)
A 43-year-old sex worker from Washington, DC explained the tactics that she and other sex workers used
to compete with younger sex workers: “We put pictures, [but] we lied in our profiles online. That’s how
older girls get their johns now, younger girls too, but police are cracking down” (L5). Sites like
TheEroticReview.com similarly allow johns to review sex workers they have encountered.
Although online work can be financially rewarding, the Internet-based market presents unique challenges
to sex workers, including the need to discern between potential clients, navigate a more complex initiation
process, and handle the competitiveness of the venue. The results presented here corroborate
Cunningham and Kendall’s (2011) findings that the use of the Internet is not necessarily displacing streetbased
sex work, but is likely helping to expand the underground commercial sex market by providing a
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