The main goal of this forum is to provide more information to hobbyists and allow them to make an educated decision. I completely agree that independent can charge whatever they want if there are some fools who are willing to pay that rates. The goal of this topic is to explain to these fools that independents are not better (and sometime worse) than agency girls and the fact that they ask for more money does not mean that they provide better services. For a person who new to this hobby and who got his price anchor from "the Beautiful Women" movie, using the corresponding exchange rate and inflation factor, it would appear that $400 is what the price for a nice girl should be. Americans used to $500+ USD per hour rate for decent girls. So, when they look at agency prices ($250) and independents ($350+) they think that agency is of a lower quality and, given such a "bargain" that independents offer (relative to what these guys thing the price should be) they go for "high quality" independent girls instead of "low quality" agency. And these guys are the independents' clientele and the main reason the independents are able to charge high price.
What is wrong in this picture? The fact that this naive guys use their upward biased assumption about the "fair" price and use the price itself as an indicator of quality. In other words, when they thing "high quality independent" vs. "low quality agency girls", they make a mistake. And guys in this thread are trying to educate these naive fools that the market price is $250 (and it is the market price in a competitive agency market) and that quality of independents are not better (and sometime worse) than quality of agency girls, and the only reason independents ask for more money because such naive fool exist. And, to complete the circle, given that such naive fools exist, some independent truly believe that they are "better" and this is where the entitlement comes from.
P.S.: I am not sure many girls will follow the logic of an economic model that I try to explain. Based on my past reading, Jessica Rain would be among the few once who does follow this logic and, deep down, understands it, but, consciously or unconsciously, dismiss it for a simple logic "if people are willing to pay $$$, why not charge $$$" and will definitely never publicly acknowledge that the reason for why people are willing to pay $$$ is not an independent SP's "individual quality" but rather uninformativeness of American clients (or new local hobbyists) and leasiness of old-aged clients who just want to stick to what they used to.