Now that the stereotypes are (hopefully) dispelled, let us go on to the process. You know what kind of a woman you want, you are prepared to look for certain qualities rather than focus on nationality. Where do you start? How do you begin your search? Are all those dating agencies safe?
The answer is, no, many of them are not. For an agency, helping American (Western) men to meet women is business, and they will often use less than honest techniques to generate it and keep it going. For example, when a woman has submitted her profile, the agency may send letters of introduction from her to several men, without her even knowing. If the men are interested, they would have to pay to purchase her contact information. Also, since the agency usually provides translation services as well, they may use different tricks to keep the man writing, even if the woman is not really interested. Each e-mail letter can cost from $2.5 to $4 and up, so as long as there is correspondence, the agency is making money. As to whether the man and the woman are a good match, they don’t really care. I know examples of agencies that would “edit” the correspondence, removing things that could hurt their business and adding things that would help it, and even send their own letters their clients never wrote. With the language barrier, such things are not very hard to pull off. Besides, agency owners in Russia know that there is practically no way the client can prosecute them in case they find out about their tricks. They might lose a client, but they will always have many more.
So are there reputable agencies, and how do you find one? The good news is, there are. I recommend using independent sources like RWGuide, a treasury of unbiased information related to the process of dating or marrying Russian women. You will find there hundreds of people directly involved in it, either married, engaged, or pursuing, sharing their experience and always willing to give advice.
Another thing I always recommend is not using the agency translation services. Use the agency to meet women and get their contact information, then find a professional, reputable letter translator. This way you will not only get quality translation (agency translation often leaves much to be desired) but also protect yourself from dishonesty. Good professional translators have strict business ethics codes, they will never consider changing anything in a letter in order to serve their own interests. Will you have to pay more to a professional translator? Sometimes, but not always. You can find a translator charging 1 cent per word, which is not only reasonable compared to agency rates but in many cases even cheaper.