I'm new to this whole russian mail bride thing, so this might look like a stupid question.
What's this "with agency email" telling us? Does it mean that when we send a message to the girl, the agency will review it and then forward it to the girl, or, does it mean that girl never sees it at all, agency replies us as the girl's representative?
Basically, should I ever bother to email girls that are not independent?
yes, bumbumpaw, PLEASE do ALOT of research before you jump in.
first rule of thumb is if it seems too good to be true then it absolutely is! DO NOT FALL FOR IT!
Until you actually see her in real life do not trust anything she allegedly says.
make your own plans to visit and do not trust agencies who will take care of everything for you.
use independent guides, translators and accommodations while you are here.
dont put all your eggs in one basket because chances are the lady you want to meet will not show up.
do not search for ladies in cities across the country because you do not want to waste all your time traveling.
focus on one or 2 cities for your first trip.
Take the time to learn about the country. try to learn as much of the language as possible before you come.
You will be amazed at what you can learn in 3 months with a combination of Pimseluer and Rosetta Stone TOGETHER and
the girls will be VERY impressed that you made the effort to learn about the country and language.
lastly, reach out to those who have come before you and have contacts here you can rely on to help you BEFORE you come.
Durak, TomZ, ragingbull, Armin(lives in nikolaev) and beemer18 are some who have traveled here often and have experience. I may not agree with everything they have to offer but thats only because I live 5 months of the year here and have a "local" perspective also.
you are more than welcome to message me or call for any questions you have.
There's a blog by a lady called Krystyna - Ukrainian dating blog.com It could be a start for you.
If you're going to use a website then google it with 'scam'. You'll see most have reviews posted.
I'd certainly back up Ricks suggestions - never, ever put all your eggs in one basket. Do not believe anything of what is said until you actually meet her in the flesh.
Do as much as you can independently. Settle on one town/city. Have a backup plan for another city.
Rule out anyone who will not communicate with you directly. It does not matter which site(s) you choose to use, if a lady will not communicate with you directly then there is a separate agenda.
I don't recommend reading much here.....a not moderated site with much mudslinging. Go read a site like russianwomendiscussion.com. You get good prospective, even from many women that are there.
Decide if you are WOVO or WMVM, lot of debate which is better. I am of the WMVM or my adaption WMVF.
AS said before, pick close areas where most of women you have interest in. Mine ended up, Odesa, Chisinau and Nikolaev areas. Can't beat those Odesa women!!! ))))) Although Kiev can be interesting as a
'fly into' area on trips.
Lastly, I Skype very little, emails are fewer now....the big thing now is viber and whatapp, that is what girls are into now....all free(phone & message) for everyone with the app and internet, anywhere in the world. When you are 'in country', get your sim card and use phone for direct contact.