Agents

Agents
For some in the Marketplace, going to an auction either as a potential Marketplace slave or a potential Owner doesn't work. For slaves with specializations, a general auction may not be the place to highlight their skills. Some Owners may shy away from being seen in public. In cases like these, using an Agent for the transaction is common. Agents arrange private sales, attend auctions on behalf of Owners, and seek special matches to meet the tastes of Owners.

"Agents rock," Tequila agreed. "Take another cut out of your fee, but hell, what do you care?  It's worth it because you get fewer hassles finding the right owner."

One of the best known Agents in the Marketplace series is Ken Mandarin. "In addition to being one of the most prolific spotters the Marketplace has ever seen, she is quite a good agent. I've known her to scour the world for proper placements." (from The Reunion) Another agent is Spiro, who spotted the potential for Billy-Ray Clemm as a grudge slave and sold him directly to his first Owner.

Agents in the Marketplace include: Unnamed Agents Some of the characters who use Agents are:
 * Ken Mandarin, who is also an Owner and a Spotter
 * Ali Cruz is also a Spotter, and in both areas, she specializes in transgender people
 * Michael and Jules, who appear in The Marketplace visiting the Long Island Training House
 * Spiro, the agent who specializes in grudge slaves. Spiro is a real stereotyped Hollywood agent type who has found himself in this dark niche. He spots Billy-Ray and has found several owners for him.
 * The Academy  The California Way . A round little Japanese man in an immaculate black silk suit, all bottle-bottom glasses and little bowler hat, who buys Doris for the California family at a small auction in Chicago, after sending Pa the photos and files of various slaves to choose from.
 * The Reunion includes unnamed agents for Lucy and Tequila
 * Arturo Massimiliano frequently uses Agents, because of his specialty in training slave tops
 * Khadija, who asks Ken Mandarin to find her a Marketplace slave who can act as her husband in The Academy
 * Lucy, a slave top in The Reunion uses agents to find her Owners
 * Maurice, Pauline and Spunk, who purchase Doris in The Academy
 * Tequila, a slave who specializes in personal protection in The Reunion prefers using agents over the auction block
 * Robin, who hopes to use Ken Mandarin to find her an Owner after she returns from The Reunion
 * Grendel Elliott invites two agents, Michael and Jules to the Long Island Training House to see Sharon.