I find it odd that no one has mentioned the interpersonal aspects / relationship aspects / sales skills here. I went through a recruiter early in my career and

I find it odd that no one has mentioned the interpersonal aspects / relationship aspects / sales skills here. I went through a recruiter early in my career and I believe they negotiated better than I would have on my own (based on them getting rates I did not realise were possible). Having an agent as a seller lets you outsource the grubby, sometimes grasping business of getting the best price you can, in a reasonable amount of time. For people who are naturally good at that, an agent might not be such a good deal. For some of us, especially the less "hard nosed", an an agent can be a good idea.