First of all, let's get the terms straight here. Reliable and quality writing services are legal. They provide services. They hire employees, they pay taxes, they work through legal payment platforms, they are not scams. If you want to know how legit they are in terms of quality, it is a different, a longer discussion. Everything depends on a service, and it is a good idea to form a set of criteria before you place an order for the first time. If you don't want to waste time on forming your own list, we are here to help you out. 
A legit cheap writing service…
Has years of experience in the market
When we say years, we mean that to be considered legit, any writing service should stay in the market not less than a year and a half or better two years. Of course, even the agencies with half a year experience can provide you with a quality paper written in strict accordance with your requirements, but why take a risk? If you want to make sure a cheap essay writing service e.g. CheapWritingHelp is legit, look for reviews about and check the dates. Even if the oldest reviews are average, but the service exists till now, and reviews get better, it is a good sign. Experience is very important, because two years are normally enough to form a team of writers, editors, and support team managers who can handle the major load of orders.
Has noticeable online presence
If a writing service claims that it works for six years in the market, but you can't find any traces of it in Quora, review websites and other searches, it is very suspicious. The Internet remembers almost everything, and you don't want to give your order to a service that lies about its experience from the very beginning. Again, don't try to dig too deep for positive and negative reviews, just check if there are any. By the way, many students complain that they keep making the same mistake — spending too much time on research about a particular service. We hope this article will help you to save time and spend it on something much more important. Remember, saving time, you also save money, as the sooner you order the paper, the less you pay. No matter how cheap the service is, urgent papers are always expensive.
Has real around-the-clock online support
You should be able to reach a writing service via chat, email, and phone. If something is lacking, if you need to wait for a response for long hours or even days, something is wrong here. Normally, the response should not take longer than an hour, if we are talking about email, and no longer than 10 minutes in chat. Also, make sure that support truly works 24/7, not 9 to 6 on weekdays.
Has more than one page
Yes, there are writing services that are nothing more than a landing page with some pictures from photo banks and lousy design. Do you really think that a legit, experienced service can operate with one page for everything? Even a service where you order pizza has more! Please, respect your papers and your money, don't go for “$3 per page” offers from such scam agencies.
Has Terms and Conditions section
This section is not always put on top because they are very technical, sometimes you can find them in the footnotes. If you can't find them there, it is a good idea to address a support team and ask for a link. If you cannot get that link… Well, it is time to move forward and order from another agency. Terms and Conditions state what you can and cannot do, rights and obligations of both parties, etc. Advertisement often can't be proven to be a public offer, but Terms and Conditions are the documents to address when you get into an argument with this service.
Has online calculator and fair pricing policy
How do you understand that a particular service is affordable or even cheap? Do you use their advertisement claims for that? Please, stop doing that. First of all, find an online calculator and check whether the price is valid for your case. The price often depends on three factors — the proximity of the deadline, your year of education, and the number of pages. After you use an online calculator, it is time to start placing your order. No, we don't mean you should finish this process, just text the inquiry/order form. As you move towards the end, the price of your order should not increase unexpectedly. There should not be any extra payments that you cannot choose or delete. For example, if you want some detailed explanations about the style and formatting, you can pay extra for it, but it should not be forced on you.