Most writers could use a good editor, but a good editing service can cost more than the market value of a short story. I think every author deserves access to an editorial review of his story, so I've decided to offer that service at a very low price. And the money you pay helps to support a small-press magazine called Wanderings, so it keeps one more market available for short fiction.
Why Pay for Editing?
Why should an author pay for editing when the publisher who picks up his or her work will do it for free? There are three good reasons for having a story edited before it goes out as a submission. Firstly, a story that is clean of spelling and grammar errors looks more professional and has a better chance of being picked up than the same story with a significant number of misspelled words and instances of incorrect grammar.
Second, the fact is that many smaller markets provide little or no editing on the stories they publish. If you sell a story to a market that publishes the story as they received it, then any errors you didn't catch are out there for the whole world to see. Few things make an author look less professional than a published story with typos and incorrect punctuation. You could say that it is the market's fault if the story isn't edited correctly (and I would agree with you), but the story has your name on it.
Finally, I do more than point out where the wrong word was used or a closing quotation mark is missing. I look at the story as a whole and point out problems such as plot holes, inconsistent characterization and rough dialog. I also provide my opinion about the story. It's just one opinion, but it comes from someone who has been editing a small press magazine since 2005.