

Ask HN: Selling intangible goods (website) using Escrow, is it safe? - dawson

I'm about to sell a website on Flippa and the buyer wants to use Escrow. I have no experience with this payment service, can anyone advise if it's safe to use for intangible/digital goods?
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dangrossman
Escrow, along with a good contract, is a great way to transfer a website. The
buyer has to send the money to the escrow service. You know that they have the
money to buy your site, and that it's been transferred to the escrow service,
before you have to turn over the website. You transfer the domain to the
buyer, then they allow the escrow service to transfer the funds to you.

The reason this protects you is that if the buyer tries to back out, the
escrow service still has the money. You can provide proof that you transferred
the website and they can release the funds to you.

The reason this protects the buyer is that you don't get access to his money
until you've transferred the website to him.

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cperciva
_the escrow service still has the money. You can provide proof that you
transferred the website and they can release the funds to you._

Providing that it's a real escrow service, yes. But be careful, since "fake
escrow service" is a common scam.

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dawson
Escrow.com, I assume their service is okay?

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andyjdavis
Is anyone able to provide the names/urls of a few reputable escrow services?
We should direct people to known companies rather than setting people the near
impossible task of assessing whether or not an escrow service suggested by the
other side is legitimate.

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aitoehigie
its most probably a scammer

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andyjdavis
Can you elaborate on why you say that? Just so we can all learn something :)

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cperciva
There have been a lot of scams involving using an "escrow" service which is
really just the scammer in disguise.

