Escrow.com - pain in the butt

[TrustButVerify]

Using escrow.com and my first two pains:

If you want to pay by the most convenient means - paypal or visa/mastercard you need to pay TWICE the normal fee for "premium service" a.k.a. enforced upsell.

Second thing is - In the title of the transaction (after selecting domain name) I also put
xxxxx.com - software/programming/support.

After paying through paypal they refunded it saying:

Escrow.com is unable to accept a credit card or PayPal for transactions involving website content, software or data. Please choose another payment option.

So off I go to make a wire transfer tomorrow morning.

Now I understand they have reasons for their policies... it just doesn't make it any easier.

What services are you guys using for your purchases?

How exactly are you handling your escrow transactions?

[daveslutzkin]

If you want to pay by the most convenient means - paypal or visa/mastercard you need to pay TWICE the normal fee for "premium service" a.k.a. enforced upsell.

I've spoken to them about this. They don't want to be exposed to chargebacks, which plague merchants using both services. I have to say, I kinda agree with them. It's more trouble for users of the service, but it means that when the money comes in, it stays there.

[Clinton]

I highly recommend people avoid escrow.com. Nothing personal against them, they've always treated me well but they don't escrow websites (despite being Flippa's choice). Many people recommend them because they earn money from escrow.com's affiliate program, not because escrow.com is right for you. There are several other good reasons to avoid them. This thread and the links there may be a good starting point for research.

I use a lawyer and european escrow services. My advice would be to form a good relationship with a legal firm in your country and put your payment through them. That's important. If you want any degree of protection don't be blind enough to trust an escrow company registered in California of all places (like escrow.com is)! Look for a reliable one in your own country

[benitez17]

I've spoken to them about this. They don't want to be exposed to chargebacks, which plague merchants using both services. I have to say, I kinda agree with them. It's more trouble for users of the service, but it means that when the money comes in, it stays there.

I don't know if I buy that explanation. I have used Escrow.com and paid with a credit card, and they make you verify your name and address and have you sign something stating that you won't issue a chargeback. If someone did try and issue a chargeback, all Escrow.com has to do is provide the signed agreement, and if the buyer persists, they could threaten to sue for breach of contract.

I think it's just a matter of the company deciding to charge higher rates for a more convenient service, which I have no problem with, since I've used the premium transfer option more often than not. I wouldn't call it a forced upsell, since no one is forcing you to use the premium service. I don't know of any bank in the world that won't do a wire transfer, and I believe you can even mail them a check if you aren't in any hurry to complete the deal.

I don't know what the reason is for refusing a credit card or Paypal payment for software. They probably got burned somehow in the past and put that policy in place to prevent it from happening again.