Any Escrow.com horror stories?

[IdahoFarmer]

I'm purchasing a domain from an out of country seller for $5,000. The transaction is being escrowed by Escrow.com.

My expectation is that all will go well given the use of Escrow.com. Any pitfalls I should be wary of?

Thanks in advance for your replies.

 

[jeter4982]

Nope, that is the point of using Escrow. If it is a scam, you will get your money back from Escrow, and then it is their responsibility to try to get their money back from the scammer.

 

[armstrong]

Nope, that is the point of using Escrow. If it is a scam, you will get your money back from Escrow, and then it is their responsibility to try to get their money back from the scammer.

Where does it say that in escrow.com? As far as I know, all escrow.com can guarantee is the transfer of goods/cash. But if there is a scam somewhere, then they will probably disavow responsibility.

Escrow is as safe as you can get, but its still not foolproof. There's still some things escrow can't help you with:

- stolen property; if the domain you purchase turns out to be stolen, then even if you actually receive and use the domain for a time, there's a good possibility that eventually the real owner will reclaim his domain; to minimize this possibility, research the domain's history - any recent changes coupled with a rush to sell is a clear danger signal
- misrepresentation; let's say you purchased the domain because you were told that it has 10,000 unique visitors daily, a claim that turned out to be false after the seller cashes his check; in this case, you have the domain, the seller has your money, and escrow has done its job, sorry.

 

[IdahoFarmer]

Thanks for both of your responses. They are appreciated. I'm buying the name on the merits of the name itself, not for its traffic... so this particular issue is not of concern. Good idea on researching the history... checking now...

alrighty... this is from the whois:

Record last updated on 19-Nov-2004.
Record expires on 17-Nov-2005.
Record created on 17-Nov-1999.

Is there anywhere else I should check?

 

[armstrong]

That last update could be just the domain being renewed. If you got to whois.sc, they have a service for subscribers where you can see prior whois details. If there have been recent ownership changes, you may want to check with previous owners via phone or email.

Some NP members (not me, unfortunately) have whois.sc subscriptions and may be willing to make a one-time lookup for you.

 

[Riceman]

Escrow.com is awesome. Never had a problem with them

 

[Badger]

great site, very secure.

Problems recently with chargebacks.. But all in all a very good payment method.

Do full research as to the ownership of the domain yourself. That is your weak spot.

Good luck, can you post the name??

 

[IdahoFarmer]

I'm moving forward with the transaction at Escrow.com. I'll post an update or updates at the relevant times. I'll also disclose the name after transfer.

Thanks to all for the input.

 

[Riceman]

best of luck with this

 

[AdoptableDomains]

I've done a number of transactions there, and haven't had any problems other than a buyer not following through with payment. As previously stated, escrow.com only assures that payment is securely received prior to your transferring the domain, and that the domain is transferred before releasing the funds. There is no assurance or insurance against misspresented, stolen, or infringing domains. Also check for any UDRP and Trademark issues before buying any large value domain. Selllers probably only have to worry about chargebacks on credit cards, so read the escrow agreement to see how they are handled.

 

[unholy1]

211 transactions so far in escrow...no problems yet, it does help of course that 95% of it is from transactions with buyers that have good records.

 

[Riceman]

211 transactions so far in escrow...no problems yet, it does help of course that 95% of it is from transactions with buyers that have good records.

211 transactions? Wow that seems like a lot