For most of my in-house (I make the sale directly) domain sales, I use escrow.com
Escrow.com reeks of respectability, and I never have to explain to any newbie buyer "what it is." They simply look at the name - ESCROW DOT COM, perhaps the website, and ask no questions. Also, it has gotten to where I don't even ask if they will pay all escrow fees. I just set up the transaction that way, and they pay! It is only for the larger transactions, or domain holding (payments over time) transactions that I find the need to go over fees with my buyers. Given that all my domains are at DynaDot (my pricing at DynaDot with all the domains I have and long term relationship I have with them is close to eight dollars per dot com renewal, payment to DynaDot with credit card), escrow.com is the best and lowest priced escrow for me.
There is one quirk to escrow.com that I have never liked, which is that a buyer has to click to both receive and accept the domain. Agreed.com , which I used before escrow.com (escrow.com bought agreed), and Payoneer escrow, enabled transactions where you would provide the authorization code directly to them, and once they verified the transfer, the inspection period would commence immediately. With Payoneer escrow, I even had transactions where the money was released to me before the buyer had acted to transfer the domain! But with escrow.com to get paid, buyer must click to have both received and accepted the domain.
To facilitate a smooth escrow.com transaction, once your buyer has accepted the escrow and paid, and you are notified with this email:
I suggest responding to the email, as follows:
1 - delete the email address [email protected] that pops up in the To: reply area. Instead, type in
a) the buyer's email address
b) [email protected]
2 - into the subject area, add the following:
transaction number XXXXXXX (XXXX.com)
such that the subject will now read
Re: Escrow.com Payment Secured - Please deliver the merchandise to the buyer - transaction number XXXXXXX (XXXX.com)
3 - Type an email along these lines, into this email you have received:
transaction number XXXXXXX (XXXX.com)
TO: Buyer
[Buyer's Name and email]
Domain has been UNlocked.
Transfer/Auth code is
XXXXXXXXXX
Buyer, to receive the domain you must initiate transfer at your end.
Once received please log back in to escrow.com to click to receive/accept domain.
Thanks!
_______
(Seller)
4 - This is assuming you used the transfer/auth method to transfer the domain, which, don't forget to log into escrow.com and click to indicate that you are transferring the domain via this method:
and then your transaction will be updated:
and send the email to buyer and escrow.
By doing this, you are entering [email protected] into the loop so that they know you have given buyer the transfer/auth code. If buyer gets the domain and does not click to accept, you will be able to force escrow to close the transaction in your favor, especially if you protect yourself with "before and after" screenshots of the WhoIs, from something like http://whois.domaintools.com/
5 - If possible, along the way during the negotiation process, get a PHONE NUMBER for the buyer. Typically, I get this number through my Contact Us form
xynames.com/contact.html
but if for some reason buyer did not enter his number, ask for it at some point after negotiations are concluded. This way, if buyer receives the domain and does not act quickly enough to login to escrow and click to receive/accept, you may call or text him to remind him politely. This number is also useful to contact a buyer who is making PAYMENTS via escrow.com domain holding service, which is among the least expensive holding services, especially for higher dollar transactions, and again, using something like ESCROW DOT COM puts the buyer at ease, who is making long term payments, about WHO is holding that domain - a licensed, bonded entity that is not going to dip into those escrow secure funds to cover operating expenses!
I have done this with many dozens of transactions, all of them successful, at escrow.com Cover your bases through something like the above procedure, and your escrow.com transactions will be as smooth as possible. Happy domaining!
Escrow.com reeks of respectability, and I never have to explain to any newbie buyer "what it is." They simply look at the name - ESCROW DOT COM, perhaps the website, and ask no questions. Also, it has gotten to where I don't even ask if they will pay all escrow fees. I just set up the transaction that way, and they pay! It is only for the larger transactions, or domain holding (payments over time) transactions that I find the need to go over fees with my buyers. Given that all my domains are at DynaDot (my pricing at DynaDot with all the domains I have and long term relationship I have with them is close to eight dollars per dot com renewal, payment to DynaDot with credit card), escrow.com is the best and lowest priced escrow for me.
There is one quirk to escrow.com that I have never liked, which is that a buyer has to click to both receive and accept the domain. Agreed.com , which I used before escrow.com (escrow.com bought agreed), and Payoneer escrow, enabled transactions where you would provide the authorization code directly to them, and once they verified the transfer, the inspection period would commence immediately. With Payoneer escrow, I even had transactions where the money was released to me before the buyer had acted to transfer the domain! But with escrow.com to get paid, buyer must click to have both received and accepted the domain.
To facilitate a smooth escrow.com transaction, once your buyer has accepted the escrow and paid, and you are notified with this email:
I suggest responding to the email, as follows:
1 - delete the email address [email protected] that pops up in the To: reply area. Instead, type in
a) the buyer's email address
b) [email protected]
2 - into the subject area, add the following:
transaction number XXXXXXX (XXXX.com)
such that the subject will now read
Re: Escrow.com Payment Secured - Please deliver the merchandise to the buyer - transaction number XXXXXXX (XXXX.com)
3 - Type an email along these lines, into this email you have received:
transaction number XXXXXXX (XXXX.com)
TO: Buyer
[Buyer's Name and email]
Domain has been UNlocked.
Transfer/Auth code is
XXXXXXXXXX
Buyer, to receive the domain you must initiate transfer at your end.
Once received please log back in to escrow.com to click to receive/accept domain.
Thanks!
_______
(Seller)
4 - This is assuming you used the transfer/auth method to transfer the domain, which, don't forget to log into escrow.com and click to indicate that you are transferring the domain via this method:
and then your transaction will be updated:
and send the email to buyer and escrow.
By doing this, you are entering [email protected] into the loop so that they know you have given buyer the transfer/auth code. If buyer gets the domain and does not click to accept, you will be able to force escrow to close the transaction in your favor, especially if you protect yourself with "before and after" screenshots of the WhoIs, from something like http://whois.domaintools.com/
5 - If possible, along the way during the negotiation process, get a PHONE NUMBER for the buyer. Typically, I get this number through my Contact Us form
xynames.com/contact.html
but if for some reason buyer did not enter his number, ask for it at some point after negotiations are concluded. This way, if buyer receives the domain and does not act quickly enough to login to escrow and click to receive/accept, you may call or text him to remind him politely. This number is also useful to contact a buyer who is making PAYMENTS via escrow.com domain holding service, which is among the least expensive holding services, especially for higher dollar transactions, and again, using something like ESCROW DOT COM puts the buyer at ease, who is making long term payments, about WHO is holding that domain - a licensed, bonded entity that is not going to dip into those escrow secure funds to cover operating expenses!
I have done this with many dozens of transactions, all of them successful, at escrow.com Cover your bases through something like the above procedure, and your escrow.com transactions will be as smooth as possible. Happy domaining!
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