Home : Help : Rules & Safety (SafeHarbour) : Escrow Process

Before starting any escrow transaction, you need to agree with the other party to use escrow for that transaction.

Escrow is easier than you think. In a typical escrow transaction, you'll follow these steps:

Step 1: Login
Step 2: Review & forward information
Step 3: Login at i-Escrow, or create a new account
Step 4: Agree on the terms of the escrow transaction
Step 5: Buyer pays i-Escrow
Step 6: Seller ships the merchandise
Step 7: Buyer inspects the merchandise
Step 8: Step 8: i-Escrow pays the seller

Step 1: Login

There are three places to go to begin the escrow process:

• From a link in the End of Auction notice.*
• From the Item page.*
• From the SafeHarbor escrow page, click on 'begin escrow'

At the login page, enter your eBay User ID and Password (and item number if it is not already supplied)

* only appears when the seller chooses to accept escrow in their payment options.

Step 2: Review & forward information

eBay will will ask you to review and verify some information, including your contact information, which we will forward to i-Escrow for you so you won't have to re input the data.

If you are the Seller in a Dutch auction, you'll need to choose the Buyer that will participate in escrow for this transaction. If you want to choose multiple buyers in a single Dutch auction, you will have to begin each escrow transaction individually.

Step 3: Login at i-Escrow, or create a new account

1. New i-Escrow users: i-Escrow will create an account for new users. You will need to supply some additional information to complete the account creation.
2. Existing i-Escrow users: You will need to login with your email address and i-Escrow password.

Step 4: Agree on the terms of the escrow transaction

Both parties will need to agree on the terms of the transaction, including who will pay shipping and how much it will cost, the length of the inspection period, and who will pay the i-Escrow fees.

Step 5: Buyer pays i-Escrow

i-Escrow accepts credit cards, cashiers checks, money orders, personal checks, and business checks.

Step 6: Seller ships the merchandise

The Seller ships the merchandise directly to the Buyer using a traceable shipping method. (e.g., FedEx, UPS, USPS Delivery Confirmation.) The Seller will be required to input the shipping tracking number into i-Escrow's system.

Step 7: Buyer inspects the merchandise

1. If the Buyer accepts, i-Escrow forwards the payment to the Seller
2. If the Buyer declines, the Buyer must return the item to the Seller. Buyers who return merchandise are required to pay BOTH the return shipping fee and the i-Escrow fee, regardless of the earlier agreement specifying who would pay the i-Escrow fee. This double deterrent minimizes casual returns. In addition, the Seller can specify the original shipping fee to be non-refundable. i-Escrow only returns the payment (less fees) to the Buyer after the Seller has received and inspected the returned items.

Step 8: i-Escrow pays the seller

Once the Buyer has approved the merchandise or when the Inspection Period lapses, a check will be sent to the Seller. The Seller should receive the check within 5 business days if Seller address is within the United States.

If either user has questions during the escrow transaction, they can contact i-Escrow customer support at support@iescrow.com

Escrow Process
FAQ
Begin Escrow
Check Status