Escrow.com is an online escrow service. In escrow, a neutral third party holds the buyer's money until both sides have done what they agreed, which removes the risk that one side pays or delivers and the other does not. Escrow.com was founded in 1999 by Fidelity National Financial, is headquartered in San Francisco and was bought by Freelancer.com in 2015. Its escrow services are provided by its licensed subsidiary Internet Escrow Services.
A transaction has five steps: buyer and seller agree on terms, the buyer pays Escrow.com, the seller delivers, the buyer inspects and approves, and Escrow.com releases the money to the seller. Funds are kept in trust in the meantime. Common uses are domain names and websites, motor vehicles, jewelry, general merchandise and milestone payments for services, from US$100 to more than US$100 million. Businesses can add escrow to their own sites through Escrow Pay, Escrow Buttons and an API.
There is no subscription: Escrow.com charges a percentage fee on each transaction, and the rate falls as the amount grows.