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Escrow wouldn't be required if the buyer trusts you and pays first. Do you have only buyers who demand escrow?
I'd certainly prefer the buyer just trusts me and sends the BTC first, as I know myself pretty well and know I'm a trustworthy guy. The buyer, on the other hand, doesn't know me from squat, I'm just a dude on the internet, so I can't be too upset if they'd rather choose Escrow. I'd do the same
(not referring to anyone in particular. There's a few people interested, but no firm commitment yet).Quote
If the buyer you choose is in the USA and will only accept escrow, I can offer escrow. You have to consider if you want OZ-based escrow to do the international shipping or if you want to ship to destination-country escrow yourself.
Consider these escrow conditions, these would be mine:
1. Bitcoins come first; you won't be sending a package until I confirm payment is secure. The payment address wallet/keys will be backed up the wazoo, with a paper copy of the address keys and transaction info for my next of kin to discover.
2. US->US shipping cost comes out of the Bitcoins, I'll calculate for you pessimistically @ today's MtGox if I know the box weight, dimensions, and destination ZIP.
3. The singles (or any other item) must be shipped to me with signature service so you can prove to yourself I got them (this based on my experience of eBaying hundreds of items, this is to prevent shipping services leaving stealable packages at the door instead of hand-delivering to a person, or marking them "delivered" when nothing was delivered, it was delivered to the wrong address, or it was stolen by the delivery driver). The items must be double-boxed, over-packaged, and well padded, so it arrives safely and so I don't have to re-box it to meet insurance requirements.
4. If the package is lost or damaged getting to me, you must have insured the parcel yourself and claim the loss yourself. I will refund the Bitcoins if I do not receive the package or if the package contents are not as described or damaged (after waiting around a month to ensure the package was not misplaced or delayed in shipping).
5. I will re-ship FedEx insured with adult signature confirmation to a physical address only. No post-office box services either (I will Google, seller should check address also).
6. Carrier signature-proof-of-delivery will be proof I completed escrow service. When it is delivered with signature, the transaction will be final and I will send Bitcoins. There will be no claims the package wasn't received if it was delivered and signed for.
7. If the package is lost getting from me to the buyer, I will pay out the Bitcoins to the seller after a similar waiting period to be sure it's lost for good and that the shipper acknowledges the loss and insurance will cover it. I will compensate TO THE BUYER only what I am able to get from insurance (all shipping companies have insurance adjusters that are dicks and routinely deny claims you have to then appeal, will only pay "replacement cost" regardless how much insurance you buy, etc).
8. If the package is damaged getting from me to the buyer, I will compensate TO THE BUYER what insurance pays out (see above) as a replacement or repair settlement. Buyer must cooperate with insurance adjuster's package inspections and/or pick-up of damaged packaging and any or all shipped merchandise, etc.
9. Free, but tips encouraged, given all the above work escrow dude does. No warranties, no lawsuits.
I think I've thought out every escrow scenario here. Anyone considering doing escrow services should examine the above too, so a buyer and seller know the score when it all goes wrong. 6, 7, and 8 seem like the best terms for fairness and to protect seller and escrow agent against unscrupulous buyer claims.
Consider these escrow conditions, these would be mine:
1. Bitcoins come first; you won't be sending a package until I confirm payment is secure. The payment address wallet/keys will be backed up the wazoo, with a paper copy of the address keys and transaction info for my next of kin to discover.
2. US->US shipping cost comes out of the Bitcoins, I'll calculate for you pessimistically @ today's MtGox if I know the box weight, dimensions, and destination ZIP.
3. The singles (or any other item) must be shipped to me with signature service so you can prove to yourself I got them (this based on my experience of eBaying hundreds of items, this is to prevent shipping services leaving stealable packages at the door instead of hand-delivering to a person, or marking them "delivered" when nothing was delivered, it was delivered to the wrong address, or it was stolen by the delivery driver). The items must be double-boxed, over-packaged, and well padded, so it arrives safely and so I don't have to re-box it to meet insurance requirements.
4. If the package is lost or damaged getting to me, you must have insured the parcel yourself and claim the loss yourself. I will refund the Bitcoins if I do not receive the package or if the package contents are not as described or damaged (after waiting around a month to ensure the package was not misplaced or delayed in shipping).
5. I will re-ship FedEx insured with adult signature confirmation to a physical address only. No post-office box services either (I will Google, seller should check address also).
6. Carrier signature-proof-of-delivery will be proof I completed escrow service. When it is delivered with signature, the transaction will be final and I will send Bitcoins. There will be no claims the package wasn't received if it was delivered and signed for.
7. If the package is lost getting from me to the buyer, I will pay out the Bitcoins to the seller after a similar waiting period to be sure it's lost for good and that the shipper acknowledges the loss and insurance will cover it. I will compensate TO THE BUYER only what I am able to get from insurance (all shipping companies have insurance adjusters that are dicks and routinely deny claims you have to then appeal, will only pay "replacement cost" regardless how much insurance you buy, etc).
8. If the package is damaged getting from me to the buyer, I will compensate TO THE BUYER what insurance pays out (see above) as a replacement or repair settlement. Buyer must cooperate with insurance adjuster's package inspections and/or pick-up of damaged packaging and any or all shipped merchandise, etc.
9. Free, but tips encouraged, given all the above work escrow dude does. No warranties, no lawsuits.
I think I've thought out every escrow scenario here. Anyone considering doing escrow services should examine the above too, so a buyer and seller know the score when it all goes wrong. 6, 7, and 8 seem like the best terms for fairness and to protect seller and escrow agent against unscrupulous buyer claims.
If the buyer ends up being from the US, I'll gladly take you up on that. Sounds great (I'd definitely prefer to send it to a person first for verification (and then release of funds) rather than directly to the buyer, just to avoid that potential for abuse.
The main interested party at the moment is from Europe though so it might not matter, but I certainly appreciate the offer
