Why use escrow?
Every online deal between strangers has the same problem: someone has to go first. Send the money before the goods arrive, or hand over the goods before the money lands — and hope the other side keeps their end. Escrow takes that gamble out of the middle by holding the funds until both sides have done their part.
Start an escrowSomeone always has to move first
Without escrow
- One side has to move first — send the money, or hand over the goods — and hope the other side follows through.
- If the other person disappears or the item never arrives, your only options are a chargeback (which crypto does not have) or chasing a stranger.
- Trust comes down to reviews, reputation, or gut feel — none of which stops someone determined to scam.
With Vaultion
- The buyer locks funds in an open-source smart contract up front. The seller can see the money is committed before lifting a finger.
- The funds release only when the buyer confirms — or, if there is a disagreement, when a ruling decides — from independent Kleros jurors or a Vaultion reviewer on Ethereum, or a Vaultion reviewer on every other network. Vaultion never holds or controls them.
- You do not have to trust the other party, or Vaultion. You verify the locked balance and the contract on-chain yourself.
Deals worth protecting
Domains & websites
Buyer funds the escrow; seller pushes the domain or transfers the site; buyer confirms the transfer landed before the funds release.
Freelance & software
Lock the agreed amount before work starts. The contractor knows the funds are there; the client releases once the deliverable checks out.
OTC & P2P crypto
Trading tokens or assets directly with someone you have not met. Funds stay locked on-chain until both sides have done their part.
Goods, vehicles & high-value items
Vaultion holds the funds while the deal plays out — it cannot verify a physical handover itself, so the buyer confirms receipt (or opens a dispute) before release.
Read the contract before you send a cent
The whole point of on-chain escrow is that you do not have to take anyone's word for it. The contract is open source and the locked balance is public. A good habit: run a small test escrow first, watch the full flow happen, and confirm the contract address matches the one Vaultion publishes before committing a larger amount.
Frequently asked
Do I really need escrow for an online deal?
It depends on how much you stand to lose and how well you know the other party. For a small deal with someone you trust, probably not. For a larger amount with a stranger — a domain, a freelance contract, an OTC trade — escrow removes the "who moves first" standoff: the buyer\u2019s funds are locked and visible, and the seller knows they will be paid once the terms are met.
What happens if the other person never delivers — or won\u2019t release the funds?
If delivery never happens, the buyer does not confirm, and the funds are not released to the seller. If the two sides disagree, either party can escalate to a dispute: the evidence each side submits is reviewed by independent Kleros jurors or a Vaultion reviewer on Ethereum, or a Vaultion reviewer on every other network, and the contract executes the ruling. Where the escrow names Kleros, Vaultion does not decide the outcome; where it names a Vaultion reviewer, we do — and either way Vaultion cannot move the funds on its own.
How is this different from a service like Escrow.com?
Traditional escrow services hold your money in their own account and you trust the company to release it. Vaultion is non-custodial: the funds sit in an open-source smart contract that Vaultion has no key to. The trade-off is that Vaultion cannot verify physical-world events for you — the buyer confirms delivery, or arbitration decides — but no company is holding your money in the meantime.
Is crypto escrow safe — and how do I spot a fake one?
A legitimate on-chain escrow lets you verify everything yourself: a published contract address, code you can read, and a locked balance you can watch on a block explorer. Be wary of any "escrow" that asks you to send funds to a personal wallet, cannot show you a contract, or pressures you to skip verification. With Vaultion, every step is an on-chain transaction you can confirm.
What does Vaultion charge, and does it take custody of the funds?
Vaultion never takes custody — the funds are in the smart contract, not a Vaultion wallet. The platform fee is paid once, upfront when the escrow is created, on top of the deal amount — the full escrowed amount is what gets released. The exact fee is shown to you before you commit, and it is its own on-chain transfer you can verify.
Is Vaultion live with real funds?
Yes. Vaultion is live with real funds on Ethereum mainnet, Arbitrum One, Base, BNB Smart Chain, TRON, and Solana. Always confirm the contract address on the block explorer before sending funds.
Keep reading
Take the gamble out of the middle
Lock the funds, agree the terms, and let the contract hold the line until the deal is done — or arbitration decides.
Create an escrow