Escrow and how a job progresses

Escrow and how a job progresses

Payment does not pass directly to the other person. We hold it in the middle, so the client does not have to worry about delivery and the provider does not have to worry about being paid.

Four stages

The contract screen shows which stage you are at.

Payment is released at completion, not delivery

Reporting delivery does not release anything. The moment the client marks the job complete, the amount less the fee lands in the provider's wallet.

Clients do sometimes forget to confirm. If you are the provider and nothing has happened for a few days after reporting delivery, send a message asking them to check. If there is still no response, move to the dispute section below.

While work is under way

1. 01Keep the exchange in messagesRunning everything through outside channels leaves nothing to refer back to when views differ.
2. 02Agree a price for extra work before doing itTaking on "while you're at it" verbally always leads to disagreement at completion.
3. 03Never pay outside escrowIf you accept a direct bank transfer, we have no way to help.

Stopping a job

Agree it with the other person by message first. Where both sides agree to stop, the deposit returns to the client.

• Before work has started: the full amount returns.
• Once work is under way: agree an amount reflecting the progress made, then stop. Stopping without agreement becomes a dispute, below.

When you cannot reach agreement

Raise a dispute from the contract screen. The escrow is frozen at that point and we contact both sides for their account of it.

Have this ready when you raise one. It makes the assessment much faster.

• The exchange showing what was agreed: what, by when, for how much
• What was actually delivered, or the fact that it was not
• Your record of asking the other person to respond

A dispute is the last resort. Most cases are settled by going back over the price and scope once in messages. Ask the other person directly first.

Withdrawing what you earn

Payments received land in your wallet. Moving them out to a bank account requires identity verification. If you have not done it, see Identity verification; for the withdrawal itself, see Making a withdrawal.