Escrow Services

"...just thought I'd let you know that over the last few days, at least 5 people I've wanted to buy stuff from I've told them I'd like to use your escrow service, and they've all backed out. After searching around a little more, seems all these people have screwed someone at one point or another. So even though I haven't used the service yet, it's definitely scaring off the people who would have probably ripped me off..."

Basically, this is in response to seeing posts from people online that end up in someone being burned in some online purchase or deal...

Whatever the case might be, it probably could have been avoided with the use of an Escrow Service. The key to making the whole thing work is that the 3rd party, or the person offering the Escrow Services, has to be trusted.

I have many years of being a member at www.VWVortex.com and at www.ClubGTI.com and can provide references if needed, or a thread can be created at one of those online forums to ask for people to vouch for the user "Broke".

One recent thread like that can be found here... References on username "Broke" pls - thanks and it is found on ClubGTI.com, which is where this thread can be found... Need a US address for buying US items- , which is another service I offer to those living outside of the US, but it is a testament to my being trustworthy that the mods there made my offer a Sticky Thread in that forum... suffice it to say, I can be trusted with whatever part or dollar amount that might be sent to me!

Basically, the buyer sends his money to me to hold, instead of to the seller. The seller can then ship the package to the buyer directly, or they can ship it to me first. Obviously, it is safer, but costs more, to send it to me, and have me send it on to the buyer, and it is less safe, but cheaper, to send the package directly to the buyer.

When the buyer gets the item, if it is what he wanted, he can inform me he is happy, and the money being held in escrow will be sent to the seller. If the buyer isn't happy, he returns the item, the seller informs me he got the item back, and the money is returned.

The money can reach me a variety of ways... Money Order, Personal Check/Cheque, Bank/Cashiers Check, PayPal, and I can even accept major credit cards via PayPal. I can also send the money to the seller via different methods if need be.

When I get the package, if it is sent to me first, I open it, take pics and video if needed and show the item to the buyer until they are happy it is what they expected, in the condition they expected, and they'll decide if they want to continue with the transaction. I'll then ship the package on to the buyer, and the money will then be sent to the seller. This is safer, because the Escrow Service has the item, and can try to assess the condition of the item before the other party gets it, so there can never be a claim of "it was broken by the other guy".

Additional costs will include any fees from PayPal, or any postage costs if the item is put into escrow. If the item is sent to me to be put into escrow, there is an additional $5 charge to cover running the item to the shippers, and re-packaging.

The person paying for this service is the buyer, he wants to protect his money, and to do so will cost a little more to cover the Escrow Service fees. The seller would have to agree to this, as he would be sending the item out with no money. He can then decide if he wants the item sent to me before being sent to the buyer, this also will cost extra money to re-ship it. He can request the buyer pay for this, or he can pay for this to ensure his item is protected. This is to avoid a situation where the buyer gets it and says it isn't what he wanted, returns it, and then the seller claims the item was broken or is missing pieces or whatever because of the actions of the buyer. If the package comes through me first, the seller cannot claim these things of the buyer. It protects both parties involved, but because buyers are most often ripped off, it protects them more than sellers, which are generally pretty protected as it is.

If you are interested in using the Escrow Service, please send an email to brokegti@sbcglobal.net to discuss your options.