How crypto escrow protects both sides of a number trade

The four states every order passes through

Each order on the platform has one status at a time, and money only moves on a status change. Nothing is calculated in your browser: prices, and the setup fee are recomputed on the server from the published offer, so a manipulated page cannot change what you pay or receive.

• Awaiting payment — the order exists, the price is locked, nothing has moved yet
• Paid — the buyer's balance is debited and the seller's share is marked held
• Delivered and under inspection — a 72-hour window in which the buyer tests the inventory
• Completed — the held amount becomes available in the seller's balance

What the inspection window is for

Seventy-two hours is long enough to place test calls, send verification messages, run traffic through a route or confirm a SIM box's ports respond, and short enough that a seller is not financed indefinitely. If the buyer confirms early, funds release immediately. If the buyer disappears, the window expires and the platform releases the held amount to the seller automatically, on an hourly check.

• Confirm early when the inventory works — it builds your counterparty's record and yours
• Open the dispute inside the window, not after it, if something is wrong
• Screenshots, call logs and DLR reports belong in the order chat, where moderators can read them

How disputes actually end

A dispute freezes the held amount and brings a moderator into the order. There are only three outcomes, and each one is a single accounted movement that cannot be repeated: release to the seller, a full refund to the buyer, or a 50/50 split when both sides carry part of the fault — a route that worked but under-performed the stated ASR, for example.

Why the seller is protected too

Escrow is usually pitched as buyer protection, but the seller gets the harder guarantee: proof that the money exists before any inventory changes hands. A buyer cannot place an order without a funded balance, cannot reverse a crypto payment the way a card chargeback works, and cannot quietly extend the inspection window. Payouts reserve the amount the moment they are requested and return it in full if the request is rejected.