How the escrow holds your money
Your coins sit in a 2 of 3 multisig script from the moment you pay until you release them. Nothing moves with one key, and the dispute window is the only time the market itself can act on your behalf.
What the escrow actually is
When you pay for an order, the coins do not go to the vendor. They go into a multisig script that needs two of three signatures to spend: yours as the buyer, the vendor’s, and the market’s. A normal release is you plus the vendor, so neither of you can move the money alone and the market is not in the loop at all.
That is the design that matters. The market key is the tie breaker, and it only comes into play when the two of you cannot agree. A vendor who shipped and you who received it sign together and the coins leave. A vendor who did not ship and you who did not either open a dispute and the market’s key is the one that decides.
Early finalize, and when to use it
Early finalize is the option to release the escrow before the automatic timer, once you have confirmed the goods. It is the right move when a vendor ships fast and you do not want to wait out a multi day window. It is the wrong move when the package is still in transit, because once you sign, the vendor’s key plus yours releases the coins and the tracking number is no longer leverage.
The automatic timer is the fallback for the case where nobody signs. It runs from the moment the vendor marks the order as shipped, and it is long enough that a package that is merely slow has usually arrived before the window closes. Reading the vendor’s shipping time on the listing before you buy is what tells you whether that window is generous or tight.
A dispute, step by step
- Open the order and choose to dispute before the finalize timer closes. After it closes, the release is automatic and the window is gone.
- State the case in two or three sentences and attach proof. A photo of the package, the tracking number, and the listing as it read when you bought it. Screenshots age badly, so take them at the time.
- Wait for the market to respond. Most disputes are decided within a few days, and the market posts the ruling to both parties with the reasoning.
- If the ruling goes against you, the coins release to the vendor. The only appeal is a written one, and it is worth it when the ruling missed a fact, not when it simply disagreed with your reading of one.
What the escrow does not cover
It covers the space between payment and delivery. It does not cover a balance you left sitting in the wallet after the order closed, and it does not cover a vendor who shipped the right quantity of the wrong grade. The escrow sees that a sum left the script and that the script was told to release it. Whether what arrived matches the listing is a judgment call, and the listing and the vendor’s feedback are the only evidence that survives a dispute.
The honest summary is that the escrow is as good as the two habits around it. Withdraw what you are owed promptly, and read the listing the way you would read a contract, because that is effectively what it is.