Flippa gives buyers and sellers the option to use Escrow.com as a payment method for added security. Escrow.com is a well-known licensed escrow service and money transmitter that has been facilitating online transactions for digital assets including domains, websites, etc. for many years.
Many Flippa users are familiar with Escrow.com, so Flippa has fully integrated Escrow.com to make the process as smooth as possible. Here’s how to use Escrow.com for a Flippa sale, step by step.
Step 1
Activating Escrow.com on Flippa
After you’ve agreed on a sale and proceed to the payment stage in Flippa’s Deal Completion Area, either the Buyer or the Seller can choose to Start Escrow.com as their payment option (instead of PayPal or FlippaPay, if available). This option will appear in the Payments tab of the Deal Completion Area. Once you click to Start Escrow.com, Flippa will initiate the escrow process and create an escrow transaction using the email addresses which you have provided to Flippa for your escrow account.
You’ll typically be prompted to log in or finish creating an Escrow.com account (if you don’t have one already). This is because while Flippa coordinates the sale, the funds are managed by Escrow.com in their account and platform.
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If you already have an Escrow.com account: Make sure the email you use on Flippa matches your Escrow.com email address. Flippa will send a message indicating an escrow transaction is being started. If these don't match, please change them to do so before starting a transaction. If you have created a transaction and need updates to correct this, please reach out to our Support team.
- If you don’t already have an escrow account: You’ll be guided to Escrow.com’s signup process. It’s a quick process, but you’ll need to provide some details (and eventually verify your identity on Escrow.com as well, especially for larger transactions).
Once activated, the buyer will receive an email from Flippa or Escrow.com with a link to begin the escrow onboarding. A direct link to the transaction can also be accessed from the Payments tab within the Deal Completion Area.
Step 2
Agreeing to Escrow Terms
On Escrow.com, you’ll find the transaction created with the details from Flippa (price, Flippa listing number, domain name or general description of the asset). Both buyer and seller will need to log into Escrow.com to review and agree to the escrow terms. This usually means confirming the amount, the asset being sold, the expected inspection period, and any milestone payments if applicable. Think of this as duplicating the sale agreement terms into Escrow.com’s system. Escrow.com might label this step as “Agree to terms” or “Accept the transaction.” Once both parties have agreed, the transaction is officially active on Escrow.com.
Step 3
The Buyer funds the Escrow.com Account
Now the buyer needs to pay into Escrow.com’s third-party escrow account. Escrow.com will provide instructions for payment. You’ll see various options depending on the transaction size and your location:
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Bank or Wire Transfer: The most common method for most Flippa deals. Escrow.com will show their bank details for you to send the money to their bank account.
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PayPal: Escrow.com allows PayPal to be used by some Buyers for some transactions, typically up to $5,000 USD. If your transaction amount is below their threshold and you prefer to pay by PayPal, you can do so directly on Escrow.com. Keep in mind, Escrow.com may add a surcharge, and additional details may be required for PayPal-based payments.
- Other methods: Escrow.com might also support check or money order in certain cases, but those are rare for online deals and will significantly slow the process. For most Flippa sales, you’ll stick to a wire transfer.
When you initiate the payment on Escrow.com, they may also require you to complete identity verification if you haven’t already. Escrow.com strictly adheres to Know Your Customer (KYC) / Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations and requirements. This typically means uploading proof of your identity and potentially providing more details about a company or other name (not yours) in your bank account. Escrow.com’s interface will guide you if any verification is needed. If these details are not provided promptly to Escrow.com upon request, there may be delays in securing funds or to payout.
Step 4
Payment Processing
After the buyer sends the funds to Escrow.com, Escrow.com will wait for the funds to clear (just like any secure payments service). The timing is similar: wires can take a few days. Escrow.com will notify both parties via email when the funds are secured. Your Deal Completion Area on Flippa will also show that funds are secured in escrow. At this point, the money is held safely by Escrow.com and you can start transferring assets in your Deal Completion Area.
Step 5
Seller Delivers the Assets
Once Escrow.com confirms the Buyer’s payment, the Seller should proceed to transfer the assets to the Buyer. This step is the same regardless of payment method: the website files, domains, accounts, or whatever was sold must be handed over. It’s important for the Seller to do this promptly and within the agreed upon timeframe (often within a few days of payment confirmation). In your Deal Completion Area, the Seller can then mark items as delivered to prompt the Buyer to start their Inspection Period. Keep communication open – the Buyer might have questions during the handover. Escrow.com's inspection period (for example, 2 days, 3 days, 7 days, or a custom period noted in your agreement) during which the Buyer can review the assets.
Step 6
Buyer’s Inspection and Approval
The Buyer now needs to make sure everything is in order. Use the Inspection Period to test an app or website, confirm logins, check that you have control of all assets, and that they match what was described on Flippa and is mentioned in your agreement. If there are any issues, notify the Seller in your Deal Completion Area conversation so it can be discussed and ideally, resolved. If all is good, the Buyer should proceed to accept the transaction on Escrow.com. This is essentially the Buyer telling Escrow.com “I’m satisfied, you can release the money.” On Escrow.com, there will be a button or prompt for the buyer to Accept or Mark as Received the assets. It’s typically one click, and possibly an additional confirmation dialog.
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Do not accept until you are sure you got what you paid for. If something is not delivered as promised, you can delay acceptance and contact Escrow.com to raise a concern. Escrow.com can hold the funds until the issue is resolved (or even potentially refund the Buyer in some circumstances). Once you click accept, the transaction will be considered completed and a refund cannot be provided.
- If the Buyer does not either accept or raise an issue within the inspection period, Escrow.com will often automatically mark the transaction as completed when the inspection period expires. This means the funds would then move to the Seller. Buyers shouldn’t ignore this important step, and need to either formally accept – or communicate an issue – before the deadline.
Step 7
Escrow.com releases funds to the Seller
After the Buyer’s acceptance, Escrow.com will release the payment to the Seller. Escrow.com will deduct their transaction fee (paid by the Buyer in most Flippa transactions, unless negotiated otherwise) and then initiate the payout to the Seller’s previously chosen disbursement (payout) method. Once processed, the Seller will get the money in their bank, typically in a few days. Escrow.com will email confirmation of the disbursement.
Step 8
The transaction has completed
Congratulations, the Escrow.com transaction is completed! Both parties should receive a closing statement or receipt from Escrow.com. Flippa’s system will mark the transaction as finished as well.
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Benefits of using Escrow.com via Flippa: Even though you step out to Escrow.com’s website for part of the process, the integration with Flippa offers a couple of advantages:
- Flippa has negotiated a discounted fee with Escrow.com for its users. In fact, buying via Flippa gives you about a 20% rebate on Escrow.com fees (while the exact fees depend on sale price; Escrow.com normally charges around 0.89%).
- The status syncing – Flippa’s dashboard will reflect when payment is secured and when the transaction is done, so you have a central place to see progress, even if Escrow.com is handling the money part.
- You still have Flippa’s support team available. If something is confusing on Escrow.com, you can ask Flippa support for help coordinating, since they have experience with the process and can liaise with Escrow.com if needed.
Important: While Escrow.com is very secure, always make sure you’re on the official escrow.com website when handling the funds and that Flippa has created your escrow transaction directly. If either a Buyer or Seller provides an escrow link that they have created, please do not use it and reach out to our team.
Never send money to a bank account that is not listed on the official Escrow.com transaction instructions. Flippa will never ask you to send escrow funds to a personal account or via cryptocurrency. Be vigilant and if anything seems off, pause and verify with the Flippa team or Escrow.com's support team.
Using Escrow.com adds a neutral third-party to hold the money. Flippa’s integration makes it straightforward – just remember that you have two platforms involved (Flippa for the marketplace and Escrow.com for the escrow), and that you will need to keep an eye on communications from both.
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