Escrow FAQ

What is an escrow service?
Escrow is a defined process whereby a buyer puts money into the custody of a trusted third party with a guarantee that funds are available for payment to the seller after a specified set of conditions has been met.

How does an escrow service work?
It's very simple. The Buyer deposits funds into the escrow's custody. The Seller ships item or performs work. The Buyer approves. The escrow service pays the Seller. It's that easy.

What are the benefits of using an escrow service?

For sellers:

• Sellers are protected against bad checks, non-sufficient funds, scams, fraud.

  Especially useful for expensive items such as antiques or computer equipment and for transactions across the country or around the world.

  Added security for both parties. Minimizes the likelihood of a dispute.

  For buyers:

  Buyers are able to inspect the merchandise before the payment is finalized. No more buying sight-unseen.

  If buyer pays escrow fees and requests escrow, there is no reason for a seller to deny our services.

  Buyers have the right to return unsatisfactory items.

  Takes the worry out of buying from unknown sellers.

• No need to send personal information to an unfamiliar party

What types of escrow services do you offer?
We offer two types of escrow services: Tangible and Intangible. Tangible escrow services applies to physical items such as jewellery, electronics, hardware, goods, etc. whereas intangible escrow services is adapted for the employment or the performance of work, duties or impalpable products and services such as source code, written software, graphic design, etc. We do not offer escrow account, payment recovery, real estate escrow, timeshare escrow, telecommunication escrow, escrow loans.

Why should we call upon your escrow services when many sites offer their own escrow?
Bear in mind that if you come across a site who offers their own escrow services, then by definition, escrow is no longer impartial. In such a situation, favoritism, unfair practices, disputes are more likely to occur. Let us consider a situation where a dispute arises: One user is a long-time client who has brought a lot of business and another user who is a new client. If in-house escrow handles such a transaction but a dispute surfaces, chances are in-house escrow will favor their long-time client. To remain true to our code of ethics and to our customers, escrow must remain unbiased. Our services are impartial. As a third party, we do not take sides. For instance, the same code of ethics applies to self-escrow. Escrow can never be applied to itself, to their employees. In such a case, we must call upon another legitimate escrow service.

What happens if a dispute arises?
If ever a dispute arises, however unlikely, since we are a member of the Better Business Bureau, we can apply their dispute resolution services.

What are your escrow fees?
Escrow fees are based on the amount of the transaction. Using an escrow is worth the peace of mind of knowing your transaction will be secure and your money protected. If escrow is used in a transaction involving US funds, then the applicable escrow fees will be in US funds. BBB members will have priority service. We do offer zero escrow fees if funds are held for 60 days minimum. Conditions apply. For intangible escrow fees, even though it may go along the lines of our tangible fee structure, we apply intangible escrow fees on case by case basis.

Fees per Transaction Value   Minimum $1000	Check MO, etc (1)	Bank  Transfer (3)	Direct  Deposit (2)
$1000-$5,000	3.00%	2.75%	2.75%
$5,000.01-$15,000	2.75%	2.50%	2.50%
$15,000.01-$25,000	2.25%	2.00%	2.00%
$25,000.01 +	1.75%	1.00%	1.00%

(1) Banks policy not our takes up to 15-20 bus.days to clear funds. Check, Money order, Cashiers Check; Even cashiers checks can be fraudulent in our new economy.
(2)  Banks clears it same day usually from your nearest Royal bank branch in Canada to our registered account. This option only applies within Canada
(3)Bank wire, bank transfer. Fastest means, usually processed in 24hrs in continental US. Sender is responsible for sending. Please note that int`l bank wires time frame varies from country to country

What payment methods does Afterson.com accept?
We accept the following payment methods: Bank Wires 24hr for clearance, Cashier's Checks 10 business days or less for clearance, Business or Personal Checks 14 business days or less for clearance, Postal or Bank Money Orders 7 business days or less for clearance. Unfortunately, at this time, we do not accept credit card payments due to the rise in credit card fraud, internet fraud, appeals and chargebacks. We do not accept Paypal. We are aware of the inconvenience that this may pose for some of our customers but for the best interest of the buyer and seller, we must uphold protection for all parties involved in the escrow transaction. For an escrow service to be loyal to its concept, the escrow must have funds readily available for sellers as much as it is important for buyers to receive the purchased goods as described. Other escrow service providers who offer credit card or paypal payments present a greater risk to their clients than what our customers are exposed to.

How does the seller get paid?
The escrow service usually issues a check to the seller payable to the seller or company at the conclusion of the transaction. However, if the buyer uses a electronic bank wire transfer, the escrow service will also pay the seller with a bank wire transfer. We at Afterson.com Inc prefer to settle our clients' transactions via bank wires transfers due to their security features and faster settlements.

Do you offer an affiliate program for business development?
We do offer an affiliate program because if does not jeopardize our code of ethics and our impartiality remains intact. Please contact us for more information in regards to our affiliate program.

How long does the process take?
That depends. If the buyer pays with a wire transfer and the seller uses an overnight delivery service, the goods can be delivered within one to three days. Payment by check or money order may delay the process by several days at least, if not several weeks.

How do I initiate an escrow transaction?
Fill out the escrow request form. Follow the Escrow hyperlink. We assess each transaction on an individual basis.

What if the seller does not respond?
The seller may not respond to the buyer's and escrow's request for use of the escrow service because the seller did not receive the email notification. However, when Afterson.com sends the email notification to seller, we send a carbon copy to the buyer as well, so if the buyer receives the email, it is very likely that the seller received it as well. It may be that the seller would prefer not to use our escrow services for a number of reasons. If that's the case then perhaps the escrow service has done what it is set out to do, which is to protect you from a potentially fraudulent transaction. Better to have your emails ignored before the transaction when you request an escrow service than after the transaction, after you have paid for the item and have not received it at all. Unfortunately, this is something that happens much too often with online transactions.

For transactions involving what types of items or services can I apply for an escrow service?
You can apply for an escrow service for transactions involving art, antiques, collectibles, cars, trucks, rv, heavy equipment or off-road equipment, other vehicles, construction, business, industrial, electronics, computers, musical instruments, jewellery (jewelry US spelling), watches, household items, healthcare products, gifts, clothing, accessories, domain name transfers, specialty services (such as websites, software...) as a guarantee when project is completed. Businesses can apply for an escrow service for large lots, imports or exports, wholesale transactions, as a letter of credit, and for national or international trade.

For transacitons involving what types of items can I not apply for an escrow service?
We do not accept transactions for questionable, objectionable or prohibited items. We reserve the right at our sole discretion, whether to accept or reject each submitted transaction. Here is a list of some of the items and services for which we do not make our services available:

Prohibited items
Alcohol (also see Wine)
Animal and wildlife products
Catalog sales
Counterfeit currency and stamps
Counterfeit items
Credit cards
Drugs and drug paraphernalia
Embargoed goods from prohibited countries
Firearms, Ammunition, Replicas, and Militaria
Fireworks
Government IDs and licenses
Human parts and remains
Links
Lock-picking devices
Lottery tickets
Mailing lists and personal information
Multi-level Marketing, Pyramid, and Matrix Programs
Plants and seeds
Postage meters
Prescription drugs and devices
Recalled items
Satellite and cable TV descramblers
Stocks and other securities
Stolen property
Surveillance equipment
Tobacco
Travel

Special
Real estate

Questionable items
Artifacts
Autographed items
Batteries
Catalytic converters and test pipes
Contracts and tickets
Electronics equipment
Event tickets
Food
Freon and other refrigerants
Hazardous materials
Imported and emission non-compliant vehicles
International trading - Buyers
International trading - Sellers
Mature audience items
Offensive material
Pesticides
Police-related items
Pre-sale listings
Slot machines
Used airbags
Used clothing
Used medical devices
Weapons and knives
Wine (also see Alcohol)

Potentially infringing (copyright and trademarks)
Academic software
Anti-circumvention policy
Authenticity disclaimers
Beta software
Bootleg recordings
Brand name misuse
Comparison policy
Contracts and tickets
Downloadable media
Faces, names and signatures
Importation of goods into the United States or Canada
Misleading titles
Mod chips, game enhancers, and boot discs
Movie prints
OEM software
Recordable media
Replica and counterfeit items
Promotional items

Mod chips, game enhancers, and boot discs
Movie prints
OEM software
Recordable media
Replica and counterfeit items
Promotional items
Unauthorized copies