Escrow Protection
Version 1.0 · Effective August 15, 2026 · Governed by the laws of the State of New York
Document ID escrow-protection@v1.0. The version in force at the time of your purchase is recorded with your order.
TruVault Market is a venue, not a bank. Every transaction on the platform — marketplace purchases and private deals arranged elsewhere — settles through an independent licensed escrow provider that holds the funds until the buyer has inspected the item.
TruVault Market never holds your funds
TruVault Market does not hold, transmit or take custody of buyer or seller money, and is not a money transmitter under New York Banking Law Article 13-B. Payment details are collected by the escrow provider, and their own agreement governs the holding and release of funds. TruVault Market stores only the escrow transaction reference and status.
How the escrow flow works
- 1. Deal created
- A buyer checks out on a listing, or either party creates a private secure deal and sends the other person a TruVault Market deal link. Price, shipping, box and papers status and fees are agreed in writing before anyone pays.
- 2. Escrow funded
- The buyer pays the independent escrow provider directly. TruVault Market never touches the money. Both parties are notified the moment funds are secured.
- 3. Shipment
- Only after funds are secured is the seller cleared to ship, with tracking recorded on the order. The buyer can follow every status change from the order page.
- 4. Inspection
- Delivery starts a 72-hour verification window for authenticity, condition and listing accuracy. Optional third-party authentication can be required on the deal before release.
- 5. Release or dispute
- The buyer accepts and funds release to the seller, or opens a dispute. With no action, funds release automatically when the window closes.
Deals brought from outside TruVault Market
If you agreed a sale on Instagram, a forum, Reddit or through a friend, either side can create a secure deal, add photographs and the agreed price, and send the other person a unique deal link. From the moment the counterparty joins, the transaction is protected by exactly the same escrow, inspection and dispute rules as a marketplace order.
A visible, timestamped record
Every escrow transition — funded, shipped, delivered, disputed, released — is written to a status history on the order that both parties can see, and both are emailed and notified in-app at each stage. Automatic reminders nudge whichever side is holding up the deal.
Fees
The escrow provider charges its own fee, shown in the breakdown before you commit. TruVault Market charges a flat $50 marketplace fee per completed sale, split evenly between buyer and seller, earned only when escrow releases. Cancelled and refunded transactions are never charged a marketplace fee.
Never settle off-platform
Wire transfers, peer-to-peer payment apps and cash sent directly to a counterparty have no escrow, no inspection window and no dispute process. Any request to move payment off TruVault Market is a red flag — report it to support@truvaultmarket.com and we may suspend the account.