What is escrow? (in plain English)
A neutral third party holds your money until both sides do what they promised. No surprises.
Escrow is a way of paying for something where your money sits with a neutral third party — not the seller, not you — until both sides do what they promised.
The traditional cash-on-collection equivalent
Think of how you'd buy a bike from someone you don't know:
- You take an EFT-screenshot → seller doesn't really believe you sent it
- You hand over cash → seller could vanish before handing over the bike
- You wire the money first → seller could disappear
Escrow solves all three:
- You pay TradeSafe (the neutral third party)
- TradeSafe confirms to the seller "the money is here, ship the item"
- The seller ships
- You receive and confirm
- Only then does TradeSafe release the money to the seller
If anything goes wrong in steps 2-4, the money stays with TradeSafe and we sort it out.
Why use TradeSafe specifically?
TradeSafe is a regulated South African escrow provider. They've been handling escrow for car sales, property deposits, freelance contracts, and marketplace transactions since 2014. They're authorised under the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) and audited annually.
Does it cost more?
TradeSafe charges a fee that's deducted from the seller's payout, not added to your purchase price. The amount you see at checkout is the amount you pay — no surprise add-ons.
For most marketplaces, the fee is in the low single-digit percent range.
Who decides when funds release?
- Buyer confirms delivery → instant release
- 24 hours after delivery → automatic release (if buyer didn't click)
- Dispute raised → release paused until resolved
See When do funds release? for the full timeline.