Buying a Domain Through Escrow.com on CNM.com
On domains from $1,000 you can pay through Escrow.com: your money is held by an independent escrow service until you've received the domain and accepted it. How it works, step by step.
Every purchase on CNM.com is protected: the seller isn't paid until the domain is secured. On larger purchases some buyers want one more layer — an independent escrow company holding the money instead of the marketplace. That's what Escrow.com is for, and you can now use it right at checkout.
Who can use it
Escrow.com checkout appears on Buy Outright purchases of $1,000 or more, in US dollars, on any verified listing. Below $1,000, the extra steps aren't worth it — card, bank, and PayPal checkout already hold your money in escrow until the domain is delivered (see how a protected purchase works).
If a listing qualifies, you'll see the Escrow.com button next to the other ways to pay on the checkout page.
How it works
- Choose Buy Outright and click the Escrow.com button. We create the transaction at Escrow.com for the listed price and send you there. Your email is pre-filled, so the transaction is tied to you.
- Sign in or create your Escrow.com account and review the transaction. This is Escrow.com's own site and account — CNM.com never sees your payment details.
- Send your payment to Escrow.com. Use any method Escrow.com offers for your transaction. A bank wire works for any amount; for some amounts card or PayPal may also be offered. Escrow.com shows you the options before you pay. Please send it promptly: an order with no payment sent within 3 days is cancelled, and so is one whose payment hasn't arrived within 7 days.
- Escrow.com secures your money and tells us. As soon as Escrow.com reports your payment on its way, the domain is reserved for you and taken off the market.
- We deliver the domain. You'll receive the transfer details — usually an authorization code for your registrar, or a push straight into your registrar account — and we mark the domain as shipped at Escrow.com.
- You check it and accept. Once the domain is in your account, you have 2 days to inspect it and accept the delivery at Escrow.com. If you don't respond in that window, the inspection period ends and Escrow.com treats the delivery as accepted.
- Escrow.com releases the money. Only now is the seller paid. The domain is yours.
If the domain is never delivered, there's nothing to accept: Escrow.com's process returns your money, and the seller never touches it.
What it costs
The domain price is the same as on every other payment method. Escrow.com charges its own fee for the service, and with Escrow.com checkout on CNM.com the buyer pays that fee. It's shown on Escrow.com before you pay, so you'll know the exact amount before committing. CNM.com doesn't add anything on top.
One thing to know: reserve it by paying
Starting an Escrow.com checkout doesn't take the domain off the market by itself — it's reserved for you once Escrow.com reports that your payment is on its way. In the rare case someone buys it in between, we cancel the Escrow.com transaction before anything is charged; if your money had already reached Escrow.com, it's returned to you.
Escrow.com or card checkout?
Both protect you. Choose Escrow.com if you want an independent third party holding the funds, if you're paying a large amount by bank wire, or if your company requires escrow for domain purchases. Choose card, bank, or PayPal checkout if you want it done in one sitting: there are no extra accounts or fees, and the money is still held until the domain is secured. Paying from a US bank account may also get you a discount.
Ready to look? Browse the listings, and if anything about payments or escrow is unclear, the FAQ covers the details.
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