Escrow protects the payment. Knowing the tactics protects the rest.
The following are the methods most frequently used against buyers and sellers in high-value private transactions.
Golden rule: never release funds until you've personally confirmed the item — in person or in hand — matches the listing exactly.
For buyers
A request to pay directly, through a separate application, or “to save on fees” is a request to move the transaction outside every protection Bastion provides. Decline it in all cases and report the account.
Verify the item against the listing — condition, accessories, serial numbers, authenticity — before confirming receipt. Released funds cannot be recovered.
Statements such as “I need this released now” or “I have another buyer waiting” are pressure tactics. The inspection window exists to be used in full, and no legitimate seller has grounds to shorten it.
Review the seller’s completed trade count, verification status and reviews before transacting with them for the first time.
For sellers
A claim that payment has been sent carries no weight until the transaction shows as funded on Bastion, which reflects confirmation from the escrow provider. Do not ship or hand over an item before that status appears.
Ship only on the prepaid label Bastion generates for the order. It is bound to that transaction, that destination and that declared weight, and the carrier’s own scans are what advance the transaction. A label or tracking number obtained anywhere else carries no weight in a dispute.
For in-person handoffs, provide the release code only once the buyer is present and both parties have inspected the item. The code releases funds immediately and cannot be reversed.
For in-person meetups
Bank lobbies and designated police department safe-exchange zones are recommended. Both are available as suggestions on the transaction page.
Bring a second person to any high-value exchange.
For shipped transactions
The prepaid label Bastion generates is bound to the transaction, the destination and the declared weight. A label obtained elsewhere, or a tracking number entered by hand, carries no evidentiary weight in a dispute.
The label does not unlock until the escrow provider confirms payment. Any request to ship ahead of that confirmation should be refused and reported.
Sellers record the item entering the box, the seal and the label. Buyers record the sealed box being opened, beginning before the seal is broken. Unedited continuous footage resolves the majority of “arrived empty” and “wrong item” claims. Edited or interrupted recordings do not.
Signature on delivery is required on every Bastion shipment, and adult signature above $1,000. Arrange to be present, or select a carrier pickup hold where the protection tier allows it.
Delivery does not release funds. The inspection window exists for verification against the listing. Report an issue rather than confirming if anything differs — released funds cannot be recovered.
If something feels wrong
Use “Report a problem with this trade” on the transaction page. Funds are frozen in escrow while the case is reviewed by Bastion staff against the transaction record.